The new moon certainly lived up to its billing as it brought along lunar luck in many forms. Striped bass are earning the sobriquet of “squid hounds” as scads of shortfin squid are keeping cows in check and sated. Those who have a feel for where the cephalopods are congregating are catching some very big bass. The South Coast continues to revel in an embarrassment of riches with a few more players now added to the mix.
South Shore and South Coast
“Your choice, what do you want to fish for?” asked Little Sister Charters‘ Captain Jason Colby to a crew I was a part of on Tuesday. The goal was a Vineyard Sound run for fluke, but the weather gods had other ideas as the seas were far sloppier than the predicted 5-10 NW winds would indicate. Option B was a move onto Rhode Island, which produced a slow pick of fluke but only one keeper (18” minimum), which prompted the captain’s question. Deferring the answer to deck mates Don and his son Hunter was easy because there was so much to pick from.
One option was black sea bass, but then there was that little old distraction of diving birds and busting fish to contend with. “Bass, blues, both?” I asked. The answer I wasn’t expecting was, “Maybe bonito, one of my guys lost one the other day while a nearby boat landed theirs!”
The query as to what to fish for had just gotten a whole lot harder aboard the Little Sister.
That all changed during the first drift not far from the Westport River when we began bailing fluke, after fluke – after fluke. They were aggressive to the point where the fluke were practically hurling themselves out of the water as they chased our baits to the surface. That kind of thing happens when there’s a high concentration of fish, which makes them super competitive.
There’s a lot going on right now in the South Coast, and with a bonito presence already, it’s only going to get better!
According to Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, the commercial cadre are finding fish in the Billingsgate area as those stripers gorge on sand eels and squid. A bigger mass of cow-category striped bass is hunkering down in federal waters, with harpooners spotting them. Could those breeders be aware of the relative sanctuary that lies beyond state waters? Closer to the coast, occasional surface feeds are springing up in the Three Bays, Egypt Beach, Minot Beach, and off the shoreline of Hull. It seems that everyone is talking up the squid invasion, which is unrivaled this year. The problem with those voracious critters is that they sometimes scatter mackerel once they move in.
Deepwater affords a better opportunity to load up on macks with anglers trolling the offshore ledges with Boston Massacre Umbrella Rigs and X-Raps catching quality stripers. Glide baits are doing the trick when bass occasionally blow up on sea herring/mackerel. Spear fishers are finding double-digit tautog among South Shore wrecks and rocks. Few anglers take advantage of the potentially terrific tog fishing this area affords. For consistent haddock, the bite is best farther north between Tillies Ledge and Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters found feeding stripers in 120’ of water off Plymouth, but all signs have pointed to them moving in off Hummock Beach in 30’ of water. The fish can be fussy as they focus on sliversides. The captain is prepared, however, as he’s topping the livewell with mackerel, including tinkers. The macks seem to associate with an omnipresent green slick that snakes along the surface water about 3 miles out. There are plenty of stripers in Scituate Harbor, with the channel holding fish at low tide, while they are less concentrated at high tide and a tougher find.
Greater Boston
Squid, pogies, and mackerel- oh my – with no shortage of bait in the harbor, the tough part can be finding striped bass that aren’t full of forage. During times like these, the old reliable tube-and-worm will always be a winner. Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that the shop is moving a lot of red Santini tubes as well as seaworms, with even the commercial contingent grabbing them. Peddock Island has been productive, as have Bumpkin, Grape, and Slate Islands. With fallback river herring continuing to tumble back into the sea, parks at the gateway of runs continue to be hot for shore/kayak anglers. One winner has been Webb Park, with some also doing well off Pope John Paul II Park at the mouth of the Neponsett River. Mackerel have been as close as Nut Island Pier, but a surge of short fin squid seems to have moved them off.
Elsewhere, mackerel of all sizes can be found from the ledges off Hull towards the outer harbor humps. Pogies are present from the Weymouth Fore River out to the Town River, in Marina Bay, as well as off Castle Island. While there was once a time when finding pogies meant that hooking a big bass was a sure thing, those days are gone. Anglers are better served looking for balled up bunker, which are tight to the surface and can often be spotted as a big blotch of purple.
Few have the tube particulars down pat quite like Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett, whose namesake striper-catcher set the standard years ago for tube-and-worm trollers. Pete said that Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman has had steady hookups with the red and Toscano versions of his tube while trolling with lead core line around Long Island, Gallups Island, Rainsford Island, and Peddock Island. Surface breaks have been intermittent in the middle of the harbor, with Boston Massacre umbrella rigs working well, as are Mojo Rigs. There has also been a deepwater bite from the BG Buoy out to Nahant. Mackerel are getting it done there and can be found between Graves Light and the B Buoy.
For a fresh alternative, give the Malden River a shot with a shiner under a bobber liable to come tight to nearly anything. In the midst of a red-hot white perch bite, one angler experienced something far more onerous as it stormed in, mouth agape, gulping down hapless tadpoles. The culprit was what looked to be a 3’ long channel cat! There really is nothing quite like a Greater Boston river.
North Shore
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle’s neighborhood has been the talk of much of Massbay as anglers have been enjoying occasional epic outings! What’s keeping the bass local is schools of 5 – 7” bunker! The swath between Great Haste Rock and Endicott College has been especially good with a solid topwater and trolling bite. Macks have been effective, as have natural bunker Nomad DTX 145 trollers. The North Shore is hardly immune to “squidnado” as anglers looking to jig up mackerel are coming up with a full rack of shortfin squid.
In the middle of an impressive striper feed, Tomo himself hooked, but lost, a gator bluefish, which is the first report of a Massbay blue I know of! For a shot at a massive bass, the bet is to troll mackerel or sea herring among deepwater haunts from Saturday Night Ledge to Halfway Rock through Nahant and out to the BG Buoy.
Garrett of Three Lantern Marine told me that stripers have been pushing mackerel up to the surface off Rockport in the Folly Cove area. Spotter planes have been reporting a large school of bigger bass two miles out from Rockport, and looking as if they are moving in. Mackerel are numerous just outside of Magnolia and the Groaner, but they are on the larger side. Winter flounder are waning, with Wingaersheek Beach one of the last strongholds before those blackbacks move on out to deeper water. Shore casters baiting with chunk mackerel and clams are catching a few fish off Coffin Beach.
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Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury said that previously persnickety striped bass were feeding with purpose now. At issue was that the Merrimack River stripers were conditioned to key in on alewives and bluebacks and needed nothing else. Now that those runs are more stops than starts, the bass have had to adapt to a more varied diet, making them easier to dupe. Mackerel have moved into the area in much larger numbers, making this prime bait easier to obtain. During her morning walk along the beachfront, Martha spotted about 25 boats jammed at the mouth of the river – something is going on! The ocean front through lot 1 of the refuge has been fishing better, with one angler ecstatic that he clammed up a personal best 45” striper.
Freshwater
Gerry from Crack of Dawn Bait and Tackle in Phillipston shot me an impressive report of anglers killing it at the Quabbin Reservoir from the shore, as both Larry and Sally are feeding aggressively. Some are breaking out the bass master moves by deploying jigs, jerkbaits, and topwater lures and doing well. Others are opting for the shiner under a float throwback method and tallying 20-30 fish outings. Gate 31 has been especially productive, with ease of parking/access a real bonus. Carp in the Connecticut River are feeding aggressively, with all the standard carp baits working well.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
With reports from both the South Shore and the North Shore of schools of big striped bass looking as if they are poised to move in, the next week could be really special. With herring runs drying up, stripers near the runs are less finicky as easy meals are no longer a guarantee. Humarock Beach has been hot with live mackerel working for boaters, while shore anglers/kayakers should do well with eels or soft plastic stick baits from dusk to dawn. The South Coast continues to serve up a dizzying variety of species, with hungry fluke a standout. A recent appearance of bonito makes the Westport side of Buzzards Bay an embarrassment of riches. Pogies in the harbor are holding bass, with experienced anglers searching for the right school under duress doing best. Salem Sound continues to sizzle with a terrific topwater and trolling bite. The catching has been good off the Rockport area of Cape Ann, with Folly Cove featuring surface breaks as bass shove mackerel towards the surface. Things have also improved in the Plum Island area now, with less herring resulting in a more varied diet for stripers and better luck for those obsessing over them.