Ordinarily the summer season is all about striped bass, but right now linesiders are far from the only species eliciting grins. From a personal perspective, reports and pics of slab scup, fluke, black sea bass, haddock, bluefish and freshwater species are leaving me torn as to which way to turn. Now, if there were only 30 hours in a day!
Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report
By the bend in his rod and and the effort required to bring the fish port side, I was sure that my friend Armindo Ramos was tight to a fairly decent striped bass. What further influenced my take was that the bait used to interest the fish was stuck on a 9/0 circle hook. Much to my surprise, and that of Captain Jason Colby, our friend hauled in a slab, 16 1/2” scup! Far from a one hit wonder, for a solid hour the bite in the Westport River kept swinging back and forth between striper and scup: it was anyone’s guess what was going to hit next – slot or slab!
That had me thinking about Eric Harrison’s article in June’s issue of OTW – Porgies…The Gamefish? – which suggests that anglers appreciate the sporting qualities of this unheralded fish. Had I a blade bait or lipless crankbait at the ready, as recommended in the story, I would have been right on it. Maybe next time? Scup, or porgies, are also pretty good table fare and at that size it doesn’t take many to make a feast.
As for scup, that “next time” had to wait while aboard the Little Sister. Captain Jason had a fluke quest in mind and with tranquil seas we hauled towards the Squibnocket side of Vineyard Sound and found an hours-long fluke bite with keeper black sea bass mixed in. Most of the crew employed a top/bottom dropper loop rig anchored with 5-8 ounces of lead, which was necessary to hold bottom with current in the 46’ depths we fished. Soft plastic squids were employed as teasers while a mixed bag of Gulp, squid and fish belly strips covered the bait angle. Two anglers opted for light spinning gear and downsized to Spro jigs as light as 1 ounces. It certainly requires a subtle touch and deft feel to maintain bottom with gear that light but it is eminently satisfying once you get the knack. It took me most of the trip to finally figure it out but I don’t see myself going back anytime soon.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has an interesting take on blues/bass and bluefin off Race Point. While the forage is pretty consistent in both sand eels/mackerel, the fish associate to structure and current differently. Among the inside scope of the lobster pot lines, striped bass stage with 30’ of water a good place to start, outside of the pots in 40-45’ water blues lurk. Deeper still in 50’ depths pelagics patrol hoping for an errant bluefish to wander into the line of fire. For bass and blues trolling mackerel is working well with size fish varying between slot-and-up for stripers and blues of both snapper and gator proportions. Scituate Harbor as well as the North River are still holding plenty of stripers with most fish hovering around the slot size. The find of the week may be haddock near Stone Ledge! For some reason summer and Stone Ledge just work well for haddock.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate saw a GoPro video of scads of tautog lurking around Minot Ledge. The angler who spotted them then dropped down a crab and soon came tight to one of those tog! A few keeper fluke have been caught between Rivermoor and Peggotty Beach. Some of the smallest spike mackerel in memory can be found along the South Shore, making for fine fluke and striper bait. Rexhame Beach as well as the Beetle Rocks area has been consistent for stripers.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
The average size striped bass in the harbor seems to fall right between the maximum size of the slot limit – 31” – and the minimum size of the commercial limit – <35” – and there are a lot of them. Provided that anglers play by the rules, plenty of those fish should make it back to their natal watersheds to breed next spring.
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing said that putting patrons into steady striper action is such a given that he’s tailoring the trips into the wants of the anglers. Those with good casting chops are catching them up with Docs and paddletails, while those with less experience are doing just fine while trolling mackerel. As to where? The skipper’s answer sounded like a tour of the harbor! That prevalent year class of fish, born of 2005, can be found by the outer and inner islands as well as Deer Island Rip, the Anchorage, the Dredges and off Castle Island. If you’re looking for mackerel start probing with your sabiki rig as soon as you clear Deer Island as they are still close in.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that there is a school of pogies that has been moving between the Fore River and Germantown. A kayaker has been taking advantage of that bait source by live-lining them under the bridge and catching slot+ stripers with regularity. Mackerel are still present in the usual haunts from Boston Light to Martin’s Ledge and off Hull. Occasional blowups are taking place around the bait while others are catching well drifting them through Hull Gut. Captain Roger Brousseau employed just such a tactic to catch a 17 pound blue there! There has been a bump in black sea bass numbers as well with some anglers even beginning to target them. One such guy on a kayak has been fishing squid on the bottom near Seal Rock and Veezie Rocks and racking up impressive numbers of keeper fish with some over 20” long.
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that Captain Mike DelZingo has been catching up numbers of scup off Peddock Island. He also said that some anglers such as Antoine Scott are finding fluke off area beaches while bouncing jigs/Gulp strips off the bottom. As for more expected quarry, striper blitzes have been common off Spectacle Island, Long Island, Lovell’s Island and George’s Island. Not all of Boston’s fish are low to mid-30” bass as there are enough upper 40” fish to give you a real workout!
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
On Sunday my buddy Joe Holey took part in the FreedomFish veterans tournament out of Lynn harbor. A volunteer fleet of 47 boats from the Lynn Yacht Club, the nearby Volunteer Yacht Club, as well as Walsh’s American Classic, treated 240 veterans to a day of fishing for stripers and bluefish. Joe’s boat took first prize with a 45” very healthy striper which was released with a face-drenching tail slap. The crackling on the radio of a steady pick of fish said it all, those heroes were having a blast! Part of the package included a cookout, flag ceremony and entertainment provided by the Lynn English High School all-female drill team who just happens to be national champions. A fishing report almost seems anticlimactic after a day like that!
Packs of big bass continue to prowl around the Egg Rock area chasing mackerel and occasionally making nighttime raids into Nahant Bay for squid. Trollers ripping X-Raps, CD18s and other plugs suited to cover a lot of water quickly are finding occasional big bluefish action. Area beaches have been giving up fluke with jigs/squid strips, fish bellies or various Gulp baits working well. Lit piers from Swampscott through Cape Ann are holding squid. Anglers looking for mackerel are finding them without too much difficulty and there has been a slight spike in haddock numbers inshore; checking out Saturday Night Ledge, Hill 47 and 101 might not be a bad idea.
According to TJ from Three Lantern Marine, a school of pogies has moved into Gloucester Harbor and when that happens their presence moves mackerel out. For mackerel the beat goes on with a search from the Groaner on outward necessary. Trolling mackerel or fishing them on the down-current side of structure under a balloon has been effective off Cape Ann islands. The Backshore continues to give up fish as does the Long Beach, Cape Hedge Beach, Pebble Beach area. A few early bird surf fishers have caught slots from Coffin’s Beach. Joppa Flats was crushing it just prior to the deluge over the weekend. The ripping brown/fresh water from the Merrimack River put an end to that but by now everything should be reassembling.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that typically in July the surf contingent finds it slow, that is unless they are targeting hickory shad! Those super-sized, acrobatic “herring” continue to be a factor with some anglers walking the shoreline casting AVA Jigs, Deadly Dicks and miscellaneous epoxy jigs and having a ball hooking these hard fighters on light gear. A few fluke have come off the ocean front, Salisbury Beach and Plum Island Sound. Blues are providing brisk business for the shop as they randomly tear through angler’s soft plastic arsenal. Martha’s tip for the shore folks is that the first few hours of the incoming tide, as cooler water is ushered in, has been most effective.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
My late buddy Carl Vining used to always end our conversations with an upbeat,”you have options” and boy do we have them! For variety it’s hard to top the South Coast with fluke, cooperative stripers and slab scup all feeding throughout the Westport River. If you have a full tank of gas and calm seas, a trip to Vineyard Sound could very well provide even more fluke action. Tautog crunching crabs on wrecks and ledge throughout the South Shore are an interesting alternative as are haddock on Stone Ledge. Spike mackerel make a perfect bait for South Shore fluke as well as stripers in Duxbury Bay, Green Harbor, Scituate Harbor and off Hull. The harbor remains hot thanks to a mob of mackerel which remain in place just outside of Deer Island. Just inshore of that bait source you’ll find low to mid-30” stripers and plenty of them. Bigger bass remain on the move between Egg Rock and Nahant Bay with trolling plugs and macks a best bet to find them. Hopefully the recent appearance of pogies in Gloucester Harbor remains in play as that big bass bait should attract large fish. Trolling a few by the Backshore of Gloucester may pay off. By now the Merrimack should be closer to normal with the hope that big bass on the flats becomes a thing once again. For surf fishers water temperature matters greatly with the cool water brought in with the flood most effective – hickory shad notwithstanding!
this is last weeks report
do you have the coordinates for hills 47 and 101?