Massachusetts Fishing Report – May 11, 2023

This just in: Boston Harbor is awash with pogies and big bass as if it were July! Go get ‘em! The tip-off that something wicked was coming this way was an unusually large pile of pogies off Hull first spotted by Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing. An aggregate of that size is impressive in the summer but for mid-May? I’m scrambling as I write this to get in on this spring surprise and I have a feeling that a few of you will too!

The distractor factor is a real thing out there right now and it can be a bothersome malady. There seems to be two manifestations at the moment. One is sloppy on-the-job performance due to a blizzard of texts from friends who are catching. The other is an indecisiveness as to what to target while on the water. For both we can blame bass and blitzes!

It’s hard to say how the flounder fishing is in the Bay State because despite good intentions many anglers are not following through on their original goal. The typical scenario plays out something like this: anglers load up with seaworms, sinkers, flounder hooks as well as a roomy cooler for the intended prize but then they spot those blitzes and all goes awry. Out comes the spinning gear and an assortment of topwaters, swimmers, shads and jigs and the race is on to catch striped bass. It reminds me of when I used to fish for flounder with Jason Colby in Quincy Bay. Right up there with ensuring that no bananas were on board was the insistence by the captain that striper gear would be left at home.
 
Of course, who can blame anglers for going all in at the sight of those blitzes, it was a long offseason!

Additionally there is now a variety of linesider year classes in the mix with everything from 20” schoolies along the South Shore, through 36” fish harassing herring off Hull to 40” bass bashing blueback herring in the Merrimack. May has certainly gotten up to speed very quickly and with bait reports replete with river herring, sea herring, mackerel and even pogies the fishing is only going to get better!

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report

Aboard the Little Sister, it’s looking like a formal affair with the targeted species all outfitted in “black”. In addition to the anticipated blackback flounder the crew has also been catching blackfish.

The skipper surmised from the beginning that muscle beds, wrecks, rockpiles and other interesting bottom structure outside of his slip in Sesuit just might be holding an untapped source of tautog and the results are proving him right. Always the conservationist, the captain requests that charters release the egg-laden females, which are breeding now, and only harvest males. Now that he’s weeks into exploring Cape Cod Bay, I had to ask for a comparison of the flounder fishing in CCB verses Boston Harbor, to which he replied that there was no comparison in that the flounder fishing in the bay is much better. While that news hurt, the jury just might be still out on that since I’ve been getting some encouraging reports farther north.

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that in addition to mixed sizes of stripers surging throughout the South Shore, the appearance of mackerel have anglers motivated to start trolling deeper spots such as Minot’s Ledge for bigger. There’s no word on their success level yet but with the appearance of stripers up to 25 pounds northward, you have to believe there are bigger bass moving through deep migration lanes along the South Shore. Tinker mackerel are in close with reports of them outside of Plymouth, Scituate Harbor as well as the North River. In addition to the rivers holding fish, blitzes in the Three Bays, Green Harbor, and off Scituate and Cohasset are now common. Pete’s surmising that those areas will be giving up 20 pounders plus before next weeks report. Flounder are also cooperating in Green Harbor, Scituate Harbor and Gunrock Beach. It gets even better if you’re hungering for haddock with reports of them aggregating in 100’ of water just south of Rexhame Beach.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

The infamous traveling gnome doesn’t have anything on Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing! My first account of him came courtesy of Captain Dave Panarello who while out on his Cast Right Lund spotted Brian having his way with bass between Georges Island and Peddock’s Island. The next tale came from Pete Santini of Fishing Fishing FINatics in Everett who told me of terrific flounder action the skipper was enjoying off of Peddock’s Island. He did not stop there according to Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle who while telling me of a hot haddock bite said that the man at the helm was, you guessed it – Captain Coombs. Cutting right through the antidotes I spoke to Brian and he filled me in that he did find good haddock action, but on the South Shore near Stone Ledge. As for flounder, Peddock’s produced 27 for the Get Tight Sporfishing crew the other day of which 18 were keepers. As good as that fishing has been he said that it all pales compared to striped bass action. In deeper water from George’s Island to Point Allerton stripers up to 40” are feeding on adult sea herring and when that happens the fish are frenzied! During early mornings those fish will come up for a topwater, and later will fall for a jig/soft plastic such as Al Gag’s skirted Whip-it-Fish. This year however he’s been vertical jigging spoons with good success. Closer to the shoreline things get more challenging as the stripers focus in on smaller bait making smaller offerings and flies sometimes a more effective choice. Brian also saw a mass of menhaden just outside of Hull; should they take the turn and come into the harbor than we could have a repeat of last year when Boston was the envy of much of the Bay State.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy gave me a report fitting for an area that for generations was referred to as the “Flounder Capital of the World”, namely that she’s hearing of limits of flounder in Quincy Bay! Frank Hogan had a nice haul the other day outside of the Quincy Yacht Club as he limited out in just two hours. That area can be weedy but fishy. I’d also check out Bumpkin Island and Grape Island. Wollaston Beach through Hangman Island can be good as well. Lisa also said that kayakers such as Tom O’Brien are catching slot-plus stripers now in that same stretch with a tube-and-worm. Pete Santini passed along more information when we spoke such as flounder from Deer Island Flats as well as Lynn Harbor by the pier. The Santini tube-and-worm has been good at the mouth of Chelsea Creek through the Alford Street Bridge and out to the casino. Mackerel have moved onto the ledges off Hull and out to Graves Light and there are even reports of pogies off Squantum.

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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

“Six flats out the door!”, was the first thing TJ from Three Lantern Marine had to say when we spoke. Those six flats he was talking about were chock full of 720 seaworms! That’s obviously a surefire sign that the flounder fishing in Manchester Harbor and Gloucester Harbor is hot. It’s also an indication that the tube-and-worm trollers are doing well for stripers. Bass and mackerel are not only in the Cape Ann harbors but can be found right behind the Three Lantern Shop in Gloucester Harbor. Sun-drenched flats/coves are fishing best for flounder. The mackerel acquisition has been no problem with smaller macks in the harbor while bigger can be found out near the Groaner. For haddock the shop has been steering customers to the “Hills” within 10 miles of the shore where they have been getting them.

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that Marblehead Neck has been good for stripers up to the mid-30” range. He’s also hearing of good reports deep into Salem Harbor, especially at the Forest River effluence on an outgoing tide. Other areas anglers have been catching stripers are Juniper Cove, Mackerel Cove and in the Danvers River. Keep your eye out for the random surface feeds which are now happening.

Nick DiPhillipo has been tossing silver/black SP Minnows throughout the Merrimack River and catching stripers up to 40”! Farther downstream Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that in addition to the always reliable mouth of the Merrimack on an outgoing tide, there has been action at Plum Island Sound and the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. Sandy Point has been good as has the Parking Lot 1 area where anglers are running out of seaworms with at least one angler claiming he caught his personal best bass! The first successful report from Joppa Flats has also come in. The shop is carrying fresh mackerel which Martha says is being caught from the Cape Ann area.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Striped bass are a creature of the blitz, and for the foreseeable future you can expect those surface feeds in the Three Bays as well as South Shore hot spots such as Green Harbor, the South River, Scituate Harbor and off Cohasset. Of course with herring runs peaking, don’t discount the Town River and North River. Hot harbor reports are trickling in with blitzes near George’s Island, Peddock, Long and Spectacle Islands. Bigger bass have been seen blasting herring on the surface off Point Allerton early in the morning. The tube-and-worm in close from the Chelsea Creek through the casino has been effective as well. For flounder there is a blackback buzz coming out of Sesuit, Scituate, Quincy Bay, Lynn Harbor and Gloucester Harbor. A buddy of mine, Johnny, on Wednesday lost an estimated 25 pounder off the rocks of Nahant that hit a pearl Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish while another friend Nicky DiPhillipo fared better on a similar sized fish in the Merrimack River that slammed a silver/black SP Minnow. There has been a mackerel/bass collision already in Cape Ann harbors while in Plum Island anglers are achieving their personal best bass off the Parker River Wildlife Reservation and it’s not even mid-May!