It didn’t take long during the break in the boomers for anglers to find frenzied bass and bluefish all along the Massbay coast. With water temperatures still firmly in the comfort zone of the dynamic duo October should remain hot for most of the month. For those who need further encouragement there is news of nighttime North Shore eel slingers still catching cows.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
According to Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, there are monsters out on the bank but they are in the “can’t touch this category”. He wasn’t referring to giant tuna and a closed quota but rather big breeder striped bass which sadly are on the way south towards their eventual spawning grounds. It’s been years since I’ve heard of such a thing but it’s an indicator that many of the cows of summer are departing fast. That’s not to imply that casts are falling onto what seems like a dead sea, quite the contrary as there is all kinds of striper – and blue – action out there. Rolling feeds are par for the course from the Three Bays out through just south of the harbor. Peanuts, herring fry and even a few pods of pogies remain the fuel for the fast-paced action. A consistent bet for fish between 24” and just under 40” is to troll a tube-and worm up tight to ledge, upwellings and current seams down current of rivers/estuaries. As to where, they are almost too numerous to list with some crowing about the Three Bays, with others giving the thumbs up to Green Harbor and still others awed by the swath between Scituate and Cohasett. The sundown-to-sunup sharpies are still sticking to eels among estuaries and having plenty of fun. As for cod, some go-to spots are east of Beetles Rock, Flat Ledge, Minot Ledge and the 21 Can. Mackerel can be found pretty close to the surface with numbers better the closer anglers get to Stellwagen Bank. A few tog are coopering inshore with some very impressive specimens caught at the gateway of Scituate Harbor. Another area I’d consider is to poke around the field of rocks between Manomet Point and Maryann Rocks in Plymouth.
You’ll find no shortage of crabs – along with colorful conversation – aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister and for good reason as the tog are on a tear. This fishery is the ultimate antidote for the migratory bluefish and bass blues. As those fish bid sayonara, the blackfish bite only gets better. While fun now, those who really get the tog thing know that it’s best served up with stocking caps, sturdy bibs and warm deck boots. Expect all that to be the norm as the eleventh month nears. Meanwhile the dizzying variety of species the skipper’s finding, but a ride from his slip in Westport, continues with bonito part of the equation as well as trigger fish and even squeteague!
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters corroborated the news that cows are on the move along the SW corner of Stellwagen Bank. What just might be pausing their movements is the swarms of tinker mackerel which can be found throughout the bank. Anglers having luck with tuna are passing on the tiny bait in favor of whiting. Sharp-eyed tuna no doubt can spot a hooked tinker but are less likely to notice a hook buried in the bigger bait. That philosophy paid off for the crew, which on Middlebank brought a beast of a bluefin boatside the other day. There are plenty of haddock out there but as for cod, ledge, rocks, wrecks within 5 miles of the shoreline are a better bet. You can put those tinker mackerel to good use in the North River for stripers running between 24-40”! The key is moving water with diminishing returns during slack. I also received a tip from Bill Hurley that cookie cutter schoolies could not resist the Hurley stick bait in the South River on Thursday with the bite lasting until mid-day.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said pogies have been pushed in tight to the Fore River Bridge, with nearby bass part of the reason that they are packed so tightly. Point Allerton through Long Beach has been holding bass with the ubiquitous mackerel the go-to bait. Kids have been observed catching mackerel off Pemberton Pier, placing them in a 5 gallon aerated bucket and then catching stripers off Hull Gut. Anglers can also find mackerel right off the Nut Island Pier. Blitzes, at times involving bluefish, have been common throughout Quincy Bay and out into the harbor. Cod are proving plentiful off the Hull ledges as well as Graves Light. Anglers are reporting some success with smelt off the Hull Public Pier and the Summer Street Bridge. Some are plucking cunner among the pilings of bridges spanning Quincy Bay rivers.
Settling seas are bringing anglers back to the ocean side of Hull according to Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle. The tube-and-worm continues to be deadly from Long Beach Rock through Black Rock Beach. Chumming and chunking mackerel off Cunningham Bridge has been consistently good as well. Throughout the inclement weather, Hull Bay through World’s End, and out through Hingham Harbor, has held surface feeds which should continue.
In addition to being a decades long fixture of the Greater Boston fishing scene Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett is often associated with his pelagic pursuits while guiding at the Galapagos Islands during the winter months. However, if you were to ask him what he really prefers, he’d admit to cherishing what he’s doing at the moment – hunting partridge and soaking worms for brook trout in northern New England. He also is kind of known for making a pretty mean tube! That tube has been the key to consistently catching stripers off Long Island, Spectacle Island and Castle Island. Big bluefish have been busting bait off Revere Beach while mackerel are numerous off Nahant. Those macks fished in tight along Bass Point and Bailey’s Hill have been producing a lot of action. Anglers continue to go cunner crazy as they pick off the tasty little critters among inner city brides, wharves and rockpiles throughout the harbor. Shop staffer Elijah has been crushing rainbows off White Pond. The Mystic River park behind Meadow Glenn Mall is holding 3-5 pound largemouth bass which can be caught with Senkos. Fishing FINatics is loaded with every kind of bait including seaworms, eels, clams, mackerel, squid, shiners, crawlers and Powerbait.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem will be on an excursion to the land of papaya and peacock bass until October 11th. But no worries the shop is in the capable hands of first mate Marty while the boss is in Brazil. Before Tomo flew the friendly skies he told me that with water temperatures still in the low 60s we can expect striped bass – and bluefish – success to last. There have been schoolie surface feeds in Lynn Harbor and especially Salem Harbor. There has also been reliable action off the Beverly Coast, Manchester Bay, Tinker’s Island and off Swampscott. Trolling umbrella rigs as well as mackerel throughout Nahant Bay has resulted in slot stripers. Big bluefish reports continue to trickle in off the backshore of Gloucester, Egg Rock and off Nahant. For a best bet, Tomo’s pick is Salem Harbor throughout the sound where feeds can be counted on daily.
Odds are that the demand for eels at Three Lantern Marine and Fishing has nothing to do with daytime schoolie surface feeds. I’ve seem pictures/videos of bass that would raise eyebrows any time of the year and they are still hanging among the Annisquam/Little/Essex Rivers; especially nearer the mouths of those rivers. Mackerel have been easy to find from Magnolia through Ipswich Bay with that bait working nearly as well as the eels. Trollers such as X Raps and Rapala Magnums are still accounting for solid stripers and bluefish off area beaches such as Good Harbor, Wingersheek and Coffin. Cod remain in close among inshore ledge while a haul out to Tillies or Jeffrey’s is in order for consistent haddock.
Kevin from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that just as seas were building, he put in his time off the ocean front with needlefish and did very well on stripers. Anglers chunking mackerel off the refuge are catching 10-12 pound blues as well as stripers up to 43”! Bait distributors are having no problem acquiring mackerel with Hampton Shoal Ledge, Breaking Rocks and Speckled Apron all historically solid spots to find mackerel. Inshore bait as well as bass are running on the small side. Peanut bunker, silversides and sand eels round out the bait department while Joppa Flats as well as Plum Island Sound/Parker River have fish but mostly small specimens. There are no hard rules regarding striper movements, especially at night, and big bass get caught often enough in those upstream areas to make them worthy of a shot.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
While there are plenty of quality stripers in our midst, with the migration in gear it wouldn’t hurt to have a renewed sense of urgency. For as long as the seas stay tranquil, beach fronts such as Long Beach, White Horse Beach, Priscilla Beach and Duxbury Beach all deserve a look by South Shore anglers. Should things get nasty again then seek the solitude of the South and North Rivers which should be peaceful yet productive. You certainly wouldn’t want to be a crab anywhere Captain Jason Colby’s Buzzards Bay waypoints outside of Westport as tautog activity level increases with each degree of dropping water temperature. Pogies pushed into the Fore River area are keeping big bass in check at Quincy Bay with live mackerel or chunk off Hull working well for stripers. Dragging a tube by World’s End, Long Island or Spectacle Island has been the ticket to a steady harbor stripe bite. Off Revere Beach, blues have been cooperating while live mackerel fished on the harbor side of Nahant has been good for bass. One of the North Shore’s best bets is the Salem area where feeds can be counted on daily. Far bigger bass remain in residence among the estuaries/river mouths of Cape Ann while chunks/needlefish have been hot off the ocean front of Plum Island.
Deluxbury beach is producing some delux sized cows! Tight lines.
Where in cohasset is that
Hit or miss on the three bays, or as the old timers say” One day chicken, One day feathers.” Migration still seems to be active, but on the tail end. Tight lines.