Massachusetts Fishing Report- July 25, 2024

Depending on who you talk to, the best big bass bite is happening on the South Shore or the North Shore. Suffice to say, there are a lot of happy anglers out there! Not surprisingly all that linesider love has been drawing quite the crowds. Fortunately there is a respite from the beehive of big bass activity with the added bonus of something impressive for the cooler.

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

It’s been looking like a boat show over much of the South Shore with sizable schools of super-sized striped bass pounding pogies. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters sent me a video of a scene just beyond his backdoor that looked like a mooring field as boat after boat jockeyed for position over pogy schools. The mob of menhaden as well as their pursuers have been moving back and forth from Plymouth through Scituate with no rhyme or reason as to where they will appear next. I guess something can be said for an even playing field. Manomet Point has been mentioned as one of the more consistent spots with honorable mention going to White Cliff. The bass on the bunker are beasts with most being caught on what drew the predators in – pogies. While interesting, the captain has been steering clear of the flotilla and taking a short sprint out to Stone Ledge where he’s been limiting out on haddock in record time. The fish are there for small shrimp and sand eels making 3” pink/white Gulp lethal. While in the can’t-touch-this-status until September, cod on higher sections of the ledges are numerous and impressive. The sweet spot for the haddock is 200’, while the cod are shallower in about 185’.

Regarding groundfish, according to Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, seemingly out of nowhere, pollock in the four pound class have moved in from the SA Buoy to the Tar Pouch and are making for great light tackle sport. Mackerel numbers have been solid this week with the small to medium specimens making for perfect live lining bait for stripers. Moreover, Pete corroborated the previous report adding that bass in the 40 pound category have been seen pushing mackerel through the surface.

With water temperatures up, Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters is targeting striped bass in the river on the flooding tide as the Westport River is running too high on the ebb. The upside to the warmer river temperatures is that the captain isn’t having to leave the river for a fantastic fluke bite! The black sea bass bite remains a banner one with limits a cinch. If you climb aboard the Little Sister at its slip you may notice two substantial live bait traps filled with crabs! Those will come in handy once Jason sets his sights on tautog again – soon!

Greater Boston Fishing Report

It may be another week but the results are the same for Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing as he continues to put his patrons into big bass. The action has been just north of the harbor between Egg Rock and Swampscott with pogies doing the trick. At issue is the random appearance of giant tuna which for the unprepared is resulting in tackle busting results. Brian had just an incident over the weekend which resulted in a 55 minute rush, multi-mile boat ride and an empty spool. The caveat to the calamity is that the captain nearly brought a tuna grade combo on board – it was at his fingertips – but passed at the last second which proved to be a pivotal mistake. There were no grumblings from the crew however who enjoyed the thrill that only a battle with a bluefin can provide.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that on one hand anglers are reporting bigger bass in the harbor compared to recent weeks while on the other there have been complaints about less pogies. Shop stalwart – Brian Leblanc – may beg to differ as he has been snagging pogies at will between the Fore River and Town River. Stripers up to 43” and covered with sea lice have been shadowing the schools of pogies. The Deer Island section has been productive with Blue Water Candy Umbrella Rigs a current favorite.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that tautog have been pulled from the pilings of the inner harbor. Doctor Lieberman has been limiting out on fluke between Broad Sound and Lynn with Gulp Curly Tail baits doing the trick. Anglers dragging the Santini Tube on lead core throughout the Reserve Channel in South Boston are catching stripers of mixed sizes. The same lure without the weight is working well deep inside the harbor and in particular the Meridian Street section of the Little Mystic Channel. Also in deep among the harbor are reports of squid among most any pier/wharf where there is access. Pete predicts butterfish should be arriving soon and can be fooled by a Sabiki Rig. As to the “why” when targeting butterfish, the reason is all in the name as they are known to fry up – buttery! In addition to a nice haddock haul on the NW section of Stellwagen there are plenty of porbeagles as well as the occasional thresher.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem continues to live the dream as he trolls up stripers early, prior to opening up his highly coveted shop mid-morning. The beat goes on with him as he wields the Nomad DTX and goes about his business in Salem Harbor. He’s been scoring up to a dozen fish averaging between 27” and 35”. Big tides have made weed a factor so check your lure’s movement frequently for fouling. Mackerel are present in Misery Channel and off Marblehead. The Castle Rock area to Chandler Hovey Park have been good for those trolling or live-lining mackerel. Inshore squid off the Gloucester Harbor state pier as well as the Beverly Pier have been small but plentiful. One of the shop’s top anglers – John Stanchfield and first mate Jayden – has been finding haddock on Tillies and cod off Saturday Night Ledge.

TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing told me that the Magnolia area was producing the most consistent striper action as of late. Pogy schools still abound making their whereabouts always worth a look. The shop has no problem getting all the totes of mackerel it can turn over which is proof that there is no shortage.

Kevin from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that the commercials are having no issue limiting out with the bite still south of the shop between Cape Ann and Essex. The catching has been courtesy of trolling, pogies and eels with the latter the top choice at night. Surf fishing continues to be hit or miss with more opportunity to fish the ocean front looking promising. Apparently there are only a few plovers left on their nests and when the last of them skedaddles all the lots on the Parker River Wildlife Reservation will be open to anglers. Meanwhile Parking Lot 1 and Sandy Point are the only accessible spots. Plum Island Sound and Joppa Flats have been two go-to locations for the tube-and-worm troupe.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

With big bass rummaging around pogy schools off Plymouth as well as south of Plum Island, finding the feeds has gotten substantially easier. Those menhaden are often a magnet for mayhem with covering a lot of water off Manomet Point or Ipswich Bay with trolling plugs effective. Less crowded conditions remain an allure for those seeking something for the cooler as the haddock bite is still hot off Stone Ledge as well as Tillies Ledge. Odds are that you’ll be catching plenty of cod while you’re out there but save the waypoints and release the cod until the season opens on the first of September! Scads of squid remain a reality with lit piers at night holding them from Boston Harbor through Gloucester Harbor.