Maybe the credit goes to “Charlie” or the time of the year or both – but regardless of the reason, bass and bunker blitzes are closer than they have been all season! Tuna have been raging among bunker schools throughout Massbay and it only stands to reason that when those powerful pelagics move in, the bait and bass move in even further. For those envious of the panoply of non-seven striped species in play along the South Coast, finally the rest of the Bay State has a pushback species – cod!
South Shore and South Coast
The hard truth is that while we are still in the peak of the striped bass season, waves of them will be departing in only a few weeks. The optimistic among you may start thinking “what’s next?” Tautog are one of those species which will take up the slack along the South Coast. Last week aboard Little Sister Charters, a few crewmates and I got a hint of what’s to come. In 80’ of water we found a ton of tog among a wreck just beyond Gooseberry Point. The hits were instantaneous as the halved crabs were immediately set upon by tautog, making it a foregone conclusion that we would achieve limits.
That’s not to suggest hooking them is easy; I was familiarizing myself with a new rod and reel, and it took some doing to get into a groove. Prior to finally landing a few, the tog around me were getting well fed, and I was frustrated. It takes a deft touch to have your way with tog, especially with the jig, which I exclusively employ, but it’s so satisfying when you have it figured out. The mistake neophyte anglers make is to set the hook at the first sign of life. While there are times when a big enough white chin will absolutely inhale the bait, usually they crunch it up before the coup de grâce takedown. It’s best to remain composed, ride out the nibbles, and wait for the rod-thumping “chomp” before setting the hook.
The learning curve is substantially shorter while aboard the Little Sister since Captain Jason is a master of the method and equally at ease educating those new to tautog fishing.
When asked where anglers may be able to catch that first keeper cod (23”) of the season, Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters, without hesitation, said “everywhere”; while that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it is an indication of how many cod are swarming throughout Massbay. As close as the Tar Pouch, some impressive rock cod can be found feeding on squid, crabs, mollusks, and harbor pollock. For a shot at a cleaner white-belly, the rocky sections of Stone Ledge are loaded with cod. To complete a beautiful cooler, consider haddock, which are more apt to be groveling among muddier sections at Stone Ledge and maybe the Southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. Captain Mark is finding that shrimp are the top bait, with clams a distant second.
Stripers are pushing bait in close now, making beaches hot. Macks, which are as easy to catch as they have been all year, remain the silver bullet to catching stripers consistently, and a full livewell can be obtained even before clearing South Shore harbors. Anglers have been observed catching mackerel right off the Cedar Point jetty and then live lining them for stripers. Twenty-five feet of water remains the sweet spot for striped bass, while thirty-five feet is a better bet to troll up a random bluefish.
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate chimed in and said that some inshore areas such as Damon’s Point have really gone off. Beaches such as Humarock, Egypt and Peggotty have also been the scene of feeds, but for the most part they are short-lived with late risers missing out. Interestingly, folks looking for mackerel have been catching small bonito! As for those looking for a quick keeper cod, Pete’s pick is to target rocks and wrecks with the 21 Can, Davis Ledge and Flatt Ledge solid options.
Greater Boston
According to Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett, the Anchorage through Deer Island area cooled down once Charlie came to town. Monster bluefin sniffed out the bait and put on quite the show as they pummeled the pogies and, in some cases, nearly went airborne. Boston bass are still present; they have just moved elsewhere, although there are some signs they have reassembled at the Anchorage. Captain Jimmy Brennan has been doing especially well with his hand-crafted Mystic Mojo rigs off Peddock Island as well as Gallup’s Island with some of the fish pushing 45”. Herring fry continue to tumble out of the Charles and Mystic Rivers, igniting early morning blitzes. Spooks as well as all manner of paddletials are working well, as is the venerable Santini tube-and-worm. The night eel bite off the rips and bars off Deer Island continues to cull out cows with metal lips working well also.
Vella Rigs, tipped with seaworms or squid, fished from piers, wharves and parks throughout the Charlestown and East Boston areas are accounting for slot and up stripers. The under-appreciated cunner, which grows to nearly tog size by the Brewsters, Martin’s Ledge and Ultonia Ledge, will take all manner of baits and is a treat on the dinner table. As for cod, anglers should begin their search by Graves Light and keep searching among live bottom all the way out to the “banana hump” over by the B Buoy. Keeper cod, as well as possibly haddock and cusk, may all be in play there.
Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters is seeing baby herring and interested stripers right off the docks by his port in the Charlestown Marina. That’s also a spot which should be giving up a few smelt soon. More often than not, the skipper’s pointing his ride towards Wollaston Beach where there seems to be an inexhaustible school of pogies and bass. As usual, white Mojo Rigs are working well for the crew, with the ratio of striped bass to slots for every ten larger fish. West Gut has also been good, as has the area between Quarantine Rocks and Long Island and Moonhead Island.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me anglers continue to catch well from the shore of Wollaston Beach. Tiny snapper blues continue to terrorize small baitfish in tight to the Wollaston Marinas. The nearby Hummocks and Squantum area are also producing fish. Unfortunately, Fore River pogy schools have caught the eye of the seiners, but in spite of the pounding, there appears to be plenty of pogies that have survived the onslaught. Not surprisingly, where anglers find the forage, they are going to find the stripers.
The tube-and-worm remains one of the better bass bets with the Town River, Slate Island, Grape Island and Bumkin Island all giving up fish. Piers throughout Quincy Bay/Hull/Hingham are holding squid and mackerel, with smelt reports increasing seemingly by the tide. As to where to find a few cod, Lisa is cajoling customers into trying Harding’s Ledge, Ultonia Ledge, Martins Ledge, as well as Thieves Ledge.
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing has been mixing it up with deep water/open water stripers as well as haddock. The bass can’t pass on a mack snack with the PR Can on the outgoing tide, the NC Buoy, the BG Buoy, and most any of the outer Harbor Humps as options. With the volume of jigging for mackerel that the skipper does, there’s little wonder that he would have encountered haddock as bycatch while targeting striped bass. Beginning at the B Buoy and searching northeast might be a good plan to consider. Next up on the agenda for Captain Coombs is Vineyard Sound for tiny tuna, and after that, tog will be the target.
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North Shore
Much of the offshore trauma caused by tuna beating up bait and bass schools has been taking place on the North Shore, which might indicate why inshore areas have suddenly taken off. Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem was the first to tip me off to impressive fishing in Marblehead and Salem Harbors in tight to mooring fields where bunker and bass were present. This is combat fishing where fish are hooked in close proximity to imminent disaster if they are given any quarter. Should you have a meat stick and tuna-grade spinning gear at the ready, then bring it and be sure to lock down the drag! There has also been a bass bite at the gateway to Salem Harbor as well as the Danvers River from the mouth to the Kernwood Bridge. Trollers deploying X Raps and Nomad DTXs are occasionally encountering bluefish. As to where to catch that keeper cod, beginning your search just beyond Tinker Island off Marblehead is not a bad idea, but should nothing materialize, search them out off Saturday Night Ledge. Further north is probably a better option, with Magnolia out through the Groaner producing a steady pick of cod as anglers search for mackerel.
Garrett from Three Lantern Marine was fresh from an epic blitz when we spoke on Wednesday. Deep into Gloucester Harbor from Ten Pound Island through Smith Cove reportedly was fantastic, as bass had pogies herded in tight to structure. The bite was widespread as the fish hit all manner of baits and lures, with Garrett doing very well with large bone Jigging World spooks. There has also been action up again the inside arm of the Dogbar Breakwater. As for cod, begin your search at the Groaner and work your way out. A 24-pound cod was recently taken on clam a mile beyond Folly Cove in Rockport. For more of a potential mixed bag with pollock, redfish, cusk and haddock, all possibilities check out Tillies or Jeffrey’s Ledge. On the way out, odds are your resolve will sorely be tested, as busting bluefin have been a common occurrence.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury said that the wait is on for the Merrimack Flats to pick up as it usually does this time of the year. As is the case with other prolific herring runs, river herring fry – as well as shad fry – move out from upstream areas in huge numbers and make for easy prey for striped bass. The herring are there, and it’s only a matter of time before the bass take notice. Meanwhile, anglers trolling the tube-and-the worm in Plum Island Sound are faring much better with mixed sizes of striped bass. Now that the Parker River Wildlife Reservation is completely open to the public, many are spiking their rods in the sand and catching stripers on all manner of baits, with worms, clams, and chunk all having their fans. The feeds along the mouth of the Essex River through Crane’s Beach, composed of stripers pushing sand eels, continue. Because those blitzes feature such small bait, fly fishers – who inherently are masters of the finesse presentation – are apt to do very well in these feeds.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
One of the hallmarks of the fall run – which has begun – is striped bass cruising in close enough to be enjoyed by the small boat owner, kayaker and surf fisher alike. Well – welcome to the fall run. South Shore beaches have been the scene of that defining fall fishing event which distinguishes now from the rest of the season – the blitz! Roaming schools of pogies and bass have been bringing it from the Three Bays to beaches such as Egypt and Peggotty. Cod continue to be found as close as the Tar Pouch, with the eastern edge of Stone Ledge, Flatt Ledge, and David Ledge more reliable and with the added bonus of additional types of groundfish. Some of the hottest Harbor hits have been Wollaston Beach, the Anchorage and Deer Island. However, with bait and bass in a state of flux, a pair of binoculars and a full tank of gas will surely help in the hunt. For cod closer to the Hub, the ledges off Hull should hold fish, as should the banana hump by the B Buoy.