Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 5, 2025

Now is one of the significant transition times for the whereabouts of striped bass. As herring runs grind to a halt where you found a tight line last week probably won’t matter in the present. For those who view the world as sort of flat, flounder and fluke are cooperating.

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

“I should have brought crabs”, was the comment from Captain Jason Colby on Tuesday towards his crew fishing out of Westport. I was one of the fortunate anglers aboard the Little Sister on that day and thought it odd the skipper would say such a thing. We had solidly checked off the black sea bass box and were well on our way towards double-digit numbers of fluke when Jason tossed out the regret that a few dozen crustaceans weren’t aboard. Apparently the dynamic duo of knotheads and toothies wasn’t enough for the captain as he surveyed interesting structure and surmised that there were blackfish there. As if that wasn’t enough, for much of the morning we saw stripers pushing sand eels towards the surface which prompted me more than once to long for my stash of RonZs and Bill Hurley’s which were tucked away in the berth of the boat. While the rest of Massbay has it good, the veritable bouillabaisse of species which call Buzzards Bay home make this place very much worth the trip!

While I can’t say for sure whether Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters is an avowed Wizard of Oz fan, but he coud be overheard saying over and over again “there’s no place like home”. He no longer feels the need to move onto South Shore rivers looking for herring-fed stripers as a nice pile of fish have moved onto his home port in Scituate Harbor. The bait has been small, consisting of silversides and brit herring, so Albie Snax, Whip-it-Eels, Slug-Gos and the like should work. Or you could do as Mark does, feed them a mack snack. While not a slam dunk anywhere in Massbay, early risers are finding mackerel among inshore ledges. The captain has also been offering charters a combo of stripers and haddock, which he is finding inside of Stellwagen in only 125’ of water. As to what’s working, clams and pink/white Gulp are getting it done.

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me that there has been some cow-class bruisers taken from deep water ledges off Duxbury, Minto and Hull with mackerel the go-to offering. With downpours now in he past, bass and bait have reassembled in the Three Bays, Green Harbor, Scituate and Cohasset. Local flatfish specialist, Rob Thompson, boated 5 flounder in Scituate Harbor.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

All is right in June when Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is boating big Boston bass. The caveat to catching those cows is that it hasn’t been easy. With less of a bass biomass than in memory, when found, stripers tend to be concentrated. To facilitate the process, the captain is hitting the outer harbor ledges and topping off the live well with mackerel. One tip is to find the pogy schools and toss a mack into the mix; mackerel are forage, no bass can pass on. Estuaries, and not necessarily those downstream of herring runs, are holding “wolf packs” of roaming big bass looking for prey. There have also been occasional blitzes in the harbor – remember them?

Through thick-and-thin tackle and technique trends, Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters continues to catch well with his signature knack for trolling umbrella rigs. White shads have been most effective with ten feet of the strike zone. From false dawn through the first few hours of daylight, bass hang at the edges of the shipping lanes where they prey on fallback herring from the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Diving gulls as well as sonar belie the bedlam going on below. Fish can be found from the Lower Middle far into the inner harbor, with some semblance of this lasting into mid-July as fallback blueback herring continue to tumble back into the harbor.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that fishers are still catching solid stripers by trolling the Santini tube-and-worm from the Amelia Earhart Dam out past the casino and out through the Schrafft’s Building with the bite best on the outgoing. Some big bass have also come out of the harbor side of Spectacle Island, especially near Lion’s Rock. Live mackerel have been working here with anglers obtaining them from the 5 can out through the BG Buoy. Pete reminds his patrons not to give up on freshwater with solid reports of a variety of trout coming out of Horn Pond, Walden Pond, and White Pond. The same can be said for not giving up on flounder with the coves of Peddock, as well as the flats off Deer Island two of the best blackback bets.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that macks caught off Hull are being put to good use off Wollaston Beach, where a pile of big fish have moved onto. However, the word is out on this spot, so you’ll have plenty of company. Should you desire something less social than try the Weymouth Fore River area, where pogies have been holding up, and the bass have taken notice. Word is that it’s been especially good by the Metropolitan Yacht Club.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

At least for the time being, the best bass bite on the North Shore is happening in the Plum Island area. Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport told me that the big bass that were herding the herring up tight to the Lawrence Dam in the Merrimack River have moved out and are now fair game for others. Deer Island, Joppa Flats, the mouth of the river – all are now holding fish which have moved downstream with the herring. Even in the middle of the day, on an outgoing tide, fish up to 42” have been caught. With fewer schoolies in the mix and the ratio tipped towards slots and up, anglers are opting for larger offerings. This year’s faves are 9” Slug-Gos, Fish Snax Super Snax stick baits, and the Al Gag’s Whip-it-Eel. Anglers are slipping those on 1 – 1 1/2 oz jigheads, anticipating a bigger fish! Beach-roamers are picking up good fish also off the ocean front on the same lures as well as a multitude of plugs. As for Plum Island Sound, tiny bait is making for a fly fishers paradise with those adept at the long wand out-fishing conventional anglers by a wide margin.

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that anglers picking up mackerel at Misery Channel are taking them near the mooring field in Salem Harbor and catching slot-size and up stripers. A few fish have also been taken at the mouth of the Danvers River. As for artificials, the DTX Minnow continues to be a hit. Haddock can now be found closer than the offshore ledges with anglers finding them as soon as they hit the 180’ contour line.

TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing said that the recent heavy rains cleared mackerel and most other baitfish out of Gloucester Harbor. Anglers can find macks between the Groaner and the Salvages. Manchester Harbor is holding stripers with a few being reported off Wingaersheek Beach, Essex Bay and Coffin’s Beach. Live mackerel and the tube-and-worm are working well there. For a nice pick of haddock, cusk, and pollock, check out the top spots on Northern Jeffrey’s.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Rivers, which had been the lifeblood for those seeking stripers earlier, have cooled down, making nearby bays and harbors the better choice. Thankfully, those same rivers are no longer flushing out Java-colored water, so we can expect bordering embayments to hold more fish. The Three Bays, Green Harbor, and Sciutate Harbor are all solid choices. While hit or miss, the effort to find mackerel is often paying off inside as well as by outer ledges such as Flatt Ledge, Miinot Ledge, Harding’s Ledge, Thieves Ledge, and Three-and-One-half Fathom Ledge. For a whodunit mixture with an unrivaled combination of fish, fun, and freezer fodder, Westport from the river out to the wrecks and reefs is hard to beat. Flounder are still a factor in the harbor, as are big bass snacking on peaked river herring moving back to the sea. Blackback fishing is best off Peddock Island and Deer Island, while the inner harbor is holding herring-eating stripers. Plum Island has some very happy anglers, with anglers bumping up the size of their baits and checking their drags.