Striped bass seem to be in a search-and-destroy mode as they cruise from bait school to bait school, and when found, are often not finicky. Anglers who are of a similar mindset and are not reluctant to keep on the move are having the most success. The South Coast continues to serve up a Buzzards Bay bouillabaisse which could be considered the envy of the Bay State.
South Shore and South Coast
In addition to the alphabet soup of species available along the South Coast, the most consistent striped bass bite might be taking place there as well. It almost seems unfair! When the crew aboard Little Sister Charters tops off the tog tank and gets their fill of black sea bass, Captain Colby often tosses striped bass their way as the cherry on a multi-species sundae. Should you launch in the Westport River, you may find it hard to leave as bass-pushing-bait blitzes are not uncommon. Resident black sea bass are being joined by tautog among close-to-shore wrecks and rocks, the ratio of which will shift more towards white chins as water temperatures drop. While they cannot be kept South and West of Cape Cod, cod will soon become a factor as October looms.
While it may seem daunting as to what to pack, a jig/crab combination fished from a stout spinning rod will catch both tautog and black sea bass. Of course, with the volume of blitzes in play, it’d be a sin not to take something to cast with. Because most of the bait is on the small side, epoxy jigs and small swimmers usually work well. The time before my recent trip aboard the Little Sister, a diving osprey tipped us off to a sizable pogy school. Odds were good that the biggest bass in the area were shadowing that big purplish ball of bait. A glide bait or big spook such as a Doc or RM Smith Jackhammer could be of interest to a cow on the chew.
My friend Bill Hurley, whose namesake jighead/soft plastics are proven fish-catchers, told me that slots and larger stripers are chasing squid in the South River. Bill’s white and pink 5” jerk baits have been getting it done there. According to Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, the same can be said for the Spit at the mouth of the North River, as there is a solid striper bite as they feed on herring fry, sand eels, and squid. Peanut bunker have finally arrived along the South Shore, and striped bass have taken notice! Random blitzes are popping up, with Peggotty Beach one of the recent hot spots. There have also been reports of stripers pounding peanuts by Daugherty’s Cove.
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters said that spinning-gear-friendly tuna – 50” range – are crushing bait between the SW Corner of Stellwagen and the SE Corner. RonZs have been working well on these little drag-pullers, as have trolling squid bars. Contrary to angling anecdotes in much of Massbay, bluefish are not extinct, as they can be trolled up in about 35’ of water with live macks and trolling plugs catching them up. Macks seem to be divided between harbors and offshore banks with a sizable gulf in between. Cod can most consistently be caught on hard bottom ledges between Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen. Anglers making the haul to Wildcat Knoll are finding a mixed bag of groundfish to complement their cod for the cooler.
Greater Boston
For some odd and wonderful reason, the tube-and-worm seems to be the rage in the Harbor. Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle told me that she outfitted a new angler with rod, reel, tube, and a few dozen sea worms and he came back ecstatic that he caught a 32” and 37” striper right in Hull Bay. She also reported that the area around Spinnaker Island had been boiling over with striped bass! Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy had a similar tale to tell when we talked; in this case, red Santini tubes were killing it by the Weir River, Veazie Rocks, and Seal Rock. A few shore anglers are catching well just to the side of Nut Island as well as off Perry Beach and Wollaston Beach. Bite-size bunker have been joined by their even smaller peanut-sized kin, setting off occasional blitzes throughout Quincy Bay. Some are catching that coveted keeper cod with clams along the western edge of the outer harbor islands. Tewksbury Rocks has especially been productive. Cries for the shop to carry grass shrimp are beginning to reach a crescendo as more anglers target smelt. Of the likely spots for smelt, Lisa recommends the Summer Street Bridge, with Hewitt’s Cove and Marina Bay coming into their own later in the fall.
According to Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett, Captain Gino and Doctor Ault have had good luck with all manner of offerings throughout President Roads. The first wares they are deploying are red, and Toscano Santini tubes trolled behind lead core line. Additionally, those guys have topwater plugs at the ready for when the fish push bait towards the surface. Mackerel, as usual, is also working well with Flipp Rock and Nahant’s 2 Can a few of the more reliable spots to find the bait. Cunner that rival small tog in size as well as keeper black sea bass (16” minimum) have been taken among the outer harbor, with the Brewsters, Calf Islands and Point Allerton all possibilities.
For a fresh perspective, increasingly, sweetwater is becoming an option. Recent reports have been pointing to a few trout from Silver Lake and a whole lot more from Long Pond in Plymouth. Bobby Santini has been doing especially well there on Pins Minnows, various Rapalas, streamers, and DB Smelts.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
North Shore
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle is one of the few shop owners who serves up a first-hand report fresh from his neighborhood no less. He’s finding a steady pick of stripers to 40”, but the feed is in a state of flux as to what’s working best. One day they are dialed into Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish while the next the Albie Snax XLs are killing them. As befits this time of the year, the striper schools have turned on the jets and are moving quickly, but when found, are stacked like cordwood. Some anglers are doing well catching squid and donating them to the striper cause off the piers of Fisherman’s Beach, Salem Willows, and Beverly Pier. As to that cod you’re all craving, Tomo’s tip is that you’re probably better served skipping out on the inshore hunt and just pointing your bow to Jeffrey’s Ledge or Tillies Ledge. Your odds are better that you’ll catch that brown bomber as well as a few cusk and maybe a haddock or pollock to add variety to the day. My buddy Captain Tom Ciula of T Sea Charters did just that in the midst of calm seas and put his three-man crew all onto keeper cod, with clams getting it done.
Garrett from Three Lantern Marine said that Cape Ann harbors are still holding pogies and quality stripers in among marina mooring minefields. Eels are working well night and day as are live mackerel and mackerel chunks. Anglers able to thread the needle and work a tube-and-worm among the tethered boats and mooring ropes are also catching well. Macks and harbor pollock are ripe for the jigging inside Gloucester Harbor. The stellar squid season continues with anglers catching them off more docks, marinas, and breakwaters that can be listed. Tuna talk has been centered around an influx of smaller tuna which can be dispatched with heavy bass gear provided that the reel’s drag is up to the trauma.
Nick from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury said that most of the bass buzz is centered around either anglers toeing the surf at the ocean front and casting as they go or tube-and-wormers catching fish throughout Plum Island Sound. Anglers keeping on the move are catching a mixed bag of stripers, shad, and mackerel. Most agree that Joppa should be jumping with fish, but it remains slow – subject to everything changing the next tide, of course. A few are doing well trolling plugs among marked fish along Ipswich Bay. Sand spikers/beach chillers along the Parker River Wildlife Refuge are enjoying the experience so much that for them having fun while getting a skunking seems to not be mutually exclusive!
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
In spite of the dizzying variety of species on hand along the South Coast, you don’t have to lug a locker full of gear onto your boat. On Thursday I was part of the Little Sister crew and with a simple jig/crab combo my mates and I caught scup, puffer fish, trigger fish, black sea bass and of course – the mighty tautog! Had we had the time to target striped bass, we could have even caught them with the same tackle, although we would have been better served ripping SP Minnows or Bill Hurley Cape Cod Sand Eels over marked fish. Captain Jason has also found willing bluefish and bonito between the mouth of the Westport River and Gooseberry Point. South Shore striped bass are on the move and on the feed of Peggotty Beach as well as the South and North Rivers. Anglers have gone tube-and-worm crazy in the Harbor, with the Weir River, Veazie Rocks and President Roads all producing. Keeping casting gear at the ready is a best bet for taking advantage of intermittent blitzes.
Cod are chewing clams between the outer harbor islands on out to the B Buoy, with more or a mixed bag of groundfish awaiting those willing to make the haul out to Stellwagen, Tillies or Jeffrey’s Ledge. Mackerel remain an easy find from Broad Sound through Nahant. Squid continue to swarm North Shore piers and marinas, with opportunistic anglers taking advantage of the readily available bait by live-lining it for stripers on site. While the fishing is still good, patrons of Surfland seem almost as interested in catching the perfect sunrise as they are beaching bass.