Rumor has it that there was a last-minute attempt by a groundswell of anglers to get another ballot question to the polls, but it didn’t quite make it. The goal was to elevate the tautog as the new official state fish, and fittingly it would have been question 10 because anyone who obsesses over these crab-chewers knows that 10 pounds is the mark of a trophy. Of course I’m joking, but the point is that fishers from Buzzards Bay through the north shore are over-the-moon over tautog.
Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report
Pete from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me the shop phone has been ringing from anglers enquiring whether the shop is carrying crabs, with the answer being: yes. While some are getting their tautog fix in Buzzards Bay, others are finding them around rocks and wrecks within a mile from shore all along the South Shore. Considering how their Greater Boston counterparts are doing, a shoreline consideration is to try most anywhere anglers can access piers and jetties. Of course, when seas are placid, a kayak maneuvering around The Gurnet, High Pine Ledge, Farnham Rock, Maryann Rocks and Manomet Point may find a few tog as well.
The crew aboard the Little Sister continues to put insane numbers of tautog into the boat, with some trips tallying 60 keepers! Forever the conservationist, who does his part to help sustain our fisheries, Captain Jason nudges his charters to consider releasing the females and only keeping males. So how does one know the difference? That’s easy: females tend to have a sloping head and barred coloration, while their male counterparts have more of a blunt head as well as a white chin. While there’s still a chance to catch a shallow crab-cruncher, odds are better now if you steam out farther and search out ‘live bottom” in 45’ or more. For the remainder of the fall, anglers can also expect random schools of cod to be crashing the tog party, and while they have to be released, there is no denying that they are fun.
From the fertile mind who brought us the Zobo Rig, Vella Rig, Cunner Killah, Chincoteague Rig, Pelican Green Teaser, and the Santini tube comes a timely new rig for Boston blackfish called the Warthog Tog Rig. While at its core, it appears to be just a double hook rig, the devil is in the details, with Pete perfecting the spacing, just the right size hook, and presentation to make a crab look as natural to the tog as possible. In addition to the piers/wharfs throughout the harbor, anglers are getting in on the tog craze off piers/rocks from Lynn, through Swampscott, and out to Gloucester! Big cunner have been a consolation prize for those looking for tautog. Smelt have moved into Greater Boston estuaries, with the Belle Isle Marsh giving up some fish. Successful anglers are augmenting Sabiki rigs with sliced-up supermarket shrimp rolled in corn meal, which is a traditional tip smelt can’t resist. While trout remain the top freshwater draw in Greater Boston, Pete mentioned the Rivergreen Park on the Malden River as a multi-species alternative. In addition to largemouth bass, crappie, white perch, and carp, the occasional holdover striped bass has been known to really stir things up.
The bluefin bite continues offshore at a breakneck pace while the American Classic out of Lynn has been pounding huge pollock.
Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle told me that a few straggler stripers are still keeping casters honest in the Neponset River and Weymouth Back River. The other salty option anglers are indulging in is mackerel off the Pemberton Pier, Nut Island Pier, and Castle Island Pier. Oddly, many of the same anglers who target smelt in those areas are instead focusing on the more aggressive, larger mackerel, which most likely are pushing the smaller fish away.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Rick from Jerry’s B&T in Milford told me that green Power Bait has been the key to cooperative rainbow trout in Pratt’s Pond. Camron Pond has been good for bass as well as some outsize pickerel, with shiners working best. Some of the shop regulars are also doing well at North Pond for warm water species. Wachusett water levels are up, and so is the fishing, with Gates 13 and 19 fishing well for smallies and lakers. Dave from Ben’s Tackle Shack in Leicester said that pike from 36”-41” have recently been caught from Lake Quinsigamond as well as Indian Lake and Flint Pond. The fish are generally shallow, with shiners, spinnerbaits, as well as inline spinners all accounting for fish. As for the shiners, dead have been more effective than live. At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, Dave mentioned a trick he employs while shallow water ice fishing with dead shiners. He’ll drop dead shiners through an auger hole, mark the area, and then come back and peer through the hole to see if you know who approved of the shiner offering. Should the shiner be among the missing, then the hardest part – finding the fish – has been solved, and he’ll then pepper the area with traps. Brown trout as well as rainbow trout are keeping anglers content at Comet Pond as well as South Pond. The area picks for black bass are Webster Lake and Big Alum Pond.
As much as I’m smitten by Wachusett Reservoir after hearing a killer Quabbin Report from Gerry of Crack of Dawn Bait in Phillipston, I’m reconsidering. While the boating season has ended, there is walk-in access through the launch areas off Gates 8, 31, and 43. With water levels down, there is plenty of access to fish, and anglers are having a ball. Lake trout can be seen cruising within casting distance, with no shortage of swirls just begging for a Little Cleo, Kastmaster or Krocodile. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are being taken with a slip float/shiner combo, most often being deployed. Other gates worth a shot are Gate 16, 22, and 35. The latter is one of the shorter walks to prime water, while 22 leads to Hop Brook, where salmon are known to frequent. The Swift River is not living up to its name, as the drought is limiting flow rate and concentrating trout in only a few pools, making conditions very crowded.
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According to Josh from the Fishing Shack in South Hadley, the Connecticut River smallmouth bass bite is on fire. White soft plastic jerk baits rigged weedless, such as the Keitech Shads, have been among the better baits so long as there is a 10-15 second pause between jerks. With a burgeoning shad population of over 400,000 counted at the Holyoke Dam, the best days for the river may still be ahead. The regular crowd can attest to how alive the river has become, as saltwater-worthy blitzes have become routine, with fins and feathers of all sorts joining in on the feeds. Walleye are also an option, with paddletails dragged slowly along the bottom accounting for fish. Owing to their nocturnal predatory habits, walleyes are best fished for under low-light conditions.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
From Buzzards Bay through Boston Harbor, tautog are on a tear and remain the most reliable saltwater option. Answering the call from their customers are shops all across the Bay State who are not only stocking crabs but are busily tying ready-to-go rigs. Smelt are starting to make inroads into Boston estuaries. Kayakers are catching Cape Ann cunner, which are nearly as big as their tautog cousins. Freshwater options are taking up the slack as the salt dries up, and with miles of accessible shoreline, Quabbin Reservoir is hard to top. Taking advantage of Massachusetts biggest freshwater body is the gift that keeps on giving as the season extends until the end of December. Pike remain on the prowl in Lake Quinsigamond as well as Indian Lake. For some, nothing rivals a river for variety, with the South Hadley stretch of the Connecticut River serving up smallmouth bass, walleye, panfish, and even holdover stripers.