Massachusetts Fishing Report - June 7, 2018

Unseasonable temperatures have done little to thwart the onward migration of the striped bass. However, as befitting this fickle fish, size is not necessarily following the usual south-to-north script.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

It seems that some folks just want to give you more! Captain Rich Antonio of Black Rose Charters is now all about combo trips. The stars are all aligned with haddock still in close and with good stripers in Cape Cod Bay, a dream trip including limits of haddock and keeper bass is within reach. Haddock are still clinging to the eastern side of Stellwagen Bank thanks in parts to the swarms of big sand eels which are more numerous than in years. Cape Cod Bay in through Plymouth Harbor now features sporadic schoolie surface action as well as drag-pullers. Cape Cod Bay stripers are hitting slim-profiled jigs which mimic the ubiquitous sand eels while Rich’s go-to lure for the haddock are Shimano Lucanus Jigs. He claims that cod steer clear while haddock cannot get enough of the Lucanus.

Captain Mark Petit of Fire Escape Charters out of Plymouth said that better and more bass seem to be cruising in from Race Point through Plymouth on every tide. The only caveat is that mackerel have thinned out for the moment, although early starters and chummers have an edge on finding them. The crew is setting sail most days so Captain Mark really has a feel for where the action is.

Pete of Belsan’s in Scituate told me that the stripers are behaving true to form for early June, with the best fish falling for trolled mackerel off deepwater ledges such as Minot’s Ledge and those off Hull. Inside rocks and ledge hold good numbers of 26-32” fish while the South and North Rivers are schoolie factories. Dropping water temperatures have curtailed the hot flounder bite in the Scituate and Cohasset Harbors. Look for that to change once June gets back to warming the water.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

Anyone who is a member of Captain Jason Colby’s extensive email list is well aware that The Little Sister took on water at its mooring Tuesday morning in Quincy Bay and sank. Currently the captain is scrambling to dump in his “backup” 30-foot HydraSport so that he can get back in the game of terrorizing flounder.

If it were possible to get frequent flyer miles from driving your truck, Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Charters would fly for free. In addition to fly-rod trips, live-bait trips, and soft-plastic outings in the harbor, on windy days he’s throwing his charter into his truck and hauling down to fish the lees of Vineyard Sound. While techniques and coordinates may change, the one constant is that he’s catching fish! Some of the high points have been 30” bass off Deer Island on 10” soft plastics, mid-30” stripers off the Long Island Rip on spooks, and all kinds of schoolie action off the Sugar Bowl! His mantra could be, “who needs bait”! And for those looking for a toothy fix, he’s found it off Martha’s Vineyard where he’s been cherry picking bluefish out of the mouths of estuaries. Many of the bass and blues are chock full of squid and they are hitting orange, pink and white soft plastics.

Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters has been finding flounder off Long Island, Peddock Island and Hangman Island. He has been tailoring charters towards bass and blackback trips and with the amount of surface action within sight of the flounder grounds, the crew has been catching both!

From Laurel of Hull Bait comes news of nice stripers off the Hull side of World’s End. Patrons of the shop are also putting a hurt on keepers where Bailey Creek dumps into Cohasset Cove. Some of the best bass her customers are catching have been courtesy of live mackerel off noteworthy South Shore structure such as Farnham Rock. Instead of a card and scratch ticket or two consider entering Dear Dad into the 20th Annual Boston Harbor Striper Shootout. Pete Santini has been putting on this longest running striper tournament since its infancy and in celebration of its silver anniversary he’s enlisted help from a few “friends” and this year it is one big fete, check it out at stripershootout.com.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle talked of terrific striper action off Broad Sound this past week. As usual mackerel have been money for stripers up to 37” with the bait still available off Nahant through Salem Sound. Regarding Nahant, the bite has also been good for similar-sized stripers in Nahant Bay and for shore anglers the Pickering Wharf area as well as Pope’s Landing have all been productive.

Carol Leslie, who is the sister-in-law of Noel Leslie of Bridge Street Sports tugged in a trophy 12-pound tautog near the Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly. She and her husband were flounder fishing when they hooked the big white chin and somehow the thin flounder hook held during the nearly 10-minute battle. That fish would have been a strong contender for the state saltwater fishing derby but instead – wound up as dinner (and then some!).

According to Skip from Three Lantern Marine, a large school of pogies have moved into the Cape Ann area. Not surprisingly the catch rate for 20-pound plus fish has bumped up considerably! Mackerel are sketchy with some present in Gloucester Harbor one day and then found closer to the Salvages the next. Odds are that the mackerel you do find will be big! Flounder fishing remains fine in the harbor and off nearby beaches.

Captain Chris Valaskatgis and his sidekick Mike Fallon are dialed into some of the more impressive bass north of the Cape. On Tuesday morning Mike caught and released a 50-inch beauty that he bested with mackerel! Aboard Manolin Charters, Captain Chris has been into mid-30-inch fish but seeing much larger from Plum Island Sound through the Merrimack River area.

Mike from Surfland said that monstrous sturgeon, which are a protected species, are increasingly making their presence felt throughout Plum Island and through the Merrimack River. Some are inadvertently foul-hooked while anglers jig for stripers, while some are hooked on cut bait. Regardless, the fight from these fish which can easily top 100 pounds, is memorable and often results in a spooling! If you do land one, release those relics with care. For more “normal” fair, the jetties on both sides of the Merrimack River have been solid bets for 20-pound-plus bass with cut bait, clams and bone SP Minnows.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

It’s often been said that it all comes down to bait! To that end there’s little wonder why Wachusett Reservoir is fishing so well in June. According to Eddie, weekdays have become very quiet but the few who are out are reporting hordes of smelt and yellow perch off Route 70, the Causeway and by the Ledges. Salmon, lakers and black bass can often be seen pounding the prey! There has also been a red hot smallie bite just before dusk!

Patrick Barone of Charter the Berkshires Outfitters has been having some smallie fun himself in the Connecticut River courtesy of crankbaits. Fluctuation water levels have resulted in varied levels of spawning behavior for the bass making crank baits the perfect tool to cover a lot of water while looking for active fish. The final stanza of the shad run is taking place right now at the Turner Falls section of the Connecticut River and the fish are all stacked up there. If you haven’t gotten your shad fix yet this year, now is the time before they head back to sea.

According to Mike DiDonna of the Deerfield Fly Shop the rivers are awash with Mayfly and Caddis hatches right now! Not surprising, evening dry-fly action can be magical! However for pure numbers don’t discount wet flies and nymphs. There are a lot of Mayflies and Caddis hatches happening currently. Evening dry-fly action has been good if you are in the right place at the right time. Wet flies are working well and nymphs are really putting up the numbers.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Reality has finally caught up to the expectation of June as there are now cows in our midst! On the South Shore, troll up your first big bass on a live mackerel by offshore structure such as Minot Ledge or just maybe far closer near Farnham Rock. Boston blackbacks continue to cooperate off Peddock Island and Hangman Island. Nahant Bay has had a steady striper pick as long as mackerel are the offering, while Plum Island may be the best choice of all for super-sized stripers.