Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 1, 2023

The trend of bigger striped bass earlier than usual continues with some anglers experiencing epic outings more in line with mid-to-late June. Not all is nirvana however with obvious holes in year classes and a general lack of numbers. Nevertheless those who are putting in the time are being rewarded with terrific trips. Should you be interested in flounder, then chances are, you won’t have your drift interrupted by others as anglers are too busy chasing striped bass.

I’ve been getting concerning calls from friends asking how the other half is faring. A pal vacationing at the Cape is wondering where the striped bass are, while at the same time, a rock-hopping buddy has been live-lining pollock from the North Shore with the excitement ending with the bait acquisition. Inverse to that, however, is a cow-fest another friend experienced while plugging a Greater Boston Beach at night while most everyone else was getting their hearts broken by the Celtics. Some are recalling the lean times of the 80s when common periods of poor fishing were punctuated with just enough promise for anglers to persist. It’s obvious that the authorities decision to take a hard look at the fate of striped bass was justified, let’s just hope the overtures they put in place work as intended.

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report

With less striped bass in our realm, to avoid disappointment, it wouldn’t hurt to diversify and appreciate unintended surprises. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters was practically ecstatic about a fish most would give short shrift to – namely, a sea raven! This one was quite the specimen as it was estimated to be between 12 and 15 pounds! All the more remarkable was that it engulfed a live mackerel in 9’ of water at the mouth of the North River! As for targeted species the captain has been loading up on mackerel and fishing them throughout the North River where he’s finding all the slots he can handle. Haddock have been elusive while there’s plenty of cod hovering near most inshore humps. Joining their cod cousins are ling in larger numbers than have been seen in a while.

The crew of the Little Sister is continuing to find willing winter flounder in Cape Cod Bay, but looking forward, the skipper is preparing to bust a move. While the venue will shift to Westport in about two weeks tight lines will continue to be the modus operandi. Blackback flounder will give way to toothy flounder as fluke and black sea bass will be on the agenda. Jason told me of a recent revelation where fluke might be flourishing in close proximity to port. He also has established a crab connection with a bait trapper so expect him to be targeting tautog right out of the gate.

Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that the shop is moving more eels as anglers are catching well at both the bay and the beach of Duxbury. The Glades has been fishing well as has the Fourth Cliff and South and North Rivers. Flounder can be found in Scituate Harbor as well as nearby beaches. A few undersized black sea bass have also been in the mix.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

While most were glued to the green team on the tube over the weekend, my friend Stevie DeVincent eschewed the spectator role in favor of being a participant. He slipped into his wetsuit, stood on a rocky outcropping, and a few casts into the night snapped off his rod. Rather than call it a night, off he went driving the substantial distance between the beach and his homestead. He grabbed another combo and crawled right back on that rock again. Most would have felt a broken rod was a sign to call it a broken night and pack it in, but most don’t have a 12 cow night for fish up to 50”! It often, and rightfully so, comes down to how bad an angler wants it. As for what the bass wanted that night, they had a bead on metal lips and Magic Swimmers. At my late buddy Captain Carl Vinning’s memorial over the weekend, I spent some time talking it up with two of Boston’s better skippers – Captain Mike Keiselbach and Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing. Not long into our conversation, Brian seemed to issue a warning shot to area bass over the bow of his Jones Brothers CC as he said he was done with Buzzards Bay and back in Boston. So how’d he do on his first trip? 51 1/2” of striped bass says it all! Kevin Caprio caught the big bass on an Al Gag’s Skirted Whip-it-Fish in 106’ of water out by the Harbor Humps. Brian has since put 46” and 48” fish in the boat. Inside the harbor, pogies are still present and if you’re wondering where just look for the boats by Castle Island.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that some anglers are catching mackerel out between Martin’s Ledge and Boston Light and then live-lining them in rivers and doing well. The Fore River, Town River, Back River and Neponset River are all solid bets for this slam-dunk trick. When gorging on herring, macks make for a nice snack for stripers as well.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that Captain Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman has been passing on pogy pandemonium and instead trolling up stripers on red and honey mustard Santini Tubes by Long and Spectacle Islands. Other anglers are doing well with Pete’s tube from the Shrafft’s Complex through the Alford Street Bridge and out through the casino. Hedge your bets for haddock by targeting muddy bottom sections of Stellwagen in 200’ of water.

Horn Pond in Woburn is still holding brown trout with kayakers trolling Rapala swimmers accounting for most of the fish.

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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

As much as most lose their marbles over all things stripers, there’s a reason why there will always be a contingent of anglers who are most happy groundfishing. While Jeffrey’s Ledge and Stellwagen had been quiet for haddock, save early April, good numbers of these silvery gadoids seemed to have moved in!

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle on Thursday texted me a titillating message complete with a bucket full of fine haddock! I also know of a charter captain from New Hampshire who has just found a pile at The Curl as well as mid-to-lower and central Jeffrey’s Ledge. Marty, who was tending the shop while Tomo was tackling haddock, said that kayakers are marking stripers off Marblehead and Misery Island and catching them with flutter spoons. Mackerel randomly come close to piers in Marblehead and Beverly with stripers occasionally in tow. A few nice fish have been also caught in the Kernwood Bridge area. Flounder fans are finding blackbacks in Beverly Harbor. The shop is moving squid jigs which is a tip-off that they can be found off lit piers in the harbors at night.

TJ of Three Lantern Marine told me that the crew is occasionally distracted from their duties thanks to blitzing bass right behind the shop! Cape Ann harbors continue to hold mackerel and striped bass but some are taking to fishing just outside of those harbors at night with eels and doing very well with bigger fish. Thatchers Island has been good with live mackerel fished under a balloon working well.

Liz from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that the healthy herring run in the Merrimack River is keeping the area hot for big bass. Many of these fish continue to be taken with large topwater lures. Joppa Flats has been pretty good with the tube-and-worm producing as well as Slug-Gos. Anglers are still catching shad throughout the river as well.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Anglers along the South Shore are reporting bite-offs which usually eludes to a bluefish presence but who knows? A monstrous sea raven could undoubtably do some damage! Duxbury Bay has a pogy presence and with them a few lurking cows. The South and North Rivers are harboring herring and slot stripers looking to take advantage of that spent snack. The harbor humps are holding a deep water big-bass-bite, while inshore there are pogies and bass swimming the inner harbor. Flounder remain a fixture among the flats of Quincy Bay where random surface feeds are occurring as well. Shore sharpies who aren’t afraid of the dark (as well as the occasional broken blank) will find luck as long as they put in the time along area beaches such as Wollaston and Revere. Mackerel on the North Shore are holding bass in close along Cape Ann harbors, while deeper water areas near Thatcher Island are ideal to float a live one among the boulders. The Merrimack River from the sandbar to Joppa Flats all the way upstream is one of the better North Shore bets for a big bass. After a shaky spring for haddock, better numbers of these fish have moved into The Curl as well as the “mud” of Stellwagen Bank.