Massachusetts Fishing Report – September 27, 2018

Blitzing bonito, jamming jacks – this forecast could be right out of the realm of one of the southern states, but instead, it’s what anglers are experiencing locally! There are also a few stripers in blues out there too, after all, it is late September.

Massachusetts South Shore

According to Pete Belsan from Belsan’s Bait, the bonito, which are swarming all the way through the North Shore, are getting bigger. The latest photos show fish now between 1 and 2 pounds. We can only hope that all the bait these speedsters are finding in these parts leaves an imprint on them and they return next year as reel drag pullers. The wind from the east has been a beast for boaters, but for the surf crew, which doesn’t mind getting wet, the roiled rollers are a best friend. Casting eels at night from area beaches has rewarded those folks with a few stripers over 30 pounds. The bait bouillabaisse has resulted in some impressive surface feeds, which are comprised of mainly schoolies with the occasional better bass mixing in. A few blues can still be found by the Pilgrim Power Plant and those big schools of baby bunker have lit a fuse among the three bays with no shortage of blitzes.

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish has a new toy, namely a 35-foot Duffy Downeaster that is not only big enough to coddle charters but could hold two giant tuna side by side on the deck. That could be a good thing once the tuna season opens up again in October since the bite, as it was temporarily closing on Sunday, was impressive. As you would expect, the crowds were overwhelming and no sooner did most leave than the fish turned on during the afternoon tide by the “Notch”. The catching was not restricted to there as the Middle Bank as well as east of the bank all turned on in the afternoon. Now you have an excuse to hit the snooze button the next time. Interestingly, the quality of the tuna is markedly different on Stellwagen as opposed to off of it. In the shallows, Charlie and his chums are filling up on mackerel, while in deeper water the forage is primarily squid, which fishermen say results in lighter, higher-quality flesh. For those who sell their catch, the difference translates to a significant difference in the payday. For bass, the harbor of Scituate remains loaded with mixed sizes prowling among the floats and moorings as varied sizes of bass mug peanut bunker.

Greater Boston

Pogy numbers in the harbor never did quite recover from the one/two punch of the incessant eastern blow and Florence, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone complaining about bait. Peanuts remain plentiful and they have drawn the attention of more than just striped bass. The year of the bonito continues and it’s hard to not be in awe of the sight of these little tuna clearing the water as they wreak havoc on bait schools in Boston Harbor. And they are finding their way far into the rivers and estuaries as well. These are not the only southern visitors either, as there are legitimate reports of blue runner hitting sabiki rigs off Nahant. For the moment, the size of harbor stripers has dropped with most “good” fish averaging in the mid-30-inch range. Considering that it’s not even October, that could change at any moment.

Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing said that the good news regarding less pogies is that when schools are found now, there is a higher probability of getting bit. The Bite Me II boys, Dave and Carl, are nothing if not immune to weather curveballs so they have simply switched to inshore tube-and-worming among the mouths of rivers and estuaries and have not missed a beat. That’s the beauty of the harbor, if rough seas are putting the kibosh on your plans to head out, seek out the relative tranquility of the harbors/bays in Hull/Hingham/Quincy or the mouth of the Mystic/East Boston and Winthrop. To stack the odds in your favor take along a red tube and a few dozen seaworms.

Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters spent three good days last weekend between Winthrop and Revere and for once found more bluefish than striped bass. Paul hardly was alone as the bulk of the charter fleet was trolling mackerel throughout the Seal Harbor/Short Beach area and doing quite well on fish up to 45 inches.

North Shore

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle said that “rock jockeys” are catching some of the nicer fish on the north shore with a good amount of 10-20 pounders smacking plugs in the wash. As September transitions into October, you can count on a wave-swept, sudsy shoreline among the rocky structure of the North Shore. Plugs that dive below the washing machine will catch more often than floaters, which are too easily tossed about, losing the lure’s rhythm and making the plug appear unnatural. Anyone who has spent some serious time tossing plugs among the coves, crags, and rocky outcroppings that define Cape Ann and other spots on the North Shore will attest how often a bass mugs the plug just as it’s ready to be lifted from the water, oftentimes right under one’s feet. When it’s rough a floater just won’t do, while a sinker will keep its composure.

My buddy Dave Flaherty has made rock-hopping, cow-catching off the hard stuff an art form and his new squeeze, which he picked up at Tomo’s, is the 6” sinking Sebile Bull Minnow. The thing wobbles and rolls like a metal lip, makes a lot of vibration and just plain gets noticed by nearby bass. And the best part is that right now, those bass are in the mood to feed! Tomo said that the harbors of Salem/Beverly and Marblehead are best for schoolie surface action but for larger check out Devereux Beach, Castle Rock and the backshore of Gloucester. An occasional bluefish presence makes things interesting.

Skip from Three Lantern in Gloucester said that he’s expecting a big turnout for the shop’s annual shindig/sale this weekend. Prices are slashed across the board! You can put any gear you pick up to good use in Gloucester Harbor since mackerel came in purportedly while fleeing marauding bluefish. Plug casters have been catching better bass from Cape Ann beaches such as Pebble, Coffin, Good Harbor and Niles.

Martha from Surfland told me that the east wind blew cooler, oxygenated water into Plum Island Sound, the Parker River as well as Joppa Flats and the Merrimack River. With the amount of bait in these inshore nurseries chances are those bass aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The crew in beach buggies are busting bass on bait from the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. Several tuna were hooked at the mouth of the Merrimack River with the results running the gamut from ecstasy to calamity.

Fishing Forecast

With one- to two-pound bonito crashing lures on the South Shore, it might be time to bring some slender casting spoons and actually target these tiny tuna. Aside from an incomparable pound-for-pound fight, they are great-tasting. For their larger cousins, the bluefin season, is slated to open up again on October 1st. Put aside the entire day if you pursue these pelagics, as lately the later tide has been more consistent. South Shore beaches have been best at night with eels the preferred offering. If you can find a break in the easterly nasties, the Winthrop/Revere section has been the steadiest spot for double-digit stripers. On the North Shore, the rocks have come “alive” and you can thank the suds for providing cover from which cows can launch an attack.