It’s only fitting that during the quintessential American Holiday, during the peak of the summer, the buzz around bass in the Bay State is all about the Cape – Cape Ann that is! Anglers could do a lot worse than pin their flounder fortunes up there as well. If variety is what spices up your life then say hello to the South Coast.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
Finding fish is often only half the battle which makes the adage “never leave fish to look for fish” not always the best plan. That scenario was on full display aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister on Tuesday when in spite of marking a wall of black sea bass on his electronics our crew could get nary a bite. The conundrum than becomes “does one wait until the feeding switch gets flipped or search out more aggressive fish”? This is where charts, electronics and such gives way to intuition as the skipper moved off to another wreck in 57’ of water just outside of Westport where the black sea bass dinner bell was wringing like a gong. Jigs, gulp and the need for a proper drift trajectory gave way to buckets full of clams and soon friends Hector, Gene and Chuck and me began bailing beautiful black sea bass two at a time. The good captain was now happy, well maybe not completely as now he had to attend to furiously filleting fish as opposed to partaking of fishing himself. If you are looking for action with a side order of delicious fillets then the black sea bass bite in the Westport side of Buzzards Bay is for you. We also caught red hake, scup, mackerel and keeper fluke on this day.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that scattered schools of pogies from Green Harbor to Cohasset are holding big bass. Mackerel have also made a strong reappearance as of late with fifty feet of water from the NR Can through Minot the sweet spot. With bait not a problem anglers should pay attention to water temperature with the combination of a near 60 degree ballpark temp and bait most productive. Forty pound fish have been taken east of Minot Ledge to Harding’s Ledge. Should you not have the beam to beat it out to deeper water you’ll find 20 pound class fish chewing in the South and North Rivers.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters told me he’s recently found pogies just outside of Scituate Harbor along with bass big enough to dispatch them. Those intent on chasing Charlie should bet on the bank between the NW corner out to the middle of Stellwagen. You’ll also find haddock there as well as intermittently on Stone Ledge. For a shot at a halibut consider a chunk or whole mackerel, whiting or sea herring along the northern edge of the shipping lanes.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
It’s only fitting that on Independence Day Boston would offer the public the opportunity to catch striped bass in readily accessible locations! Captain Dave Panorello tipped me off to a red hot striper bite among pogy schools between the Schrafft’s Candy Complex and the Alfrord Street Bridge. Dave also said that there are mixed sizes of stripers in tight between the yacht clubs and the airport in East Boston. Pogy schools come and go between there and Winthrop Harbor. Naturally with all those pogies I figured Captain Panorello was snagging them up and using them for bait but the skipper is passing on all that hassle. Instead he’s trolling the tube-and-worm as well as deploying the “Vining Twitch” with dead mackerel. The late Carl Vining was a master at cajoling cows to take a dead mackerel or sea herring by casting the bait in the midst of a pogy school or under marked fish and then slowly twitching it along the bottom. That method was often put to good use when he was first mate on Dave’s boat.
Regarding masters of the tube, I consulted my friend Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett for a take on the subject. Pete has been pointing patrons towards the stretch between the Tobin Bridge and the Amelia Earhart Dam where there have been mixed sizes of cooperative striped bass. As for colors, he recommends starting with Tuscano which is a dark red, inspired by the color wine found in the Tuscany region of Italy. As for flounder, with water temperatures on the rise look for flounder to continue their offshore migration with Point Allerton, the Brewsters, Green Island, Finn Ledge and the Triangle all good blackback bets. However, if you really want to improve your odds then, head north into the Cape Ann area where the bite is far better!
Get Tight Sportfishing‘s Captain Brian Coombs is not given to hyperbole so when he describes recent trips as among the best he’s ever experienced, it bears notice. Staggering numbers of very large stripers have been moving in water as deep as 110’ between Egg Rock in Nahant through Marblehead, Beverly and Gloucester. Some of these fish are 30 and even 40 pound beasts and are chasing sea herring. During a recent melee with plenty of boats around Brian couldn’t help but notice that not everyone was catching as well as his crew was with the difference possibly being the lure/retrieve choices. He’s opting for flashy Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish cranked in with purpose. I’ve been on board his boat and experienced first hand how quickly he works his lures when the fish are frenzied and hell-bent on catching those speedy/evasive sea herring in open water. Just be forewarned that tuna are a factor and along with that comes the ever-present possibility of a line dump.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that anglers searching for mackerel are having to haul offshore of Hull and as far out as the B Buoy for their bait. The payoff for acquiring macks is big stripers on the hunt off Harding’s Ledge and Thieves Ledge. Pogies can be found by the first red nun buoy outside of the Fore River as well as between Thompson Island and Spectacle Island. Not all is bait or nothing as some are eschewing bait entirely and trolling X-Raps and catching very well. An occasional blue is caught but the choppers are hardly consistent. Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters is also all in on trolling mackerel X-Raps where he’s finding slot stripers and above between the East Point of Nahant and Egg Rock.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is that rare shop owner who provides a first hand report and not just second hand anecdotes. He’s been trolling X-Raps, Nomads and Rapalas and catching multiple fish up to 40” near Great Pig Rocks off Swampscott as well as at Misery Island Channel, the Gas Buoy and Halfway Rock. A patron with a 9er Rig trolled through Lynn Harbor caught a 48” beast. A best bet for haddock is to stick with clams at Tillies Ledge and the NW Corner of Stellwagen.
The going in the Gloucester area has simply been spectacular according to TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing. Off Magnolia, the Backshore, Thatcher Island, Coffin Beach, Wingaersheek Beach and out through Halibut Point have all been hot for impressive numbers of big bass! Mackerel have been a tough find with some resorting to the tube-and-worm and doing well. A Sabiki rig worked in deep water should come tight to harbor pollock, sea herring and maybe whiting – all of which make for more thad adequate bait. The shop is briskly selling eels for the night shift. Cape Cod Bay aside, the folks in the Gloucester area probably have the best founder fishing in the Bay State. What’s telling is that some anglers who live close to Boston Harbor are taking the trip up north to get their flounder fix! Proof is in the amount of seaworms that Three Lantern Marine is moving! Most likely it all comes down to cooler water temperatures as well as a multitude of mudflats rich with worms and clams.
It’s nice to hear that the surf contingent has been more than just occupying the spectator role according to my buddy Steve Papows. Steve, Robbie Roberts and Finn Hawley have been traipsing the Cape Ann crags and earning their cows on plugs. As to specifics, Steve is a fan of metal lips as well as 247 Lures and Yo-Zuri spooks. Some of the catching has been in view of the fleet chasing the feeds. Kevin from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that while surf anglers are catching, the boaters who are finding pockets of warmer water as well as bait are faring much better. Plum Island Sound has been intermittently good for anglers downsizing their wares to reflect small bait such as sand eels and silversides. A few chomp-offs as well as tattered soft plastics are an indicator that there is an occasional bluefish presence although not yet a reliable one. With the volume of big bass on the North Shore it’s not surprising that mackerel are a tough find with successful anglers rising early and steaming out to areas such as Hampton Shoals Ledge or the Speckled Apron.
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Many will be looking to the sky for their kicks but there will be drama on the water which for the fishy-obsessed will rival any fireworks display! Pogy schools off the Three Bays, Green Harbor and just outside Scituate Harbor are South Shore best bets for finding big striped bass. A detour to the Westport side of Buzzards Bay will also hold stripers along with an unrivaled plethora of species. Nantasket Roads, the Fore River, Thompson Island and Spectacle Island have been among the harbor hot spots. Don’t neglect the stretch between the Tobin Bridge and the Amelia Earhart Dam where the tube-and-worm has been terrific. As good as the rest of the Bay State has had it, the epicenter where anglers have been mouthing the word – epic – is Cape Ann! Bring your “A game” should you go there as well as jigs/soft plastics, a fast retrieve reel and a goodly dose of nerve should Charlie crash the cow party.
Happy Fourth of July folks!