Massachusetts Fishing Report – September 29, 2016

Pictured above: The author with a 47″ fatty he caught and released at a local beach!

For those who obsess about our seven-striped wonder fish, it’s been a long, grueling season. Odds are that after the weather-induced respite, the best will come! Meanwhile, look at it as halftime, intermission…time to refresh the spirit and your gear, and prepare a plan that will allow you to wring out the final stanza for all it’s worth.

The fall run is most kind to the surf fisherman. Thus far, with the “snag a pogy and hold on” mantra, it’s been a boat game with the landlubber feeling decidedly left out. No more! Before the blow, shore fishermen were regaling in the finest striped bass fishing of the season. Once things settle, expect the “run” to be worthy of a Usain Bolt 200 meter dash! The column this week will be skewed more toward those who toe the surf and what opportunities await them now and once the blow subsides.

Massachusetts South Shore

The bane of a bait shop owner is that, due to time constraints, they often get their fishing kicks through others. That wasn’t the case for Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait in Scituate. Pre-Northeast winds, the call of the surf was too strong to resist, and he’s glad he complied. Apparently, some of the pogy schools that have been the domain of the Boston bunch spun off and took up residence off Scituate. It didn’t take long before big blues and bass sniffed this most preferred baitfish out and the beaches lit up. Pete fully expects the feeds to continue once the wind gives up the ghost. Look for linesider activity to begin where it left off from Burkes Beach, Peggotty, the Glades, and Minot Beach. If the nasty weather keeps you at bay for the foreseeable future, not all is lost; you just have to take it to the estuaries. Pete suggests the North and South rivers, the Herring River, as well as the Gulf and Mill rivers in Cohasset.

A word for the wise about gear. Personally, I’ve really returned to my surfcaster roots this season and I’ve been looking at it with fresh eyes. This was due in large part to me partnering with a new dynamic duo, a Shimano Ultegra long spool reel and matching Tiralejo rod (all part of Shimano’s Long Cast Surf System). Being able to cast farther consistently with less effort ratchets up the fun factor considerably. While essential, braided line can be a gift and a curse in that it enables anglers to overtax their gear. And when you’re tied to a 40-pound surf monster with bad intentions, something has to give, and usually the giving results in broken gear and a broken heart. Beaches are where most of the action will take place this fall, and if it’s anything like last year, there will be good bass until turkey day – I kid you not!

For the vast majority of beach situations, you don’t need line any stronger than 30-pound test. Tie via an Albright knot or other high quality knot 3′ to 4′ of 40 or 50-pound fluorocarbon shock leader and you should be able to handle anything the surf dishes out. Calibrate properly your drag so that it is set at 25% of the breaking strength of your line. In the case of 30-pound braid, that’s 7 ½ pounds of force. Tie your line to a scale, arch the rod at approximately 45 degrees from the contact point, and pull up until your spool starts to slip. When you’re at that 25% mark, you should be good to go. If you needlessly opt for 50-pound braid and impart a lot of force on a plug, hook failure is inevitable and often avoidable.

A wise old salt once told me that in the fall you need to expect your personal best bass every time you get out. It’s time to leave the 5/8th-ounce schoolie lures at home along with anything else you can’t imagine surviving a battle with a big bass with bad intentions. My surf bag is now full of metal-lip swimmers, a pencil, a big spook, a needlefish and a big popper. There is nothing under 2 ounces now in my selection, and for colors I lean toward naturals in gray, olive and brown. I’m ready and I hope you are when that super sixty comes calling!

Massachusetts South Coast

If you’ve been fishing or following the Canal, you know that during the last week the blistering bass bite has cooled considerably. I believe my friend Captain Colby knows where some of those fish have went – Westport! The “keepers” of last week there seem to have mutated into 20-pound plus fish and they are walloping eels. In lockstep with that has been terrific tautog action for fish up to 10 pounds. And to think it’s not even October! Keep this side of Buzzards Bay in the back of your mind for a swan song to the season when your local striper waters grow cold. Right now the fish are holding over structure in 30-foot depths and I’m betting that they are not going anywhere until nearly December.

Greater Boston

Lisa from Fore River said that one of the best beach bets is Nantasket Beach, especially by the Point Allerton side. For those looking to hook into something large, she recommends what surf sharpies in these parts are all using – eels! Another favorite is the Sebile Magic Swimmer, which is also a personal preference of mine. The only caveat with the Magic Swimmer is the OEM hooks/rings. Drop the rear hook (stripers hit the head usually) and swap out the nose and belly hanger with heavier split rings. In the case of the belly hook, upgrade to a 4X VMC or Mustad Ultra Point. Make that MS dance on the surface with your rod held high and periodically pull (not snap!) the rod to give it an alluring wiggle. Lisa also has surf anglers doing well at the effluence of Black Creek/Wollaston Beach, Webb Park, Hull Gut and World’s End. An alternative might be Avalon Beach in the Town River where pogies have been hunkered down for quite a while! If you’re looking for an “eye of the storm” spot or two to ride the Nor’easter out, consider the Weir River, Weymouth Back River and Neponset River.

No Boston crash course on beaches would be replete without my friend Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics. Pete said that anglers poking around pogy schools between the Alford Street Bridge and the Amelia Earhart Dam are hooking up to big blues and solid stripers. For a big bass and blue best bet Pete suggests the venerable Gibbs Danny as well as the Savage Manic Prey and the Daiwa Salt Pro segmented swimmer. Another option when the bait is pogy-big is the Sebile Stick Shadd. Danny plugs work well when you pop it, crank it a few turns and then pop it again. The Stick Shadd is a glide bait. If you can walk the dog, you can glide. The difference being that to glide you have to pause in your rod twitch and let the lure glide under slack line before you twitch the rod again. When you get your rhythm down, you’ll swear this thing is a wounded pogy.

Pete also gave a shout out to Yirrell Beach, Winthrop Beach, Short Beach and good old Revere Beach. The best part about these places is that they are all in close proximity to each other – ideal for drive-by searches! Also pack along some precious metal such as blue/chrome/buck tail 1 ½ to 2 ounce Kastmasters in case those blitzes are out of casting range of plugs. Pete told me that a lot of harvested cows are chock full of squid. Taking along pink soft-plastic jerk baits such as Bill Hurley’s new squid-style jerk bait should be mandatory.

If you’d like to weather out the storm inshore, try trolling a Santini tube by the East Boston/Winthrop Yacht clubs. The Chelsea Creek as well as the bridges which straddle it are urban, under-appreciated gems.

Massachusetts North Shore

Tomo of Tomos Tackle in Salem touted the Halfway House on Nahant Beach as an idyllic surf fishing spot once the swells subside. The neat thing about Nahant is that you can then flip over to Lynn Harbor on the other side of the causeway which has held pogies, bass and blues nearly all summer long. Give a look-see at Lynn Heritage Park while you’re at it. Red Rock is hardly a secret, but there’s a reason it is so patronized; it has been giving up big bass for generations. In fact, my biggest surf-fishing mentor used to frequent Red Rock religiously. He used pogy heads almost exclusively and he incessantly made news with big fish catches during the sullen 80s when no-one was catching anything. Other favorites of my friend Joe were Revere Beach in front of the Police Station, Point of Pines and Preston Beach. Tomo suggests you take along 247 Lures Mollys, Guppy Pencils, Shimano Orcas, and Coltsniper Jerks. For inshore options, check out the Kernwood Bridge where bass have been slaying silversides. There’s even been great action behind the shop off the Derby Wharf with keeper plus fish hitting small bait. For one-stop fishing there’s Salem Willows where anglers are catching mackerel and then live-lining for linesiders on site.

No surf fishing special would be complete without input from Surfland. Liz said that the timing of the fall run/fantastic fishing has coincided nicely with a fresh shipment of RM Smith goodies to handle the action. Peanut swimmers, Bay Minnows, pencils and darters are all doing a lot of damage off Sandy Point as well as the inside of the Parker River. The ocean front, a short walk from the shop, has been hot also. Naturally the Nor’east wind has made things weedy with many seeking sanctuary in the rivers and catching. The Merrimack, Parker and Essex are all fishing well.

Here’s a hint of good things to come. Maine anglers who have a hard time finding eels locally are buying up most every serpent Surfland can sell! The reason is that they have been slaying dozens of 40″ plus stripers in the Saco area night after night. The good news from a North Shore anglers point of view is that it appears those fish have just moved off… Get ready!

Massachussetts Fishing Forecast

A solid inshore option on the South Shore is the North River and Herring River with an eel on the line a good bet. Boston area beaches worth a go are Nantasket, Wollaston, Winthrop and Revere. On the North Shore they’re knocking them dead by the Kernwood Bridge, just downsize your offering since the forage is small. Plum Island continues to be promising especially the “turn” between Sandy Point and the Parker River. Meanwhile the wait is on for the gift of 40″ plus fatties that have just left Maine!