Massachusetts Fishing Report – October 6, 2016

Pictured above: Captain Jason Colby proves that for stripers, eels at night are what’s for dinner!

Sharpie, dogged, determined are just a few of the descriptions my friends in the bait business are using to describe the anglers who fished and continue to fish throughout the blow. Less I forget, here are two other words they are using – blues and bass!

Massachusetts South Shore

There’s never a wrong time to fish eels for bass, it’s just that come the fall eels truly are the right stuff. As pogy schools dry up, not all stripers exit with them, many stick around and hang inshore to dine after dark. Pete from Belsan Bait in Scituate is going through eels like hot cakes – albeit, a rather slimy, serpentine hot cake. Twenty-five-pound plus fish have been the reward for anglers night stalking Point Allerton to Sandy Neck. Hot spots have been Green Harbor, the effluence of the North and South Rivers, The Glades and Minot Beach. Some are having estuarial luck as far upstream of rivers as they can get. One such “interesting” location is the “Couch Cemetery”, which is a moniker given to a Marshfield section of the North River which has been bequeathed by scofflaws who have dumped junk by Corn Hill Lane. I’d expect that out of the Charles River, but Marshfield?

The absolute hottest fishing in our parts, however, is the red hot tuna bite from Stellwagen to Jeffrey’s! I’m hearing of this from all corners and the fish range from mediums to giants. The proffered method is mackerel which are not difficult to find.

Massachusetts South Coast

“Better bring heavy!”, is the warning Jason Colby is telling charters who want to fish for stripers in Westport. Buzzards Bay biggies have swarmed the river/harbor area and are exploding on hickory shad. The best way to describe what happens when a 28 pound striper chases down a 15″ hickory shad is VIOLENCE! Much of the action is taking place in the midst of the mooring fields which is prompting the captain to request charters who bring their own gear to go BIG! The tog bite keeps getting better and he has had several break-offs due to anglers who just aren’t heeding his sense of urgency when he cries, “get that fish’s head-up!” When an 11 pound white chin reaches the sanctuary of a wreck, no leader can withstand the thrashing.

Greater Boston

If you’re worried about stripers at this time in October, take comfort that we still have blues! Lisa from Fore River has patrons snagging pogies and slamming big blues even from the shore of the Quincy Town River. Which prompted me to wonder how an eel thrown into the mix behind the CVS at night would fare? Other likely eels-after-dark locations are Webb Park, the bridge by Great Esker Park and Bare Cove. Black Creek and Black Rock Beach are two other likely locations where you would have luck. Smelt seekers are catching their fill from the Hingham Shipyard Marina and to a lesser extent Hull and Captain’s Cove.

With water temperatures plummeting and the lessening of the bluefish threat, mackerel will continue to become more common. Proven mackerel locations from Harding’s Ledge to the BG Buoy should be worth probing with a Sabiki. If you find the bait, try Hull Gut and Toddy Rocks. Revere Beach has been going off regularly and tube and worm trollers are catching by Sunken Ledge and the inner harbor toward the mouth of the Mystic River. While it’s been challenging with those Nor’easter rollers Nahant has bass and mackerel. Some are once again considering flounder! This is absolutely a worthwhile venture this time of the year. Anglers are catching them in Swampscott right now, so you just know they are back in their usual harbor haunts. I know of tube-and-worm trollers who are getting “pestered” by blackbacks in the inner harbor. Consider Cohassett Harbor as well.

Massachusetts North Shore

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that blitzes are the daily rule in Salem Harbor! Bass are binging on slim-profiled bait so bring Kastmaster XLs and slim-soft plastics! The fish are averaging 27″ but many are bigger! Mackerel are easy pickings from boats and off the Salem Willows Pier. It’s crazy stuff off Castle Rock in Marblehead as bass can be seen in the clear water coming up out of the structure to chase a live-lined mackerel! The tube-and-worm has been a winner in Marblehead Harbor. If you want numbers of fish and a place to relax and chunk, the always reliable Red Rock is the place to soak seaworms. For solitude and a chance at a cow, Devereux Beach should be your nighttime destination, with an eel or chunk of mackerel on the line.

Skip from Three Lantern Marine told me the Charlie chasers are catching just outside of Thatcher’s Island. The big bluefin bite has been steady from inshore out to Tillies Basin, Jeffrey’s and Stellwagen. Although typical of October, it cannot be overemphasized how special the fishing is right now! Mackerel are the bait of choice and can be found in Cape Ann Harbor, especially just outside. A few who patronize Three Lantern lucked into large linesiders in Loblolly Cove recently. Live mackerel were pure magic. When anglers have caught a break in the combers the beaches have been steady. The footbridge of Good Harbor has been hot at night.

In spite of mechanical difficulties downing my friend Dave Panarello’s Parker CC for the season, he’s still catching in Plum Island. Along with pal, “Lefty Al” they’ve been pounding roving packs of stripers traveling from one side of the Merrimack River to the other. The birds are pointing the way towards the blitzes. Outgoing tides have been best and when asked what wears have been doing the damage, Dave replied, “Rubbah, anything made out of rubbah!”. Apparently the predominate forage is the swarms of sand eels and this is what they are feeding on. Elsewhere in Newburyport, the beach buggy brigade is still catching at night throughout the Parker River Wildlife Reservation on seaworms while eel tossers catch cows from Crane’s Beach, Plum Island Sound and the Parker River. The spots may vary but the time does not – it’s all happening at night!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Westport is featuring a wicked double-header: whitechins and big bass mugging big bait! Eels at night among Mooring Fields should do the trick for the latter. Scituate sharpies are burning the midnight oil for 25 pounders as far upstream of the North River as the Couch Cemetery! For one last shot at a double-digit harbor blue, snag a pogy in the Town River and hold on! Swampscott Harbor is hot for flounder while bass blitzing in Salem Sound is the local best bet. For a bluefin best bet, jig up mackerel and begin your search as soon as you clear Thatcher Island. The Merrimack River remains hot for schoolies and with outgoing tides coinciding with first light it should only get better!