Offshore pogy schools, as well as a quick route to a mackerel snack, are holding big bass offshore. Inside can be hot as well, with the tube-and-worm crushing it. The South Coast continues to offer a dizzying variety of species, with black sea bass remaining the best bet.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
Legit Fish Charters‘ Captain Mark Rowell has been off to the races, or more accurately, off Race Point. Blues, bass, bluefin, and a web of bait species is one thing, but what’s been as impressive is the surface feeds which randomly pop up – something which is all too rare in this era. Slot to bigger bass, gator blues, and occasionally Charlie have been pushing sand eels and mackerel to the surface, making for excellent top water action. Of course, with all the mackerel around, some are just topping off the livewell and trolling up tight lines.
Always the adventurist Captain Jason Colby has been moving beyond his Westport comfort zone and searching out fluke at the mouth of the Sakkonet River. The crew of the Little Sister has been rewarded for their efforts with a few keepers for the cooler. What’s been really interesting is that while jigging over one of Captain Colby’s black sea bass/blackfish spots, anglers have found that the tog have a fondness for jigs/curly tail grubs! That possibility will certainly have to be further investigated later. Bonito and bluefish are in play with the hope that the bonito action will piggyback on last season’s success, which was outstanding. The river is loaded with all sizes of stripers as well as hickory shad. While a blast to catch on their own right, because of their size and sporting nature, a live-lined hickory is cow candy!
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that the deep water bite for big bass remains reliable, with the anglers trolling X Raps and live mackerel between the 21 Can and Thieves Ledge doing well. There is a bluefish presence, but they are a random catch. All is not lost for those who prefer sticking to inside as ledges which hold harbor pollock, are also holding stripers. There is no shortage of such irregular bottom off Egypt Beach, The Glades, and Minot. Fish have also been found at night with eels throughout the North River, with those knowing the whereabouts of structure doing especially well.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle said that the tube-and-worm has been deadly around Sunset Point, Doctor’s Island, Gunrock Beach, and even inside at World’s End. The commercial coalition is snapping up X-Raps in bunker and bubblegum and hitting the Hull Ledges. Inshore structure to consider are Strawberry Ledge, Harding’s Ledge, and Ultonia Ledge. Point Allerton has also been producing with chunk mackerel, getting it done for surf fishers.
There are scattered schools of pogies along Nantucket Beach, according to Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy. Not every school is holding striped bass with starp anglers searching out the productive pod. X Raps remain a hot seller owing to the deep water bite between Graves Light and the B Buoy. Bluefish are an occasional bycatch for the trollers, but they’re not sticking around with water temperatures below their comfort zone.
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett has a homegrown remedy to the dearth of inshore bait – the Santini tube! Inner city anglers are tearing it up with big bass taking red, orange, and Toscano tubes along the wharves of Charlestown, Chelsea, and East Boston. Some of these guys are tooling around with kayaks without sonar and still catching well. The plethora of parks which dot the inner harbor have been attracting anglers floating Vella Rigs with eels and seaworms and catching everything from schoolies to “help me land this thing” fish! The shop is also carrying an innovative Mojo Rig crafted by one of the harbor’s most experienced captains – Jimmy Brennan of Strike Charters. Pete told me of rave reviews for the rig already. Tog are being taken from West Gut.
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is dialed into one of his specialties – deep water stripers! This is an especially interesting phenomenon this year as reports from the South Shore through New Hampshire indicate an unusually high concentration of big bass at the edge of state waters and beyond. In fact, ground fishing gurus I know are seeing shoals of bass while they are targeting haddock! Captain Coombs is deploying a lethal combination of bridled mackerel and trolling plugs to put his patrons onto consistent cows.
Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters is doing well by targeting small pods of pogies between Thompson Island and Spectacle Island. It takes a learned eye to find the schools because they aren’t big. The skipper suggests that anglers take it slow and watch their sonar closely to find the bait and bass. Umbrella rigs and Mojo Rigs are working best for the crew.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
As a shop owner and avid angler, Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem always has the inside track on where the big bass are. As is the case with many, he’s spending a lot of time at the edge of state waters where the bulk of the big bass are. Ordinarily, by now migrating bass bust a move inside, but with the cornucopia of bait out there, primarily pogies and mackerel, and a reduced population of striped bass, they are not incentivized to come closer! The cool thing is that those wolf packs of bass once found are aggressive and are smacking lures with the Island X Hellfire and Doc killing it. Salem Sound has solid fish that are well up to 36”, willing to take down Albie Snaxs. Squid can be found off the harbor piers of Swampscott, Marblehead, Beverly, and Gloucester.
With the annual Gloucester St Peter’s Fiesta taking place from now until Sunday, the harbor during the day is best avoided, according to TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing. Fortunately, anglers appreciating the value of an after-hours bite are able to avoid the spectacle and are having luck. That’s a good thing, as word has it that the commercial guys continue to do best off the Wingaersheek Beach, Coffin Beach, and Crane’s Beach area. Mackerel are a tough pick inside but are plentiful off Jeffrey’s Ledge. Should bait be your preference, harbor pollock are ubiquitous among islands and inshore ledges. Nighttime ninjas are doing well trolling and casting eels off area beaches, and when traffic allows, inside of Ten Pound Island.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that the Merrimack River from Deer Island through the mouth remains good. The draw, which is keeping the fish in check, is no longer fallback river herring but rather brit herring and sand eels. The “Salisbury Drift” has been effective with Ava Jigs, Slug-Gos, and seaworms, all catching fish. The ocean-front runners-and-gunners continue to find mixed sizes of stripers.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
While there are plenty of stripers inside, the bulk of big bass at the moment seems to be content to remain outside in deep water. Charlie just could be the change agent as a push of big pelagics, which remain further east, should shove everything closer to the coast. The mackerel mob remains well offshore as are big schools of bunker. With less bait inside, the tube-and-worm is more than holding its own with the Three Bays as well as Fourth Cliff and The Glades, strong spots on the South Shore. It may take some searching, but there are keeper fluke on the South Coast. Less effort is required for black sea bass as this very impressive season continues. Trolling X Raps as well as bridled mackerel have been effective from the ledges off Hull through the B Buoy. The strategy that is working for big city anglers is to access the numerous parks inside the harbor and float a Vella Rig with a seaworm or eel on the hook. Kayakers working the same stretch are catching with Santini tubes. Anglers jigging up pollock are catching well off Coffin Beach and Crane’s Beach, with eels doing the trick for big bass in the same areas at night. The Merrimack River section continues to produce with small sea herring and sand eels keeping those stripers sated.
Pogies and hoagies on the three bays! Tight lines.