Massachusetts Fishing Report – August 23, 2018

The prolonged Northeast wind had made significant hauls out of the question for most, but thankfully striped bass have been accommodating in close. In this the “year of the shark,” bite-offs are no longer dismissed as the handiwork of bluefish — especially when the victim is a 25-pound striper!

Massachusetts South Coast Fishing Report

It’s been said that Captain Jason Colby has a nose for flounder and apparently that applies to the toothy version as well. Shallow-water fluke have been a tough bite so the skipper has been pointing the Little Sister toward the deeper water rockpiles and wrecks toward Rhode Island and he’s been finding cooperative 4 to 7 pounders in 75’ of water. Make sure you have on hand sinkers of at least 8 ounces to hold bottom. For bait, squid strips should do the trick. However, once you catch that first sea robin, cut it into strips. Fluke love fish strips and the tough sea robin skin will survive repeated hookups. Closer to the mouth of the Westport River, rockpiles and wrecks continue to hold schools of both black sea bass and tautog.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters has been steering clear of pogies and opting for what he feels is a more reliable bait, namely mackerel. Prior to the Northeast nasties, Mark found macks and willing bass close to shore from the Pilgrim Power Plant all the way out to the North River. If you’d rather stick with pogies for a possible bigger bass, you should be able to find bait in Duxbury Bay. Pogies are not as populous as they were a few weeks ago, improving the odds of finding willing stripers with the pogies.

Captain Rich Antonio of Black Rose Charters is having a hard time shaking the hot haddock fishing on Stellwagen Bank. This shallow-water thing does not happen every August, and considering that the season comes to a close September 14, this is a fishery to take advantage of while you can. Rich did hear that bluefish have cruised through the Cape Cod Canal and just maybe are heading northward?

Pete from Belsan’s backed up that bluefish rumination with a report of 5-pounders pounding bait off Minots Light. Fourth Cliff continues to be among the better close-in bass spots with steady reports of low 20-pound fish falling for mackerel. Start your mack search as soon as you clear the first can at the mouth of the North River.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Anglers fishing the harbor just might be experiencing a fishy version of the “Law of Supply and Demand.” Pogies, which had been almost thick enough to walk across, suddenly are not such an easy find. Conversely, a struggling pogy is now prey that gets noticed a lot more quickly by striped bass. Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing continues to prove that finding structure among the pogy schools results in better fishing. The latest catching was courtesy of the depth break between the shipping lane and Lower Middle. Pogies fished among the deeper water were not touched but as soon as they were dropped upon the shallow shelf, the menhaden got mugged. The bigger stripers can’t help themselves—they prefer the ambush.

As peanut bunker continue to filter into the harbor and nearby environs, they are inciting invigorating surface feeds. Anglers reveling in the chase of those rolling bird, bass and bait shows are tallying dozens of schoolies in an outing. Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters has been giving charters an impressive choice between numbers or size of striped bass. For schoolies, he’s sticking inside the harbor following the blitzes, which have been especially impressive recently. For larger fish, Egg Rock continues to be the most reliable with mackerel the ticket. A search between Flipp Rock and the East Point of Nahant should net you enough mackerel.

Mark from Monahans Marine said that many customers are steaming out to Stellwagen, especially the middle bank, for everything from coolers full of squid, to haddock, to mixed sizes of tuna.

Darlene from Bob’s Bait Shack in Winthrop said that finally shore anglers are catching consistent keeper fish off Deer Island. The jetty on the outgoing tide has been good for eels at night while the ocean wall has been hot for those casting whole or chunk pogies.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

It’s a simple sign of the times when a 14-pound bluefish has tongues wagging on the North Shore. My friend Joe Holey took out a couple from his Yacht Club in Lynn and on his first attempt put them onto the big blue as well as a 36-inch striper. Remarkably, those fish were caught on the only two mackerel that they could find. A few days later, I had to laugh as Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me of that blue! You stand a better chance of catching a bass if you keep on the lookout for schoolie surface feeds off Marblehead Harbor, Salem Harbor and Beverly Harbor. Mackerel are around, but the ones catching are usually putting a lot of effort beginning at Misery Island and heading north. There is no shortage of squid, but the schools have shifted offshore for some reason. Most anyone you talk to who fishes for tuna tells of the challenge of keeping bait from getting ripped to pieces before a tuna finds it! Of course, squid make for excellent tuna bait in their own right.

Matt from Three Lantern Marine told me that there has recently been some solid striper action on pogies just outside of Gloucester Harbor past the Dogbar Breakwater. For a pogy search, try just south of Gloucester.

I couldn’t help but wince when Liz from Surfland told me that on more than one occasion, anglers have had Great White sharks relieve them of their striped bass – yikes! The guys telling the tales are all experienced fisherman and they can hardly believe it themselves. The accounts are similar, an angler is reeling in a good bass when the fish begins to act panicky. Often the guys will see a big v-shaped wake heading toward their striper and in a flash the fish is ripped from their lines! Strange days indeed! Sharks aside, the nighttime eel slinging, especially on the south side of Plum Island, has been pretty good.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For pure action, it’s hard to top the South Coast combo of blackfish and black sea bass. Grab a bushel of green crabs and pound rockpiles and wrecks just outside of the Westport River. Fourth Cliff in Scituate remains one of the more consistent South Shore spots for solid stripers. The harbor has fewer pogies, but this just might be a case of less equals more since reports are that a snagged pogy usually will not swim long before a bass notices. Up north, schoolies can be found in Marblehead Harbor as well as Salem Harbor. Pogies and mackerel live-lined between the Gloucester Harbor breakwater and the Groaner have accounted for 20-pound bass recently. The nocturnal crowd pitching eels into the wash off Plum Island have been having the most luck, just make sure you are bringing along stout gear and when you hook up, reel like heck!