Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 16, 2016

Pictured: Joe Holey Sr with a nice bass which belted a mackerel.

Historically as June builds so do the size of the fish. The 30-pound stripers of last week are usually bumped by 40s and even flounder “balloon” as the season progresses to where even a 4-pounder is a possibility. This week however is going to be a tough one to top as the highlights are a probable 50-pound striper which was caught and released and a 43 inch flounder!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

From Pete of Belsans Bait in Scituate comes news of one heck of a “flounder”! Rob Thompson dropped a mackerel onto the Double LL section of Stellwagen where it was inhaled by a 43″, 30-pound halibut. It seems that every time I hear of someone hauling in a halibut, the means is mackerel. The Dumping Grounds are writhing with baitfish and basking sharks have taken notice, this could be a tinder box just ready to explode into a sustained blitz. Mackerel are the key to a cow, but many are finding that they have to poke around and actively chum to catch them. The most consistent catching is still among the ledges at the edge of state waters such as Scarlett Ledge and Flatt Ledge. Inshore trolling of mackerel or pollock just east of Egypt Beach has been effective. The night crew are in eel mode and they are catching at Fourth Cliff and The Glades. The flounder fishing remains fantastic, in fact one couple took a trip down from Vermont and easily limited out in Scituate. This is shades of a bygone era when it was common for out-of-staters to visit the Bay State to fish for flounder.

Scotty from Green Harbor Bait and Tackle in Marshfield told me he has heard of bass up to 40 pounds taken on pogies by the Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury. As a backup option bring along a Sabiki, you may hit into hickory shad which are excellent big bass bait. Closer to the shop, anglers soaking clams in the harbor are catching keepers. Most are having no problem procuring a trip’s worth of mackerel as soon as they clear Farnham Bell. Green Harbor has also been good for flounder with many catching from docks, jetties and the adjacent beach. The sight of stick boats leaving port is a sure indication that their “eye in the sky” associates have spotted tuna. Considering that the crews departed at night, it is thought that the fish might be held up on the backside of the Cape.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

While we have it good in Boston, the addition of another species noted for it’s fighting capabilities surely doesn’t hurt! Enter American shad in the Charles River! Federal and state fishery personnel have consorted over the past decade to reintroduce shad to the Charles and their effort is paying dividends now! In fact, Willy Goldsmith recently caught 14 of these “poor man’s salmon”! The only request from biologists is that if you catch one which has been tagged – easily identified by telltale sutures – then please release the fish so upstream migration can be monitored. Now you no longer have to make the haul to the North River or the Merrimack to catch one of these feisty fighters!

Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle said that anglers continue to get their mackerel fix by Martin’s Ledge and are then finding plenty of 25-pound and up class stripers by Thieves Ledge as well as Three and One Half Fathom Ledge. Not all the cow catching is confined to the offshore fleet however. My friends Joe Holey Sr and Joe Holey Jr have been doing awfully well live lining mackerel in the Winthrop/Revere area. Dad took a fatty somewhere between 35 and 40 pounds on Friday only to be trounced by his son Wednesday night who caught and released what all on board figured was a 50-pound class striper! And to ensure that the fish lived to fight another day Joe hooked it with a circle hook!

Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy is beginning to see a successful transition to nicer fish for the shore sector. Webb Park has been a winner as Bare Cove and the rockpile just north of the Nut Island Pier. When my friend Jason Colby was a Hough’s Neck resident he used to sling eels from this spot at night and catch bass up to 37 pounds. Speaking of Captain Colby, he’s been putting patrons into beastly blackbacks of up to 4 pounds! Some of his better spots have been right in front of Yacht Clubs where almost no-one considers. By the way, it’s not too late to sign up for Boston’s longest one-day striper tournament – the Boston Harbor Striper Shootout. The Captain’s\ Dinner is Friday Night and the contest begins at midnight! There are a lot of big bass around, it could be anyone’s game!

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me that the tog bite has been terrific in Lynn Harbor. Drop a green crab among a rockpile and chances are it’ll get whacked by a whitechin! Mackerel, squid and flounder are all a possibility from the piers of Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem and Beverly. Keep on the lookout for pogies and prowling bass between Nahant Beach and the Fisherman’s Beach. Mackerel are still no problem by Satan, Baker and Misery Islands and bass are sometimes under the school. Anglers trolling macks by Collins Cove have been catching 40″ stripers! Plenty of flounder can be found among the Cape Ann harbors such as Manchester, Magnolia and Gloucester!

Tina from Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester said that most any pier which you can access in Gloucester Harbor will have willing flounder and pollock by day and hungry squid come dark. Lanes Cove has been good also. Small boaters and kayakers have been chasing stripers at the effluence of the Annisquam River and its tributaries. This is good water for the fly fisherman or light tackle angler. Hit the groaner to load up on mackerel and head to Halibut Point, Andrews Point or Folly Cove. While water temperatures remaining relatively cool, Tina is suggesting that ground fishermen search for haddock closer to shore than Jeffrey’s Ledge. Saturday Night Ledge is worth a shot as are Hills 47 and 101, you might find the fish in close and save yourself some gas while you’re at it.

Martha from Surfland in Newburyport said that’s mackerel madness continues as they push bait practically onshore from then ocean front of Plum Island as well as the jetties. Mackerel hued SP Minnows have been catching 20 pounders. The graveyard gang has been setting out at night with serpents and catching off Crane’s Beach, Sandy Point, Breaking Rocks and by the 1A Bridge on the Parker River. The few who fish for flounder are finding them among the cove at the mouth of the Merrimack.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

On the South Shore try trolling live mackerel near Minot Ledge, Scarlett Ledge or Flatt Ledge. A pogy by Powder Point Bridge is not a bad idea either. If you take your shore fishing closer to Boston, check out Webb Park or the rocky outcroppings of Nut Island. Live mackerel is on the menu for stripers after dark at Winthrop and Revere. Farther north the twilight crew is catching with eels from Crane’s Beach and the Parker River.