Massachusetts Fishing Report- June 4, 2026

The big hoax is over now that we’re catching stripers again! During the off-season, we kid ourselves into thinking that we’re content to partake of other fishy pursuits. One can almost fill in the blank with whatever the diversion is – fly fishing for trout, jerkbaits for Larry and Sally, ice fishing, ground-fishing, or whatever. Certainly, all that stuff is fun, but once hooked to that first striper of the year, we develop angling amnesia and forget all that came before. And the best part – during the waxing days of June – is that it’s only just begun.

South Shore and South Coast

However, some may differ with the striper or nothing mantra if they’re fishing aboard the Little Sister out of Westport. I was part of the Captain Colby crew on Wednesday, with the catch divided between fluke, black sea bass, tautog, and some particularly attractive and vocal sea robins. Unfortunately for me, I did not anticipate the tautog angle, so when I saw our friend Benjy “the crab hunter” handing off bushels of greenies and Asian crabs to the captain, my spindly 20-pound test fluke combo seemed inadequate. The proverbial knife to a gun fight adage came to mind. Unfortunately, my gut proved prescient as in the middle of manageable tog I hooked up to a beast which during a drag-peeling run broke me off. While it was heartbreaking, it sure was fun coming tight to my first scary fish of the season.

In addition to the grand slam we were fishing for, nearby stripers were pushing sand eels towards the surface, much to the delight of the resident terns. The South Coast is indeed something special when we can resist the tug of breaking bass yet still have a blast catching other species. Had we had time, no doubt the Northeast’s favorite salty fish would have been on the agenda with Captain Jason, more than capable of chumming to his boat most every striper in the area – next time for sure!

I heard from my friend Bill Hurley, who has been putting his namesake sand-eel-infused soft plastics to good use in the South River. The six-inch jighead/paddletail in his signature natural sand eel color has been especially productive.

According to Pete of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, South Shore stripers are hitting on all fronts. Boaters who thrive on trolling mackerel near inshore ledge from Minot through Hull are intercepting big migratory bass on the move. A few south shore spots to consider are Tobias Ledge and Enos Ledge. Shore casters are doing well off Egypt Beach.

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters said that jigging up mackerel has gotten easier with mixed sizes available among the bell buoys as soon as Scituate Harbor is breached. The North River remains reliable, with anglers advised to follow the tide to find the fish. The mouth of the river fishes best at low tide, with fish moving upstream on the flood.

Greater Boston

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy described the current state of striped bass fishing as phenomenal. Slots and larger seem to have been blown in with the most recent storm, and there are even pogies with prowling bass present in Marina Bay. Pogies have also been present at the mouth of the Mystic River, but with herring still available, live-lining a pogy does not guarantee a striper. Those going through the effort to cruise into that area with a livewell full of mackerel are finding fewer persnickety striped bass. Shore anglers are catching stripers off Point Allerton, Webb Park, Nut Island, and Hull Gut. Chunk mackerel have been among the most effective offerings.

Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters continues to work his mojo on stripers between his slip at the Constitution Marina and out through the area between Castle Island and the Hotel Sonesta. The Anchorage has also been hot. Captain Paul is sticking to what has worked for him for years, namely umbrella rigs and mojo rigs. The captain has the uncanny knack of putting his crew right in the middle of the bite, which comes from the familiarity of piloting the same boat for over 30 years.

Get Tight Sportfishing has been living up to its namesake as Captain Brian Coombs has been deploying one of his specialties – tapping into an open water big bass bite. The unique phenomenon of herring-harassing bass among the Boston Humps is something not to miss! Mackerel will certainly work, but for a pure rush, you have to get out the lures. During low light conditions, a big spook will elicit strikes, while during sun-up, a big soft plastic such as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish or a Bill Hurley Canal Hunter is a better choice. These deepwater feeding frenzies randomly move around between Graves Light, the BG Buoy, and the NC Buoy. Not all is big water or bust, as Captain Brian also informed me, he’s finding big fish in tight to the Winthrop shoreline.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that pogy schools between the Schraffts Building out through the Amelia Earhart Dam have not only attracted bass but a more ominous presence, as anglers are coming up with occasional shredded pogies and leaders. The bet is that this has been the handiwork of sand tiger sharks. Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman caught a 48” striper on a black Santini Tube in the harbor. Johnny is known to frequent Thompson Island, Spectacle Island, and Long Island. Anglers drifting mackerel through Hull Gut are catching slot and larger stripers. Mystic Mojo Rigs and Boston Massacre Umbrella Rigs are working well in the North and South Channels. Tautog are wrapping up their spawning cycle and are lurking among pilings, which are at the gateway of estuaries such as the Weymouth Back River, Neponset River, Mystic River, and Chelsea Creek. Should you catch an obviously gravid female full of eggs, consider releasing her as insurance for keeping this niche Boston fishery healthy.

North Shore

For those who are looking to consistently catch flounder, the “capes” are where it’s at. Cape Cod Bay notwithstanding, Cape Ann quite possibly has the healthiest population of winter flounder in Mass Bay. My buddy Captain Tom Ciulla and his daughter and T-Sea Charters first mate Sofia proved that point recently with a solid black back beach bite off of Wingaersheek. As thrilled as Tom was, Sofia was even more so after kicking off her summer break from marine biology studies at the University of New England with flounder for the cooler. In addition to winter flounder, I’ve heard of catches of honest-to-goodness yellowtail flounder as well, which are a very rare inshore species in the modern era. Diversity of marine life matters, and the Gloucester/Rockport area certainly seems to have it. Not surprisingly, Three Lantern Marine in Gloucester is moving a lot of seaworms for all those flounder.

The ledgy shoreline of Cape Ann has been giving up quality stripers with Slug-Gos working well, as are SP Minnows and City Boy glide baits. Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said Salem Sound has been going off for early risers with stripers pushing brit herring onto the surface. The sound of terns and gulls engaged in the action has been giving the action away. Later in the morning, Tomo’s been catching well with mackerel, which he bump-trolls around Juniper Point and Wood Island. The fly fishing fraternity is catching them with big Clousers in tight to structure. Misery Channel is holding mackerel with some shore anglers also scoring them of the Beverly Pier and Salem Willows Pier. Anglers looking for haddock are finding them east of the Dumping Grounds and only about 12 miles out.

The bouillabaisse of bait and big bass, which were jammed in tight to the Lawrence Dam, have been moving downstream of the Merrimack River in waves, and when anglers time it right can lead to epic fishing! The chain bridge area, the flats, as well as the mouth of the river have all been hot according to Liz from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury. For baiters, eels, the tube-and-worm, chunk mackerel, and clams are all working well. While the bite can be random, the outgoing tide seems to be the best time for fishing. Boaters are into mackerel by the Speckled Apron as well as Hampton Shoals Ledge. The best bet for deploying the macks is to drift along the Parker River and out to Sandy Point on an outgoing tide. Ocean front casters staying on the move have been catching as well, albeit at not quite the rate as the river fishers.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

June is living up to its billing as a month not to miss, with much of the Bay State serving up stellar bass fishing. Herring runs along the South Shore from the Town River in Plymouth through the South and North Rivers in Marshfield/Scituate will hold conveniently located bait and bass throughout the month. With mackerel a more reliable catch, trolling them up along ledges such as Minot Ledge, Harding’s Ledge, as well as Thieves Ledge, should put you right in the crosshairs of some of the biggest bass still migrating through the Bay State. If you can distance yourself from the seven-striped obsession, you’ll find black sea bass and blackfish among the inshore ledge outside of the Westport River. The Boston Humps are holding a deepwater bite as big bass hurl themselves towards sea herring. Inshore of the harbor, bass can be found binging on spent blueback herring, making World’s End, the mouth of the Weymouth South River, the area by the casino, and out through Castle Island prime places to encounter early riser surface feeds. The backshore of Gloucester, as well as other rocky swaths on the North Shore, is holding a solid nighttime striper bite. Striper fishing aside, the flounder fishing off Gloucester/Rockport beaches is an interesting alternative. Spent shad and blueback herring moving out along the Merrimack River are holding some real beasts, with the outgoing tide simply terrific.