Massachusetts Fishing Report – July 9, 2015

The season of flux continues, with the last week footnoted by big bass and some awfully large tuna. Just maybe the concern of previous weeks will prove premature and like the Red Sox we are just hitting our stride!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

It’s pretty rare to consider a skunking memorable, but that’s exactly how Scotty of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle remembers a recent outing. During a glass-calm outing on Stellwagen Bank while hoping for tuna, he saw something that will forever leave an imprint on him: scads of monstrous tuna cruising all around the boat, sipping the surface for sand eels and pushing 3- to 4-foot high tunnels of water where they prowled. While the esthetics of such a phenomenon are the ultimate eye-candy, it usually doesn’t transfer to fish in the boat. Sure enough, the tuna were spooky to the extreme and none of the fleet out there caught. The next day with a fair amount of surface scuff, 600-pound tuna were taken on bars with slim-profiled teasers/stingers (to match the sand eels) as well as live bait. And it is just all that live bait which is attracting the tuna. Scotty said that every drop of a Sabiki rig resulted in a guestimate as to what would be latched on. In addition to the intended mackerel, sea herring and whiting, juvenile haddock and cod were encountered. The biomass out there is almost thick enough to walk on. A tip from the shop is to consider kite fishing. Not only can you float you’re bait far beyond the boat where the tuna might be less guarded, but you can increase your leader diameter since it is out of the water and does not leave a shadow! Regardless, if you’re hoping a giant is in your future, then it is game is on – right now!

Bass fishing on the South Shore for quality fish has become a deep-water affair for the day trippers and a nighttime pursuit for shore fisherman. Mackerel continue to be the quickest ticket to a cow, and you should find them around The Gurnet, just outside of the North River, and in the vicinity of the Farnham Bell. Shore folks are slinging eels off Rexhame Beach, in the South River, Burkes Beach and at The Narrows are doing well on teen-sized fish.

Pete from Belsan’s Bait in Scituate is happy report that the scale in his shop is getting a workout. A number of nice bass have been weighed in recently, including several 30- and 40-pounders. Additionally, he has seen the phone pics of impressive fish. Minot’s Ledge with live mackerel remains a winner as does the smattering of other offshore ledges such as Flatt Ledge and Davis Ledge. Anglers working a Sabiki with a diamond jig in 50 to 70 feet of water are encountering heartbreak. The reason is all the 5- to 7-pound cod, including white-bellies (non-resident), that must be returned. We can only hope that regulators see fit next year to allow a limited harvest of cod in the “Cod State”! The commercials can keep some—it’s only fair we get a small slice of the pie! Pete still doles out eels to the night-walkers who are catching, and not talking, throughout the South and North rivers. Those who live to live-line eels feel that once water temperatures cross the 60-degree mark, striped bass go on the prowl for eels—making now prime time.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

Dave Waldrip of Relentless Charters has been finding plenty of mackerel by the harbor outer islands and nearby ledges. There remains good reasons to go through the effort as evidenced by 9-year-old Zach Buccigross, who achieved a personal best bass of 22 pounds while aboard the Relentless recently. This was hardly the only fish that day as others were released to fight another day. For charter convenience, Dave is docking his boat at both Boston and Green Harbor.

While most are caught in the grip of mackerel mania, some are quietly slipping gillnets off Wollaston Beach and coming up with pogies! This isn’t circa 1980 stuff, but there are enough to top off the livewell. Lisa from Fore River B&T said that on most mornings there remains good surface activity from Peddocks Island out through Hull Bay. The obvious fish are mid-20” schoolies, but anglers who are letting their offerings drop toward the bottom are coming up with keeper-sized fish! Decades-long fixtures of Boston Harbor, Captains Bill Bryant and Julie Silvis have been targeting humps, lumps and clumps off Hull and finding bruiser blues up to 14 pounds mixed in with the bass! A few black sea bass have been caught over by Rainsford Island and Georges Island. A good sign that squid are cooperating is that the shop is moving a lot of Yo-Zuri and Surf Pro Tackle squid jigs. Check out the piers of Hull as well as Nut Island at night. Squid sharpies bring their own light source to augment what’s there. Big blues are cruising just beyond the outer islands towards the B Buoy. Troll X-Raps, Mann Stretch swimmers and Rapala CD18s. Another deadly toothy technique is to snap jigs behind either wire-line or leadcore. You’ll need jigs of only about an ounce if you have weighted line, but you’ll have to bulk up to 3 or 4 ounces if you’re just trolling braid.

Laurel from Hull said that tube-and-wormers such as John Donovan are catching cows up to 35 pounds from Hardings Ledge! Chunkers are scoring stripers off the George Washington Bridge on the Weir River, off James Ave in Hull and Hull Gut. Some of the catch has included 40” fish. The preferred bait seems to change with the tide with some crowing about clams and others more in favor of mackerel.

Paul from Bob’s Bait Shack has been weighing up some nice bass, all around the 40-pound bracket! Those catching are loading up on mackerel off Martins Ledge and sometimes as close as Graves Light and trolling or live-lining them by the North Channel, Faun Bar and from Deer Island through the Five Sisters. Finn Ledge, Seal Harbor and Revere Beach are all worth a go. Flounder fishing remains fine but right now few are looking for flatties as the striper contagion takes hold. However, there is a customer of the shop who walks the shoreline of Deer Island and often limits out on fish up to 3 pounds! That’s stuff worthy of the flounder king, Captain Jason Colby! It’s nice to see that in 2015 everyone is able to bask in our burgeoning blackback fishery!

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Finally we have a fly-fishing perspective in the forecast thanks to Matt Kelleher of Capefish in South Hamilton! Inside Salem and Beverly Harbors, you’re more likely to have fast-paced action on patterns designed to juvenile herring. The caveat is that the inside stock is short on cows and heavy on schoolies. Out farther and deeper beyond the islands, your chances are better for hooking something significant. The exception to the shore/short fish formula is up against the suds of rocky sections of Cape Ann. The cover of that white water and the proximity of much of that shoreline to deeper water gives these spots continual potential regardless of the month or time of day.

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle said that squid numbers are definitely up off lit piers of Swampscott, Marblehead, Beverly, Salem and Gloucester. Your best bet is to emulate the commercial guys who are jigging up mackerel and targeting ledges such as Tinkers Ledge, Newcomb Ledge, Saturday Night Ledge and Hills 47 and 101. The kayak crowd are catching with the tube-and-worm from Devereux Beach to Tinkers Island and out to Castle Rock. Closer to the shore of Salem and Beverly Harbors, you are most likely to encounter schoolies. Increasingly, blues are making short work of mackerel baits intended for stripers in deeper water. It might be a good time to consider trolling deep-diving plugs for choppers.

Tom from Surfland said that Joppa Flats is jumping for the kayak cadre with the tube-and-worm the winning presentation. The mouth of the Merrimack is still fishing well with the Salisbury side the most productive lately for both the shore and boat guys. Mackerel are present by the Speckled Apron, Breaking Rocks and Hampton Ledge. Stripers are usually not with the bait; you’ll fare better drifting the Merrimack or trolling Salisbury Beach or Sandy Point. I’ve gotten wind of 40” to 46” stripers snacking on mackerel at the entrance of Gloucester Harbor. The guys catching are fishing in low light and very close to the shore!

Fishing Forecast

If you’re craving a cow or two this weekend, then top off the livewell with mackerel and slowly troll around Minot Ledge, Flatt Rock and Davis Ledge. If you don’t mind losing sleep, sling some eels at the South and North rivers come dark. Hull should continue to be hot with the boaters chasing busting bass while shore guys will do better soaking clams and mackerel at Hull Gut and off James Ave. If seas are calm and your boat has adequate beam, cruise on out toward the B Buoy and see if you can’t reacquaint yourself with bluefish (remember them!). Fly guys are picking off schoolies in Salem and bigger bass up against the crags off Cape Ann. The entrance of Gloucester Harbor has been hot as long as mackerel is the bait.