The predicted chill should heat up the striper fishing significantly. Meanwhile, Westport features a grab bag composed of everything from blackfish to members of the jack family! Boston Harbor bass blitzes show no signs of abating, while over-sized mackerel in Salem are big news!
Massachusetts North Shore
Skip from Three Lantern Marine said that many are viewing the cool snap as the catalyst to the fall run. Mackerel remain the magic bullet and can be jigged up sporadically inside Gloucester Harbor and more consistently outside of the Groaner. While we wait for the bass to binge, deep divers in Ipswich Bay are the best friend of those looking for double-digit bluefish!
Martha for Surfland said that soaring water temperatures have resulted in some unusual species for the North Shore. Scup are turning up in lobster pots! And for something that may make a meal out of a lobster, tautog of 6-11 and 7-5 pounds have been caught on seaworms near the Salisbury side jetty at the mouth of the Merrimack.
Shore fishermen have been finding flounder off the ocean front. Blues were the big news last week but the appearance of 5” tinker mackerel may be an indication that they have moved on. Additional evidence to support that belief came courtesy of north of the Bay State reports where big blues is the word. For bass, Martha suggests stick-to-itiveness for those seeking stripers, bass up to 32” have been taken from the Merrimack River to Sandy Point but they have shown a “here today, gone tomorrow” proclivity.
Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast
The water temperature read 72 sizzling degrees, but the willing mid-30-inch stripers in Westport recently honored the calendar more than the transducer’s thermostat – the fish were on the feed! The variety of species Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister boating from Westport through that side of Buzzards Bay is astounding! In addition to standard fare such as bass and blues, jacks, triggerfish, bonito, fluke, black sea bass, and blackfish have all been part of the current catch. One partial reason for this bouillabaisse may be less what you see on your line but more what is apparent on the surface of the water: namely bait, bait and more bait. And with the predicted plummet in temperatures, the going should only get better. The biggest fluke are in 50’ plus and they are 3- to 4-pound plus beauties. If you’re figuring on getting your fluke fix this year you had better hurry since the season on this toothy flounder ends September 23rd!
Pete from Belsan’s Bait in Scituate said that anglers in those parts are mixing in a good dose of stripers with their preoccupation with the blues. The beat goes on for both species: look for big blues in deeper water with trolling plugs the preferred offering while stripers remain structure oriented. Latest linesider hot spots are Old Sow, Peggotty Beach and Second Cliff. Peanut Bunker have invaded the Plymouth/Kingston/Duxbury fueling the already good striper blitzes!
It’s a leap to go from peanuts to pelagics, but the tuna fishing is terrific from Stellwagen out through the backside of the Cape. Live bait short circuits the search and with all the mackerel, whiting and sea herring on the bank, live bait acquisition is no problem.
Greater Boston
There was a bit of panic among the striper-obsessed in these parts because of the disappearance of mackerel. And let’s face, it those macks have spoiled us! Fortunately Captain Rob Savino of CJ Victoria Charters was the voice of optimism when we spoke pre-east wind when he predicted that the east wind would blow the bait back. And…he nailed it! With an east wind along with plummeting temperatures are foreseeable reality look for mackerel to make it back to Boston! Recent catches have come at Flip Rock, the BG Buoy and off Boston Light.
Some, however, such as Quincy Bay’s tube tandem, Bobby and Donny, couldn’t care less about live bait, they’re too busy catching consistently on black tubes! Lisa from Fore River said that they are being rewarded with fish up to 28 pounds by bumping those tubes among the inner islands such as Bumpkin. Don’t discount trolling the tube/worm by Jackknife Ledge, Veezie Rocks and Sunken Ledge. Surface feeds throughout Hull, Hingham and Boston Harbor are the handiwork of thousands of mid-20” schoolies gorging on mixed sizes of sea herring. Off Nut Island the talk is of squid, stripers and even flounder! Big news on Boston’s favorite small fish, there have even been a few smelt taken from the piers of Hull!
Fishing Forecast
Chances are that the precipitous drop predicted in temperatures this weekend are the reward for anglers sweating out the frustrating start to September. Seek out he peanut bunker schools among the “three bays”, chances are bass will not be far. Bass fishing should improve off the Cliffs of Scituate while blues should be willing to slam trolling plugs in slightly deeper offshore water. Double down your efforts for mackerel in Greater Boston as east winds/dropping temperatures should lure the bait back. On the North Shore, Nahant gets the nod as does Lynn Beach as well as Salem Harbor. Plum Island is arguably the most unpredictable with “here today, gone tomorrow” fishing for bass and blues, while flounder, tautog and even scup add surprise.
Always looking for more information about Plymouth and Green harbor fishing along with the Race
My fishing club has a interclub blue fish contest this weekend out of westport. Ma. Looking for a blue fish report. Help thanks
We’ve been getting them as bycatch consistently while fluke fishing just outside of the Sakonet River! Thursday we marked a lot of blues there!
Peanuts and more peanuts! Bring you’re wire leader in the three bays as gator blues are in the mix of 30Inch stripers! Tight-lines!
First time long time as they say on sports radio.
Ron, always appreciate your reports. After reading a few of the comments from last week I like to speak up and say I always find your reports accurate. I’ve never heard you say fish populations are up or as good as they have been in 09. Just an acurate report of what the fish and bait that are here are doing and when. I fish out of beverly, I get out about 2 to 3 times a week, run and gun stuff faimly and work coming first. I have consistenly put 2 to 3 fish in the boat mostly with a fly rod and consider your reports a big part of that.
Thanks for all the great info and I’ll keep reading.
So I just left the merrimack river by captains party boats on the mouth side. Lots of activity and some breaks that honestly seemed too big to be stipers but then again they could have been enormous stripers. I wouldn’t know. I didn’t hook up with anything.
Probably Sturgeon, or you could be seeing seals they love that area this time of the year.
Falling afternoon tide in the three bays had some “Chunka’s” smashing bait from White’s bank to Hobs hole. Crazy fun for the LT enthusiast . Still some “Gator” blues around if you want to fire up the “Smokar” Tight-Lines.