From Plymouth to Plum Island the word is out – striped bass are back! The trend over the last few years is continuing with many anglers reporting a solid fish as their first of the season. Flounder are feeding with regularity now with the best bite among shallow warm flats.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
Days away from terrorizing tog and cod outside of Westport, Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters has inflicted a similar fate on flounder outside of Sesuit Harbor. Not surprisingly limits have been a cinch, but personal best stuff – already? Globe trotter angler KIl Song achieved his best blackback on Sunday – a jumbo 20.3” fish!
Far from an exception there have been numerous 18” plus fish already boated during this first week. The flounder there are fond of both seaworms as well as clams making it helpful to bring both. Tautog have apparently followed the captain from Buzzards Bay as Alan Sharif boated a big one on Tuesday. Tog are not all that unusual aboard Captain Colby’s boat here so it wouldn’t hurt to swap out a beefier hook on the upper dropper loop of your Zobo Rig. I’m partial to a #2 or – if I’m aiming for a beast – a # 1/0 wide gap hook.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that there have been schoolie surface feeds from the beaches of the Three Bays up to Cohasset. What’s encouraging is that some of the bass have been only 12’-18” recruits for the future! When found the fish have not been fussy and have been caught on everything from Albie Snax to SP Minnows to Kastmasters. Two beaches that were singled out were Priscilla Peach and Egypt Beach. Not surprisingly there are bigger bass in the rivers which hold herring runs. Five and six inch Storm Shads have been catching slot fish in the South/North Rivers as well as the Gulf River and the Weir River. The shad run is in full swing in the North River/Indian Head River. There’s been no word on South Shore flounder and for haddock there’s no getting around it – you’ll have to make the haul out to Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge – at least for now! Stellwagen Bank will certainly have its moment soon.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has been putting most of his effort into the North River as slots pound alewives with focal points where the main river meets up with the herring river tributaries. The skipper did say that the crew is spotting far larger specimens blasting the herring which are reluctant to fall for something fake.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing continues to bounce around between Boston and Buzzards Bay looking for the best bang for the buck for his patrons. While the latitudes and longitudes may change, the results remain the same – the crew consistently puts fish in the boat. On cape, he’s finding bass up to 38” blasting herring on sun-swept flats west of the canal. Henderson spooks as well as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish are getting it done.
In Boston, bass are following the herring schools in the rivers. There’s also spillover in nearby embayments. An example of that was illustrated by my conversation with Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy. Anglers are hitting harbor bass in the Weir River, Weymouth Fore, Weymouth Back and Neponset. Those trolling a tube-and-worm at areas near those rivers such as World’s End, Bumpkin Island and Dorchester Bay are finding fish also. Now that water temperatures have crested the 50 degree mark, the blackback bite has really come into it’s own! I would try both inner and outer Bumpkin Shoals, Sheep Island, the area in front of the Quincy Yacht Club and between Nut Island Pier and Wollaston Beach. Likely shore spots to catch a few fatties are the Hull Public Pier, Pemberton Pier and Nut Island Pier.
With the flounder feed in full swing Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett has been turning out Zobo Rigs at a breakneck pace to meet the demand. Limits of big fish have been achieved in the area between Point Allerton and Nantasket Beach. The other side of the beach in the direction of Gunrock Beach should hold flounder as well. Rainsford Island, George’s Island, Hospital Shoals and Deer Island are all solid options too. Shore anglers might want to give the Deer Island Pier and Lynn Pier a go as well as the shoreline behind Walmart and Heritage Park in Lynn. As for stripers, the birds belie where the bass are and with herring runs peaking there has been a blizzard of gulls at the mouths of the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Undetected by most will be schools of large bass swimming by area beaches any tide now. This is one time when chilling in the sand, spiking a rod and soaking clams could payoff with your first tackle-tester of the year. There are a few very large mackerel out by Thieves Ledge.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
The buzz at Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is that stripers have arrived with anglers catching at Lynn Harbor, the Saugus River, Marblehead Harbor, Salem Harbor and the Danvers River. The fish can be fussy when on tiny bait but when adult herring are on the menu they’ll fall for all manner of topwaters, soft plastics and even trollers. One way to determine the size of the bait is to gauge what size winged predator is scoring a meal. Stay clear of terns, but should you see blackback gulls hitting the water than odds are the bait will be big and the bass aggressive.
When I asked “what’s cooking”, I was not prepared for TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing’s response of “sausages, peppers and onions”! The shop is having a three day weekend long “Open House” and along with all kinds of gear and marine deals they’re preparing tasty grub for their patrons. As for feeding fish, the Little River has schoolies and a few slots as does the Annisquam and Essex Rivers. Flounder are cooperating at Manchester Harbor, Singing Beach, Pavillon Beach, Niles Beach, by Ten Pound Island as well as Cripple Cove. Groundfishing has been good off Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge with haddock averaging a respectable 19-24”! With no dogfish to worry about yet, clams are your best choice. Mackerel are expected to appear any day now.
Stripers are just now settling into Plum Island according to Nick from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport. Open ocean casters are beginning to pick a few schoolies and slot with the action a simple case of the right place at the right time with no discernible pattern yet.
While there are no reports as of yet, the May ritual of a red hot outgoing bass bite at the mouth of the Merrimack River could be happening as you read this. Give it a shot yourself with 3/4 to 1 ounce jigs/trailers and be among the first in on it this season. We’re also probably a week away from some seriously large linesiders following the herring upstream of the Merrimack towards the Lawrence Dam.
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Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Rick from Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Milford told me that dropping water levels are making for better conditions for anglers who want to run and gun the shoreline of Wachusett Reservoir for smallmouth bass and possibly a few largemouth as well. Dan Southwick chimed in and said that in addition to topwater lures, white flukes will catch them up now as they are getting closer to the spawn. Copper Super Dupers have been working well for trout in the Millis/Medway section of the Charles River. Some are reporting a trout trifecta out of this area with brown trout, brook trout and rainbows all hitting! Others are trolling shiners in South Pond hoping to catch a big brown trout .This pond is one of Massachusetts few water bodies managed for trophy fish and with an alewife forage base, South Pond every season gives up personal best brown trout.
Of all the possible species which make waves in Wachusett, one of the last I’d expect to hear solid reports of is chain pickerel. Yet Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that a lot of anglers are talking of these trophy toothies in the Chu! With little weed growth, this seems like an unlikely place for them to thrive but apparently there continues to be 3 – 4 pound plus pickerel taken between Gate 8 and the shoreline by the Tahanto School. As for expected quarry, a few rainbows and salmon have been caught by the causeway.
Gerry of Crack of Dawn Bait and Tackle in Phillipston partook of a splendid day trout fishing with his doggie and wife at Lake Dennis on Wednesday and was treated to terrific action for brookies and rainbows up to 19”. As to what a tackle shop owner reaches for when he wants to clean up? Gerry’s partial to a to a yellow Mepps spinner with a black tail. As far as the Quabbin is concerned guys are catching salmon on blue/white and orange/gold Mooselok Wobblers with 4/5 colors of leadcore line out. Smallie action is superb by launch ares 2 and 3.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Blackbacks are biting well from Cape Cod Bay through Cape Ann with some anglers even achieving their personal bests. Schoolie through slot stripers can be found off South Shore beaches such as Egypt Beach with better fish hitting herring in the North River as well as in the Weir River, Weymouth Back and Neponset Rivers. Embayments in Hingham and Quincy which are the gateways of those herring runs have been terrific for tube-and-worm trollers. On the North Shore, the Lynn/Saugus area has a fresh run of stripers while the Danvers River does also. The Plum Island ocean front has had action for anglers pitching bucktail jigs into the wash while the wait is underway for the annual mouth of the Merrimack magic!
Powder Point was lit up with overslots-check those knots!-Tight lines.
The Three Bays had some nice pods of big schoolies and slot sized “Line siders” yesterday morn, perfect for the fly! Tight Lines.