Pictured above: Joe Gugino of Winthrop took this 47-inch bass on Wednesday just off a Greater Boston beach on a spook.
Conditions this time of the year change faster than the calendar – can you believe we’re past Memorial Day! – and regarding the striper front that’s good news since bonafide cows have come in to graze!
While flounder pounding aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister on Tuesday, I found myself a bit distracted despite the stellar fishing. I noticed that the schoolie bass and bird show throughout Quincy and Hull had shifted from surface pops to explosions. I was wondering who let in the serious striped bass? A steady stream of tantalizing reports are now trickling in of everything from 15 pounds to 53 pounds! Other than the fall run which in the modern era is either hit or miss, June is the most reliable and right now it’s living up to that reputation!
Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report
The most interesting news I received from Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish has nothing to do with his usual South Shore stomping ground but rather Rode Island Sound. The magical, diverse Coxes Ledge has a schoolie tuna bite happening right now that is something special with fish averaging about 57”! Closer to port, Mark has been finding willing flounder right in Scituate Harbor. While this type of fishing is generally not the skipper’s primary forte after watching the family charter on board yukking it up, he came away with one inescapable conclusion – fishing for flounder is a heck of a lot of fun!
The North River continues to hold plenty of schoolies with bigger bass now settling into Scituate Harbor. There are mixed sizes of mackerel but with the ratio still tilted to smaller bass you’ll have the most action with tinkers. The haddock haul has been best by the Mud Hole/Dumping Ground area. In spite of the fog, wind and rain, Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters who launches out of Plymouth, has been having no problem catching keeper size striped bass. Mackerel are the magic bullet but are a bit tough to find, albeit easier at dawn. Fingers are crossed that The Race will finally live up to it’s reputation as a major producer of quality striped bass soon! In addition to live bait, “snapping” bucktail jigs through this area works well.
Pete of Belsan of Belsan Bait in Scituate said that the bar for a respectable striper has now been raised to about 36”. Minot’s Ledge and Davis Ledge have been giving up fish of that size for the boat folks while similar size fish have been taken from shore from The Glades. With the variety of bait consisting of herring, harbor pollock and mackerel the South Shore is a tinder box ready to go off! Flounder fishing in the harbors of Green Harbor, Scituate and Cohasset has been good for most but limits are a tough find. An alternative to the harbor with possibly better black backs according to Pete is the stretch between Peggotty Beach and The Spit.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
If you follow the local fishing scene than you’ve probably seen photos of the 53 pound beast taken by Chris Isley of Revere. It appears to have been a night time catch, probably taken on mackerel and possibly caught by the BG Buoy. I also saw a picture shared by Laurel of Hull B&T of a 40 pounder which hit a mackerel by the Brewsters. That coupled with the sizeable surface feeds we witnessed on Tuesday leads to one inescapable conclusion – there are alternatives now to chasing schoolies.
When asked if he’s finding better Boston Harbor fish, Captain Anthony of Chasin’ Tail Fisheries replied, “Oh yeah!”. He’s been skipping out on the bait lately and opting for umbrella rigs. He’s now regularly finding stripers over 30”. Some of the better spots have been Black Rock Channel/Lovells Island and Hull Gut. He has been tailoring trips towards those looking for larger on mackerel between Graves Light and the B Buoy. Not all bigger are exclusive to deep water however.
Captain Brain Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing flashed me a picture of Joe Gugino of WhyKnotFishing with a 47” striper he took on Wednesday that belted a topwater in only a few feet of water. Brian knows of a few such shallow spots just outside of Greater Boston beaches where big fish such as this appear very early, and for the foreseeable future, he intends on targeting them with top water plugs. A backup that Brian knows intimately and is custom made for the fly fisherman with a sinking line is the leading edge of the North Channel on an outgoing tide! Recently I had the pleasure of accompanying Brian and his good buddy Captain Nick Kathmann and we pounded a pile of mid-20” fish with Shimano Flat Side jigs and Hogy Paddletails. There were bigger in the mix as I found out after putting a little too much pressure on one which led to a break-off.
Meanwhile Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters continues to put patrons into schoolies and flounder inside the harbor but now that bigger bass are present he’s ready to include trips for better beginning on Friday. When asked where he intend on targeting he simply said he’s heading “east”. Paul’s been hearing of bigger bass between the BG Buoy and the B Buoy but he has inshore honey holes that tend to run between the North Channel, Broad Sound and Egg Rock so there should be news from those places real soon!
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
When Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is selling “serpents” you can bet there’s more than just schoolies swimming out there! Shore slingers have now been catching stripers up to 48” on the North Shore with those eels in areas as varied as the the Winthrop shoreline and the Parker River. Squid jigs have experienced a bump in sales this week! Tomo said that they are targeting them successfully in all the usual places such as Nut Island, the Beverly Pier, Salem Willows and in Marblehead and Gloucester Harbors. Sea worm sales also aren’t shabby either with anglers finding flounder in Swampscott Harbor, Marblehead Harbor, Beverly Harbor and the harbor of Manchester-by-the-Sea!
Matt from Three Lantern Marine said that an influx of sea herring and mackerel in close brought in good numbers of keeper-size stripers into the harbors of Cape Ann. Flounder continue to be a draw for those looking for a relaxing day in Gloucester Harbor along with some tasty fillets. Shore anglers may catch from the Dogbar Breakwater and Niles Beach. Haddock are hitting well on Southern Jeffrey’s but be prepared to drop down to 240’ of water!
Martha from Surfland said that Joppa Flats is heating up, that could be due to drop-back river herring which are spent after their long upstream spawning run and are an easy meal for opportunistic stripers. Outgoing tide remains best for the Parker River, Plum Island Sound and Merrimack River while the ocean front is best on the incoming. Go to lures are the venerable SP Minnow and Slug-Gos. Martha surmises that the latter is out- fishing paddle tails now because they resemble more closely sand eels, which have become more of a forage factor. There are even a few flounder being found off Ipswich Bay.
Fishing Forecast for Massachusetts
Early risers should take advantage of the outgoing tide among the Three Bays; as the water drains bass, and some good ones now at that, will be prowling the edges of structure and channels waiting for prey to flush out with the current. Deep water trolling of mackerel will continue to be one of the better methods employed from Minot through Hull. Bigger Boston bass have moved in among flats close to area beaches but these fish are skittish among the skinny water and best targeted under low light with bait and big spooks all working. Eels are now in demand on the North Shore now that bigger bass are in our midst with Gloucester Harbor fishing well as is Plum Island Sound and the ocean front.
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The three bays was lit up with schoolies yesterday morn, with a few keepers caught live lining Mac’s. Get’em early as they scatter come day break! Tight lines
Where are people getting mackerel on the north shore? Specifically to fish Joppa?