Massachusetts Fishing Report – October 20, 2022

Recent rainfall has lit the fuse for some impressive and diverse fishing. Some species are busily making their way upstream, intent on creating next season’s progeny and future opportunities for anglers. While in other instances you won’t have to wait that long. Exhibit one is river herring fry spawned in the spring: find them and odds are you’ll find fantastic fishing!

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report

Pete Belsan is back from having at hard tails and bluefish on Martha’s Vineyard and told me that patrons of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate who are putting in the time are being rewarded with stripers up to 36” with rivers being especially productive. The watersheds that are hottest are home to herring runs with the North River one of the better on the North Shore. Fry from the spring/summer spawn will continue to migrate to the sea into the winter and will attract stripers as well as freshwater species farther upstream. In the case of the North River that upstream factor is satisfied by the Indian Head River where finding alewife fry is the ticket to having a banner black bass, black crappie or white perch outing. Small jigs/soft plastics or swimmers or my favorite – the TTI Blakemore’s Road Runner – will catch them all. Downstream, Pete told me that The Spit has been producing stripers up to 36” while the Third Cliff has held fish of similar size.
 
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has been indulging in the Buzzards Bay blackfish bite and he’s been finding that at the turn of the tide, by the west end of the canal, the feed is on. He’s been targeting pillings of all sorts from there out to Cleveland Ledge and doing really well. As for tuna, the bite has been tremendous for all sizes of fish. Anglers fishing Crab Ledge are doing well as are pelagic pursuers near the Regal Sword. Stellwagen has game as well with the northern edge seemingly the hottest. Shark numbers are waning making swapping out expensive fluorocarbon leaders less of a constant hassle.

A double-digit tautog is a big deal and the bar for bragging rights. But that’s not necessarily the case aboard the Little Sister as Captain Jason Colby and crew have been releasing fish of that size! Female tautog tend to be brightly bared as opposed to the grey/black coloration of males and when those breeder females come on board – size be damned – back they go! Obviously for patrons to not have a problem with releasing fish of that size, there has to be the promise of more good fish and the skipper is definitely delivering there. If you are yearning for a PB blackfish, now is prime time along the Westport side of Buzzards Bay. Cod in the upper 20” range are increasingly becoming a common component of the catch. While the season has ended that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy catching and releasing big black sea bass which are also willing. Suffice to say that the survival rate of a crab dropped onto a rockpile or a wreck between 35’ and 50’ of water in that area is not very good!

Greater Boston Fishing Report

“Please pass the butter (fish)!”, that could be the mantra aboard Get Tight Sportfishing as Captain Brian Coombs has found that finding what Charlie craves is the key to getting tight to a tuna! Ribbons of sargasso weed strewn along Stellwagen as well as the backside of the Cape are holding shoals of butterfish as well as halfbeaks. Once located, the captain will set up a troll with squid bars while readying his Shimano TwinPower Spinners and matching Shimano Rods for marked or surface feeding fish. The lure that has been crushing them is Al Gag’s 4 ounce tuna-grade jig-heads with white Whip-it-Fish paddletails. That’s not to say that the inshore dynamic duo – bass and blues – are history, that’s hardly the case in Buzzards Bay. Blitzes have been the norm and as for what’s working, a better question might be – “what’s not working?”. Brian’s getting them with flies, epoxy Jigs, Jumpin’ Minnows and smaller size Whip-it-Fish.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that anglers have been targeting tautog off Toddy Rocks and Black Rock Beach! As for their success rate, these guys have been noticeably taciturn. Those who have not been quiet are anglers requesting eels which they are putting to good effect off the jetty at Marina Bay, the mouth of Black Creek, the Town River and Neponset River. Surface feeds are not uncommon and although the source of that commotion is not eels, they’ll still work! Peanut bunker blitzes have occurred off Wollaston Beach with schoolies and slots engaged in the mayhem.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman has been seeing stripers pushing tinker mackerel off Long Island and Spectacle Island. When observed, out come the rods with red/black Santini tubes and in no time he’s catching those fish!

As we progress deeper into the fall, trout become more regular on many angler’s agenda with Jamaica Pond and Horn Pond all delivering the goods. The trout are not all rainbows as evidenced by Dennis Stack’s 18” tiger trout he took from Jamaica Pond. As for the rivers, badly needed rainfall has lit a wick on local rivers resulting in stellar freshwater fishing upstream in the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Closer to the ocean, the tube-and-worm has been knocking them dead for Captains Vinning and Panarello who have been trolling up schoolies and slots in numbers that would stand out any time of the season, let alone late October!

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

In season, Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle barely has time to exhale, his shop is so busy, but now he’s even indulging in a little fishing! He’s been catching schoolies with regularity among the mooring field of Salem Harbor with bigger bass migrating through deeper water off Salem Sound. Cormorants have been observed pushing peanut bunker off Lynn and Revere with bass joining in on the free-for-all. Slot stripers are still being taken from the shore of Marblehead with chunk mackerel the preferred bait. My buddy Steve Pappows and a few rock-hopping friends off Cape Ann continue to catch stripers with one pal even achieving a season-long best 46” fish on a Big Fish Company pencil popper!

Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport told me that regulars are still requesting eels knowing that the ocean front as well as the Parker and Merrimack Rivers are still home to big bass. Mackerel have been caught off the Dogbar Breakwater at the gateway of Gloucester Harbor. A few folks who live north of the border are even reporting blitzes along the Piscataqua River! Martha recently saw blitzes by the Sandbar with one angler capitalizing on the action with willing schoolies. The hickory shad action off the ocean front has abated, but was one of the unheralded surprises of the year and just might signal a trend. Recent rains have raised the water level of the Merrimack with some anglers beginning to transition to smallmouth bass and pike in Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill stretches.

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that rainstorms have raised water levels enough in the Quinapoxet and Stillwater Rivers to draw salmon and rainbow trout into pools and runs. Fishing for these unique salmonoids is rather simple with drifting a crawler into their territory among the best techniques. The lighter the leader the better with 4 pound fluorocarbon about perfect. The fall “run” of rainbows is on along the shoreline of the main reservoir with the Scar Hill Road area as well as Gate 6 producing fish. Small shiners floated at the edge of drop-offs or along contour lines works well for those colorful bows which average about 17”! Smallies are still in close with the Cellar Holes fishing especially well. Yellow perch fry are beginning to swarm inshore and where you find them, you’ll find the lakers! Don’t do the Chu’ unless you have a few metallic perch Kastmasters and Krocodiles on hand.

Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange told me that largemouth bass up to 6 pounds have been caught by the boat ramp of Lake Rohunta. Trophy browns were recently stocked in Lake Mattawa as well. Good brown reports are also coming in from the Miller River, Deerfield River and Swift River. Personally, Rod told me that he recently enjoyed a nice meal of fresh channel catfish fillets from the Connecticut River! He said that they were scrumptious. Deep holes by the Route 2 Bridge hold those corker cats which are fond of chicken livers!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

With news of Cape Ann cows still coming from the crags and north of the border surface feeds there’s no need to mothball the bass gear yet. Bait as always is a big factor and you will find the steadiest supply of striper candy in rivers which hold herring runs. The same applies for upstream areas where freshwater predators lurk. For consistent catching it’s hard to top the sheer variety and ferocious tog bite happening right now in the Westport side of Buzzards Bay. Some however are moving on to trout and salmon. Urban area ponds are percolating with trout while Wachusset tributaries hold salmon and rainbows while big browns and native brookies swim throughout the Swift River!!