Massachusetts Fishing Report- August 1, 2024

It was only a matter of time before Boston’s big bass bite equaled what was happening on the North and South Shores. Plentiful pogies along with sea herring have been the fuel for the big fish feeds. While hardly epic, bluefish are increasingly becoming a factor. Rounding out the action are haddock on the bank and bonito and blackfish on the South Coast.

South Coast Massachusetts

Big tautog in July, who does that? If you’ve been out on the Little Sister when Jason Colby has been targeting them then the answer is – we do! Bonito and blackfish are an unlikely combo for most but do together nicely in Captain Colby’s cooler. In preparation for the loosening of tautog regulations beginning August 1st Jason had been deploying his ample crab supply to see if ol’ whitechin was sniffing around some of his waypoints. Odds are that most would be content in July with any old crab-cruncher let alone 25” drag-pullers. While black sea bass are a beautiful, fun fish and a treat on the dinner table, they’re not likely to bedevil you and leave your leader in tatters. That cannot be said for tautog which probably are responsible for as many sleepless nights as anything which swims in these parts. In addition to limits of Buzzards Bay black sea bass and tautog, the Westport area is full of bonito with unprecedented action for them aboard the Little Sister.

South Shore Massachusetts

Pete from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me of some disturbing news regarding the state’s Saltwater Fishing Derby. One of the Division of Marine Fisheries coordinators, John Boardman, was visiting the shop and said participation was down. Having won three of those awards and having thoroughly enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of the events I did not see that coming. For generations what was once referred to as the Governor’s Cup attracted all kinds of anglers who viewed winning one of the awards as the crowing achievement of their season. The tournament has evolved from what was exclusively a kill-tournament to one in which there are alternative catch-and-release categories. While the categories may change as do the anglers and the size of their winning fish what has remained consistent is that everyone has a blast at the award ceremony in the winter – especially the kids in the junior categories. To add an exclamation point to a great time, there’s usually a desert/ice cream buffet to wrap it up. Consider entering the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby this year – I can almost guarantee you’ll be happy you did.
Pogy schools from the Three Bays out to Humarock are attracting everything from whales to dolphins to tuna and of course – striped bass! Humarock alone had about 50 dolphins putting on a show recently. Outside of the pogy schools the fish can be extremely fussy owing to what appears to be very small forage, possibly krill or recently hatched baitfish. The prey can be seen dimpling the surface with slurping stripers in tow. A few of the more consistent spots have been Beetles Rock, the Cliffs and Egypt Beach. Medium size inshore pollock are hanging in there and there has even been a few bonito caught. Ten miles east of Scituate is where the haddock and cusk are 150’ the sweet spot.

Greater Boston

Charlie continues to bring on the crazy outside of the harbor as tuna pound pogies and relieve anglers of tackle who are looking for bass. But not all are schooled and spooled. Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics told me of Scotty Campbell who while aboard his “Fishing Frenzy” landed a 109” behemoth near Egg Rock! Pete also sent me a video of hapless anglers tied to a beast that mistook their 9er Umbrella Rig for something to eat. After a brave two hour battle the line parted. In addition to crossing paths with Charlie, there are monster bass moving onto the pogy schools by the Boston Humps with some anglers reporting 45”+ specimens tailing stripers prone to taking topwaters. The Tuscano Santini tube-and-worm continues to produce mixed sizes of stripers inshore. Anglers have been having success with the tube in areas as varied as Snake Island, Spectacle Island, Long Island and between the Tobin Bridge and the Amelia Earhart Dam.

The cleanup aboard Captain Brian Coombs Get Tight Sportfishing center console has been a lot easier recently as bait has given way to artificials. The captain continues to put charters into beasts with almost routine monotony. What he feels separates him from the fleet is that he’s passing on trolling bait or even plugs, which is obviously a time-consuming process, and instead paying rapt attention to his Humminbird side scan and chasing down marked fish. Sprinkled in are surface feeds as big bass push pogies and sea herring onto the surface. The home court for the melee can take place anywhere from Nahant Bay to the BG Buoy and as far out as the B Buoy making covering a lot of water imperative. Quickly retrieved Docs as well as a plethora of Al Gag’s baits are doing the job. There also have been a few random big bluefish attacks.

Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy described the action as “electric” when we spoke. The high-voltage hijinks can be attributed to pogy schools which just don’t seem to quit. Not all schools of bait hold bass however with Bob’s Bass Triangle among the spots which have had both. Shop steadies trolling plugs, pogies or mackerel along Nantucket Roads – which parallels Rainsford and Peddock Islands – have had luck. Squid jigs continue to be sold at a brisk pace also.

North Shore

Cut Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle a big slice of slack if you see him and he looks a little tired. Prior to opening his emporium of premium tackle he continues to be engaged in reconnaissance trips on the North Shore in the hopes that he’ll be able to tip-off his patrons where to put in their efforts. Well, that’s not completely true as, like the rest of us, he just flat out loves to fish! Winks have been in limited supply because he’s noticing that the bite has been best from false dawn until only the first few hours of daylight. While he’s cracked the code, it’s taking some serious bites out of bedtime. Lately the best bite has been in the Broad Sound area with pogies and sea herring drawing in all kinds of life including really big bass. Tomo’s sticking to trolling the natural bunker Nomad DTX swimmer while others are doing just fine with bait. In Swampscott between Dread Ledge and Preston Beach the bite has been good also with anglers pitching Hogy Protails towards flipping bait which often belies predators below. Mackerel have been present just off Tinker’s Island in Marblehead and anglers trolling or live-lining them in tight among nearby structure have been catching well.

TJ from Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester is moving a ton of eels to commercial fishers who he suspects are targeting “selling” fish off the backshore at night. Another night spot which has been producing is between the mouth of the Annisquam River and Coffin Beach. Pogy schools off Halibut Point are holding a myriad for predators from stripers to tuna with even a few bluefish bashing the bait. The shop is still selling seaworms for flounder fishers who are getting them off Essex Bay. Groundifishing remains good with haddock hottest at Tillies Ledge, the NW Corner of Stellwagen as well as the middleground.

If you wandered into Surfland and picked up Sku # CDMAG18-GFR from the scads of lures which hang from the walls you’d be hard pressed to describe the plug as – blue. But rest assured that when Martha and the rest of the crew at the shop look at that lure they see – blue, as in bluefish! That gator staple has been in demand which can only mean that yellow-eyes back. The mouth of the Merrimack has been busy with anglers trolling plugs and catching stripers and big bluefish. Anglers can thank the recent east winds which blew in warmer water temperatures which blues require to stick around. That east wind has also livened up the surf with anglers reporting a better bass bite than the past few weeks. Tube-and-worm fishers have been catching well trolling among the Woodbridge Channel. Both the summer and winter varieties of flounder have been stirring inside the Merrimack River. Kids learning how to fish at the “Boat Camps” have been coming up with flounder attached to their seaworm rigs. As for fluke, anglers working jigs and weighted soft plastics from the jetties are catching an occasional fluke. Sturgeons have become especially active with their breachings resulting in wild, knee-jerk commentary ranging from “look, tuna” to “woah, what a bass!”.

Freshwater

A recent trip to Wachusset Reservoir by my buddy Rick Holbrook reminded me that there is life beyond the salt. Among leaping salmon, he hooked two 3 pound class lakers on subsequent casts. Those forktails were feisty, fat and made for satisfying table fare. In moderation it’s not a bad idea to keep an occasional laker but in summer it is necessary to gut them on site and get them on ice as soon as possible. Fried up, those fish are scrumptious. Rick’s been connecting at the end of a long cast with 1-1 1/2 ounce Crippled Herrings and Deadly Dicks getting it done. An 8 1/2’-9’ rod that throws best around 1 ounce helps. Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle in West Boylston told me that Sallys and Larrys have been hitting topwaters in the evening in shoal water. The Thomas Basin through the Quinapoxet River has been giving up salmon and big rainbows up to 6 pounds! Regarding the Quinine, the effort to remove the Oakdale Dam is moving forward in earnest. I also spoke to Rod from Arlington Bait and Tackle who told me that he’s on the mend from a medical procedure, keeping limited hours and expecting to expand those soon enough. Lord knows we need small shops such as Rod’s to remain afloat.

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Fishing Forecast

Amidst all the attention given to live bait, trolling wares such as plugs and umbrella rigs, and the tube-and-worm, it’s refreshing that some of the biggest bass in our domain are falling for anglers casting lures! Boston’s Humps are holding pogies, sea herring and big bass hot-on-their tails. On the South Shore, it remains a game of find the pogy schools and you should have a handle on where the bass are. Trolling piugs from Minot to Hull remains one of the more reliable means to hook a cow. For variety it’s hard to top the South Coast where black sea bass, tautog and bonito make for an interesting cooler. Nantucket Roads is a good option for the south side of the harbor with the always reliable tube-and-worm getting it done from the Tobin Bridge through the mouth of the Mystic River. Tuna have been terrorizing bait schools as close as Egg Rock and Graves Light and continue to claim the gear of unprepared anglers. Eels worked along the backside of Gloucester at night has been one of the more reliable north shore big bass bets. Farther north, flounder in both toothy and non-toothy versions have been feeding in the Merrimack River while blues and bass are belting bunker at the river mouth.