If a Vegas odds-maker were to handicap the local striped bass season, he would circle the upcoming week with a bright red Sharpie. Historically, a wave of big bass moves into the Bay State and almost overnight everything changes. After ogling a photo of a 46 ½-pounder recently caught in the harbor, it looks like that time is at hand!
This weekend is also Free Saltwater Fishing Weekend – so no permit is required for saltwater fishing on June 17 & 18 in the Commonwealth. If you have a non-fishing friend or family member you’d like to introduce to the sport, this is a great weekend to do it!
Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report
After finding mackerel close to port by the Scituate’s SA Buoy, Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters had a hunch that just maybe he wouldn’t have to make a haul out to Race Point where he had been catching. After all predators tend to stick with the prey. The skipper’s gut proved good as drift after drift by the Fourth Cliff resulted in take-down after take-down of keeper-sized bass. While the fish weren’t quite high-five status fish, dropping down to lighter gear resulted in an awful lot of fun!
Captains Matt and Ben Maher of Fishy Business Sportfishing in Plymouth have been putting their 29′ Ocean Runner Center Console to good use by treating patrons to a bass and bass dream combo. They are finding mackerel and scooting through the Cape Cod Canal to catch stripers to over 40 inches and knot-head blue-tinted black sea bass in Buzzards Bay. When asked what these big black sea bass are hitting, Matt replied, “Everything, as long as you find them and drop it onto their heads!”
Connor of Belsan’s Bait in Scituate grabbed the phone before proprietor Pete had a chance to weigh in and told me of better bass among the deeper ledges such as Stone Ledge, Flatt Ledge and Collamore Ledge. He’s also finding some big blues in the mix so packing along some Rapala X-Raps or other deep-water trollers is not a bad idea. Not surprisingly, the trick is in the live mackerel for the bass, but Connor said that the ubiquitous pollock make for a nice back-up bait! Above all make sure you’re out there by dawn if you hope to score mackerel.
Flounder fishing remains steady in Scituate Harbor, Green Harbor and Cohasset Harbor. As water temperatures continue to rise look for flounder to live up to their “winter” classification and start migrating to deeper water.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
While we value our friendships with our fishing buddies, the truth is that every time we get out there, we want to kick their butts! Such is the relationship with Brian Cronin and Joe Kelly. Brian was showcased on the forecast a few weeks ago with a respectable 21-pounder so what does his pal do, he trounces him by more than double with a 50-inch, 46-pound 9-ounce slob! I guess that’s what friends are for! And best of all that big bass was taken while standing on terra firma while soaking a mackerel chunk. These guys don’t skimp, they don’t leave Fore River in Quincy without at least one flat!
Could this be the opening salvo of a week of cows? During most years that’s exactly how the harbor plays out in the second week of June. The downside is that odds are you’ll have to work for your mackerel. Darlene from Bob’s Bait Shack in Winthrop recently has had patrons putting a hurt on macks as close as Graves Light. Whenever you find mackerel in the harbor, expect to find bass with them. My friend Joe Holey had a sabiki rig demolished the other day by the BG Buoy as he attempted to bring on board a rack of macks when a nice striper had other ideas. When not catching flounder by Perry Cove, Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit charters in Charlestown, along with his pal Pete Santini, have had to resort to steaming east of the B Buoy to find mackerel on some days! If it takes a trip that far to find the bait just make sure you are not outside of state waters should you decide to drop down a mackerel to see who is home. Another mackerel option is to troll along the outer islands such as Green, Calf, Little Calf and the Brewsters. Odds are better you’ll find more cooperative bass there if the mackerel are in close but it’s always worth a shot there. Some have even been finding mackerel by Harding’s Ledge.
A backup plan is not a bad option if your mackerel search falls flat. Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters has been getting requests for bass to go along with the flounder which are still cooperating. Many of the same rockpiles by Rainsford Island, Sunken Ledge, Hangman Island and Sculpin Ledge which make ideal ambush points for flounder when the tide is cooking, will also hold stripers lurking behind those current cushions looking to pounce. The skipper sends down a sack full of clams and calls the stripers in pretty much the same way he does for flatties. The difference of course is that he is upsizing his gear and clam size on striper upgraded octopus hooks. Flipping over to the night shift is not a bad idea this week because we all know those larger linesiders flip the feeding switch to full-on come dark. Two of the most consistent nighttime cow catchers are a deep diving metal lip (bigger fish lie belly to the bottom) and of course the sacred eel. Good choices for a deep diver plug are the GRS pike, Big Fish Bait Co.’s Beastmaster, the RM Smith Troller and Gibb’s Deep Diving Danny. Think big this week, odds are really good there will be season-defining bass out there!
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that squid are just now figuring into the mix on the North Shore. I found that news funny since my buddy Dave Flaherty of Nahant has been finding squid-colored plugs to be among the hottest on the North Shore! It might be time to toss a few pink soft-plastic jerk baits or other squid imitators into your tackle bag.
I’ve been hearing encouraging things coming out of the Lynn area with solid bass from both the harbor and the beaches! Expectedly eels at night have been deadly! When we spoke, Tomo trumpeted the return of toothies. Anglers dropping a jig in 140′ of water apparently looking for a state cod have been finding bycatch bluefish. Mackerel appear to be an easier find at the moment in Salem Sound than Boston Harbor. Anglers are catching by Misery and Baker’s Island and doing well by trolling around the islands. The backside of Misery has been the most productive for live-lining or chunking mackerel.
Skip from Three Lantern Marine told me that there is a real mixture of striper catching venues at the moment. Gloucester Harbor has sea herring, mackerel and pollock and with them are striped bass. River regulars are finding fish among the Little and Annisquam Rivers and for those who prefer their stripers among the suds, the backshore of Gloucester along with beaches such as Good Harbor, Long, Cape Hedge and Pebbles all have fish! Some are scoring stripers with live baits – sea herring, pollock or mackerel, while others are doing just fine with the tube-and-worm. More squid have arrived in the harbor and the flounder bite remains steady.
Tom from Surfland said that he’s been burning in the midnight oil with an eel at the end of the line and is picking up the occasional 20-pound (and up) striper! The best bite has been random and those catching the most consistently are keeping on the move. During one tide, the action could be at the river mouth, the next the ocean front could be where it’s at and then anglers are crowing about keepers at Sandy Point. If Tom had to pick one best bet, it would be at Sandy Point on an outgoing tide, which dovetails nicely for the weekend tides. The ocean front has been hotter on the flood. There have been some pogies inshore but not much on them – yet! Plum Island Sound and Joppa Flats have been holding fish as well. Now that it is mid-June Captain Chris of Manolin Charters is focused on bigger bass so he’s doubling down on mackerel pursuits. So far the top fish have been mid-30s but he’s expecting that to change real soon! He’ll be looking for larger at the mouth of the Merrimack, the Plum Island/Parker River Wildlife Reserve beach front and now that tides are more friendlier for Joppa, the flats as well.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Eddie of B&A in West Boylston gave me a report when we spoke about two downs that added up to one big “up”! Water levels are down, making navigating much of the 39 miles of Wachusett Reservoir shoreline a lot easier. Angling activity is down, so insane reconnaissance missions into darkened woods to secure your spot are no longer necessary, and the catching is good! Eddie even found pickerel, white perch and rock bass on a recent outing in Thomas Basin. Who says the ‘Chu is exclusively a cold-water fishery? For more normal Wachusett fare, the causeway has been consistent for salmon, lakers and rainbows.
According to Rod from Flagg’s the days of pre-dawn jockeying for position to rent a boat or launch your own at Gate 31 are over! That’s a shame since some recent catches include a 16-pound lake trout, fat smelt-laden salmon, and big bronzebacks. The lakers are now deep while the salmon are transitioning to the edges of drop-offs. Smallies for the most part post-spawn and lurking in depths of 15′ plus among rocky ambush points. For the salmon go for a gaudy streamer with plenty of orange, yellow or chartreuse plumage. Fortunately, you won’t have to go far for select streamers since Rodney Flagg is the area’s most renowned fly-tier!
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Other than the fall, the next week may be your best opportunity for that killer cow of the season. On the South Shore, early risers should be able to pick up mackerel by the SA Buoy and off the Gurnet. Give those macks a go at Saquish Rip, High Pine Ledge or Fourth Cliff. With a toothy presence in our midst, try trolling deep-divers by the ledges off Scituate. Surf fisherman could do worse than to chunk mackerel off Nantasket Beach, Hull Gut, Wessagusset Beach, Coughlin Park and Deer Island. If you have a boat and you don’t mind playing in the dark, a big plug or eel off Point Allerton, Sunken Ledge, Deer Island, Seal Harbor or Revere Beach may be just what the cow’s ordered. On the North Shore, jig up some mackerel by Misery Island and focus on the backside for the bass. Surfcasters off Plum Island who don’t mind keeping on the move are finding fish big enough to move drag!
Joe K,
You should be ashamed of yourself for killing this giant fish.
ah no he shouldn’t.. since your not aware if he tried and was unsuccessful.
Nice fish! I have noticed lots of big girls around this season. The one fish limit has made an immediate impact I see. Tight lines.
Justice, he’s lucky that fish didn’t kill him! Stripers are massive predatory fish – very dangerous to shore fishermen.
Justice,
Go catch your own fish if you want to release it. You should be ashamed of yourself imposing your own views on other. Maybe he’s got family to feed. Are you going to go to the fish monger and pay 24$ a lb and treat Joe and his family some striped bass fillets? Yeah I don’t think so. He worked for it, he paid for it, so please mind your own fish, not your business, not your fish to release. Pardon yourself from being a jerk, thanks!
Right on! .Sheesh – one fish we’re allowed. A 50% harvest reduction already. A lot of people only catch maybe one of those a year – if they are lucky.
Nice answer.
Any news on bluefin off of Glocester yet?
Pardon my ignorance, but which side of Misery is considered the “backside”? Thanks
That’s a good question. Usually fishermen say “the backside” to refer to the side that faces away from land, so in this case the author probably means the east side of the island.
The backside of Misery is indeed the east side with all that roiled white-washed cover where stripers have a big advantage over their prey!
riverview bait and tackle
Hit up the three bays very early yesterday morn to jig up some macs, and beat the wind. I found the macs on the bottom in about 65 to 70 foot of water 200 yards east of the last can. As we ran in I noticed birds working over Browns bank, and quickly got several strikes slow trolling the cow candy. Not much bait seen inside or birds working with the weather change, but Saturday should be good with a south wind. Pogies still holding pretty good in the Plymouth moorings if you can get on them early enough. Tight lines
Mr. Justice, if you fish or eat fish then you’re a damn hypocrite! Even if you’re 100% C&R some of those fish will not make it. All fisherman and fish eaters are fish killers, if you’re not OK with that you should take up golf and become a vegetarian.
Thank you soooo much for including some freshwater reports!! A lot of us appreciate just a little mention as to if any action has been going on!!
We understand that saltwater is the main draw, but a lot of us fish freshwater all year long!
Thanks again!!
Justice is right. There is no reason to keep huge stripers. They are the best breeding stock, the female population of which is declining towards the sustainable threshold *again.* (I wonder why…)
http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass
Conflating the bykill of catch and release fishing with the intentional targeting of large brood stock fish, or with other fisheries is also misguided.
And “a family to feed?!” No one is reliably and consistrntly feeding their family with recreational sportfishing. Get a grip.
It’s everybody’s business when there are no fish because people can’t practice a little restraint to protect the fishery.
I applaud you for choosing to release your own fish, but please do not be a striper zealot. If you don’t like the current regs then push for them to be changed – maybe switch to a slot limit. But please don’t berate someone else for exercising their right to keep a legal fish. All anglers have the same rights and if you choose not to exercise yours then that is up to you.
Justice+1, again not any of our business. Let’s say Joe released the fish and he and his family loves to eat stripers. He can go pay a fish monger for it, what difference did that Make? He just paid someone retail to kill the fish for him to eat? The commercial guys i see at the canal only keep monsters. Your logic is flawed sir. Harvest is simply part of fishing. If you care so much about the fish then dont fish. We fisherman who eat fish simply pick our poison. You on the other hand are unjustifiably self righteous. Go release your own fish.
Survival rate of a released large cow breeding stock striper: varies based on a variety of factors but at least > 50%
Survival rate of the same fish filleted or steaked up: as Dean Wormer said in Animal House “0.0”
I’m not suggesting that the above angler, or anyone, should be persecuted or shamed — but neither should those that think it’s a questionable choice for the long term health of the species.
Thought the full moon was last Friday.
LOL! They are definitely affected! Joppa man! LOL!
?
have seen more big fish this year than the past 6-7 years, always hoping everyone will catch and release the big cows…understanding that if she doesn’t swim after the fight, take her home. tight lines
Saturday morn in three bays was pretty good if you were throwing topwater, not many mac’s out front right now…Tight lines.
Seriously keep your comments to yourself . You catch it u decide its fate. Did u know Virginia and the carolinas keep 100 fish a day 5 days a week by gillnetts. Relax catch and eat, catch and release there’s biomasses off the coast the stock is huge .
Your comments are no more valid than any one else’s Jeremy. You have your approach and opinions, others have theirs. If you haven’t noticed, that’s what America is all about.
The notion of anyone with opinions other than yours “keeping them to themselves” is just silly. Agree or disagree, discourse and varying opinions are what we’re all about as we approach the 4th of July.
Personally, I’ve seen lots of stripers, no stripers, then some stripers again. I have my approach, you have yours. It’s all good.
Bird piles in the three bays! Tight lines!