Massachusetts Fishing Report – November 3, 2016

Pictured above: Not all remaining Boston bass are schoolies! The author took this nice November striper with an eel.

You know it’s November when the scuttlebutt from some shop owners is the impressive cunner bite! But, the flip side is that there are those who are still enjoying the thrill of a signing drag thanks to 15- to 20-pound stripers!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Wachusett Reservoir aside, freshwater fishing among watersheds that feature healthy herring runs might be your best sweetwater bet. Young-of-the-year river herring are swarming throughout natal watersheds and are so plentiful that the dimpling on the surface can give the illusion that it is raining. Those herring fry are a bounty for all predatory fish that swim throughout a river allowing for incomparable growth as well as unrivaled diversity. Toss out a curly-tail grub, spinner, or small swimmer and you’re liable to hook everything from trout to crappie to smallmouth bass. Finding a herring honey hole is more akin to hunting than fishing as it most likely will involve a lot of searching and more than a few swings and misses before you connect. Jumpstart your search by perusing this DMF link, which lists the most prolific runs in the state. One tip: get an early start! Gamefish tend to tee off on the young herring between false dawn and first light. Show up mid-morning when the sun is up and odds are you’ll have no hint of the earlier massacre.

Results are obviously the ultimate litmus test, and according to Eddie of B&A in West Boylston, the lakers of Wachusett Reservoir are hitting big time. They’re killing them at the Causeway on Kastmasters, and the size (18-20 inches) isn’t half bad! The rivers continue to get a lot of attention, which incentivized Eddie to play a little recent hooky as he bounced crawlers across the bottom of the Quinapoxett for rainbows and browns up to 17 inches! Searching for salmon throughout the Stillwater for many is a hit or miss affair, with the most successful spotters employing a stealthy approach.

Massachusetts South Coast Fishing Report

For lock-and-load, rod-bending hysteria, it’s hard to beat the tog bite on the Westport side of Buzzards Bay at the moment. On most trips, the minimum length for tautog – 16″ – aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister is a joke as the crew has been catching 8-pound plus whitechins. For some odd but awesome reason, this has been a tremendous year for tautog. Bring some clams while you’re out there or bounce a jig over a wreck; cod come cruising close to shore and sure make a nice diversion in November. Additionally, the Westport River is loaded with schoolies making it ideal for non-stop action for the light spinning or fly-fishing enthusiast!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Per Belsan Bait in Scituate, the best bet locally is the inshore cod fishing. According to one angler, it’s tough just getting the jig to the bottom! If you can cherry pick a sweet day and get past the drag of the draconian regulations you’ll find fun ground fishing among ledges, wrecks and depth breaks almost as soon as you clear Scituate Harbor! Pete has seen a number of these fish and they are very healthy brown bombers. Mackerel schools are often swimming just above the cod. There have been blitzes, but they are mostly the work of schoolies. Recent feeds have popped up off Third Cliff, Sand Hill Beach and Humarock Beach. If you’re getting flummoxed by the size of the fish, try fishing an eel or jig below the small stuff and you might be pleasantly surprised by a drag-pulling striper. There are still tuna roaming around throughout Cape Cod Bay with many falling for the plentiful mackerel.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Lisa from Fore River in Quincy said that smelt, which were almost exclusively in bays and harbors, are beginning to migrate toward spawning habitat making marinas a good bet. The Town River as well King Cove yacht clubs have both been good. Some smelt fisherman have been complaining that “robber” stripers are relieving them of their catch before they can reel it in. Recent striper blowups have occurred off Gunrock Beach, Hull Gut, Wollaston, Winthrop and Revere. Get your offering low and below the schoolies; there are 10- to 15-pounders still in the mix, but odds are that small spook you love working is only going to matter to micros. Mackerel can be found off the ledges of Hull with the occasional cod prowling just below. Smelt fans have also been observed by the Charlestown Marina, Crystal Cove and throughout the Belle Isle Marsh. Another easy access spot which can produce is the Winthrop public pier.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Cunner are more often the recipients of colorful language as opposed to complements, but according to Tomo of Tomos Tackle in Salem, there are some real corkers rummaging around jetties and ledge in the Cape Ann area. Patrons who have been putting plenty into their pails are claiming they taste nearly as good as their tautog cousins. You should find no shortage of them at the Dogbar Breakwater as well as the shoreline of Stage Fort Park. Striper fishing consists of mainly schoolies with the occasional better fish crashing the small fish-fest. Recent surface feeds have occurred at Manchester-by-the-Sea as well as Swampscott. Should you have an eel at the ready, cast one into the school of smalls. Should there be a better bass in the mix you’ll certainly find out. Kayak anglers are finding plenty of inshore cod. Concentrate among the swath between Nahant and Marblehead.

According to Skip from Three Lantern Marine the two most reliable bites are thanks to bluefin tuna and the mackerel folks are using as bait. Mackerel are numerous right inside Gloucester Harbor and tuna have been marked throughout Ipswich Bay, Jeffreys Ledge and Stellwagen. Be aware that the commercial tuna season draws to a close this Friday at 11:30 p.m.! Skip said that a few smelt steadies are searching throughout Gloucester Harbor with little to show for it other than mackerel and harbor pollock.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For a dynamic double-header, whip a few dozen schoolies on light gear in Westport River and then test your mettle on Buzzards Bay tautog where anything “light” does not fit into the equation. Surface feeds are primarily the work of schoolies off Scituate and Cohasset, but if you work your wares below the bedlam you may be rewarded with better. Mackerel are easy pickings in Gloucester Harbor and while fun in their own right are the bait of choice for those chasing tuna off Ipswich Bay.