Massachusetts Fishing Report – September 1, 2016

While the “Harbor” has been a slice of heaven for those taking advantage of the plentiful pogies and willing bass, it’s not home court for everyone. For those looking to hear their drags sing elsewhere, their prayers have been answered. At last, from Westport to Wingaersheek, it’s fishing like September.

South Coast Massachusetts And South Shore Fishing Report

An ongoing joke aboard Captain Colby’s Little Sister is how many different species the crew catches during a trip. The variety sometimes is comical with the tally often reaching into the double digits. And although black sea bass, fluke, cod, mahi mahi and the potpourri of other species is all cool, the summer is supposed to be about striped bass and they had been lacking. But not now! That side of Buzzards Bay as well as Westport Harbor within the last week got a slug of teen-sized stripers, the timing of which couldn’t be better with the closing of the black sea bass season. Bonito have also arrived; while we were into a pile of 10- to 15-pound bass just outside of the harbor on Tuesday, the unmistakable slash and run explosions of bonito erupted boat side for about 30 seconds and then, so typically of them – they were gone! The fish are on “rain bait,” so tout along small slim-profiled casting spoons if you make the trip.

Scotty from Green Harbor Bait and Tackle said that pogies from the Plymouth/Duxbury have been taking up residence, especially at night, between The Gurnet and High Pine Ledge. And big bass know it! As is usually the case at this time of the year “Charlie” is chowing down. The buzz on bluefin is that on most days there are multiple giant hook-ups, with a few lost and most landed. The Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank has been special and there have been catches by the Peaked Hill Bar and the Golf Ball (Truro). Scotty and his dad finally got into the pelagic game by foul-hooking a 55-incher on a Carlson head/rigged ballyhoo combination. While any tuna is fun, there was a sense of disappointment when the fish came into view, dispatching all dreams of a giant. Some dreams are realized, however, just ask the guy who just caught a 114-incher!

And then there’s news of smelt, from Pete of Belsan Bait in Scituate. Maybe I should have transitioned more gradually from 114″ tuna to 11″ smelt, but many eagerly anticipate those sweet-tasting fall favorites. The search is on and they are beginning to trickle into Hull by the Saltwater Fisherman’s Club pier and the Hull Public Pier. With few pogies to speak of in Scituate, many are trolling the tube-and-worm and catching up to 28 pounds. The fish are there thanks to the blueback herring fry, which seem to be everywhere. Top tube spots are the mouth of Scituate Harbor, Minot Beach, and even Sunken Ledge. The Tar Pouch has periodically been exploding with big blues. They’ve been hitting a number of wares, from topwater to trolling plugs, the one constant being that the lures have to have a splash of orange in them. Beautiful “white-bellied” cod are no problem, with the brown bombers biting best 20 feet down in 40 to 50 feet of water. The cod are averaging between 5 and 7 pounds and are shadowing baitfish.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

The word is certainly out on the harbor, and shops are going through snag-trebles like hotcakes. And therein lies the problem. Remember only a few weeks ago when the harbor looked like the Dead Sea, and then we were fortunate that enough pogies spun off from farther south and dragged with them the predators, namely big bass? If you’re snagging and dropping, and then releasing 25-pounders that limp away with a hunk of lead/treble hook in their bellies, then you are part of the problem. Consider the conservational approach and go with the circle! It’s not hard, just transfer the snagged pogy to a 9/0 quality circle hook – I use Mustad’s Demon Perfect Circle and hook far more fish than I miss! I’ve found that the best way to hook the pogy is through the upper lip. The flesh of the upper lip is tough enough to hold the hook in place but does not prevent it from locking into the jaw. With a J-hook, you can get away with burying it in the bait and then driving the point home with a Herculean hook-set, but the circle has to be free and clear without much resistance. After the hit, wait about five seconds and do nothing until the rod bows over, and then it’s game on! Hopefully you’ll get a multi-faceted rush from catching that cow, seeing the hook sunk in the corner of the jaw, and then watching her as she swims away with purpose.

Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle weighed in a 45¼-pounder the other day taken on a pogy at Point Allerton! The big fish know no boundaries when it’s September and they’re hell bent on eating pogies. The Lower Middle of the Harbor was hot on Saturday. Sunday found the pogies out a bit more toward the Five Sisters in Winthrop, but there were few fish on them. The point is that you have to pick and move to find which pogy school has the fish. Thankfully, the shore guys don’t have to be spectators. Lisa from Fore River set up a quick-study lady who had never been striper fishing before. She obviously picked the right shop. Outfitted with a goodly dose of newfound knowledge, gear, and pogies, she then proceeded to best a 46-inch, 33-pounder off Webb Park in Quincy—again, on her very first try! There’s been a recent football-field swath of blues busting a school of pogies off Peddock.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

They’re slamming 40-inch-plus stripers in Salem Harbor, according to Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem! The drill is the same as elsewhere: snag and then live-line the bait and the bass will come calling. Tube-and-worm trollers are into bigger numbers of fish, if less large, by the Lead Mills, Forest Park and into Marblehead. Forest River Park is a good spot for shore casters. Squid are unpredictable but they are catching them from the usual piers in Marblehead, Beverly and Salem.

The North Shore is a player in the pogy/striper sweepstakes according to Skip from Three Lantern Marine. The Manchester/Magnolia area has had good numbers of pogies and bass shadowing the schools. Blues occasionally ransack the pogy schools but seldom can be counted on with the bait. Those consistently catching the choppers are finding more in Ipswich Bay off Coffin Beach, Wingaersheek and Pebble beaches. Cod remain close and worth searching for over irregular bottom or near bait schools as soon as you clear 150′ of water.

Better fish are being reported in Surfland, so said Martha on Wednesday. A 32-pounder was taken recently on a plug from the front beach. Of course there’s always that taciturn group that would just as soon not bring their plug bag as spill the beans on how they’re doing. Those folks are finding nice fish on needlefish, darter and Danny plugs off the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. The site of the old Sea Haven Camp, which is between parking lots 3 and 6 at the reservation, is a walk but often worth the effort. The nighttime eel casters have been quietly spending a lot of time there. Pogies occasionally make an appearance within casting distance of the beach. There has been a husband/wife team who have been trolling a tube and worm by Great Neck and Little Neck in the Crane’s Beach area and doing awfully well on impressive striped bass. Martha told me of a patron who swears he saw false albacore slashing through bait at the mouth of the Merrimack the other day. And this is from a guy who spends a lot of time targeting those little tuna down south! Small-time mackerel suppliers are bequeathing a few for the shop, so they are around.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

While harbor homers would disagree, it’s not all about Boston anymore! In addition to the alphabet soup of species that swim on the Westport side of Buzzards Bay, solid stripers are now a possibility. If Plymouth is preferable, then look out for pogies and bass by The Gurnet and High Pine Ledge. Troll a tube and worm at first light at Minot Beach; 28-pounders have been taken this way. Boston is still all about the bunker/bass clash with Point Allerton giving up some of the bigger fish. Salem Harbor is now a participant in the pogy/striper sweepstakes with the tube-and-worm accounting for more but smaller fish. The tube-and-worm has also been hot off Crane’s Beach while the nighttime plug throwers remain tight-lipped but still at it off the Parker River Wildlife Reservation.