Massachusetts Fishing Report – May 29, 2025

Mackerel, sea herring, pogies and river herring – oh my! With no shortage of bait, anglers who are consistently catching are finding the right bait with the right water temperature. Flounder continue to matter and there’s even a hint of inshore haddock movement.

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that there’s been a bit of buzz about big bass on the South Shore. Those fish are coming primarily in one of two ways. Anglers trolling mackerel near offshore ledges are picking up decent fish by Flatt Ledge, Davis Ledge, and Minot Ledge. Inshore stripers remain in the rivers and nearby embayments wherever there are herring runs. With wacky weather the norm, there is often great fluctuations of water temperature and water clarity. Those who are seeking the warmest, cleanest conditions are out-fishing those who aren’t paying attention to those particulars. Pogy schools come and go, with the schools found closest to the shallows more likely to hold bass. A few flounder have been taken on the South Shore, with best bets consisting of Browns Bank, Farnham Rock, Peggotty Beach, and Scituate Harbor.

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters told me that once the seas settled down and rivers flushed out the “Yoohoo” colored water stripers returned to the North River. Mackerel remain hit-or-miss among inshore ledges, but when found are the perfect snack for river bass. Drifting on an outgoing tide by the Fourth Cliff has been especially good. The skipper’s gut tells him that haddock should be moving along the northeast rim of Stellwagen and just maybe onto the Middle Bank. On Sunday, he intends to find out.

Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters is calling it a season for his Sesuit Harbor stay and moving onto the bouillabaisse of species he annually targets out of Western. First on his hit list will be black sea bass, which he’ll be targeting one of two ways. The skipper is a chummier extraordinaire with an innate feel for boat placement and the right structure to pull fish out from. Clams will be the go-to bait and will do triple duty as a striper and scup attracter as well. And then there’s the “fun” way to target knotheads – squidding! I’ve squidded with Jason countless times, and it is a blast and equally effective for everything from black sea bass to stripers and groundfish of all sorts. Fluke are a frequent bycatch also when squidding. The short story on squidding is that it involves rapidly free-spooling a jig to the bottom and then, upon touchdown, immediately cranking it back up about 5 revolutions of the handle. Quality conventional gear is a must with an assortment of jigs working well such as Crippled Herrings, slow pitch jigs, speed jigs and the Shimano Lucanus.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is an electronics savant who, in addition to paying rapt attention to his sophisticated Humminbird sonar, has been watching water temperatures closely. Wild weather, along with fluctuating temperatures, has made not only finding fish challenging but getting them to eat testing. His calling card for the cows is live mackerel, which he’s been finding among harbor ledges. Estuaries and rivers that hold herring runs are getting it done as long as water temperatures are above the bass baseline of 55 degrees. When marking temperatures below that, he bolts.

We all know how vital herring runs are to a plethora of species, from sweetwater favorites in tailwater habitat to, of course, striped bass. While we all appreciate the efforts of others to improve those runs, some, such as Carl Pawlowski, take a water body under their wing and make a difference. Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me of the yearly efforts he has employed to lift by bucket herring over the now decommissioned Armstrong Dam at the Monatiquot River, which is a tributary of the Weymouth Fore River. Now that the dam is no longer an impediment to reaching upstream herring spawning grounds, Carl can take comfort knowing he did his part. From what I understand, the herring are doing the rest. According to Lisa, the Weir River/Worlds End has been productive for solid striped bass with mackerel chunks working well, especially at low tide. What’s also been effective is trolling mackerel through Nantasket Roads. Folks finding mackerel off the ledges of Hull as well as the Boston Humps are taking them inshore and drifting/trolling them between Rainsford Island and Peddock Island and through Quarantine Rocks. Hangman Island, Veazie Rocks and Jackknife Ledge have been tops for tube-and-wormers.

Just because the Boston Zobo Flounder Derby is past tense doesn’t mean folks are through with flounder! Just ask Pete Santini who along with Denise are still turning out Zobo Rigs as anglers can’t get enough of Boston blackbacks, In addition to the usual boat spots, flounder can be found off piers with Nut Island, Deer Island, the Lynn Pier and Fisherman’s Beach providing access and opportunities to catch flounder. Pogies close to Spectacle Island and Long Island have been holding striped bass as have the Charles and Mystic Rivers, as spent herring drop back into the harbor and are an easy meal for stripers. Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters has been taking advantage of bass shadowing the weakened herring by trolling them up with umbrella rigs. He generally follows a triangular grid from Castle Island to the Container Terminal to the Hyatt Hotel at the airport. When the water is clear, he leans on white shads, while when turbid, chartreuse gets the nod.

For something different, consider tautog! Long before I ever got the opportunity to target those crab-crunchers at the Cape, I caught plenty of them off piers/bridges which span rivers and estuaries up here. Tog are inshore now and spewing in many rivers throughout the Bay State. Try fishing up tight to bridge/wharf/pier pilings that span harbor rivers with little more than a single hook rig and a lively seaworm to tempt them. The only request I have is to consider reveling in catching and releasing a species that not everyone realizes swims this far north. Catch ‘em up and then let them go back to the business of making more tog.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem took Memorial Day off and found three willing species along the North Shore. He hooked up mackerel from Misery Channel and then found slot stripers in Salem Harbor! To top the day off with something tasty he found some flounder in Beverly Harbor. Some have had similar luck with mackerel and willing bass from Devereux Beach through Castle Rock and out to Chandler Hovey Park in Marblehead. As for haddock, anglers have found them between 10-12 miles from shore, which is less of a haul than Tillies Ledge or Jeffrey’s Ledge.

TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing told me that Gloucester Harbor remains a bait ball of mackerel and pogies, and the bass have taken notice! The Little River, Annisquam River and Essex River on outgoing tides have been giving up striped bass. Mackerel are easy pickings with anglers finding them as close as The Groaner. While not the stuff of legend, a few bass have been picked up off the Backshore of Gloucester.

Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport told me that as herring fall back from upstream areas in the Parker and Merrimack Rivers, big bass are following them. The bite is often a mid-morning affair as both prey and predator retreat from upstream skinny water where they gather in the dark. As has been the trend, Danny-style plugs in white and yellow have been hot. Beach roamers are picking up stripers along the ocean front and along areas of the refuge where they can gain access. Savage Sand Eels have been among the better offerings, Sand-spikers soaking seaworms are also picking up fish. Deer Island through Joppa has shown some life as stripers mug downstream-swimming post-spawn herring.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For a shot at a South Shore slot or possibly even a cow, try trolling mackerel near noted ledges such as Minot’s or the hodgepodge off Hull. For the next week or two, herring runs such as the Town River or North River will be reliable spots to hook stripers as they stalk fallback herring. Mackerel are also the key to catching well in the harbor, with Nantasket Roads among the better bets. Umbrella rigs are also a solid option as they fool alewife-fed stripers in the middle of the harbor. Macks off Marblehead and through Salem are accounting for some of the more reliable North Shore bass fishing. Flounder can be found in Salem Harbor as well as Beverly Harbor. If the haul out to offshore ledges for haddock is too much for you to handle, then scope out closer ledges from 10-12 miles where are few fish have moved onto. In the Plum Island area, outgoing tide in the Parker and Merrimack Rivers remains good as bass binge on hapless herring.