Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 4, 2020

While some are anxiously awaiting larger striped bass any real concern for most is being bumped by the celebration of so much inshore “life” off the Bay State coast. Increasingly I’m hearing of the fun factor thanks to so much action. A couple of interesting descriptions have creeped into local angling vernacular as well and they are “slot fish”, and regarding flounder and haddock, “limits”!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

A catalyst to potentially a few more cows off our coast came from Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters who sails from the Three Bays. Just in are mackerel in Sabiki-friendly numbers! Striped bass aren’t talking, in spite of some who swear they speak their language, but if they could (especially the cows) they might list mackerel as their favorite forage, and finally, they are here. The skipper said that Plymouth through Duxbury is filled with mixed size schoolies along with the occasional “slot fish” and the inshore haddock haul remains hot.

When I asked Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters out of Scituate for a bead on the whereabouts of inshore haddock, he said he’s finding them among irregular bottom as soon as he clears Scituate Harbor and marks 150’ of water! The only problem is the “nuisance” cod which most simply can’t escape. For most who have a few years in these parts the idea of trying to “escape” cod is hard to wrap their minds around.

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that the shop is moving seaworms because of what historically has been arguably the Bay State’s favorite fish – the winter flounder! Green Harbor, Scituate Harbor, Cohassett Harbor and for that matter most harbors all the way into Downeast Maine are holding more flounder apparently because there is less commercial dragging! In fact I’m hearing of more tautog and black sea bass moving northward than I have in years. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that next month we’ll even see a few fluke north of the Cape.

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Greater Boston Fishing Report

There are bigger Boston bass around as my friend Steve Langton of Melrose proved the other day by plucking a nice 40-inch linesider out of a bunch of schoolies. This was no small accomplishment considering he was fishing near Captain Dave Panarello and his first mate Carl Vinning of Bite Me II fame! It certainly bumps up your odds of catching a cow when there are river herring nearby! These guys aren’t getting fancy, they are simply trolling around a red tube-and-worm. If you’re looking for a top notch tube, it’s hard to top Boston’s own Santini Tube.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett noted that what distinguishes this season from past years is how well the average angler is doing whether the target is stripers, flounder from the shore or haddock in the outer harbor! Cows up to 40-pounds have been caught by shore fisherman tossing plugs among several shallow greater Boston beaches such as Wollaston, Winthrop and Revere. And unlike the heat of the summer, you may be able to catch these fish during the day!

Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing said that the swath between Hull Gut and Point Allerton has been awash with blitzing bedlam! Most fish fit the schoolie through just under slot-sized bracket but he has been finding better bass by throwing mackerel into shoreline structure from Deer Island through Revere. The skippers tip of the week: once hooked up keep every line you have in the water, when one fish hit’s it’s schoolmates are often frenzied.

Boston’s flounder whisperer, Captain Jason Colby, continues to pluck limits of winter flounder from a number of different spots from Quincy Bay through Deer Island. Those easy limits are a surefire indicator of less commercial effort and what’s also a clue is the uptick in tautog and black sea bass that are being found around Boston. Being a consummate conservationist, Captain Colby encourages charters to release female tautog which are obviously gravid (full of eggs!).

Now that the mackerel are in, Captain Paul Diggins told me that he’s getting a bit distracted as he puts additional luster on his Reel Pursuit and prepares to shove off towards the ledges of Hull which now hold mackerel. The feeling among many is that the appearance of mackerel along with hordes of sea herring is an indicator that a deep water big bass bite by the Graves Light/BG/NC Buoy is a tinder box ready to go off!

Matt from Monahans Marine in Weymouth told me that cow hunting customers of the shop are sticking to the rivers, under low light conditions and working larger offerings such as loaded Red Fins. There are rumblings of bigger bass on the way and they are more likely to fall for a more substantial herring-imitator. For specifics, Matt suggests the Weir River, Hingham Harbor, Weymouth Back River and Neponset River.

Captain Anthony of Chasin Tail Fisheries told me that he’s still finding limits of haddock a short steam from port out of Marina Bay in Quincy. Meanwhile regarding striped bass, the harbor remains a schoolie show from Spectacle Island through the Lower Middle and out into Castle Island.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle said that with so much small bait around on the North Shore, anglers are having more luck by matching the hatch and opting for small presentations. Right now, fly fishers are getting their due since they are better-equipped to presenting smallish offerings to feeding fish than most spin fishermen.

An interesting small bait lure that I just got my hands on and can’t wait to field test is the Band of Anglers Deadalive Swimmer. From the fertile mind of Patrick Sebile, this thing oozes “fishiness”! The bite has been best off Tinkers Island, Salem Harbor, Beverly Harbor and Children’s Island. A hallmark of this season is not only the numbers of flounder but the size of the fish!

Noel Leslie of Bridge Street Sports in Salem said that his brother and sister-in-law have not only been limiting out on flounder in the Beverly area with little fanfare but they’ve been catching specimens up to 21” long – a trophy blackback for sure! The Jubilee Yacht Club area has been especially good!

Skip form Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester said that the pogies in the harbor have now been joined by plenty of schoolies as well. No longer is the North Shore a river-or-bust reality as even the Backshore as well as Rockport are all sporting swarms of striped bass!

Offshore sharpies such as T Sea Charters’ Captain Tom Ciulla have been having their way with haddock as well as catch-and-release cod a short steam away from the mouth of Gloucester Harbor. While bait works, Captain Ciulla has been doing just fine with Butterfly Jigs and Cod Flies tipped with Gulp Swimming Mullets.

Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle told me that the upcoming week looks tide-friendly for the mouth of the Merrimack River from the Captains Fishing Charter Floats out to the sandbar. No corker bass have been landed at Plum Island that she knows of yet but there is no shortage of fish up to slot-sized. Joppa Flats has woken up delighting the kayak crowd.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

The appearance of mackerel off Minot Light, the ledges of Hull and outer Boston Harbor might be the trigger to lure in tackle-testing striped bass. Shore jockeys tossing bigger profile plugs among shallow Boston area beaches are catching far bigger than just schoolies. Groundfishing remains great with some fans who are limiting out on North Shore flounder and haddock saying that the stripers can wait!