South Shore anglers are convinced that their striped bass fishing is the best, while their counterparts up north would differ. Tossed in the mix is a wave of big bluefish, which have resurrected that oft-repeated phrase when old yellow eyes comes to town – “I’ve been bitten off!”.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
I could have almost wrapped up the South Shore with the sweeping report by Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters. The striped bass fishing not far from his Scituate slip has been fantastic in a number of fronts. Perhaps best of all is that there are many degrees to tight lines, so anglers can spread out. Sand eels and small herring are holding schoolies and slots throughout the North River – check. Mackerel and bite-sized pogies are the fuel for larger linesiders a short distance from the shoreline – another check. Ledges of all sorts are holding molting lobsters, and the stripers are capitalizing on their vulnerability. Green mackerel X Raps, bigger the better, burned around ledges in 55-70’ of water are getting mugged by 50” class bass – that is, unless a certain faster, toothy interloper intercepts the plug first.
As is typical of the peak of the summer, haddock numbers are surging from the bank through Stone Ledge, with keepers far outnumbering shorts. Tuna are more of a factor throughout Cape Cod Bay, with the size skewed towards giants. Overall, the action has been so furious that along with the remedial pre-launch technique and safety talk, Captain Rowell gives his charters, he’s asking them, “Are there any health issues I should be aware of before we start?”
Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate concurred with the aforementioned take on things. His opening text looked as if the repeat button was stuck, as it was nonstop-bluefish, bluefish, bluefish! The bluefish blitzkrieg is music to the ears of baitshop owners and most anglers, the exception being fishers who are experiencing the dreaded cigar-eel. As to the where, Pete’s picks for blues is North Scituate. Big bass as well as surface feeds have been a thing from Scituate Harbor to Minot Light. The omnipresent mackerel are working as topwaters for the feeds. This week, anglers have been reporting reliable groundfishing from the middle of Stellwagen through Cape Cod Bay, the highlight of which has to be John Perette’s 63” halibut!
While not quite in that category, Captain Jason Colby is finding some pretty impressive flatfish of his own. It’s taking a bit of a haul from port in Westport, but the action aboard Little Sister Charters has been steady and even with the 17 1/2” minimum size, anglers are disembarking with full bags of fillets. Should you jump aboard the skipper’s boat, you may be greeted with the distinct aroma of green crabs as the captain’s tog waypoints are already proving to be winners. While most don’t shift their attention to whitechins until the fall, Jason has already found a reliable blackfish bite. With the season ticking away, now’s a great time to take advantage of the stellar black sea bass fishing. With limits and big fish a foregone conclusion, it’s easy to take them for granted, but that would be a mistake because the season ends on September 7th.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
“You can see it from the shore!” was the reply when I asked Laurel of Hull Bait and Tackle where the action was. The appearance of bluefish may have pushed bait and bass in, as it looks as if the area beaches may have a better bite. Nantasket Beach, Gunrock Beach, and Black Rock Beach are all deserving of a cast or three. The same goes for World’s End through Hingham Harbor. A fresh chunk of mackerel resting on the bottom should work no matter where you fish. In the middle of a steady striper bite, big bluefish crashed the party the other day for Irish Tyler, according to Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy. Wollaston Beach has been a winner, and with a recent influx of larger pogies, so has the Town River, Neponset River, and Dorchester Bay. Marina Bay has been good also, as has Squantum. With a bluefish presence now, anglers may want to pick up their trolling speed off Point Allerton, the Brewsters, Graves Light, and out to the B Buoy. The superb squid season continues with anglers capitalizing on catching and then live-lining them. Hull Gut, Pemberton Pier, Nut Island, and Castle Island have all been effectively fished this way. There have been some surface feeds by the airport as bass are pushing smaller bunker.
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett has the antidote for the cow-carnage/madness when the fleet finds the bass – find your own fish! For the extra friendly and very social angler out there, it hasn’t been hard to find new buddies in the Anchorage section. Pogies and bass remain in abundance, but it’s not everyone’s idea of fun. Along with Dan Herman, Pete deployed a tandem tube attack with both the Tuscano and red versions of his namesake tube just outside of the armada and had steady action and less anxiety. Deer Island, through Faun Bar, and out to the water tower are other alternatives for the tube-and-worm. The other option, which continues to work well, is live squid on a Vella Rig off piers throughout the harbor. The Black Falcon Cruise ship floats as well as the wharves throughout South Boston, Charlestown, Chelsea, and East Boston all have their fans.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Thanks to the banquet of bait, Salem Sound through Beverly continues to be hot for stripers, according to Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem. And with bluefish now part of the equation, the action has only gotten better. The formula has been a topwater/lure bite until eight, and then it’s great a bit deeper with mackerel. Those bite-sized pogies are still present but hard to snag due to their size, but if you can get a few, you’re pretty much golden. TJ from Three Lantern Marine said that anglers chunking and trolling off the backshore are beginning to pick up a few bluefish along with stripers. Mackerel move in and out of Gloucester Harbor, but when inside, they usually draw stripers, all of which are usually belied by blitzes. The great season for squid continues as anglers can be observed jigging them up at night off piers and wharves throughout Cape Ann. Those same squid are often then used as striper bait.
Martha from Surfland told me that anglers there are happy to have the commercial striped bass season behind them, along with the boat show that it attracted. Many of the craft were from away, which ironically is the exact thing I heard from anglers on the South Shore. With water temperatures at their peak, anglers have to be patient because of the reduced striped bass feeding window. Plum Island Sound has been a scene of frustration for some with feeding fish all around, yet nary a bite. That will change big time as the calendar flips to September, but right now, fish can be fussy. Sharpies who are doing best are flinging eels at night and mackerel for the first few hours of the morning. Joppa and Plum Island Sound are hit-or-miss with the best bite happening during the initial phases of the flood. The ocean front is more consistent, as are parking lots 1 and Sandy Point in the Parker River Wildlife Refuge. Soon, the other access points should be made available to the public. Mackerel continue to be in close off the beach, and when found, will usually have bass close by. One of the more interesting tidbits this week is the flounder fishing off the Plum Island ocean front. Far from simply an occasional bycatch while fishing for bass, anglers are actually targeting winter flounder and getting them! That doesn’t happen every August.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
As the expression goes, your perception is your reality, and with Massbay so hot, it’s impossible to pick a best bet. On the South Shore, sand eels and herring fry are fodder for fast-paced action in the North River, and I suspect not far from the Town River in Plymouth. Soft-shelled crustaceans seeking sanctuary among inshore ledges are easy prey for stripers. Pogy and mackerel schools in deeper water are attracting big bass, as well as a recent wrecking ball – bluefish! Greater Boston beaches such as Wollaston have an improved bite possibly due to the presence of blues. Pogy schools are still holding bass around the Anchorage but for those looking for a break from the bedlam, the tube-and-worm in tight to Deer Island and Faun Bar should pay off with fewer crowds nearby. Baby bunker from Salem through Beverly are holding bass and now bluefish. The Gloucester backshore is showing increased signs of life for chunkers as well as trollers. With water temperatures up, the cooler ocean front in the Plum Island area has been better than the Sound or the Merrimack River. The big surprise just might be flounder off the ocean front, which is highly unusual for August!