While there are no shortage of striped bass throughout Massbay, you could almost set your GPS for the size striper your after. Considering the regulations for recs and comms, it smacks of irony how many bass fall neatly between 31” and 35”. Maybe Neptune has a sense of humor? Bluefish, tautog, tuna and sweetwater are adding a refreshing shot of diversity.

South Shore

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish’ mantra could be, “there’s no place like home”! During a time when big bait is lacking, finding 6” striper snacks at port is a huge advantage. South Shore and South Coast harbors are teeming with forage with everywhere from Westport to Green Harbor through Cohasset Harbor holding plenty of low 30-inch stripers along with the occasional tackle tester. Captain Rowell believes it’s baby bunker which are keeping the fish in place. With no big schools of pogies throughout the Bay State, the opportunistic bass continue to be found where there is reliable forage and that can be anything from krill to crabs to herring to mackerel and possibly even peanuts. A live mackerel by day or eel at night shouldn’t last long wherever you find the stripers. The south-of-the-Hub sweet spot for cows seems to be between the 21 Can and Minot Ledge. Commercials who have been needing a dolly to move their coolers have been observed trolling X-Raps back and forth between those two areas. As for Race Point, it is loaded with bluefish!  

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Regarding South Shore blues, according to Pete Belsan of Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate they are showing an uncharacteristically fussy side. In other parts of their domain blues are referred to as tailors, but around here “tail-er” might be more appropriate as they have been observed right on top tails sticking out and finning along the surface – all the while indifferent to angler’s offerings! When I’ve been in that situation, I’ve found that a bucktail/trailer combo ripped quickly through the water column will catch those fish. When asked what on earth is keeping the cows in check between Scituate and Hull, Pete replied “tinkers and lots of them!”. Bass are pushing those little mackerel to the surface with the “sprays” obvious and just begging for a topwater. Tautog are on a tear along the South Shore with numbers of fish even taken off the Cedar Point jetty! Ordinarily in the heat of the summer tog settle into deepwater ledges and wrecks but it must be the crabs which are keeping them inshore. 

Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters has been clamming up mixed sizes of stripers close to port in the Westport River.  Most of the fish hover right around the slot size but it’s not taking much work to find a fish for harvest. The river also has plenty of light tackle/spinning action for fluke which many find more fun than drifting heavy stuff over deep water. However to catch everything from consistent keepers to “we need a bigger net!” fluke, the skipper has select waypoints closer to Vineyard Sound.

Greater Boston 

A big bass buzz of huge proportions raged across much of the local striped bass world yesterday. From Harding’s Ledge through Minot Ledge, cows shoved mackerel to the surface which led to some epic feeds! What differentiated this from the weeks-long action in this area was the longevity of the bite which lasted for hours. Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing has had a bead on that fishing for quite a while and said that usually the action is intense but intermittent. When there are pogies present the bass will stay put, but the mackerel flee keeping the predators/prey on the move. However, every once in a while the stars are aligned and you have what happened yesterday and if we know anything about history, it usually repeats itself. Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy said that a small school of pogies has evaded the purse seiners and is hunkered down between the Town and Fore Rivers. Anglers live-lining those pogies are reporting plenty of action. One angler working baits at Wessagusset Beach is having his offerings sliced and diced – possibly the earmark of fluke. Bob Cox, the namesake and owner of the original Bob’s Bait Shack when it was on Crest Ave in Winthrop, used to tell me that when pogy boats mopped up menhaden off Wollaston Beach they’d scoop up fluke as well! Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said that inner harbor “fun fishing” is still on with first light blitzes a reality between Castle Island, the airport short pier and towards the beginning of the reserve channel. Just like the South Shore there will always be stripers groveling among Nixes Mate, the Triangle as well as the islands making all those areas prime for running a Santini tube-and-worm around the structure. Playing out two colors of leadcore line should work for most conditons while trolling the tube. The harbor is swarming with squid, making most every lit pier at night a potential spot for calamari cravers. The area’s shore-bound flatfish specialist – Antoine Scott – is working Greater Boston beaches and pulling out fluke from the surf. He’s bouncing 3/4 ounce bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp grubs and finding keeper fluke. Some are really good fish with an estimated 5 pounder slipping away at hand recently in Lynn Harbor. Two of Pete’s pals – Johnny Walker and Mike Murphy – hauled in a sailfish recently from Veatch Canyon.  

North Shore 

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is more than just a prominent tackle shop owner, he’s also an adept angler. During a couple of recent trips near Children’s Island he showed his prowess by plucking double digit numbers of 30- to 44-inch stripers out of there with mackerel!

He’s been finding mackerel just north of Halfway Rock. He’s also been bitten off a number of times; doubtless the hallmark of bluefish.

Squid are plentiful off area piers with Fisherman’s Beach in Swampscott, Marblehead Harbor, the Beverly Pier and several in Cape Ann all providing action.  The Gloucester area has been a beehive of activity thanks to the prominent bluefin tournament which took place during the week. Most anglers who did not participate in it just hunkered down and weathered the storm. Fortunately come Friday all should be good as the derby will be in the past. TJ from Three Lantern Marine told me that prior to all the activity, pogies were in Gloucester Harbor and there was even a few bluefish attacks on the bait! Mackerel are there for the offing once anglers clear the Dogbar Breakwater with that bait working well while worked under a balloon at the Salvages, Thatchers Island as well as trolled up by Gloucester’s Backshore. There are plenty of blues around with anglers trolling plugs throughout Ipswich Bay catching them. My buddy Mark “Doc” Feldman sent me a promising report from Eastman’s Fleet as he tallied 8 keeper haddock, several pollock and some quality cusk! The action was on Jeffrey’s Ledge. Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle said that post-downpour things have begun to settle down in the Plum Island area. The Flats are holding fish once again as is much of the Merrimack River. The same can be said for the ocean front especially by Sandy Point. A few anglers are still walking the beach and having a blast hooking shad. Some are dusting off their trout rods and giving those outfits a far better workout than an 11-inch stocked rainbow ever could! 

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Fishing Forecast  

In addition to a myriad of saltwater options, there’s always freshwater to consider. When I’ve fished Quabbin Reservoir I’ve always had the most luck at this time of the year when salmon prowl the edge of drop-offs herding white perch fry up against the depth breaks. The challenge at Wachusett Reservoir is less catching fish but more finding access due to the extraordinarily high water levels. It still can be done however, with big smallies and willing lakers the prize for your efforts.

Mackerel along the South Shore continue to keep in check some of the bigger bass in the Bay State. Pollock poking around ledge and wrecks are lunch for lurking linesiders. The Harbor holds a hot inside slot and bigger bite with herring attracting a lot of the attention. For something different, find a beach and bounce a bucktail off the bottom for fluke. Scads of squid among lit piers in the harbor are a tasty option. On the North Shore bluefish are walloping  trolled plugs and making short work of eels intended for striped bass. Providing we continue to have a break in the monsoons, the incoming tide should bring cooler water and a hot bite to the Merrimack River.