While anglers are patiently awaiting tackle-testing striped bass they are taking advantage of a refreshing groundfish bite. Anglers who know a thing or two about haddock are limiting out with no problem. While clams are the key for a few haddock for the cooler, it’s the flounder fishing which is moving shop seaworms which is something that hasn’t happened in quite a while!
Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report
While the wait is on for big bass, the opening act consisting of schoolies with the occasional small keeper is providing a lot of action in the Three Bays according to Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters. The bird show is generally pointing to the feeds but some are stealthily targeting herring runs during low light and catching better fish.
Mackerel remain oddly inconsistent for this time of the year with the size weighted towards magnums when they are found. You can still pick up haddock close in but with temps on the rise a trip to the SW corner of Stellwagen is a better choice.
Captain Rich Antonio of Black Rose Charters is passing on Cape Cod Bay for the time being and taking advantage of the booming black sea bass bite in 40’ of water in Buzzards Bay. He prefers drifting over rockpiles and other types of “live bottom” and vertically pounding marked fish with light gear. When the bite is on and and a there are humpheads pulling drag, this fishing is about as much fun as New England has to offer!
While on the subject of iconic fisheries, the winter flounder bite has picked up in the Green Harbor to Hull area according to Pete Belsan from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate. Scituate Harbor has been fishing well, as has off the Peggotty Beach rock wall. Stripers at the moment are topping out at about 36” with the “Cliffs” having the most action. It’s only a matter of time before bigger bass begin pushing mackerel out by the Minot Light area. A few freshwater fanatics are focusing in on stellar largemouth bass fishing among the bog ponds and reservoirs on the South Shore and Pete has been seeing pics of 5 to 6 pound hawgs that anglers are catching on crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
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Greater Boston Fishing Report
Captain Anthony Ahrens of Chasin Tail Fisheries said that the harbor haddock bite is insane! From port in Marina Bay he’s been limiting out in but a few hours within 8 to 10 miles from shore with the sweet spot being 140-170 feet of water! Finding current-cushioning eddies is the key as are fresh clams! Schoolie to small keeper stripers have been numerous throughout the harbor and he’s been finding that Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows and their new spook – the TopKnock – have been crushing them. Regarding the prospects of bigger bass Anthony said that “it was ready to go off!”.
Captain Paul Diggins is readying his Reel Pursuit for it’s maiden trip this weekend and he intends on hitting the Hull ledges – Thieves and Three and One-Half Fathom – for mackerel and seeing if there are any big bass with them. Very soon offshore migrating big striped bass will be rounding the corner off Hull and coming into the harbor.
The first ones to encounter those cows are the deep water trollers off Hull as well as the deep water topwater savants such as Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing. That topwater stuff with big spooks such as the Doc in 80’ of water is hard to imagine if not experienced. Stripers, many in the 30 pound class and up, will be frenzied from chasing sea herring, and will often skyrocket from 20’ down to blast a topwater. Throw in overcast conditions and the action intensifies. Brian will be among the first to signal the this phenomenon is on.
Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters targets those same deepwater fish I alluded to earlier with a decidedly old school method, namely trolling bunker spoons, and does good as well. The Graves Light to the BG Buoy will be the epicenter for this stuff. Meanwhile Jason as well as others are enjoying a surprisingly good flounder season so far and best of all the flatties are spread out between Quincy and the inner harbor.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that anglers getting their gear and bait at the shop aren’t having to travel far as the stripers are hitting well right behind the shop and at Avalon Beach. The rivers are fishing well still but there is beginning to be a transition to beaches such as Nantasket and Wollaston Beach. The bulk of the fish in the harbor remains the same as last week with omnipresent schoolies punctuated by the occasional small keeper bass. Flounder are in catchable numbers from the shore of Hough’s Neck and there has even been talk of tautog and black sea bass.
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that the most reliable place in the harbor he’s hearing of mid-to-upper 30” fish is by river herring runs be it the Weymouth Back, Charles or Mystic Rivers. Flounder from Governor’s Flats, Deer Island Flats along with the north side of Deer Island remains good as does Lynn Harbor with shore casters also continuing to get into the action. For small boat anglers looking to get into some haddock Pete said that a few can be found between Graves Light and the B Buoy.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Jack from Tomo’s Tackle said that pogies remain in residence in Salem Sound and not surprisingly the bigger bass are being extracted near the pods. These are hardly memorable fish but 28/29” isn’t bad for May. From the mouth of the Danvers River upstream to White Fuel Bridge is one of the steadier schoolie producers with Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish and Hogy’s Protail among the catching stand outs. Flounder can be found in Lynn Harbor, off the Swampscott shore, Salem Harbor, Beverly Harbor and Gloucester Harbor. So far it has not been a great year for mackerel with sea herring of different sizes the most common bait source for the migrant stripers.
Skip from Three Lantern Marine said that most of the striped bass action is happening in the Cape Ann rivers such as the Essex, Ipswich, Annisquam and Little. Pogies are in Gloucester Harbor in good numbers for late May; we can only hope that this year is a repeat of last season when Cape Ann/Ipswich Bay was stuffed with pogies and later big striped bass. Flounder fishing remains strong with Ten Pound Island, Niles Beach and Old Fort Beach all fishing well. Mackerel so far are spotty with no presence in the harbor and hit-or-miss beyond the Groaner. While you may be able to pick off a few haddock in close, Southern Jeffrey’s is a far better option for a possible limit.
Martha from Surfland said that those working jigs/soft plastics at the mouth of the Merrimack River had better bring plenty of spare tails with anglers wracking up dozens of fish during an outing. Pavilion Beach has been good as has Plum Island Sound. Flounder have been caught from the ocean front as well as the mouths of rivers. When you hear of groundfish from a shop called Surfland than you know it’s something special. The haddock fishing remains great and in spite of the fresh arrival of striped bass many are setting their sites on The Curl and the Cove, as well as other iconic Jeffrey’s Ledge locations.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
A few better bass have appeared off the Bay State coast with fish up to 40” being taken from the Scituate section of the South Shore as well as Winthrop/Revere in Greater Boston Harbor with even shore anglers getting in on the bigger fish. Boaters looking for fast paced action should shove off at daybreak among the Three Bays as well as Quincy Bay and the inner harbor. Follow the obvious feeds and you should have no problem finding plenty of 5 year old, low to mid 20” stripers. As always, try vertical jigging or plumb the lower water column with a bucktail for a chance at a larger fish. Flounder fishing is a definite uptick from the past few years with Scituate Harbor, Quincy Bay, the Boston Harbor flats as well as Lynn Harbor and Gloucester Harbor among the better locations. The other option of course is hauling out to the groundfish realm where crowds are thin and the haddock thick!
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