Some who are catching the biggest bass in the Bay State are pining their fishy fortunes on – Fahrenheit? With plentiful bait and the final leg of the migration at hand, the whereabouts of super-sized stripers can often be tied to finding optimum temperatures, which will keep those cows in check. Elsewhere fishing for that “other” bass is peaking with one captain’s reaction to limits as – no problem!
I’m back, did you miss me? While in the land of olive oil, wine and pasta for the past two weeks I sure missed the local fishing with my appreciation for the opportunities around here only reinforced. I’m certain that for many of you your personal experience in mixed company echoes mine; It did not take long for the group that we toured Italy with to peg me as – the fishing guy. That moniker stuck partly through conversation but also because of my penchant for peering into any nearby water to see what was swimming.
The troupe we traveled with were from all across North America and inevitably a few came over and flashed photos of angling accomplishments. One guy showed me a few shots of blackfin tuna he trolled up off Florida, which had me thinking how nice they were – but then again our bluefin are pretty special also! Another showed me a stringer of respectable pike and bass which had me longing for Wachusett Reservoir smallies as well as Connecticut River and Merrimack River pike. The last photo I saw was from a resident paisan who proudly displayed pictures of branzinos – a European relative of the striper – which he caught off Venice. The proud angler described his catch as bellissimo pescare – beautiful fish – to which I agreed as I admired the schoolie-sized fish. But then I wondered just how he’d react to battling a 35 pound striper!
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
My reintroduction to the good life in our state came pretty quickly while on a Wednesday trip aboard the Little Sister with my friends Brett and John D Silva as well as Captain Jason Colby. The intent of a multi-species outing including blackfish and black sea bass was curtailed by Gail-force winds whipping Buzzards Bay into a froth so we “settled” for fluke, scup and stripers in the Westport River. Once the fluke box was checked off, Jason anchored in choice spots throughout the river and began chumming, clamming and bringing on a brisk striper bite of fish from 14” to 20 pounds. Some of the spots he picked were literally within casting distance of the marina where he keeps his boat. As we were catching fish I couldn’t help but think of the all the boats that buzzed right by this very spot, unbeknownst to what lies in the shadows of their slips!
Jason recalled a recent outing when a beast of a bass buried an angler’s line among the maze of pier pilings and broke him off. This happened in spite of Jason pleading to the angler to cup the spool of the wailing reel to prevent the big fish from reaching the structure. Sure enough at nearly the same spot, I had the exact same thing happen to me! It took but a nanosecond for me to realize that in spite of 50 pound brand and a properly set drag this fish was dumping the spool. I locked down on the line which seemed to stop the fish until I felt the slightest strumming indicating that she found her sanctuary. The end came courtesy of a chafed leader just above the hook. While the loss was heartbreaking, it still felt good to be home.
Sterling striper action aside, when seas cooperate limits of black sea bass up to 20” have been easy very close to the mouth of the Westport River! Noman’s Island has also been holding a nice pile of keeper fluke with sea robin strips pure fluke candy.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me that this is the time of the year when stripers relish a lobster dinner. Many of those crustaceans have shed their shells and until their soft carapaces harden they are vulnerable to predation and the stripers know it! Rockpiles, kelp beds and groves of bubble weed right how are prime spots to find bass looking for lobsters. You’ll also find small pollock at these spots which make great bait. Pogy schools just off The Gurnet are attracting some very big bass; in fact one of the primary takes this week is I have seen a number of pictures of 40-50 pound class bass with the one commonality that they’ve all been landed in deep water among pogy/mackerel schools!
There have been slot-size and up striper surface feeds just outside of Scituate Harbor at the first nun buoy. Similar action has been realized off Black Rock Beach through Nantasket Beach. Blues up to 13 pounds have been random and there’s a bit of a recreational and larger tuna bite between the “Mussels” and the NW Corner of Stellwagen Bank with the fish pushing haddock. The appearance of haddock there should be of interest to those seeking groundfish.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
As much as Captain Brain Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing keeps one eye at all times on his Humminbird side scan he’s just as likely to be watching the water temperature gauge. Typical for this time of the year, inconsistent weather patterns make for unpredictable water temperatures. With bait not a problem finding both the bait and bass in low to mid-60 degree temperatures often results in bigger fish and a better bite! Lately that has been the case south of Hull as well as the Harbor Humps but it is subject to change. As proof that temperature hawking matters greatly the skipper submitted two pics this week of 45-50 pound class fish! While the fish will fall for pogies and mackerel, trolling deep diving Rapalas and Nomads will catch those fish also. The same can be said for a nice, wobbling metal lip! The pattern just might be changing however as bass/bait blowups have been occurring between the Tobin Bridge and the Alford Street Bridge as well as good old Revere Beach!
Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters offers patrons a unique combination of family-friendly fishing, comfortable combinations as well as a skipper who is well versed at catching bass. Sailing out of his slip at the Constitution Marina in Charlestown, Paul continues to troll up all kinds of stripers on Mojo Rigs as well as Umbrella Rigs. While he’s wont to experiment, white and green colors are his calling cards. Lately he’s been finding his fish off of George’s Island as well as Long Island. A few blues have been crashing the bass party but it’s nothing anyone can count on yet.
What can be counted on is the effectiveness of the tube-and-worm as Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett alluded to when we spoke. Pogy schools inside from the Tobin Bridge to the Amelia Earhart Dam are holding mixed sizes of bass along with some real drag-pullers. In addition to the live bait option many are sticking with the Santini tube and doing very well! The tube has also been paying off by Spectacle Island. Pete also told me of one of his shop’s favorite prior apprentices – Willy Goldsmith – who has been kayaking his way around the Brookline Reservoir and catching impressive bass. What was equally impressive according to Captain Santini was Willy’s prowess at mixing chum back in the day. Pete said that had he recorded Willy’s technique, it would have been a viral sensation in the modern era. Regarding Brookline Reservoir, that place historically has held the biggest, rod-bending carp with corn the key.
Brian of Fore Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that pogy schools from Hingham through Hangman’s Island have slot and larger linesiders shadowing the pods. Shore anglers are doing well on chunk, worms and clams off Point Allerton as well as Hull Gut. He also said that eels are accounting for some of the larger bass in Quincy Bay at night with bridges near the Weir River, Weymouth South River, Weymouth Back River, Town River and Neponset River all fishing well. Squid can be found off the Nut Island Pier.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
I try to get a bead on where the commercial anglers are catching fish for the cooler, hoping to keep the readers in the loop as to where the big fish are, and while it’s early it looks as if the larger fish have settled on the north shore – yet again! There’s also tremendously large bass just over the border among that small sliver of coastline in New Hampshire. Recent reports have placed a big pile of big bass between Marblehead and Beverly with deepwater schools of pogies holding the fish! When asked, Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that he’s having a hard time keeping Rapala’s venerable CD18 trolling plugs in stock as they have been a magnet for mackerel and menhaden-eating Moby bass. Historically those fish don’t necessarily stay put as they search out bait and water temperatures between the 60-65 degree sweet spot! Tinkers Island and Halfway Rock have been hot as has the gateway of Salem Harbor where there have been surface feeds.
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Ordinarily TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing is not reluctant to fly the open flag to one and all to come to Gloucester Harbor but this weekend is the exception. Thanks to the Greasy Pole competition and other events surrounding the St. Peter’s Fiesta, the harbor will be a zoo up until Sunday. It is recommended that fishy opportunities elsewhere are found such as in Manchester, Magnolia, Rockport and Ipswich Bay. Once the melee ends, the swell fishing in Gloucester Harbor should resume. Flounder in the harbor had been still hanging in there but have transitioned to deeper water by the Dogbar Breakwater as well as Niles Beach. A few flounder can also be found off Folly Cove. As for stripers trolling mackerel near Salt Island, Straitsmouth Island or Thatcher Island should produce slot fish as well as bigger. An alternative bait is the ubiquitous pollock which practically carpet the bottom by the Salvages. Trolling pogies along the backshore is often a cow-catching method as is the area off Halibut Point. Haddock fishing is still good inshore of Jeffrey’s Ledge and Tillies Ledge with 125-150’ the hot depth.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport confirmed what others have been saying in that water temperatures have been the determining factor for many. Recent anecdotes bear this out. Current temperature readings off the beach put it at 57 degrees while just offshore the temperatures have been a consistent 60+ degrees. Not surprisingly that is where the big fish bite has been best! Elsewhere anglers have been doing well off Salisbury and up to the Isles of Shoals where some stunning stripers have been caught among mackerel schools. Anglers working the surf with Ava Jigs are catching schoolies and shad. Forget about Joppa Flats for the time being as the shallow water there is cooking at 70 degrees. The spike-it and bait-it brigade off the Parker River Wildlife Reservation has been catching mixed sizes of stripers as well as sunrises and sunsets off Lot 1.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Your chance of hooking a trophy striped bass are seldom greater than they are right now! Pogy schools from the Gurnet through the Three Bays are a good place to start. Find a mob of mackerel in Cape Cod Bay and set a troll with a Nomad, X-Rap or Rapala Magnum deep diver and you could catch something really special. Of course in deep water there’s always the possibility that Charlie will come knocking so you had better come prepared with gear with large line capacity. Inshore on the South Shore molting lobsters are attracting stripers among the rocky, weedy structure where crustaceans, cunner and harbor pollock thrive. On the south side of the harbor look for pogy schools around the river bridges where bass lie in ambush. Deeper in the harbor, bait and bass abound between the Tobin Bridge and the Amelia Earhart Dam. Revere Beach as well as Salem Harbor have been the source of surface feeds. Yet again the North Shore just might have the mother lode of large linesiders with water temperatures as relevant as finding the forage. While water temperatures in deeper water have been more stable and suitable for striped bass, that is likely to change the farther we get into the summer. Today’s pattern is often tomorrow’s puzzle!
You spell gale winds without an “i”. Gail is a unisex name, gale is a strong wind.
Pardon me I just came back from Italy, they use a lot more vowels there!
-Ron
Thanks for the breakdown it was definitely helpful. I’m getting ready to get out for my first trip all year.
PS I apologize in advance to the grammar police in case I misspelled something.