Massachusetts Fishing Report - August 6, 2020

August is often the great equalizer, and this year is no exception as shore/kayak anglers who are looking for things that go “bump in the night” are doing at least as well as the boaters who fish by day. Of course, not all is 24-7 striped bass. For boaters who are properly equipped with gear and attitude, it’s giant tuna time.

Congratulations to Captain Anthony Ahrens of Chasin’ Tail Fisheries for landing a 120-inch, 900-pound bluefin tuna. Even among those who are no strangers to waging war with giants, that is quite the fish. The achievement was made all the more special because he and his crew caught it with a Alutecnos 30-wide, which is more inline for what you’d expect for bass than tuna. It took 6 1/2 hours to best the bluefin, but they got it in the boat. Incentivized by that account, I texted it all to my friend Captain Tom Ciulla who within seconds replied, “Let’s do it!” Along with mate Billy Doherty, less than 24 hours later we had dragged a magnificent fish of our own onto the T-Sea. It took four hours and a 4.5-mile boat ride after the giant slammed a mackerel, but in the end we had our prize. Tom knows a thing or two about tuna, having caught many a giant, and even he called the rotund 622-pound butterball “special,” an opinion that was shared by the buyer in Gloucester Harbor. In addition to deft boat maneuvering by Tom, Billy proved steely-eye accurate with the harpoon, while I mainly manned the rod and got to know a certain gray Alutecnos Albacore 130 2-speed very intimately. Once dispatched, we paid homage and appreciation to the incredible creature as it lay astern on my friend’s boat. We are so fortunate to have such a world-class fishery right off the Bay State coast. If you’ve never tried it, I strongly urge you to hook up with one of the many OTW recommended charter captains to give this thing a go. Just be forewarned that once you are part of a team that catches a giant, you’ll be counting the days until you can do it again!

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast

Pumped by the prospects of pelagics, the conversation I had with Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish, who is hardly a stranger to big game, revolved around just that. He told me of a recent horror story on the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank, where anglers were so close to each other that they actually had their balloons/baits under each other’s boats. That’s insane, and hardly fun. During our successful outing on Stellwagen, there was not another boat within a mile. It only makes sense that should a school of giants swim by and your spread is all by its lonesome, then your odds of hooking up climb through the roof. Plus, the enjoyment factor of fighting a fish without the minefield of other boats is exponentially better. Those fish rip around at up to 50 miles per hour, and they can be just about anywhere. Tuna aside, Captain Mark has been combining close-in haddock with Scituate Harbor stripers to make a unique charter experience.

Captain Rich Antonio of Black Rose Charters is splitting his time between Buzzards Bay black sea bass, blue sharks on the Bank, and haddock. His tip regarding haddock is: to avoid cod, leave the bait/Gulp right on the bottom. Cod tend to swim a few feet above the bottom, while haddock are more groveling gadoids. The sweet spot on Stellwagen has been very shallow at 105 feet, and limits continue to be no problem. Blue sharks have been no problem on the bank as well.

Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters said that the Three Bays continue to hold plenty of stripers with most fish running between 20” and 27”. Provincetown is the place if blues are on the agenda, but it’s not lock-and-load stuff. Captain Mark said that Isaias-induced offshore swells have moved ridiculously warm water in close. Many wouldn’t be surprised to find exotics such as mahi mahi present on the bank and definitely in the Dump as well as other areas in Vineyard Sound.

Pete Belsan of Belsan’s in Scituate said that shore jockeys slinging eels at night are finally getting their just dessert. In fact, some of the more reliable catches are happening this way, as opposed to boaters dragging mackerel around deep spots such as Minot Ledge. Hull has been hot as well, with the Gut and Point Allerton standing out.

Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters has no such need to avoid cod like skippers who go about their business in the Gulf Of Maine, since where he fishes and catches cod – South of the Cape – you can keep them! Coxes Ledge trips have been replete with keeper black sea bass and cod. During the last trip they even had a lit-up mahi mahi following a lure to the boat. Inshore black sea bass fishing remains exceptionally good for both size and numbers.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

Captain Sam from Boston Saltwater said that in spite of surging water temperatures, mackerel can be found early in the morning by Nahant’s 2 Can. He is finding that a Chum Buddy helps a lot. He’s been putting those macks to good use among the cow pasture in deep water off Egg Rock and by Graves Light. The ever-present trauma of tuna crashing the pogy schools or breaching on herring persists, which is probably the reason why stripers are seeking out shallow water whenever possible. The kayak cadre consisting of such Hoby Kayak sharpies as Steve Langton and Billy “bass” Eiker have been finding that in spite of exceptionally warm water temperatures, bass up to 46 inches long are cruising within a few feet of Greater Boston area beaches at night. Big soft plastics and, of course, eels are doing the trick. Anglers having side-scan electronics to pick out the fast-moving schools of stripers have a huge advantage. The kayakers are telling me that they are practically pedaling over surf-fishers who are working the same water.

It’s always a good sign when I can’t reach a captain for the report, and the fact that it took some doing to catch Captain Coombs told me that things were hopping aboard Get Tight Sportfishing. When we finally connected, I was not disappointed as the skipper described the deep water, Boston Humps bite as a “carnage.” Apparently, there were more doubles and triples than the last Red Sox World Series championship. One of the best parts, aside from the fact that there were kids doing the catching, was that it was a topwater feed. The target of the bird and bass fury was sea herring. From cod to stripers to tuna, when sea herring are in their sites, fish lose their minds. If you’d like fast-paced action for schoolies, Brian’s been finding them consistently off Hospital Shoals.

Captain Paul Diggins has been mixing it up aboard the Reel Pursuit and in addition to striper feeds off Revere Beach/Broad Sound he’s been steaming out to Tillie’s Basin where on a recent trip they tallied six blue sharks.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Liam from Tomo’s Tackle said that the North Shore pattern seems to follow the Boston script: deep water from dawn through the day, and then inshore in the late afternoon through the night. The theory of tuna trauma affecting the stripers movements is an interesting one being floated around and may explain some things. Lynn Harbor, Nahant Bay, Swampscott, Tinkers Island and Bakers Island have all held good fish sporadically. The appearance of peanut bunker so early bodes well for late August through the fall close-to-shore blitzes. Squid can be found at night off inshore docks and piers in Swampscott, Marblehead, Beverly, Salem and Gloucester.

After taking a pounding from a variety of pursuers, pogy numbers in Cape Ann aren’t quite what they were according to Skip from Three Lantern Marine but finding the preferred forage for both stripers and inshore tuna is the key to catching. Pods of peanuts have shown up in harbors leading to sporadic schoolie surface feeds. However, tuna remain the high-stakes attraction around this storied fish-town. When we brought our bluefin into the harbor on Sunday, the buyer mentioned that he had heard of more fish caught from Southern Jeffreys Ledge than Stellwagen on that day.

Martha from Surfland said that it didn’t take long for anglers to pick up permits for the Parker River Wildlife Reservation and capitalize on the nighttime eel bite from lots 6/7. Joppa Flats remains surprisingly good at night for small boaters and kayakers, with eels and big soft plastics accounting for most of the catching. Pogies and mackerel are less numerous, which might have contributed to less persnickety striped bass when they are found.

Fishing Forecast

The giant bluefin tuna right now is an absolute best bet! While Stellwagen is attracting most of the attention, there are some signs that southern Jeffreys Ledge is a good option too. Above all move away from the mob and look for bait at a contour line or drop-off edge. Keep it all about the angling and limit the anxiety. Herring are the hot bait but difficult to keep alive, making mackerel a convenient alternative. Haddock remain on top of Stellwagen as well as inshore on the South Shore. Regarding their cod cousins, Coxes Ledge remains the exception where catching and keeping cod is actually legal. The bass action on Boston Humps never completely seems to go away, and the latest reports have it topwater friendly. The North Shore may not have as many pogies as a month ago but finding the preferred forage remains the key to catching a cow.