Massachusetts Fishing Report – July 23, 2015

Hordes of hungry bluefish have made the acquisition of mackerel more of a challenge. Of course, hooking into a few ‘gator blues has value in its own right. Regardless, live mackerel continue to be a boater’s best bet while the dusk-to-dawn surfcaster is letting eels do their bidding.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Anglers on the South Shore had a better go of it this week as opposed to last week, according to Pete from Belsan’s in Scituate. While the bluefish mob has made life difficult for mackerel, if you poke around, you’ll still find them. Near the macks, blues up to 15 pounds are likely, but it’s exclusively bass, up to 25 pounds, up against the “rocks”. The blues have been partial to topwater lures such as Line Stretchers. Some are having success “bouncing” the macks off Smith Rocks, Collamore Ledge, Egypt Beach, Sunken Ledge and Third Cliff. These same spots are rewarding the nighttime gang who are working eels there.

Ian from Green Harbor Bait & Tackle told me of several two-fish outings for guys in search of tuna! Live bait, be it mackerel, sea herring, or whiting is the key. Recent success has occurred at the edges of Stellwagen such as the Southwest Corner, Northwest Corner and the southeast edge. High hooks are catching by being versatile: trolling, kites, suspending baits are all work depending on the day.

Those doing best for bass are focusing in on low-light conditions. Eels are the number one choice and anglers are fishing them up against rocks, bars and jetties. A best bet is any structure in the Bartlett Rock area.

Russ Eastman from Monahan Marine in Weymouth enjoyed some surprisingly good groundfishing aboard Captain Rob Green’s Elizabeth Marie out of Scituate. The jigged around between the eastern edge of Stellwagen, especially the Rockpile, out to Wildcat Knoll and found no shortage of haddock, big pollock and even cod up to about 17 pounds, which were gently released.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

I was the recipient of bad news but also some good news from my friend Joe Holey who jumped aboard the Little Sister in search of the “usual” limits of flounder. It was not to be, and with water temperatures well into the upper 60s, it’s a safe bet that we can bid the blackbacks a fond farewell until the fall. The good news was that they spotted two distinct schools of pogies off Point Allerton. It’s probably a good idea to strap your “pogy eyes” on and keep a weighted treble or two with you. If these fish come closer to the shore, odds are that they will bring along with them blues and bass. Fear not for the Little Sister, for Captain Colby is pulling her out of the water for some badly needed maintenance and she will soon be berthed once again in Westport until Thanksgiving! I will have personal accounts as to the buffet of species that are available at that side of Buzzards Bay beginning in early August; Jason pretty much targets them all!

So far all the bluefish hoopla has been restricted to the boat guys, but according to Laurel from Hull Bait & Tackle, some have moved within casting distance of the shoreline off Crescent Beach. Along with every other imaginable bait, she is making a concerted effort to keep pogies in stock. Another shoreline hotspot, courtesy of Lisa from Fore River, has been Avalon Beach where striper surface shows have recently taken place. One of Boston’s prominent duos – Captains Bill Bryant and Jules Silvis – has been jigging up mackerel by Thieves Ledge and catching blues between 9 and 15 pounds with them at Three-And-One-Half-Fathom. Stripers are hunkering down below the blues but you’ll need some serious weight, up to 8 ounces, to get the bait quickly and deeply past the choppers. Another “blues on top, bass below” scenario has been taking place from Graves Light through the BG Buoy.

As we transition into August, we usually get “southern” visitors, and not surprisingly I’ve heard of tautog by the old Long Island Bridge pilings as well as Quarantine Rocks. Tautog have also been seen by the pier of the Boston Shipyard Marina. Increasingly, black sea bass are being caught by Pemberton Pier, the backside of Peddock Island and West Gut.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Mackerel are sticking in there around the 2 Can off Nahant but cannot be counted on every tide! If you come up empty by the buoy, check closer to the nearby ledge, sometimes those macks will push in surprisingly close. A few nice bass have been caught with those macks by Bailey’s Hill, Egg Rock and close in on Lynn Beach. Not everyone is catching, and the ones who do are putting in a lot of time and gas into their pursuit. A few nights ago, a buddy of mine and friends emptied their livewell by the “Gut” of Egg Rock on mid 30-inch bass and blues, last night the same gang searched for hours just to find smalls. Lynn Beach has hand a decent on/off bass surf bite. The water has been relatively mung-free and surfcasting friendly. With water temperatures up, stripers are very picky. The predominant forage is brit (juvenile) herring and as a result small lures are a must with some catching well on 1-ounce Gibbs pencil poppers.

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle said that Salem through Marblehead has been blitz city most mornings. The fish tend to be mid-20-inch fish with occasional keepers shouldering through the smaller fish. For bigger bass, Tomo recommends focusing on the rocks of Nahant and Cape Ann with mackerel by day and eels at night. Another option is a tube-and-worm from Sandy Point to Crane’s Beach. Squid fishing is hot, with triple-digit catches a reality almost wherever you find a lit pier from Nahant through Gloucester! The State Pier as well as the Dogbar Breakwater have been good in Gloucester Harbor. Kay from Surfland said that mackerel numbers seem to change with the tide. On Wednesday, anglers were practically begging her to take some mackerel off their hands, while come Thursday nary a mackerel could be found! More reliable is tossing eels off the sandbar at night on an outgoing tide, where an angler recently recorded non-stop action on keeper-sized fish. The only bluefish news has been a few caught from Plum Island Sound! Flounder are a better bet and the cooler temps of Newburyport may be responsible for the best flounder fishing in the state at the moment. The sweet spot is just south of the buoy at the mouth of the Merrimack in 30’ of water.

Fishing Forecast

Stick-to-itiveness is always a good trait for striper fishermen, but seldom more than now. The boat guys that are catching are dumping copious amounts of fuel into their pursuit. It may take effort, but jig up some mackerel by Collamore Ledge or Sunken Ledge and odds are you’ll find blues in the upper part of the water column while bass should be deeper and closer to nearby structure. Shore-casters check out Crescent Beach and Avalon Beach for a shot at a striper or maybe even a blue. The ledges off Hull out to the BG Buoy have mackerel with blues and bass not far away. Up north, the squid fishing is as hot as it’s been all season long, and provided that you’re fishing Plum Island, the flounder fishing is fantastic!