Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 8, 2017

Pictured above: William Nemec sent in this shot of his 46-inch, 35-pound striper that he landed using bone colored Diawa SP Minnow from his kayak near Plymouth.

The magic is with the mackerel on the South Shore for stripers. Some can be found just off Scituate, with the mother lode closer to Stellwagen. While you’re out on the bank, you can bet on awesome haddock fishing, which is closer still if the North Shore is more to your liking.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Most consider groundfishing and striper fishing worlds apart, but with a blistering bass bite at Race Point and the haddock hot on the Southwestern corner of Stellwagen, it’s possible to combine both in one day! Such has been the reality for Captain Mike Rowell of Legitfish Charters who has been putting patrons into just such an awesome ordeal. Haddock limits drifting on the bank continue to be no problem, and it’s easy to load up on mackerel while you are there. Live mackerel free-lined off Provincetown will usually not last long before being inhaled by a striper, some of which are pushing 40 inches. Since the other principle forage there is sand eels, so bring along some soft-plastic jerkbaits or diamond jigs for when the fish are fussy and keying in on slim-profiled prey.

Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait in Scituate said that some are finding mackerel as close as the SA Buoy and they are drifting through the confluence of the South and North rivers and doing very well on mixed sizes of bass to over 20 pounds. The Spit and Fourth Cliff have been particularly successful spots. Mackerel have also been the ticket to good stripers by day for those trolling and live-lining from Egypt Beach through the Glades. The eel crew come dark are working the same section by kayak and boot and while they may be keeping a tight lip on the results, they continue to reload on those serpents.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Lisa from Fore River in Quincy has a bunch of bass hunters who are not afraid of things that go bump in the dark because they know that’s often the result of a good bass whacking an eel. World’s End, Webb Park, Great Esker Park, Jackknife Ledge have all put anglers into productive striped bass fishing. With herring runs still strong the rivers remain a good option, in fact “fallbacks” will be present in some capacity well into July and as long as the herring are there so will the stripers. Kayak anglers and boaters are trolling Cape Cod Spinners tipped with seaworms during daylight hours and catching keepers plus off Rainsford Island, Sunken Ledge, Hangman Island, Jackknife Ledge and Veezie Rocks.

So far, this season hasn’t been one for the books regarding mackerel abundance. You may have to search off Hull, the outer islands, the BG Buoy and out by Nahant for this striper candy but the catching is certainly easier once this prized bait is found. Live or fresh dead macks have been effective for small keepers off Long Island, Thompson Island and Spectacle. Deer Island Rip is worth a shot also. Mike from Bob’s Bait Shack in Winthrop told me of fish up to 35 inches, which have been caught inside by the East Boston Yacht Clubs and Constitution Beach. While hardly a full-blown invasion yet, there are some pogies around and this area habitually tends to hold them when they are present. Just keep a healthy distance from the airport no-trespassing buoys – those warnings are not something to ignore! Other Winthrop winners are the edges of eel grass areas such as by Fisherman’s Bend, the Belle Isle Marsh along with Strawberry Fields and Snake Island.

Flounder skippers such as Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters as well as Paul Diggins of Reel Time Charters have been finding that the flounder are getting fatter and more aggressive as water temperatures rise. “Nice fish” accolades are now being reserved for 18-inch-plus fatties. Historically the biggest blackbacks fall in June, so get ready. On a recent outing with the Little Sister Crew, we found flounder off Deer Island, Snake Island, and a smattering of locations in the Hull/Quincy side. If you chum bring your striper gear along with you since keeper category fish have been crashing the flounder party, especially if you are chumming with clams. Captain Diggins has been finding mackerel by Three-and-One-Half-Fathorm Ledge.

If you are looking for sweetwater salvation take a shot at a brown trout from South Pond in the central portion of the state. Russ Eastman of Monahans Marine in Weymouth took a break recently from the salt and found aggressive, colorful brown trout more than willing to pound a trolled shiner.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

There’s good news for those who value a premium bait and tackle shop on the North Shore, Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is expanding! Joe’s fish prints, which occupied one side of the store for years, has moved across the street allowing Tomo more room for more tackle. Locals can put that tackle to use in Forest River Park as fish up to keeper size have been falling for Savage Saltwater Sand Eels. Mackerel are present in Salem Sound and anglers trolling and drifting by Misery, Bakers, and Cat islands have been finding willing fish. A few pogies are hold up throughout the mooring field of Salem Harbor. Some squid have been caught in Marblehead, Beverly and Salem Harbors.

Pete from Fin and Feather in Essex said that last week’s schoolies in the Essex River have been supplanted by keepers which can be found from the boat launch to where it joins up with Cranes Beach. A few have been tossing eels in this outflow where big bass have been caught in years past.

TJ of Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester said that there is no need to make the haul all the way out to Jeffreys Ledge for haddock as some of the “hills” a mere 10 miles out have them! In the past, Hills 101 and 47 have been productive for groundfish. The only caveat is that you’ll probably have to cull through some killer cod up to 20 pounds to get at the haddock! For flounder, give it a go at Good Harbor Beach as well as Niles Beach. The Dogbar Breakwater remains one of the best possibilities for a keeper striper. Chunkers are also scoring stripers off the Granite State Pier. The talk among Charlie chasers is that things are shaping up for a good tuna season. Sea herring are among their preferred forage and it appears to be a solid year for them. More importantly there have been a lot of giant sightings already!

Kay from Surfland recently gave me an example why it sometimes pays to defy convention. The mouth of the Merrimack is usually fished on an outgoing tide and for the shore set usually that translates to numbers of fish at the expense of quality. Anglers who have been hanging through the flip from ebb to flood have been treated with 25-pound stripers. The oceanfront has at times been impressive as well as has Plum Island Sound. On higher tides an unsung spot at night is the bridge over the Plum Island River. The Parker River Wildlife Reservation remains a favorite for the bait fishing brigade with most baiting one rod with clams and the other with seaworms.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

If your home court is the South Shore, check out Fourth Cliff and the Spit with a live mackerel or an eel as a best bait alternative. For Boston bass, the herring runs remain hot with the edge increasingly tilting toward Jackknife Ledge, Veezie Rocks and Sunken Ledge. Arguably, however, the flounder fishing provides the most consistent action in the harbor. On the North Shore, you don’t have to make a huge haul to find haddock as inshore hills are holding them. Shore anglers can find stripers off the Dogbar Breakwater and Granite State Pier.