After months of an all-in preoccupation with everything striper, some are hitting the pause button. With water temperatures creeping into the uncomfortable zone, bass are not always in bite mode. The same cannot be said for fluke, blues, black sea bass, tuna and – sweetwater.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
It wasn’t my friends racking up remarkable numbers of 40” to 50” striped bass, some of which were caught within sight of me, that made me green with envy but rather it was green bass that did it. Incessant photos from pals Billy Eicher and Steve Langton of very healthy Larrys pushed me over the edge. I needed redemption badly and I knew just the place to get it. Sunday evening in the middle of the monsoons I watched the storm cells in my weather app and it looked as if there would be about a 3 hour break in the deluges of West Boylston – so, off I went to Wachusett Reservoir!
Fishing the Chu in summer is the antithesis of fishing it in April. Pre-dawn panic sprints through the woods are no longer a requirement to procure the proper “spot”. Heart palpitations aren’t part of the equation either as there is no need to count off the trucks at your favorite gate in the hopes that there will be room for you. Driving by empty parking spots says it all, – the “Rez” regulars simply aren’t there, they are chasing stripers. Fishing Wachusett this time of the year is like stepping into a giant decompression chamber: it is nothing if not relaxing!
While Chu Sallys are in a class by themselves and were on my agenda, what I most wanted to hook into was a lake trout. Water bodies throughout the Bay State which hold small-jaws are too numerous to list, but lakers rule in only Wachusett Reservoir and Quabbin Reservoir. In spite of the plan, things went awry once I arrived on site and ogled the conditions. The combination of overcast skies, light wind and just the right amount of surface scuff screamed – topwater!
Out came what has become my favorite topwater lure – the loon black River2Sea Whopper Plopper 75. It was either the third or maybe the fourth cast when that lure found a suitor at the end of a long cast and a 4 pound class smallie exploded on it. Within seconds a brown missile leaped out of the water and threw the lure back in my direction – the lakers would have to wait!
Not long after, I found another interested smallie of about the same size which I landed and decided to move on to the heavyweight of the Chu – lake trout. That box was thereafter checked off as my metallic perch Kastmaster found two colorful, robust lakers which looked to be full of smelt. Lakers just might be easier to find in the middle of summer than during the cooler months. In the spring and fall the fish roam and and can be found most anywhere among the 37 miles of shoreline, but now they are hunkered down in deep water under the thermocline. It’s a simple case of finding the depths and you’ll find the fish! Most of the 30 gates from which you can fish from lead to deep water and with a little homework and probing you can find them.
I suggest you pass on the bait and take along a few casting/jigging spoons so you can stay mobile and find the fish. Spoons which I have had luck with are Kastmasters, Krocodiles, Swedish Pimples and Hopkins. Sizes from 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce should cover all bases with favorite colors of mine consisting of blue/chrome, red/gold, metallic perch and firetiger.
We often rinse off our saltwater gear with a dose of freshwater; consider doing the same for your months-long striper obsession. I have a hunch that once you set foot in this grand place, you’ll be glad you did!
Greater Boston Fishing Report
This week the pogy potential in the Hub is the big story so let’s begin with Boston. On Wednesday Captain Dave Panarello, while aboard his Cast Right Lund, watched as a pogy boat in the middle of the harbor seined up a full load in one drop. Obviously none of us are pleased with the whole process of netting pogies in the harbor, but the point is that for most of the season that volume of bait in the harbor was just not there! Not surprisingly the bulk of the big Boston bass are shadowing those bait balls. As for the other popular bait, Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing told me that mackerel have moved into the outer harbor in bigger numbers than previously. In fact he’s been loading up as close as the North Channel and PR Buoy. Sea herring can be found beyond the outer islands with occasional blow-ups as big bass push them towards the surface. Because of that, Brian’s Doc topwater arsenal has been in heavy rotation!
Captain Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that trollers working Rapala X-Raps near Three-and-One-Half Fathom Ledge are catching cows and it is the volume of mackerel that are keeping the the fish in place. These fish are aggressive and will occasionally push bait up towards the surface putting them in reach of topwater lures such as the shops signature spook – the Wahachi – as well as subsurface offerings such as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish. Tuna have come to town so you had better have a spool of spare line on board as random line dumps are now possible!
Not all is big water or bust according to Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman who has been trolling Santini tubes by George’s Island, Lovell’s Island and Long Island and catching everything from schoolies to cows! Anyone who knows Johnny knows he goes big and he’s not shy about putting plenty of worm at the end of that tube. Vella Rigs continue to be the go-to terminal tackle trick for anglers floating seaworms between Amelia, the casino and the Alford Street Bridge. That rig is also the first choice among inner city anglers fishing off wharves/parks.
Elsewhere, along the Mystic River, the freshwater bass bite has been good on Kelly Worms and Senkos by the Assembly Row outdoor mall.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that in spite of the soupy conditions of the past week some of the hardcore who handled the haze, remained close to shore and caught plenty of fish. One of the shops resident kayakers found pogies by the Fore River Bridge and caught a 34” and 36” striper Wednesday morning. More pogies and big bass have been found in that perennially productive swath between Castle Island, the airport and the reserve channel. Mackerel are a fixture in deeper water ledges off Hull and trolling deep diving plugs as well as mackerel are accounting for some very nice bass with the occasional bluefish.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report
While the fishing was good, the main tale as told to me by Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters was almost a tragedy. An ill-prepared husband and wife team appeared almost instantaneously recently out of the fog, bearing down on the captain and crew and had it not been for Mark’s cat quick reflexes, the OTW fishing report may not have been the first time you were reading about him this week. A Bayliner under power with the lady of the boat clutching the railing of the bow and peering into the fog appeared out of nowhere and nearly collided with his 31’ Hysacat at what the captain estimated was a speed of about 24 knots. A certain calamity was avoided by Captain Rowell sprinting to the console and ramming the boat into reverse thereby avoiding a catastrophic collision by only inches. Please, please, please don’t tempt fate in the fog, at night or in otherwise poor visibility conditions if you are unfamiliar with navigating such a challenging environment. No fish is worth risking your life or the lives of others over! As for the fishing, a bumper crop of bait is often the key to catching. From the SW corner of Stellwagen out through Peaked Hill scads of sand eels have attracted school to medium tuna making casting or trolling for them with RonZ soft plastic stick baits deadly! Mark has been into a pile of pelagics up to 68” but tuna don’t play by our rules so there’s always the risk of a giant coming to play and then things get really interesting. Mackerel are prevalent with the wildcard being harbor pollock among most of the inshore ledge/rockpiles along the South Shore. While not as effective as mackerel, the small pollock make for pretty good bait also.
If fluke, black sea bass and tautog aren’t enough for you than hopefully stripers and blues along the South Coast will do it. Some charters just want a little more so for that Captain Jason Colby has a few choice spots for blues and bass out of Westport. While gearing up for such diversity of species may seem overwhelming, the Little Sister skipper has a jigging technique which works for 4 of those 5 species and requires basically the same tackle. His latest venture is out by Vineyard Sound where the crew has been finding bigger fluke in deeper water than are residing inshore.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that even though we’re solidly into July the North River continues to hold plenty of stripers from 20” to 30”! Fluke can also be found in Duxbury Bay, Scituate Harbor and by the Spit. Mackerel are abundant and anglers trolling or live-lining them inshore by Collamore Ledge, Smith Rocks and Sunken Ledge have been having linesider luck.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Ordinarily the clock is ticking loudly during most mornings for Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem because he opens the shop at 10, but not on July 4th! He was off for the holiday and instead of enabling others to catch fish, he was the one catching as he pitched live and dead mackerel up agains the rocky coastline of the North Shore and caught 10 bass over-slot to 43”! While scarce inside, large mackerel can be found by Newcomb’s Ledge. Random bluefish blitzes pop up occasionally in Marblehead Harbor, while over by the other side from Tinker Island to Halfway Rock bluefish have reasons to be fearful thanks to the appearance of tuna. There have been spoolings there with one guy having a bluefin belt a plug in the middle of a topwater bass bite and relieve him of his line and plug. For a shot at a cow the best bet is to troll mackerel or plugs near offshore ledges. Consider a live or dead mackerel up against the Magnolia shoreline, Thacher Island, the backshore of Gloucester and Andrews Point.
Liz from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that while pogies are scarce, mackerel are decidedly less so near Breaking Rocks and north of the border from Hampton Shoal Ledge out to the Isles of Shoals. In fact that latter area is where arguably the best big bass fishing is at the moment. Closer to the shop, it’s a simple case of perception equaling reality. Some are limping into the shop complaining of an empty ocean front and lackluster fishing in Joppa and then there are the other guys who with a wink of an eye and a thumbs up are signaling that all is good! One angler in non-fishing mode reported seeing a boater really having his way with stripers right off downtown Newburyport. If he was chewing I hope he didn’t lose his sandwich.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
A bump in baitfish has made Boston among the best places to be for bass. Pogies have been trending in the right direction with the epicenter of the bait/bass collision taking place between Castle Island and the Hyatt Hotel off Logan Airport. South of the Hub mackerel trolled or live-lined among inshore structure such as Collamore Ledge or Smith Rocks has resulted some pretty fine South Shore catches. For variety, it’s hard to top the Westport side of Buzzards Bay with black sea bass and fluke part of the catch along with the striped bass and bluefish standbys. Charlie has been chasing sand eels from Peaked Hill Bar out through the SW Corner of Stellwagen with most of the fish “manageable” mediums. Mackerel can be found by Newcombs Ledge with the baits best deployed close to the Swampscott, Marblehead or Cape Ann rocks or trolled among deep ledges. If you’re in need of a fresh reboot from obsessing over the salt, consider Wachusett Reservoir. If you time it right you might find that the only company you have is loons, eagles, smallmouth bass and lake trout!
Hey Ron, When did Pete Santinni get his Captains license?
always wanted to hit the chu for lakers but don’t know where to start, any suggestions.