Massachusetts Fishing Report – October 13, 2016

Pictured above: Bill Doherty and Jim Dolan with a 68″ tuna taken aboard the T Sea.

This is one time when the paradox “less is more” seems to apply. Angling effort has hit the skids, meaning if you’re still at it, you’re experiencing less competition. There may be fewer pogies, but when live-lined, they are being mugged within a matter of minutes. And surf fishermen are reveling in being able to sling eels in the muckiest of marshes all night long without the buzz of a single bug!

Massachusetts South Coast Fishing Report

Captain Colby of Little Sister Charters is starting to issue a warning to charters targeting the oversized tog he’s finding out of Westport. The edict goes something like, “if you bring your own gear, err on the side of heavy or be prepared for a heartbreak!” Hooking 10-pounders, normally a rare feat, has become almost commonplace. And, they are breaking off bigger still! If you’ve always wanted to check a double-digit tautog off your list then there may be no better time than now! The sweet spot is 30 feet of water and you can start looking among the nasties as soon as you clear Westport River and head into Buzzards Bay. Just make sure you’re spooled up with 50-pound line, at least! There have even been some recent false albacore sightings.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Scotty from Green Harbor Bait and Tackle wishes to allay fears that there’s an environmental disaster taking place as baitfish are hurling themselves onto local beaches such as Duxbury, Burke’s and Rexhame. It is not Armageddon, in fact for fisherman it’s closer to nirvana as most mornings feature blitzing bass and blues, which are pushing panic-stricken baitfish into committing suicide to escape the aggressive predators.

Pogies remain in Plymouth and Duxbury and usually have prowling stripers and blues nearby. Inshore mackerel can be found on the backside of Farnham Bell. If Scott were to list a local best bet it would be the 35- to 40-inch bass bite at High Pine Ledge, which is nearing the six-week mark, so odds are good those fish are not going anywhere anytime soon. If there were a book called “Tuna Fishing for Dummies,” it could be describing Stellwagen Bank right now, it’s that good. As usual the magic is in the mackerel and they are plentiful. Race Point to Wood Island is a winner as is the Southwest Corner to the Notch. The reality is that these tuna are aggressive and on the move and could be found most anywhere near Stellwagen.

Joe from Belsan Bait said that few are fishing but the diehards are still going – a lot! As usual for this time of the year, the dedicated are toting eels and letting them do their thing at night off beaches and in the rivers. In years past, Joe has done well by Third and Fourth Cliff. Peggotty Beach and The Glades. While anglers can’t count on blues, they are making their toothy, random presence felt from shore out to Minot Light. An unheralded species on the South Shore is the mighty tautog! Similar to Buzzards Bay, but in less numbers, they are aggregating now and where you’ll find one, you should find a bunch! Cedar Point has been a good tautog spot in the past and anglers even get them by poking around the rocks of the jetty from shore. The plethora of structure from Scituate Harbor and beyond is limitless and makes for ideal tog-holding bottom. The “Sisters” is often a good place to poke around for tog this time of the year. While green crabs and Asian crabs are best, you’ll catch every bit as well with sea worms. The problem being of course that a sea worm on the hook lasts about as long as a candle in a downpour.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Only in this column can you read a smelt report right below tuna talk, but according to Lisa from Fore River, it is worth writing about. While in it’s infancy, this season is shaping up like a good one. Limits across the board appear to be no problem. And all the usual smelt spots seem to be successful. Patrons of the shop are scoring off the piers of Hull, Hingham Harbor, Hewitt’s Cove, Summer Street and untold locations. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are also foraging behind the CVS on the Southern Artery in Quincy. Those not part of the choir might wonder what all the fuss is about for such a small fish. In fact, one friend years ago derided the beloved smelt as “bait” – pure sacrilege! The ladies of Fore River have many coming in talking about the tradition, both from those who have fished for them for years and younger anglers who remember fondly fishing for them with elder family members. Others interest is piqued about the possibility of having something to fish for well into the winter. And then there’s the rest, who simply feel that there are few meals as scrumptious as a plate full of fresh fried smelt. Regardless of your leanings, Fore River has all the right stuff from shrimp to rods to tackle to the know-how to put a few in the cooler.

While pogy schools aren’t what they were a month ago, there are still plenty of them around. A pogy on the line in August may have been pummeled by a striper but rest assured now it’s as close to a guarantee as there is. The pogy schools seem to have moved inshore in rivers, estuaries and embayments. Look for those pogies among the Yacht Clubs of East Boston, Winthrop, the inner harbor from the Boston Shipyard Marina to the Amelia Earhart Dam. Also be on the lookout for pogies by the Old Colony Yacht Club, Savin Hill Beach, Thompson Island and the Town River. Unlike a month ago, odds are good you’ll have the pogy school to yourself, especially if you’re out there during the week. About all you’ll have to “share” the pogies with is stripers! Quincy’s trolling tube-and-worm tandem, Donny and Bobby, are passing on the pogies yet still catching 38″ fish by Sunken Ledge, Veezie Rocks, Seal Rock and Quarantine Rocks. I guess that’s why stripers are sometimes called “rockfish”. Other spots worth trolling a tube near are Jackknife Ledge, Sheep Island and Pig Rock.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

It’s not often that Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem shines the light on his shopmate Joe, but Joe’s been doing a lot of catching at nearby Derby Wharf. Those “keepers” have been whacking 6-inch bone paddletails! There have been blitzes within casting distance of Salem’s Lynch Park. The source of the striper interest appears to be peanut bunker making swim shads a perfect foil.

Macks have become spotty for shore folks trying to get them off Salem Willows Pier while the boat guys are faring better. The kayak cadre is catching by the Kernwood Bridge up to 40″ on topwater plugs. The Forest River has had a lot of action also.

Joe from Three Lantern Marine told me of a terrific tuna bite as close as 1 mile off Thatcher Island. My friend Captain Tom Ciulla set sail on Saturday from port in Gloucester and along with crew members Bill Doherty and Jim Dolan took a fat 68-inch bluefin which bit on a live mackerel at slack tide on Stellwagen. They also had their own mini-version of shark week going on with interested porbeagles and a bruiser of a blue shark that tested their tackle.

Live mackerel or the ubiquitous pollock are the ticket to good striper fishing off Gloucester’s backshore. For those looking for a late-inning flounder fix, the few who target them inside of the Dogbar Breakwater are catching!

Kay from Surfland said that Plum Island has been a schoolie-fest with anglers tallying dozens of smalls at the mouth of the Merrimack River, ocean front and parking lot 6 in the Parker Wildlife Reservation. The caveat is that surfcasters from the reserve have been seeing bigger bass just out of casting range. Kay suggests that anglers target that area at low tide; those fish just might be closer. The shop is still selling eels for taciturn anglers who have Sandy Point, Emerson Rocks and the mouth of the Parker and Essex Rivers as their destination. If you’re looking to match the hatch the predominate bait fish is sand eels.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

If you really want to test your tackle (and nerve), double-digit white chins are waiting for you out of Westport. Pogies are attracting blues and bass in Plymouth and Duxbury bays. The Harbor is still hot, with the conduit still the pogy/big bass combo. If you’d prefer remaining on dry land and still catch, check out mackerel from Salem Willows and keeper stripers from Derby Wharf. If Plum Island is your place but you’d prefer more than just schoolies, then give Parking Lot 6 at the reservation a shot. The folks are Surfland are betting that the lower tides will be bringing those bigger bass within casting distance.