Stripers settling into their summer stomping grounds and an influx of mackerel across the coast has the action hot in some places, and slower in others. Offshore, there has been limited tuna catching, but all the ingredients for a great bluefin season are in place and anglers are eagerly waiting for the bite to explode.
Massachusetts South Coast and South Shore
OTW’s own Robbie Tartaglia has made a few trips out of Scituate this week. Rob reports that the bass are a bit tighter to the shore/structure than they have been in the past few weeks. There are a lot of stripers moving up through Scituate into Boston, and these fish seem to be lazily cruising more than feeding. Trying a more finesse approach, whether it be lengthening your leader or switching to a smaller presentation, will help to entice a strike. There is a plethora of mackerel around, indicating the fussy bass should change their tune soon. However, when the bass are actively feeding, they eat hard and fast. Working to find fish that are actively pursuing bait could pay off, and as always, Robbie reminds us how important having a good network and a team approach is to finding those fast-paced feeds.
Pete over at Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate reported great numbers of bass feeding off Third and Fourth Cliffs, down to the mouth of both the North and South rivers. The bass are on the smaller side, so those anglers who are taking the time to downsize their presentations have been crushing it. The bass are mostly on sand eels, so anglers throwing Albie Snax and smaller RonZs, as well as fly fishermen, have been cleaning up large numbers of aggressive fish. Take some time to prep your gear for small presentations, and you should have no problem bending a rod. For those not entertained with smaller fish, head toward Cohasset, where larger stripers have convened and seem to be on a morning bite pattern. Mackerel-patterned plugs or plastics have produced, as the entire coast has seen an influx of macks of all sizes. Getting out in the morning—when cooler water and low light lends itself to our favorite striped predators—will be imperative to connecting with large bass from shore as midseason cows grow lethargic with the dog days of summer grinding on.
There’s been no cod action yet, and the bluefish and fluke action has slowed down as of late, as well. A few dialed anglers have found keeper-size tautog around Collamore Ledge, but not too many guys are targeting them. Offshore, there is plenty of life—bait, birds, whales—we just need the tuna to show up to the party. Tuna-wise, it seems like everyone’s a sandwich short of a picnic for now, but the bite feels imminent.
The “Doctor’s Island Blitz” was the first thing Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle had to share with me today. Earlier in the week, multiple boats noticed huge bird piles off Doctor’s, and upon further investigation, found the fish. For 2 days and nights, anglers enjoyed catching a mess of hungry (and large) stripers. X-Raps, umbrella rigs, and other deep-trolling baits were the ticket, with fishermen routinely doubling or tripling up on big numbers of fish over 30 pounds, and a healthy amount into the 40-pound range. The bite seems to have died down after a few days, but it appears the fish may be staging around Peddocks Island. Laurel says there are “lots and lots of birds” in the area. For a few days, giant bird piles were the precursor to the Doctor’s Island blitz, and anglers trolling umbrella rigs around Peddocks have started to pull up similar-sized fish in better numbers.
Greater Boston
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy reported large bunker schools filing into the harbor nicely, resulting in a big 2-day-long blitz near Boston Light with fish in the 40- to 50-inch range in the mix. There seem to be so many bunker in the harbor that there aren’t always bass on them. The typical Deer Island fleet has been producing, but expanding your search radius to find a school of menhaden with bass on them could be the better play.
My advice would be to spread out and rely on your electronics to find schools of bunker or bass. In my past experience, avoiding the Deer Island fleet and using electronics or a 9-inch Doc to locate bass on bunker was more effective than navigating the fleet. Don’t get locked on to one bunker school—it’s very possible there are no bass on them.
North Shore
From the North Shore, avid surfcaster Theo Caplan (IG @striperpursuit) told me that there is a large class of fish cruising around offshore. These fish, ranging froom 38 to 44 inches, have been sticking close to bunker and mackerel pods, feeding on them at varying times and tide stages. From the surf, it’s been tough sledding for those not dialed into night patterns. Theo has found success targeting areas with sharp temperature changes; finding places where bass can easily move in and out of temperature breaks has been key (think river mouths, inlets, pinch points). When bait is hard to find in the surf, look for other attractive variables to hone in on the fish. A little pre-fishing scouting can go a long way. Some big moons in the July forecast—including today’s Buck Moon—could light up the striper fishing at anytime, so stay prepared and be ready to move to find fish.
Shop owner and tactical fisherman, Tomo, of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem, reported that the bite in Salem Harbor has been going off with bass of various sizes, the bulk of which fall between the 24- to 34-inch range. Mostly on small herring, the timing of the feeds has been a bit tough to pattern at times, but the action has been hot all over. Just like the rest of the state, there’s been an influx of mackerel of all sizes into near-shore waters and as a result, live macks have been producing fish. Being on the water as much as possible to pattern the irregular feeds, and working to find the right presentation will set you apart from the rest of the fleet. Think small presentations like soft plastics, tins, and light bucktail jigs, and as always, rely on your network.
Squidding has been great in and around the harbors from Marblehead to Salem. Head out at night to fill your buckets with squid, either for bait or tablefare. Stop in and check with Tomo to select the right squid jig from his expansive variety of cephalopod-catching lures. Mackerel fishing has been great in Misery Channel; fishermen are catching their fill with relative ease.
Tuna fishing is a similar story off the north shore. Some sharpies have quietly nailed a few bluefin, but mostly, it’s a tuna-less smorgasbord of life out there. The keg is full of powder, we just need the big boys to show up and light the match.
Up the road, Martha at Surfland Bait and Tackle says the night bite is the key. While striper fishing from shore has slowed, those heading out with eels at night have been able to keep putting up consistent numbers and decent size. The water in the river and on the beach is warm, making squidhounds around Plum Island a bit lazy. Eels, or soft-plastic eels should be your first choice when heading out under the cover of darkness. Out front, pods of mackerel have been showing up, which is rare for the sandy shores of Plum, and anglers have been enjoying catching macks from the beach. The fish are around, just fussy in the summer heat.
TJ over at Three Lantern Marine and Fishing in Gloucester tells us that there are mackerel everywhere in and around the harbors and stripers have been hitting them hard. Anglers from all cuts have been doing well with poppers, live eels, and soft-plastic eel imitations. The same tuna-tune rings true from the Three Lantern’s staff as well… however, TJ reported a large presence of whales, and the whales are their for bait, which is about as promising of sign as you can ask for.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
While there is still plenty of striper action, those who take the time to fine-tune their gear, timing, and locations will fare better than those hoping to luck into feeds. Check the river mouths and pinch points for some schoolie fun. The mackerel fishing has been good just about everywhere. The large biomass of mackerel that have pushed in are a promising sign for a few reasons. There is nothing greedier than a hungry fish, so the stripers shouldn’t remain fussy with so much bait around.
If sacrificing sleep to scratch out some night stripers, or burning gas to come up empty on a tuna trip does not sound worth its while, then taking this time to prepare should be your focus. Practice your knots and connections, sharpen hooks, change out leaders, and review old logs and charts. The table is set inshore and offshore, and those who are prepared will fare best when the dinner bell rings.