Massachusetts Fishing Report- September 18, 2025

If you have no realistic chance of catching one, there’s nothing funny about “funny fish”! The tiny tuna troupe – bonito and false albacore – when on the feed, cause even the most conscientious of us to become distracted, robo-casters who aren’t good at much else. The problem, of course, is that the pursuit of these pint-sized pelagics generally takes place in more southerly areas, thereby eliminating most of the Bay State from the frenzy. Every once in a while, however, anglers in other parts get a crack at them, and according to at least one North Shore shop owner, that time is now!

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

The prospects have to be promising for anglers to leave a harbor full of willing stripers, but on a few fronts, that’s just what’s happening. While a bit torn, Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters out of Scituate has been steering clear of an easy pick of bass and instead opting for a cooler replete with cod and their cousins. He and his crew are finding plenty of cod, haddock, cusk, and ling between the middle bank of Stellwagen through Stone Ledge. Cod can be caught among rocky bottom in water less than 100’, while a more gravelly substrate and deeper stuff – 185-230’ – is more likely to hold the haddock. More good news is that the ratio of size is good, with very few shorts in the mix. When checked, the haddock are stuffed with shrimp, which makes pink cod flies and soft plastics effective.

The mackerel grab is not as easy as it was with only small pockets of the striper candy in close, while most of the schools are 3-5 miles out. Scituate Harbor is loaded with linesiders of all sizes, with the bulk of the bass hovering around slot size. The trend has been that the fish congregate near channels at low tide, while they are more inclined to spread out during higher stages of the tide. Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate echoed the previous report with tube-and-wormers doing well in Scituate Harbor as well as in Green Harbor and the Three Bays. Anglers trolling plugs are catching as well. Inshore macks have done a disappearing act as most are having to steam six miles out to make it worth their while. Many are craving cod with reports putting big brown bombers in 60’ of water just east of the North River. The South East edge of Stone Ledge has been fruitful as well. Bluefish reports are far and few between.

Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters is another one of those enjoying the blessings of being able to power right on by obvious bass blitzes and not feel compelled to take a single cast. Bonito, as well as a few false albacore, continue to tear up inshore bait balls, making for fast-moving feeds. What separates the skipper from the chasers is his feel for tidal trends, which often dictate the movement of prey and predator. It’s eminently more satisfying to stay put and then watch the birds, bone, and bait collision come right within casting range. The conundrum is that often just below the bedlam, blackfish are biting well. The remedy that the captain employs is to target the tog while having bonito capable outfits at the ready for swim-by speedsters.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that pogy schools in the Fore River are holding solid stripers, which have been taking at least one kayaker on many a sleigh ride. Peanut bunker schools have been the source of surface feeds off Nantasket Beach and Wollaston Beach. Those trolling the tube-and-worm by the Weir River and around Bumpkin, Slate, and Grape Islands have been scoring slots and larger. With an early rise and a bit of searching, mackerel can be found off Harding’s Ledge, Three-and-a-Half Fathom Ledge, and by Graves Light. As to a best bet where to deploy those mackerel, Sunken Ledge, JackKnife Ledge, and Veazie Rocks are a few of the shop’s best bets. For the groundfish dynamic duo, try Middlebank or the Dumping Ground. As we are on the doorstep of fall, increasingly, anglers are turning to smelt with the hope that this year builds upon last season, which was the best in years.

Red rock cod have been pounding pelican green teasers sweetened with a bit of clam in tight to Graves Light, according to Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett. Cooperative corker-sized cunner have been adding color to the coolers. Anglers have been observed tossing orange Santini tubes right from the Deer Island Pier and catching honker bluefish! Tuscano and red tubes have been the key to catching stripers off Moon Island, Squantum, and the remnants of the old Long Island Bridge. Herring fry moving out of the Mystic and Charles Rivers are igniting surface feeds. Flipp Rock has mackerel with anglers trolling near Bailey’s Hill catching well. Bobby Santini has been eschewing the salt and finding Long Pond trout productive while trolling streamers, Rapalas, and Thomas Buoyants. Haddock have been hitting well at the edges of the Stellwagen Bank shipping lanes.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Now for the good stuff! Shortly after returning from Westport after picking up some tuna weaponry at Zach’s Custom Rods, Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle alerted me that Salem Sound was going off. The buffet of bait, which has been present in that area nearly the entire season, once again was the fuel for feeds, but this time the protagonists were bonito as well as bass! While Tomo had nothing but pint-size versions for his efforts, other anglers faired better with one captain reporting a 7-pounder! Pogies are present in the harbor as well, with anglers who crave a cow sticking to live-lining them between Naugus and Fluen Point as well as near the Power Plant. There has been some hit-or-miss striper action off Nahant Bay, with mackerel getting it done. Haddock and cod can be caught closer to shore now than in the peak of the summer, with some getting them within 9 miles of the shoreline with clams. Anglers working metal lips and spooks off the crags of Cape Ann are picking off some of the better bass in the area. Hickory shad and schoolies have been putting on quite the surface show right behind the shop at Derby Wharf.

TJ fromThree Lantern Marine told me anglers are not having to go far to find 40” stripers with some having success trolling X Raps and live mackerel right off Dragon Rock. Shore anglers are also having luck with chunk sea herring and mackerel off Stage Fort Park. Swarms of sea herring have moved inshore, as evidenced by the volume of them mixed in with mackerel deliveries from local bait boats. Not surprisingly, along with the bait, bluefin tuna have moved in close as well. Tuna gorging on sea herring are especially prized for their fat content and value on the overseas market, so this is attracting a lot of attention. Squid jigs are still selling briskly with most fishers finding the squid off numerous piers dotting the harbor, even the one behind the shop. Cooler weather and other natural stimuli are pulling Plum Island stripers into the sound as well as upstream of the mouth of the Merrimack River. Random feeds from the surf are rewarding anglers who keep on the move along the ocean front. Now is the time for traditional, far-reaching search baits such as pencil poppers and casting spoons such as Kastmasters and Charlie Graves Tin Squids.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For those who feel that September should be all about the blitz, Westport, the Three Bays, and Scituate Harbor should be top picks on the South Coast and South Shore. Farther north, Nantasket Beach and Wollaston Beach have been featuring feeds with pogy schools near the Fore River holding bigger bass. Random schools of blues bludgeoning Boston bunker have occasionally come close enough to the Deer Island Pier to be picked off by tube tossers. Groundfishing is a solid option with a haddock and cod mix between the Middlebank and Stone Ledge, while Graves Light is giving up cod and cunner for the small boater. Salem, this time of the year is known for its curiosities, but bonito? Mixed in with the hardtails in Salem Sound are stripers, which makes this spot a pick of the week. Anglers tossing topwaters and chunking off the Cape Ann crags are catching, as are boaters trolling mackerel and plugs from Stage Fort Park to Dragon Rock. For a cool change, consider Chu lakers and Long Pond browns and rainbows, both of which are feeding more frequently now that fall is upon us.