Massachusetts Fishing Report – September 7, 2017

Pictured above: It’s South Coast tog time aboard Captain Colby’s Little Sister!

Tog are beginning to bunch up off the Westport side of Buzzards Bay, making crabs very nervous. But maybe not quite as nervous as mackerel are on Stellwagen with 500-pound tuna launching assaults. It is September, of course, and you’d expect to find blitzes. Thanks to peanut bunker on the North Shore, they are happening!

Massachusetts South Coast Fishing Report

The sad reality is that September signals the beginning of the end of the striper season, holdover crazies excluded, but for those who view crab-crunching tautog as the cherry at the top of the season-long sundae, the fun is just beginning! When the talk turns to tautog among multi-species anglers in these parts, it elicits an almost reflexive, unmeasured response that goes something like, “I love those fish, man!”

Well, from now through Turkey Day, it’s time to rekindle that love affair on the South Coast. Aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister, the crew invariably goes green, and that’s not a reference to patrons succumbing to heaving seas but rather green crabs and green jigs! Black sea bass rigs are swapped out for greenish Tidaltails Jig’z and the soundtrack consists of the noise of hundreds of green crab claws gnashing the side of a 5-gallon bucket. Just a word to the wise, if you are not used to the power of these hellions, do not scream for the net until you’ve familiarized yourself with a few, less you prefer the embarrassment of boatload of anglers all deriding your too-short 14-incher. Regardless, tog are schooling up now over rockpiles and wrecks between 20’ and 35’ of water on the Westport side of Buzzards Bay and many could not be happier.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

It’s not often that an angler is pleased that a certain baitfish is less numerous, but that is the case with Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters. Halfbeaks have by and large high-tailed it out of town, so no longer are bluefin tuna on Stellwagen Bank obsessing over these speedsters at the expense of fishermen trying to catch Charlie with other offerings! Normality has returned to Stellwagen Bank and fishermen are catching tuna again with live whiting, mackerel and herring. The tip of the week from the skipper: leave the bait acquisition until you actually hit the bank. The bite is often best at daybreak, and too many waste valuable time jigging up mackerel or herring inshore. Additionally, there are monster mackerel on Stellwagen (Rowell refers to them as mega-macks!) which will get noticed a lot more quickly than a tinker on the line.

Scituate Harbor continues to hold big schools of peanut bunker and bass of mixed sizes blasting them. Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait in Scituate said that right now on the South Shore from Warren Cove in Plymouth through Cohasset there’s a nice size mix of bass engaged in surface feeds, most likely thanks to peanut bunker! The Spit at the mouth of the North River has had a pile of nice fish willing to hit macks by day and eels by night. Not surprisingly the graveyard-shift gang is reporting bigger bass. Mackerel trolled by structure off Egypt Beach, Minot and The Cliffs is resulting in impressive bass as well. A few are even trying for smelt off the Harbormaster floats but to no avail. However, for smelt redemption read on!

Massachusetts Greater Boston Fishing Report

In the middle of September striper mania, it was a text I didn’t see coming. The messenger was Lisa from Fore River and the content read: “We have live grass shrimp in stock!” Not everyone allows themselves to be caught up in the striped bass contagion obviously and some are fishing for and catching what was once a coldweather staple in Greater Boston – smelt! Locations don’t change much and nighttime will usually be more productive than the day, but they are already stirring off the piers of Hull and in Hingham Harbor. See the ladies of Fore River for the full scoop on these sweet-tasting little fish. Lisa also said that the few who set sail or fished during the nasty weather were sure glad they did. From live-lining mackerel from Nut Island to trolling them by Boston Light and Point Allerton, it was a time for forties. From 40-inch fish to genuine 40-pounders. A few have even been finding flounder off Nut Island.

Dan from Bobs Bait Shack in Winthrop told me of a 51½-inch 53-pounder caught on clams recently off Point of Pines by Ricky Douglas. One of the more accomplished shore fishermen I ever knew, a guy I only know as “Joe” used to list that place as one of his favorites. Once when I was fishing next to him there, I missed a hit that practically tore my rod out of its spike. And then I had to leave. The very next day at Massbait, Phil Galetta told me that no sooner did I depart than Joe stuck his rod in my spot and proceeded to beach a 47-pound fish. I’m still haunted by that one!

The “year of the mackerel” lumbers on with anglers getting them as close as Deer Island! The easy pickings with the macks are causing anglers to ignore the pogies which is probably a mistake if they are looking for that season-best cow, but it’s hard to pass up on a can’t miss baitfish!

Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters is of the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy so he’s sticking to what works for him, which remains jigging mackerel off the Nahant 2 Can and then bump-trolling them by Egg Rock. One of his most recent trips featured upper 30 to lower 40-inch fish, so who could argue?

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle told me that there have been big blitzes off Swampscott’s Fisherman’s Beach as mixed sizes of stripers are teeing off on peanut bunker! One angler got into it in a big way with RM Smith Jigsmiths. There have also been some interesting feeds just north off Devereux Beach by Pig Rocks, presumably on peanut bunker also. Finally there are reports of anglers doing well with pogies by Kettle Cove. The Salem Willows Pier as well as the Beverly Pier remain two of the more accessible and productive shore spots for stripers with bait accounting for most of the bass.

Adam from Three Lantern Marine said that there has been an increase in surface feeds in Cape Ann, which might mean that peanut bunker have arrived. Look for surface activity off Manchester-by-the-Sea as well as Magnolia. Mackerel remain plentiful by the Groaner, Thatcher Island as well as the Salvages. Tuna have been cooperative throughout Ipswich Bay and one of the attractants is the arrival of significant schools of sea herring.

Tom from Surfland said that form the Merrimack River out through Plum Island Sound anglers are catching all the schoolies they can handle. A few night time casters are eeling in the Parker River as well as Joppa Flats and not given to talking. For a best bet as to where to fish, Tom suggests the Ocean Front with a pogy. Pogies are around and a keen eye should be able to spot them.

Freshwater

Closer to the coast, we haven’t seen the precipitous drop in water temperatures that the Western District has experienced, but Captain Patrick Barone of Early Rise Outfitters is keenly aware of it. The change has him targeting pike among weed edges in the Connecticut River as well as the plethora of pike places out west which include Pontoousuc, Onota, Buel and Cheshire. Nomadic schools of perch are what the pike are targeting making perch imitators whether it be plugs, flies or swim baits the ideal offering.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Before the tuna season closes again, ͏y͏o͏u might want to consider staggering some of the oversized mackerel you’ll find on site on Stellwagen for a chance at a giant. The other option is Ipswich Bay where the emergence of sea herring have drawn in those massive pelagics. Peanut bunker blitzes are now a reality in Plymouth, Scituate and into Cohasset. Mackerel remain easy pickings in the harbor with anglers catching large off Boston Light, Point Allerton and Revere. Keep an eye out for surface feeds off Swampscott as well as Marblehead and Cape Ann as mixed sizes of stripers have apparently developed a taste for “peanuts”!