Massachusetts Fishing Report – May 19, 2016

Striper scuttlebutt is now shifting from schoolies to 20-pound fish! Flounder fishing is no longer confined to Boston as there are reports of fish from Green Harbor through Newburyport. Increasingly, anglers are heeding the urge to head out to the haddock grounds as the haul has been that good.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Scotty from Green Harbor Bait And Tackle in Marshfield said that sharpies tossing Bill Hurley Mole Tails into current seams and depressions in the South River are catching much better bass up to 42 inches. Burkes Beach as well as the jetties of Green Harbor has been good for clam soakers with fish now nearing keeper size. The shop is now carrying “purplish” clams, from a new vendor, which some swear makes a difference in the catch rate. Clams and seaworms are what’s for dinner for flounder which have been biting two hours either way of high tide in the harbor and just outside. Mackerel are in close by Farnham Bell, High Pine Ledge and The Gurnet. An early rise and generous chum helps a lot with the catching. Some are thinking of re-naming the western edge of Stellwagen as “one drift alley”, since anglers are limiting out on haddock in just one sustained drift!

After talking to Pete from Belsans Bait in Scituate, the issue might be how to divvy all the options up during a 2-day weekend. For those of us who will always have a special place for cod, the news of 24-inch fish being taken in 30 feet of water just outside of the North River is euphoric! A short steam out to Stone Ledge is now producing a really good haddock bite as well. The news of 20-inch stripers has now been supplanted by 20-pounders in the North and South rivers. Some have been catching on Fin-S Fish, but most anything which has the coloration and moves of a river herring should catch them. Anglers are coming up from Connecticut to catch what for them is a bygone species, namely winter flounder. The blackbacks are not just restricted to Scituate Harbor either, as evidenced by catches coming from Cowan Rock and off Egypt Beach, and some of these flatties are fat 18” fish! If you’re looking to load up the livewell with the king of striper baits – mackerel – chum and poke around by current cushions just outside of the harbor you should find them.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle had to catch her breath when we spoke after just topping off her new 24-7 vending machine with bait and gear. The shop now has two that stock the gamut from gear to twin packs of a variety of baitfish as well as clams, squid and worms. Now there’s no excuse to run out of anything even if you’re searching after hours. You can put all that bait to good use by Avalon Estates in the Weir River where anglers are catching plenty of schoolies. Flounder have been feeding outside of Cohasset Harbor, Gunrock Beach and just inside of Hull Gut. Anglers looking for mackerel have been jigging up keeper cod (19” minimum) among humps and lumps by the B Buoy. Laurel is carrying an oversized swimmer, the Strike Zone BT180 that had certain premium rod representatives salivating when they saw it recently.

So far the only gripe from Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters is that despite the easy limits, there have been no “phonebook” flounder. That changed this week as the crew is now finding 18” fish in the mix. Nut Island, Hangman Island, Peddock Island, Rainsford Island as well as the “north” side of the harbor all have flounder.

According to Lisa from Fore River in Quincy, Webb Park has been a winner with fish up to 32” being taken on clams. Other surefire shore spots are Great Esker and Bare Cove Park. Bass “blow-ups” have been occurring by the West Gut and toward Long Island. It’s a cool thing to be chasing birds and busting bass in mid-May! Anglers casting soft plastic shads are catching schoolies at World’s End. Boston’s angling version of the Energizer Bunnies – Dave Panarello and Carl Vining – scratched up a few mackerel by the BG Buoy but could not find willing stripers! If you load up on macks give Revere Beach a shot, some shore sharpies have been catching mid-30-inch fish on plugs at first light there.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomos Tackle in Salem told me of tautog which were “bycaught” off the Beverly Pier by flounder fishermen. Another place to target tog is at the Kernwood Bridge. Any tog you catch this time of the year are breeding; when I catch now, I have fun and release them to make other tog – food for thought! The “intended” species has also been caught as has squid from both here and Salem Willows. Lynch Park could bring you luck for linesiders, especially if you’re working worms or clams. Other striper spots are Obear Park and by the Lead Mills. Huge “horse” mackerel have been jigged up off the East Point of Nahant. Bait notwithstanding these things are just plain fun to catch!

Kay Moulton from Surfland in Newburyport gave me some interesting flounder news when we spoke. While few anglers are fishing for them, a spearfisherman has been limiting out with no problem from the ocean front of Plum Island out through the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. The Parker River has plenty of schoolies and some are still catching white perch! The ocean front has been good for fish up to keeper size as has the stretch of the Merrimack from the mouth upstream to the Chain Bridge. Probably the biggest bass of the bunch are feeding on river herring close to the Lawrence Dam. I know of 36” fish that are already doing the same in Great Bay New Hampshire, so there’s no reason to believe that they are not here as well!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Once mid-May kicks in the spotlight shifts off Wachusett Reservoir in favor of salty endeavors. To ignore Wachusett Reservoir now would be a mistake. Eddie of B&A in West Boylston saw a contingent of lake trout casters put on a clinic recently with 4-pound-plus forkies on spoons at the Gate 8 side of the reservoir. Metallic perch Kastmasters did the dirty work, and there were also a smattering of smallmouth bass and rainbow trout in the mix. Thanks to an unprecedented fall stocking of salmon, anglers are landing landlockeds at an unrivaled rate. The causeway seems to be the sweet spot, but catches are occurring throughout the 37 miles of shoreline. If you’re into a pile of 14-inch fish don’t let your guard down since “wild” 4-pounders apparently have taken up the smaller stockies. To my mind, a goldish 5/8-once Krocodile is king for salmon.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For a chance at a striper big enough to pull drag, jig up some mackerel just outside of the North River and live line it by Bridge Street in the North River or pick a current break in the South River. A jig at the bottom of the Sabiki may get mugged by a cod, as they’re in only 30 feet of water. The latest flounder report from Captain Colby and team Little Sister is that anglers are singularly catching up to 36 flounder, stripers, and tautog in a single outing in Quincy Bay. For a shot at a striper from shore, consider the usually reliable Red Rock in Lynn. Some squid are starting to appear off the Commerical Street Pier in Marblehead as well as the Beverly Pier and Salem Willows. For flounder on the North Shore,consider the ocean front of Plum Island, why leave them all to the spearfishers!