There are differences of opinion among our fishing fraternity of the most benevolent kind. South Shore striper sharpies are convinced they have it best, while their counterparts in Boston are sure that the Harbor is hottest. The North Shore had been on fire but with fish in flux that has cooled down – subject to the next change of the tide, of course!
South Shore and South Coast
If I were paranoid, I would have sworn that the black sea bass were stocking us. While targeting tog earlier in the week, black sea bass were engulfing my crab/jig combo and later, miles away while casting epoxy jigs for bonito in a full-blown Buzzards Bay blitz, they were porpoising out of the water like bluefish or stripers. Suffice to say, limits of black sea bass aboard Little Sister Charters were not difficult to achieve!
When not being beaten to the punch, there were enough tautog in the mix to add real sizzle to the cooler full of keeper knotheads. By right, there should have been another tog added to the mix, but just as I was having my way with a good one, some unforeseen shark decided to have it for brunch. Captain Jason Colby is certainly the master of putting a trip together full of intrigue and drama. He did manage to make it out to Rhode Island Sound one day, where he found mahi mahi, silver hake, red hake, and black sea bass.
Inside and outside the Westport River and out towards Gooseberry Point, there is a lot of activity at any given moment: bluefish, stripers, bonito, and even especially aggressive black sea bass all teeing off on sand eels and the plethora of other types of prey.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters briefly thought that his sonar must be on the fritz: there just seemed to be too many marks on the screen. It took but one drop of a butterfly jig off Race Point to prove that the marks were all real and that they belonged to stripers and bluefish. Closer to home, the captain is finding 25” of water off Scituate is the striper sweet spot regardless of the stage of the tide. Mackerel have moved – or, more accurately, been pushed – into Scituate Harbor. Bluefish have finally become a factor with X-Raps and mackerel catching them in 35’ of water. Pete from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that it is shades of late last August out there as Egypt Beach is loaded with striped bass. Just maybe best of all is that the bass are big and not the least bit fussy, with all manner of baits and lures working.
Football tuna, in the 40” range, have made a showing within three miles of the coastline. The small bluefin can be found pummeling the same pogy schools which are attracting the striped bass and bluefish.
Greater Boston
“Anything and everything” was the quote from Pete Santini when discussing what Boston bass are hitting. Evidently, the first wave of river herring fry have moved out from the Charles and Mystic Rivers, and big schools of aggressive striped bass have found them. Areas that are routinely going off are the Anchorage, Castle Island, and Spectacle Island, with the latter from “rock to dock”! In spite of small forage – 3” – the bass are frenzied and not fussy. Weighted Santini tubes, Mojo Rigs, and 9er Rigs are accounting for 35-45” stripers along President Roads. Anglers drifting eels or working metal lips under anchor at night in Deer Island Rip are catching some of the larger bass in Boston. Pogy schools and herring fry are holding stripers from the Coast Guard station through the Alford Street Bridge. Anglers fishing off the bridge have been able to snag pogies; however, to hedge your bets, pack mackerel as a backup plan. As has been the case throughout much of Massbay mackerel have moved in closer, with some as close as Flipp Rock. Urban sportsmen continue to pick off squid and stripers at night from Charlestown and East Boston parks, with Vella Rigs tipped with seaworms proving effective.
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing continues to steer clear of the fleet yet still finds big bass offshore around pogy schools. The NC Buoy, BG Buoy, and B Buoy are all areas worth a look. The fish are taking down topwater plugs as well as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish and Whip-it-Eels. Brian never ventures out, however, without a livewell full of mackerel. Tuna and porbeagle sharks have also been part of the agenda.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy is already fielding calls for grass shrimp, which means only one thing – smelt! For obvious reasons, smelt get short shrift this time of the year, but they do get active about now, especially off the Summer Street Bridge in South Boston. As for striper fishing, it is pretty much as good as it gets, with Wollaston Beach especially hot. Pogy schools in Quincy Bay have bass in tow, with the Fore River/Town River area noteworthy. Keep your sabiiki rig at the ready most anywhere along Nanataket Roads, as mackerel have moved inshore and are even being taken from Pemberton Pier and Nut Island. Mackerel are still hanging in there off the ledges of Hull, and those loading up and heading to the Harbor Humps are finding a deep-water bass-on-bunker bite.
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North Shore
Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that Salem Sound had been red hot up until this past weekend but then cooled down considerably. Most of the shop’s regulars have been switching gears and heading either into Boston or Cape Ann. With so much inshore bait as well as the migrational clock starting to tick, striped bass will remain on the move the rest of the season, making finding them a game of happenstance as much as anything else.
Squid fishing remains skewed towards short fin as opposed to the more typical long fin variety most are accustomed to in these parts. This has resulted in a less dependable pier bite, with boaters able to search them out doing better. Fortunately, inshore macks have been more reliable with Beverly Pier and Salem Willows two of the better bets.
Garrett from Three Lantern Marine echoed what I’ve been hearing across the board, as mackerel have moved into Gloucester Harbor with actual schoolie stripers – 20-30” – on the feed. The backshore has been good for big bass, as have the mouths of the Annisquam and Essex Rivers, ‘with adjacent beaches fishing well also. Groundfishing is picking up off Tillies Ledge and Jeffrey’s Ledge. Cod of 23” and up have proved cooperative, which bodes well for the limited open season which runs from September 1st through October 31st.
Jake from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury said that anglers doing the best in the flats and the sound are timing their trips to coincide with the incoming tide. The ocean front is giving up a few fish as has the shore of the refuge. Mackerel have been found among the more reliable spots such as Emerson Rocks, Breaking Rocks, Hampton Shoal Ledge, and Speckled Apron. Trolling macks as well as Mojo Rigs and plugs in 35’ of water has proven productive for bass and even a few random bluefish.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
The first leg of the “fall run” is upon us, and with that there is no such thing as resident striped bass. They are roaming beasts now, with their whereabouts subject to change at any given tide. The good news is that when found, the bass are not fussy. Egypt Beach has been looking like a cow clip from last year with a mass of striped bass in close. For those who prefer casting to footballs as opposed to watching it from the couch, pogy schools within a few miles of the Scituate coastline are serving up the unique opportunity to catch these small bluefin on striped bass-suited spinning gear. Catching a 50-pound tuna on a topwater is a feat not quickly forgotten. South Coast casters continue to be blessed with a dizzying array of species, with even mahi mahi and weakfish options. The tog bite off of Westport is getting especially interesting, and when combined with willing black sea bass make for a special trip.
Boston bunker have brought on an impressive bass bite, with Wollaston Beach hot, as are Spectacle Island and the Anchorage. Macks have moved in as close as Flipp Rock. For those looking for a little less company, the Harbor Humps still have game – just watch out for the pogy schools. Salem Sound had been sizzling, and with fish in such a state of flux, spots such as Satan’s Rock and Naugus Head could be hot once again. Schoolies chasing mackerel in Gloucester Harbor are an interesting development, while for Cape Ann cows, the backshore as well as river mouths are a best bet.