It could be said that the state of saltwater fishing echoes the quip, “If a tree falls in the forest…” Well, you know the rest. The reality is that hardly anyone is fishing, with the exception of the burgeoning bunch of anglers who are appreciating smelt. Although, I bet the guy in the picture I saw with the 36-incher he took from a popular Boston beach over the weekend is still at it. An attractive alternative is Wachusett Reservoir, where the hits keep on coming.
Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Forecast
Shops along the Bay State coast are selling all kinds of terminal tackle for anglers who are appreciating the terrific sport that the mighty tautog offers on the Westport side of Buzzards Bay. Gloucester guys and gals have even been giving it a go, and once you get into a steady crab-crunching bite you’ll know why. Recently, Mass DMF biologist Matt Ayer needed tautog tissue samples for a growth study. He certainly enlisted the services of the right guy in Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters as we found a nonstop tautog bite most everywhere we poked around between 20 and 35 feet of water. With water temperatures dipping into the low 50 degree range, look for some of the biggest, baddest blackfish of all to feed ravenously. There may be no better time for you to drop a double-digit tautog on the deck than now.
Sadly, the South Shore’s top tautog fisherman, Gus Andriatti, passed suddenly. Usually when Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait told a tale of someone targeting tautog in the Scituate area, it was “Gusie” doing the catching. One of his favorite spots was Cedar Point, where he was a familiar fixture. I’m sure for many in that area the light of that lighthouse looks much dimmer.
Many have flipped on the South Shore to freshwater. It’s little wonder considering how good the catching is. A best bet for a big bass according to Belsan is Cohasset Reservoir, where some are convinced 10-pounders swim! If you know of a stash of pond shiners, that is the quickest way of finding out how large the “Larry’s” in a waterbody are; the biggest hawgs can’t pass up a big shiner fished at the edge of a weedbed. Jacob’s Pond is often a sleeper for bass as is the cranberry bog off Cross Street.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Also over the weekend, mariners pulling the floats from the Broad Sound Tuna Club in the Lynn Marsh became a bit distracted by an honest-to-goodness bird, bait and bass blitz that was on display. There has also been striped bass activity from Marina Bay to Thompson Island and out into Dorchester Bay. One beach to keep an eye on in November is Nantasket Beach, especially by Point Allerton. Should you get into a schoolie/top water bite, drop a jig to the bottom to see if something bigger is playing cleanup. Lisa from Fore River said that smelt interest as is the catch rate shows no signs of waning.
Grass shrimp continue to be in demand and the shop is doubling down efforts to keep both live and frozen shrimp in stock. Fans are big on the Triple H – Hull, Hingham Harbor and Hewitt’s Cove. Some are getting a mixed bag of tommy cod, mackerel and occasionally harbor pollock! Most of the marinas in Quincy have been good and while no word on spots throughout East Boston, Winthrop or Revere, customers from those areas are beating a path to the shop to reload on bait and gear!
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
The only shop that had much to say on the North Shore was Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester. While finding a seam in the swells is the tough part, the tuna bite on Southern Jeffreys Ledge is making the effort worthwhile. Neal told me that one patron of the shop caught four giants during one recent outing! The bait of choice has been mackerel and they are easy pickings throughout Gloucester Harbor with the State Pier and the Dogbar Breakwater among the most consistent for catching. Harbor pollock remain a runner-up favorite. When asked about smelt, Neil mentioned the railroad bridge section of the Annisquam River as a possibility. This has also been a late season flounder spot in the past. While no confirmation, odds are pretty good that mackerel can still be found off the Salem Willows Pier, the Beverly Pier and maybe the Commercial Street Pier in Marblehead.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Eddie of B&A in West Boylston recited a list of recent catches which would have made most shop’s seasons, but this was all from the last week! Such is Wachusett Reservoir. A 5-2 smallie gobbled up a yellow perch on the Gate 35 section of the reservoir! The Route 70 side has been a killer for white perch up to 2 pounds and rainbows of up to 4 pounds! Gates 6 to 13 have been hot. For a shot at a winner white perch, “blow-up” a worm about 15” off the bottom. For a shot at one of those beautiful bows that cruise the first shoreline drop-off, suspend a small shiner just under a bobber. The Quinapoxet and Stillwater have been producing 4 pound rainbows, brown trout and landlocked salmon! The best bait has been salmon egg sacks which Eddie is keeping in stock. Good news on the laker and smallie front, there’s been a boom in perch fry numbers. Take small rig with trout worms along with you and you may be able to catch your bait on site. While shiners are good, small perch are far superior especially for big fish!
Brandon from Granby’s said that the catching of “calicoes” in the Connecticut River by Bartons Cove has been great. Crappie or “calico bass” are an underappreciated gem in rivers where the fishing for them is often superior to ponds and lakes. The Oxbow section of the Connecticut River is another crappie stronghold. The fish are schooled up tightly now and often suspended just under baitfish. A small curly tail grub jigged slowly just above the school should catch as will smallish shiners. For a veritable grab bag Brandon suggests Big Alum Pond and Little Alum Pond. Both are stocked with trout and also feature big smallmouth and largemouth bass, in fact Brandon has caught hawgs of nearly 7 pounds from Big Alum. File both these away for ice fishing since the perch fishing can be quite good.
Fishing Forecast
The blackfish bite from the Westport side of Buzzards Bay will give you the most bang for your buck. Look for whitechins to be making short work of crustaceans in about 20’ of water over wrecks and rockpiles. Just south of Boston, smelt fishing remains hot in Hull, Hingham and Quincy. Find your smelt fix at Fore River B&T in Quincy. Recent success for stripers in Revere as recently as last weekend reflect that the fish can still be found for the hearty. On the North Shore, it’s all about mackerel in Gloucester Harbor, but if you have the boat and a break in the weather giant tuna are hitting like gangbusters on Jeffreys Ledge. Freshwater fishing is fantastic for a variety of salmonids throughout Wachusett Reservoir. For brown trout soak salmon egg sacks in the Quinapoxet while small yellow perch are money for lakers and smallies by the route 110 side and the route 70 side.