Massachusetts Fishing Report – July 2, 2020

The east wind is either a friend or foe depending on the time of the year. After a summer heat wave it can be a highway to usher in cooler water temperatures, big bait and big bass. There is evidence right now that just maybe this is the case and those without a big boat no longer have to be on the sidelines.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Captain Jason Colby has found a nice little flounder bite aboard the Little Sister with the emphasis on the “bite” part regarding these “flounder”! He is back in Westport and in no time at all found limits of humphead black sea bass and impressive and very toothy summer flounder. The kicker is that all this is 5 minutes from his slip at Tripp Marine! For the heck of it, he also dropped a green crab and Tidal Tails Jig’z among a rockpile and came up with a few blackfish, including a keeper! One wonders what he’ll uncover over the next week.

Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters said that it is pretty much lock-and-load in the Three Bays for those fun five year old stripers – 25-27 inches! There are big bass among the schoolies but it usually takes a mackerel or pogy – both of which are available – to tempt the more savvy slabs. Haddock remain close but it you have the beam for a farther haul than the eastern side of Stellwagen Bank is better. Beware, however, a bluefin bite on the bank is a real possibility.

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters out of Scituate Harbor has been loving the attention Boston Harbor as this has left his South Shore honey holes all for himself! The bays and harbors are home to numbers of fish while the bigger bass are among rockpiles just offshore. He’s been having luck with mixed sizes of striped bass while deploying tinker mackerel.

As for what rockpiles are best I consulted Pete of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate. Cowen Rocks just off Mann Hill Beach is a pick as is Collamore Ledge south of Cohassett Harbor. He also mentioned the area around Black Rock Beach which is at the border of Cohasset and Hull. The predominate bait is tinker mackerel at the moment and Pete is expecting the big bass bite which was off Minot Ledge to be more of an inshore occurrence thanks to the east wind. After a brief hiatus the east is expected to return this weekend, possibly making things even better!

Greater Boston Fishing Report

When a 48 pound striper gets bumped to runner-up status on a charter captain’s boat, you know the skipper is having a heck of a run! Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing continues to have the Midas touch and exhibit one this week is a 56 pound slab he took somewhere not far from the Winthrop/Revere shoreline. While the armada had been chasing cows among the outer harbor humps, Brian slipped quietly in close and as expected that east wind ended up being the enabler to catch that special fish. He’s been augmenting his arsenal with Nomad Tackle DTX Minnows and trolling within a few feet of the bottom and that has been a deal breaker. While a 30-40 pounder may rocket from below to pound a bait, those rarified fish with make it to 50 pounds are not inclined to move very far for an offering. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from friends who have caught numerous 50 pound striped bass, whether it be with an eel, jig or plug in shallow or deep water, they all stress the importance of making sure that their bait is within a few feet of where the fish lurk. A 50 truly is a different beast and not given to chasing prey.

Captain Paul Diggins of Reel Pursuit Charters has taken to targeting big bass under menhaden schools throughout the inner and outer harbor. He’s using live mackerel which are numerous off the ledges of Hull, especially Three-and-One-Half-Fathom ledge. He’s treating charters to a double that often involves schoolies inside and a shot at a cow outside. Pogy schools from the Reserve Channel all the way into the Alford Street Bridge are occasionally drawing fire from big bass. With another spate of east winds predicted, inside schools of pogies are worth taking a look at.

Captain Anthony Ahrens of Chasin Tail Fisheries has been transitioning to targeting tuna and is finding plenty of pelagic action on Stellwagen Bank. While there are mixed sizes he’s had the most luck with 69” class fish. Mackerel have been the magic bullet. Regarding striped bass, he’s been focusing on pogy schools around the Tobin Bridge where there has been an uptick in action thanks to the wind/cooler temperatures.

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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

If you’re wondering where you can pick up those Nomad DTX Minnows and you shop at Tomo’s Tackle than you are in the right place! The North Shore has not been immune to the east wind elixir as the inshore from Revere through Cape Ann have woken up with big bass on pogies! Marblehead through Salem Sound have been especially hot! Anglers catching the cows are snagging pogies, transferring them to a Gamakatsu or other premium circle hook and having their way with some special striped bass! There are schoolie surface feeds aplenty in most inshore areas but now that the big fish are in, you have to stick to the pogy schools. It doesn’t hurt to top off the livewell with a few mackerel prior and toss them into the bass/bunker bedlam.

Liz from Surfland Bait and Tackle told me that boaters who are catching the cows are working to find the “right” pogy school before they settle on one. Pogies which look like they are on vacation should be ignored while tightly wound, circling pogies are an indication of a school getting whacked. That lovely east wind has recharged areas such as Plum Island Sound, the Parker River and Joppa Flats with better-than-average stripers being reported. Skinny, inshore water such as this, of course always fishes best in low light conditions. The tube-and-worm has been working there as has eels.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

If you’re among the surf set, kayak crew or tin boat brigade and feeling frustrated about ogling the fortunes of others, than the east wind just might be your best friend! Throw a tinker in tight to South Shore structure such as Cowen Rocks or Collamore Ledge. For variety, it’s hard to top the potpourri of predators prowling the Westport side of Buzzards Bay we’re the catch consists of fluke, black sea bass and tautog. While the Hub’s humps have gone quiet, last weeks cows seem to have come in closer along the inner harbor as well the close to shore stretch from Deer Island through Revere Beach. Marblehead to Manchester menhaden have been massacred with mackerel pitched into the melee an effective striper strategy. Farther north, the east wind has livened up Plum Island Sound and Joppa Flats. It’s hard to ask for much more, except maybe a quintessential American holiday and we have that too! Happy July 4th!