Massachusetts Fishing Report – August 18, 2016

Pictured above: Mahi mahi are a real Massachusetts possibility.

For the forlorn who have had their eyes on the fall for striper redemption, relief has come earlier, especially for those who fish Boston Harbor. Pogy schools are a lot more anxious and for good reason – they are getting eaten by bass. It’s not all stripers, however, as cod and haddock are cooperating in the Gulf of Maine and there’s even opportunity to hook a Massachusetts mahi mahi!

Massachusetts South Coast and South Shore Fishing Report

A seemingly endless stream of photos and accounts of anglers dueling with barn-door halibut had me yearning for a major flatfish, which I ended up catching – sort of! The scene was not some offshore ledge in the Gulf of Maine but rather Buzzards Bay. And while the size was spot on – an estimated 80 pounds plus – this “flat fish” ended up being a torpedo ray that had the dimensions of an area rug. When I first spotted the brown back and white belly, I briefly entertained thoughts of hoisting up the new world-record fluke, but once I saw that tail positioned 90 degrees differently than any flounder, I knew this was a unique beast. Torpedo rays are perfectly capable of lighting up your life with a 220-volt jolt if you tick them off. Odds are good that the ray was sufficiently irked after having been wrenched to the surface from 70 feet of water with a 4-ounce Spro bucktail stuck in its jaw. I soon learned that Captain Jason Colby could be the bravest man I know as he, without hesitation, stuck a metal de-hooker in its maw and shook the big ray free from the jig. All ended up well, and fortunately the skipper was not barbecued, although I swear that jig glows now.

We made another long distance run from Westport this past week and we found the mahi mahi bite awesome. It’s mind-bending to leave port in Massachusetts and an hour later find mixed sizes of these acrobatic pelagics stacked under high-flier lobster trap buoys. On light tackle, 4-pound mahi mahi put on a performance incomparable with most anything that swims in these parts, with drag-pulling runs and stunning leaps! Part of the fun is spotting the high-fliers and then creeping up and peppering the structure to see if any mahi mahi are home. Should you hook up, resist the urge to bring the fish aboard. Keep it boatside, and often the rest of the school will follow it frenzied and you’ll have multiple hook-ups, which can be comical as neon blue/green/yellow mahi mahi begin pulling drag and leaping all around the boat. Rest assured you’ll be hard pressed to remember you’re only a few miles off the Massachusetts coast!

Congratulations to Captain Rob Green who put 350 pounds of mako shark aboard the Elizabeth Marie. Time in and time out, Rob proves he is one of the Bay State’s best captains with challenging catches such as halibut and makos in addition to the usual quarry such as tuna and stripers. Pete from Belsan Bait in Scituate is convinced that the South Shore is in the eye of a fishing storm as The Canal has improved fishing and Boston has lit up big time. If those aforementioned bodies of fish move in, look for the Scituate area to kick in.

Pogies are the most promising baitfish right now. Cohassett Harbor has this most-prized baitfish. There has even been a school working off Bryant Rock. If you’re not finding bass on the bait, try chunking the spot. Another method that is working is to live line those pogies by nearby structure, such as ledge and shelves, where the stripers may be staging. Even skinny water as shallow as 6 feet has been productive. If you’re looking for an alternative big bait, target hickory shad in the North River, especially in the section by the 3A Bridge. Hickories are most active at night and will hit oversized Sabiki rigs as well as small spoons and jigs. Just make sure your Sabiki has the pound test to handle these 15-inch hard-pulling herring. Suffice to say when a bass hits a hickory, you won’t have to measure to see if it’s a keeper! River herring fry are beginning to tumble downstream from their freshwater nurseries making for explosive early morning striper fishing. Check out the Plymouth Town River as well as the South and North Rivers.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Historically August fishes much better than July in Boston Harbor and this year is certainly no exception. After a tough year, the harbor faithful are reveling in fantastic striped bass fishing and it’s all because of massive schools of pogies. From Hull through Deer Island, pogy schools are being reported. Simply snagging and dropping might be the least effective method to catch a bass – shop owners such as Laurel from Hull and Lisa from Fore River are reporting that sharpies are catching by either chunking below the schools or live-lining the pogies by nearby structure. Unquestionably, the stripers are shadowing the bait, but with water temperatures in the 70-degree bracket, the bass are not always active and in the mood to chase down a pogy in deeper water, which is a daunting task. Forever the opportunists, those bass will have a hard time passing up on a fresh, bleeding chunk. The same applies to nearby shallow potential staging areas for bass. Drop a pogy in the middle of an island boulder field in 6 feet of water and even a neutral striper will probably be unable to resist the bait. The other option is to fill up your livewell with pogies and then storm structure by Point Allerton, Moonhead Island, Spectacle Island, Long Island, Nixes Mate and Deer Island at sundown, which for big bass is the killing time.

While overwhelmingly most anglers are putting a pogy on the line, there are artificial alternatives to consider. I asked one of Boston’s long-term, most successful skippers, Captain Bill Smith of Draggin’ Fly Charters, for a tip or two for those who would like to catch a cow on something “fake.” Captain Bill is a fly and jig maestro yet still regularly wrenches out big bass even when they’re focused on big bait such as pogies. Bill Smith downsizes his line to 20-pound braid, which allows for faster more accurate casts and quickly sinks his jigs/soft plastics into the strike zone and keeps them there. Sometimes those feeds are fast moving and it stands to reason that the longer you can put something good in front of the fish the better you will catch. This is where keeping an eye on your electronics for marked fish pays off. He also works his presentation slowly and keeps the offering deep in the water while practically tickling the noses of those fish. After ogling a photo of a recently caught 40-pounder that he put a patron on, it’s pretty obvious that he’s onto something.

River herring fry are gathering at the mouth of their natal rivers and are getting pounded by bass! I’m hearing of hot action at the Fore River, the Back River and the Mystic River. Don’t be duped into believing that because the bait is small so are the fish; the harbor’s unofficial good will ambassadors of all things striper – Dave Panarello and Carl Vining – are catching 36-inch fish under those baby herring and their secret a red tube and worm!

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is telling his customers to troll a tube-and-worm through Nahant Bay, and the word is that they are glad they did. Long Beach, King’s Beach and Swampscott have been productive as well for the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow cadre, who throw the mackerel magnum version. Surfcasters are catching good bass on chunk bait off Devereux Beach in Marblehead. Anglers trolling tubes and plugs are catching tight to structure from Tinkers Island to Castle Rock and through Chandler Hovey Park at Marblehead Neck. There are some pogies in Salem Harbor and bass prowling nearby. While blues cannot be counted on, they are making occasional sorties inshore so don’t forget steel leaders. Some are still targeting squid and are finding them off the usual spots such as the Beverly Pier and Salem Willows.

Skip from Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester told me that tinker mackerel are an easy find throughout the harbor. This bait is only about 6 to 8 inches long, so if you’re looking for larger stripers it might be better to seek out the pogies, which have also been prevalent. If you can access Good Harbor Beach after beach-bathing hours, you’ll find plenty of schoolies with the occasional bigger fish mixed in. Cod are as close as humps and lumps just off Halibut Point and trollers are picking up bluefish closer to the shoreline. Skip heard of about 30 tuna being taken on Jeffreys Ledge by those drifting over marked fish with live bait. Kites are a good alternative, especially if you can put a live whiting, mackerel or bluefish on the line. The “mud” or soft bottom sections off Jeffreys is (thankfully) lacking dogfish and has plenty of haddock and cod.

Martha from Surfland said that mid-August is fishing much better than a few weeks ago. Finding the coolest water temperatures matters a lot and boaters who seek out the cooler pockets are faring best. One example of this is the Salisbury side of the Merrimack River, which has been more productive than the southern side. Incoming night tides with eels has been increasingly effective. Authorities are beginning to loosen regulations on the Parker River Wildlife Reservation as Parking Lot 7 is now open and it is expected that nighttime permits will soon be granted as well as “beach buggy” access. The most prevalent bait is sand eels so artificial fans should employ needlefish plugs as well as soft plastic stick baits.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Target tumbling herring fry beginning to exit their nurseries in the Plymouth, South and North rivers where schoolies and keepers are waiting. For a shot at something bigger, jig up some hickory shad in the North River and drift past the Spit or by Fourth Cliff. These are high times in the harbor as pogies are plentiful and finally bass have sniffed them out. If live-lining is what you prefer, toss that pogy near skinny water near the school, staging bass will not be able to resist. Consider a chunk however, most are catching with them. The tube-and-worm is the ticket off Marblehead Neck while the shore gang is catching with chunk off Devereux. Cooler nights in Newburyport are paying dividends especially now that access is improving at the Parker River Reservation.