Massachusetts Fishing Report – August 22, 2019

The concern about a drop in pogy numbers was short lived as they’ve come roaring back. The timing for their mortality could not have been worse since it’s coincided with the first real big bluefish invasion. If you can think beyond bass and blues the groundfish game is very impressive but it is not taking place in the Gulf of Maine.

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

For those who fished in the bygone era when the cod was king in the Bay State, the sting of doing without still smarts. While exultation isn’t likely to happen in the Gulf of Maine any time soon, a Tuesday trip to the swath of ocean between Brown’s Bank and Coxes Ledge was like stepping into a time machine for myself and the other’s aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister. No sooner did my first clump of clam hit the bottom then I was onto a keeper cod. Soon the others hooked up also with an hours-long cod bite for fish up to 28 pounds which also included pollock, black sea bass, ocean pout and even two slab winter flounder! For some strange reason jigs just don’t cut it for the cod here, with the theory being that they just aren’t chasing fish such as what their counterparts in the Gulf of Maine commonly do which is prey on sea herring. This makes jigs far less effective.
 

What we didn’t find however among the high-liner lobster pot buoys was mahi mahi which we’ve caught there in past years. However, Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters did find mahi mahi by The Dump, which is Southwest of Martha’s Vineyard and is one of the most prolific “inshore” areas which have a high probability of producing pelagics. Mark knew he was onto something when he found an eddy of 80-degree water which doubtless had spun off the Gulf Stream and was swarming with mahi mahi. The fish fell for Deadly Dicks, swimming plugs and bait. Closer to port, the Legit Fish Crew happened on a mile-long blitz just east of The Canal which was the handiwork of mackerel feeding on smaller bait which looked like sardines.

While there were no bass or blues with all that bait, Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters certainly found bluefish! Peaked Hill Bar has been stacked with big blues and a few small tuna. Mark also said that nice bass have returned to the Three Bays but the challenge is getting an offering past the hungry bluefish!

Scituate has hardly been immune to the bluefish invasion according to Peter of Belsan Bait in Scituate. ‘Gator blues up to 39 inches and 15 pounds had been pounding pogies from the mouth of the North River out to Peggotty Beach during the weekend. Most recently Egypt Beach was a battle ground with bass and blues competing for bunker. A few more keeper fluke have been caught from the mouths of the Herring River and North River.

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Greater Boston Fishing Report

Coinciding with the reappearance of pogies, big bluefish have finally moved into town. Some members of the kayak crew who were competing in the weekend-long NEKF tournament got quite the surprise when the still of the night was broken with headshaking, teeth-gnashing 10-pound plus bluefish! You certainly don’t want to pull those things onto your lap.

More recently Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing got into a big bluefish-fest as well. The epicenter for all things toothy seems to be the Broad Sound through Nahant Bay area. Brian is still putting patrons into big bass via top water Doc’s but lately he’s been noticing that the fish are pushing small Brit herring so he’s been downsizing to Jumping Minnows and finding that at times they have been more effective. Obviously with this small lure swapping out the OEM split rings/hooks to heavier stuff is necessary. He has been finding that some of the biggest bass in the harbor, up to 46-pounds, have been holed up among pogy schools in the North Channel.

Captain Paul Diggin’s of Reel Pursuit Charters has been taking a different tack, he’s been putting patrons onto some impressive fish in the midst of surface feeds by feeding them live mackerel. The targeted areas have been varied from as close as Castle Island out to Grave’s Light. Paul’s been finding the mackerel sometimes as near as Flipp Rock and the 2 Can off Nahant but if need be he’s steaming out as far as the B Buoy.

Lisa from Fore Fore River B&T in Quincy said that blues from snapper to ‘gator size have invaded the southern harbor. Hangman Island has been a hot spot for the blues. She also mentioned Seal Rock for striped bass and blues.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

According to Skip from Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester double-digit bluefish have finally sniffed out all those pogies in Cape Ann. There are still plenty of big bass around from Manchester through Halibut Point but with blues around anglers might be better suited to chunking up those cows rather than exclusively snagging-and-dropping. Word from headboats heading out to the haddock grounds is that the best fishing is now off edges of Jeffrey’s Ledge where anglers can not only expect good haddock but a mixed bag of pollock and an occasional cusk.

Jack is back to helping out at Tomo’s Tackle in Salem and he told me lately the most consistent method for catching stripers as well as the occasional blue is to troll Nomad plugs and X Raps just outside of Tinker’s Island, Baker’s Island, Misery Island and Halfway Rock. He’s also hearing of a bluefish attack in Swampscott Harbor. It remains a good year for squid among piers in Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, Beverly and Gloucester.

According to Liz of Surfland, that area is suddenly living up to its reputation as a premier surf spot. The shop scale doesn’t lie and it’s been getting a workout for fish up to 36 pounds. Low tide from Seabrook to Sandy Point seems to be the most productive and a pogy on the line is the quickest route to a cow. Others however are working eels at dark and needlefish and catching well. As for a tip as to where to find the most consistent bite, Liz suggested that anglers target the edges of sandbars and remain on the move until they find the right structure which holds the bait and the bass.

Fishing Forecast for Massachusetts

It may have taken a while, but it looks as if we finally have some serious numbers of bluefish off the Bay State. Down south, if you have the boat and time to do it, there are mahi-mahi cruising among highliners at The Dump. Coxes Ledge throughout Rhode Island Sound is a better choice for cod and black sea bass. Stripers are plentiful among pogy schools from Plymouth through Peggotty Beach with the only “problem” trying to thread a bait through the marauding bluefish. Some of the bigger bass in Boston have been prowling around pogy schools in the North Channel with Broad Sound a better bet for bluefish. Trolling plugs from Swampscott through Beverly has become effective for nice North Shore bass while chunking for cows is the way to go in Cape Ann.

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