Wildly fluctuating water temperatures are not making it easy to find a reliable bass bite. The cold-blooded critters they are don’t do particularly well when such temps plummet or increase by 10 degrees overnight. While the bass book says that you don’t leave fish to find fish, anglers catching the most consistently are doing just that.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin with the sad news of the passing of Eddie Fair of B&A Bait and Tackle in West Boylston. For 14 years, anglers who appreciated the wondrous Wachusett Reservoir had a friend in Eddie who dolled out equal parts of tackle, tips, and kindness. No shop owner worked harder to keep bait and sought-after gear in stock than Eddie. He was a wealth of wisdom and humility and enjoyed immensely helping others catch fish.
From a personal perspective, I’m going to miss our weekly wide-ranging conversations and his point of view regarding “Rezy” conditions. RIP Eddie! One of Eddie’s sons did reach out to me and expressed hope that the shop will be back up to speed as soon as possible. Certainly that would have been Eddie’s wish.
Let’s certainly pray that this is the case; thirty years ago there were numerous spots around the reservoir where you could pick up bait – B&A Bait and Tackle is the last one standing!
South Shore and South Coast
Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters said that some of the substantial schools of striped bass off Race Point appear to have spun off and moved deeper into Cape Cod Bay. Some impressive reports have been trickling in regarding solid striper action in such spots as Fishing Ledge, Billingsgate Shoals and outside of Sesuit Harbor. Mackerel remain the weapon of choice, with bite-sized tinkers tending to be farther out than their larger kin inshore. Pogies, which were offshore, have largely blown in and are swimming off area beaches and in harbors such as Scituate Harbor. Charlie has made his presence known and is keeping shop owners busy re-spooling line on reels which were not intended to handle the heat of a tuna.
Haddock had been pulling a no-show, but there are some signs that this has changed. A recent charter of Captain Mark’s was interested in a few fillets for the cooler, with the mission being accomplished on top of ledge from 124-135’ of water. The skipper emphasized the need to be on top of that ledge as cod rule the edges. Anglers trolling X Raps and mackerel off Cohasset and Hull have been picking up stripers and the occasional blue.
Usually the only “losing” associated with the Little Sister is uncontrollably big tog or bass break-offs, but unfortunately, last Friday, Little Sister” Captain Colby lost the lower unit on his port side engine. While most captains would have been crippled by such a calamity during a trip, Jason readjusted, pointed his Contender towards nearer waypoints, and still produced a solid black sea bass and fluke bite for me and my friend Patrick. While the fish from the mouth of the Westport River out to Gooseberry Point got a reprieve, it’s over as the Little Sister crew is back on the water as of Thursday.
Greater Boston
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that pogies remain held up in the Fore River through the Town River with some flashing near Germantown. While hits are not instantaneous, anglers who stick a pogy and shadow the school are hooking striped bass. Mackerel have been good to go in the Graves Light area with anglers catching stripers while trolling them along the North Channel. On an outgoing tide, the macks have been productive off the PR Can. The tube-and-worm continues to catch slot stripers and far bigger by Bumpkin Island, Grape Island, Sunken Ledge and Hangman Island. Wollaston Beach continues to go off intermittently. Squid are hanging in there with many a pier from Hull through Quincy and into the inner harbor holding them. The bad news is that there’s a dogfish presence in the harbor, which is a scourge we haven’t been cursed with in a while. Blame it on sky-high water temperatures, a plethora of inshore bait, or both; now probably isn’t the best time to do much chumming in the harbor.
Not all fish with teeth are problematic; just ask Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing who recently got into a nice little topwater bite for big bluefish! Deepwater forays with topwater plugs as well as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish have turned up occasional cow feeds with Charlie randomly crashing the party. Four times last week the captain was in need of line replacement as a tuna took down an offering intended for striped bass. The B Buoy has been the epicenter for Massbay bluefin, with everything from footballs to giants dominating offshore ledges. Inside, the harbor has game also, with bass on pogy schools in the Anchorage area as well as off Broad Sound. Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters said that there was an uptick in the bass bite over the last week, with the “southern” side of the Harbor the hottest. Slot and far larger have been crashing umbrella rigs and mojo rigs between Peddock Island, Rainsford Island and Quarantine Rocks.
According to Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett in Everett, guys traipsing the shoreline of Deer Island at night are picking up bruiser bass on eels/Vella Rigs. The same can be said for the tube-and-worm troupe where Toscano Santini tubes are working their magic from the Tobin Bridge all the way through the casino. In the wacky and wonderful category is the red hot and highly unusual (for summer) whiting bite off the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. The action is at night, and there have even been smelt mixed in with the whiting. This is not for the antisocial angler, as there will be plenty of company should you join in. Large-size Sabiki rigs are what’s being deployed.
Inversely on the outer edge of the harbor, tuna are tearing through pogy schools at a breakneck pace.
As for freshwater, Harold Parker Reservation and its plethora of ponds are giving up Larry love with Rooster Tails and Kelly Worms killing it.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
North Shore
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle told me that Beverly Harbor has been the local best bass bet. In addition to the ubiquitous mackerel, some are enjoying a lure bite with topwaters at first light while weighted soft plastics have been more effective as the morning progresses. Big striped bass prefer to keep a low profile as they size up their prey and then blast it with a rush. There are definitely exceptions when they are in the throes of the spring or fall migration, but for the most part, anglers will fare better if they stick their offering close to their quarry. Knowing this, a few commercial sharpies are slipping on 8-ounce egg sinkers ahead of their leader lines as they troll for big bass in deep water – and it is working really well!
Squid remain plentiful from piers off Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, Beverly and Cape Ann.
Santino Sciretto was treated to one heck of a tenth birthday present by his mom as she enlisted the services of Captain Tom Ciulla of T-Sea Charters. Santino and two buddies had quite the day as they saw seals, finback whales, and duked it out with stripers up to 50” long! , The bite was on bump-trolled mackerel dropped into the bread basket of marked bass just off Gloucester. If anyone can come up with a better way to celebrate a kid’s birthday, I’d like to hear it.
According to Garret from Three Lantern Marine, another Cape Ann option worth noting is among pogy schools off Manchester Harbor and Kettle Cove. Things are setting up for a promising cod season this fall. While searching for macks with a Sabiki Rig just east of Thatcher’s Island while fishing with my friend Captain Tom, I came tight to a full rack of cod, including one which looked to be 24/25” on the bottom jig!
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury said that anglers are picking up slot stripers at the mouth of the Essex River as well as Plum Island Sound with live macks and the tube-and-worm. Surf casters working the ocean front with Ava Jigs and Deadly Dicks are encountering a mixed bag of bass, mackerel, and shad. Obtaining a tide’s worth of mackerel is as easy as it has been all year with the highly desirable tinkers farther out than the larger mackerel. There has been considerable buzz about the heavyweight of our ground fishes – halibut – as encounters of keeper-size fish are up among offshore ledges. Two to consider are Caches Ledge and Fippennies.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Fluctuating water temperatures have moved some of the mass of bass that had gathered off Race Point and spread them throughout Cape Cod Bay. Look for linesiders to be partial to a mack snack of Fishing Ledge, Billingsgate Shoals and off Sesuit. The mouth of the Westport River out into Buzzards Bay remains a relative embarrassment of riches as black sea bass, fluke, striped bass and bluefish are all possibilities.
A unique fishing opportunity in the harbor remains in that sabiki rigs are finding their mark off the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal for whiting and smelt. Nights are when the action burns brightest. A few blues are making their presence felt from the South Shore through Boston Harbor. Cape Ann cows can be found along pogy schools off Manchester, Magnolia and Gloucester. Mackerel have been getting it done at the mouths of the Essex and Parker Rivers. Anglers slinging jigs from the Plum Island surf are catching variety in the form of stripers, shad and mackerel.
For a shot at the fish of a lifetime, now may be your best chance to come tight to the king of flatfishes – the Atlantic halibut. Several reports put the offshore bite among the best in several years. A strip of mackerel, sea herring, or whiting bounced along the bottom of Caches Ledge, or Fippennies might just do it for you.
Like a pond out their yesterday, big linesiders two skips off the #one on pogies, two miles further giant blue finners on balls of mack’s. Crazy year for sure!-Tightlines!