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The extreme heat has finally broken and the promise of a great weekend makes everyone happy. This will bring out numbers of fishermen hoping to score on good numbers of fish. Are you ready for a fish filled weekend>
Stripers continue to be the most sought after fish in the local area. Fishermen constantly chase stripers from boats and shore, Boat fishermen successfully troll tube n' worn combinations throughout local waters. Drifting chunks of bait along the Breakers, the Gooseberries and Satan Rock. Stripers can be seen lurking from the shadows of the Salem/Beverly Bridge at dusk. Chunkers gave also succeeded along many of the harbor islands. Fishermen that have been fishing the White Fuel Bridge continue to score nicely on schoolies. Every once in a while a keeper is gooked and fought into submission. Trolling large sea worms rigged behind a spinner has proven to be a good technique. Casting plastic shads to rocky structure works well for some anglers. Don't limit your choices. In time you will be successful.
Schools of bluefish have entered the area tearing through schools of baitfish and raising angler's excitement levels. Bluefish blitzes have taken place throughout the harbor and surrounding waters. Bluefish to twelve pounds have been tearing through bait and destroying tackle all around the Aquavitaes. Boat fishermen score while trolling tubes and deep diving swimming plugs. Shore fishermen have tallied catches along Singing Beach, Devereux beach and Nahant. Small bluefish have been working the Danvers River and night fishermen have tallied catches along the rip rap and the bridge supports at the mouth of the Danvers River. Snappers should show in the river very soon.
School bluefin tuna have shown up in good numbers just off of Gloucester. Fishermen have been gearing up and heading out in search of the tuna in order to challenge their skill and get a thrill. Fishermen have scored by casting "tin squids" to the edges of the schools. This type of fishing requires gear that is in good condition with excellent working drags and a high skill level. The is nothing like hearing the drag sing and seeing line peel out at an incredible rate of speed. If you are looking for a new challenge, try school tuna fishing.
Limited numbers of market size cod have been caught along the kills, bumps and ledges just outside the harbor islands. Tinker's Ledge, Newcomb's Ledge and Cole Ridge have all produced well for the inshore, small boat anglers. Offshore fishermen have scored well on big fish. The offshore ledges produce well for jig fishermen as well as bait fishermen. Party boats have consistently caught big cod with some fish reaching fifty plus pound catches. Walsh's Deep Sea Fishing holds the reputation for being one of the best party boats in the area. Get out and enjoy the fishing.
Winter flounder or blackback catches have started to dwindle. This generally happens during the "dog days" of August. Some fishermen do well along the Manchester coastline and just inside the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. Fishermen have come close to "limiting out" on flounder. Successful fishermen find that drift fishing rather than still fishing is a much more productive technique for catching flats.
Fluke have been brought into the shop for identification by somewhat confused fishermen that have never seen a "flounder" with teeth. With warm ocean water temperatures, sometimes breaking the seventy degree mark, more species of fish c common to more southern waters are making the way into our area. The catching of fluke in our waters is not very common but it does occur frequently. Fluke seem to show up on a regular basis off Devereux Beach in Marblehead.
Die hard trout fishermen continue to score on numbers of trout provided they are on the water by dawn. Presenting numerous fresh and live baits generally translate into decent catches. Trout worms, dillies, salmon eggs and meal worms attract hungry trout. Many combinations of the above baits also work well. Salmon eggs and meal worm combinations work well. Once the sun rises above the tree tops trout fishing in local ponds is all but over for the day. Trout fishing lasts a bit longer in the Ipswich River but few fishermen are willing to work the thick over brush in order to score. Drifting Dillies along the edges of the currents is a successful technique used by river fishermen. Productive areas along the river have been in Rowley, along Middleton and through Topsfield.
With the warm temperatures now present in many local ponds and lakes, largemouth bass have become more active and have been creating a lot of excitement. Surface activity has been on the increase with the best surface action taking place during the evening hours. Surface swimmers and poppers have been deadly especially effective when presented along emergent structure. Break waters and fallen trees have been among the top producers for persistent bass fishermen. The rising sun spawns limited activity along shaded areas, points and weed beds. Spinnerbaits have been effective as have been plastic worms and jigs. Some of the best bass fishing has taken place along the Merrimack River from Haverhill to Lawrence, the points and coves of Chebacco Lake and the structure along Pillings Pond. Shiners have been consistent most everywhere.
This past week we have seen great fishing, water temperatures rise to the mid 70's and fishermen sacore on everything from flounder to bluefish. Both fishing and weather temperatures sizzle. Weekend outlook great with warm and dry conditions. Take advantage of the great forecast.
Striper fishing remains strong but a lot of the action has moved offshore into deeper water where cooler water is more comfortable for the bass. The Breakers, Brimbles and Satan Rock have seen action pick up. Numbers of legal bass have been caught off Marblehead Neck and on the outside of Baker's Island. The action has remained very good at the White
Fuel Bridge and throughout the Danvers River. Schoolies were most common. Stripers have been caught around the Pigs, Ram Island and Tinker's Island. Many fishermen have been reporting increased activity when drifting live eels during dusk and after dark. The rocky coastline of Manchester and Magnolia consistently yields good numbers of stripers in excess of twenty pounds. Don't overlook Marblehead Neck from Tom Moore's Rock to Tinker's Island Gut. Be prepared for exciting action.
The excessive heat of July has caused water temperatures to really heat up and bring in many species of fish and plenty of action. Onr of the most exciting arrivals has been bluefish. Great numbers of bluefish have made their presence known from Marblehead to Beverly and from Salem to Magnolia. Bluefish have destroyed tackle parted lines and generally blew peoples minds. Good old fashioned blitzes were noted throughout the garbor. Great action was reported on Wednesday marning all around the Aquavitaes with bluefish to twelve pounds tallied. Drifting bait and trolling swimming plugs worked great. Blues took tubes meant for stripers.
The annual summer migration of cod to deeper and cooler waters has started. Large have started to move east of Stellwaggen and the the deeper holes and valleys around Jefferies and Tillies. A few smaller cod have still been caught around some of the hills and ledges found in inshore waters. Fishermen report sea clams are best for inshore waters. Jigs remained favorites for deeper water work. Often times, teasers are better at attracting cod than jigs.
Flounder have been more difficult to score since water temperatures have surpassed the 70 degree mark. Besides the warm water making flounder fishing difficult, the numbers of skate have remained steady. Generally, it appears that skate are caught six fish for every flounder. Flounder have been moving to deeper waters. Some of the best flounder fishing has taken place off Manchester, Magnolia and Marblehead. Reports of limited numbers of fluke caught off Devereux Beach have reached the shop.
Largemouth bass action has started to shift from the mid day period to both ends of the day. Morning fishermen do well along weedlines and rocky structure. Although many live baits have produced numbers of fish, live shiners of any size generally cause good strikes followed by impressive fights. Night and evening fishermen have enjoyed all sorts of action. The most exciting action has taken place on the surface. Explosive hits have caused surface swimmers and poppers to explode right out of the water. Spinnerbaits have also done well when the blades are allowed to break the surface. Inflating night crawlers and allowing them to swim on the surface just invites explosive, surface smashing hits, resulting in hard fought battles.
During the past week, trout action has slowed and has been limited to pre dawn hours. Water temperatures have started to sizzle adding to the slow down of trout activity. Trout have started to move away from the shallows and into deeper waters where they are more comfortable. Once the sun has risen and sunlight starts to shine on the water, trout fishing is all but over for the day. Dedicated fishermen are still taking trout from the Ipswich. Productive areas have been along fast moving water that is shaded and well oxygenated. Drifting night crawlers has been productive.
To the inconsiderate sleezeball that STOLE the Website Donation Jar today, July 14,2005. I hope you will exercise the decency to return the jar with the contents in tact. Your selfish and cowardly act is inexcusable and could result in the shut down of this site. Most of the fishermen that donate to the site are hard working and honest. All they are looking for is some information that might help them increase their productivity when fishing. Your cowardly and gutless good for nothing actions are nothing more than the act of a gutless wonder! This is a great example for your young relatives. Surely, an act you can be proud of. If the site shuts down you can be proud of the fact that your actions will be responsible. I will bet that you will not brag about your dispicable actions. People will suffer because you are a coward and a thief. Congratulations sleezeball!
The weatherman has determined that a shower may interrupt the weekend fishing action. No washouts are in the weekend prediction. Plenty of fish in local waters will keep anglers casting baits to waiting fish.
Striper fishing just continues to get better and better. Even though schoolies continued to comprise the bulk of the catch, anglers have been sc oring on larger bass. Twenty and thirty pound bass have been tallied from the rocky shoreline of Marblehead to the rocky points of Manchester and Magnolia. Anglers that like to troll tube and worm combinations found the action to be good around the Gooseberries and the Breakers. Fishermren also scored along the Pigs and Nahant. Bait fishermen tallied stripers along Ram Island, Tinker;s Island and Marblehead Neck. Bass continued to be caught at the White Fuel Bridge along with some small bluefish.
Bluefish were out in force this week raising excitement levels. Anglers cast and trolled deep diving swimming plugs in search of the famous frantic fight of the bluefish. Rods bent and reels sang as suddenly unsuspecting fishermen found themselves on the fighting end of a rod tangling with a bluefish. Ferocious fish dove, twisted, jumped and twisted trying everything in their bag of tricks to get free. Artificial baits were not the only thing to entice blues. Fresh baits also triggered fierse battles with these blue water fighters. Smaller bluefish were located inshore around Naugus Head, The Willows and Winter Island. Blues were also found in the Danvers River.
Good numbers of cod continued to be caught from Stellwaggen to Jefferies and Tillies. Many fishermen preferred to bounce while other preferred to present generous portions of sea clams. Clams would also attract haddock as a bonus. Private boats have scored on good numbers of cod with some individual cod have tipped the scales at slightly better than twenty-five pounds. It appeared that the best catches were made at Tillies. The eastern slope of Stellwaggen also produced well. Party boat anglers reported great summer fishing along the offshore banks. Many fishermen tallied enough of a catch to pay for their trip. Plastic bags were stressed to splitting with cod fillets destined for the freezer.
Flounder numbers during the past week have remained good with anglers scoring near limit catches. Successful flounder fishermen have scored when they present generous portions of sea worms along the mouth of Marblehead Harbor, along Manchester Harbor and House Island. The areas along the Middle Ground of the harbor and Haste Rock have treated anglers to some good old fashioned "doormats". Some of these flats have exceeded two pounds in weight. Often times fishermen would have to endure half a dozen skate to each flounder, but it was worth the trouble.
Largemouth Bass anglers scored nicely all week long with the most active periods taking place during the evening hours. Presenting a live shiner along fallen logs, rockpiles or cuts in the bank almost guaranteed a strong strike by an aggressive bucketmouth. Another technique that has proven to be successful has been to present an inflated night crawler rigged on a sliding sinker rig along most any submerged structure. Be prepared for a ferocious strike. Bass best bets this week were Chebacco Lake, Putnamville Reservoir and Pillings Pond. Night fishermen have scored on big bass when they present inflated night crawlers on the surface of known bass ponds. As the crawler wiggles on the surface it sends out vibrations to waiting bass, followed by explosive strikes.
Successful trout fishermen have come to realize that in order to score anglers must be on the water early. If you wait until after breakfast, fishing is all but over for the day. Anglers that have scored have presented marshmallow and meal worm combinations. salmon eggs and worms. Ipswich River fishermen score when they present worms above a pool and allow the worm to gently descend in the current into the head of the pool. A hit will generally take place as the worm drops into the pool. Trout best bets have been Pleasant Pond, Horn Pond and the Ipswich River from North Reading to Wilmington. Work the shaded areas for the best results.
Pickerel Fishermen have enjoyed a stellar week with individual pickerel tipping the scales at as much as five pounds. Pickerel have shown a preference for shiners but refuse to ignore spoons and plugs. Medium to large shiners presented along weed patches will attract good sized pickerel from mid day through the afternoon. Swimming plugs and spinners have done a good job of drawing pickerel out of the weeds. Many anglers have reported spinnerbaits to be an excellent choice to fool hungry pickerel. Chebacco Lake, Lake Attitash and Johnson Pond have treated pickerel fishermen with impressive catches.
Panfish activity has increased as local water temperatures continue to rise. Yellow perch fishermen have scored steadily when they present crawlers and small to medium shiners. Although the action has been good throughout the day an added spike of activity seems to take place around late afternoon into early evening. Calico bass action seems to be best during the morning when baits are presented in the shallows and around most vegetation. Worms and shiners attract the most crappie. Some of the better panfish ponds have included Pillings Pond, Chebacco Lake and Brown's Pond.
Weather predictioins indicat improvement and the fishing outlook promises to be exceptional. Based upon the fishing of the past few weeks, it looks like fishermen will enjoy another weekend of exceptional fishing. Fresh water fishing is sweet, striper numbers remain strong, flounder fasinate ground fishermen, bluefish spice up the action and cod turn on offshore anglers. Get out early and enjoy the fishing. The season is far to short.
Striper action has continued to be unbeatable with exceptional numbers of stripers brought to net. The bulk of the catch remains made up of schoolies. More and more anglers are starting to realize the great feeling you get from fishing schoolies with lite tackle. Good numbers of anglers are starting to use fresh water gear to fish for schoolie bass. Good numbers of stripers have been caught by boat fishermen working the waters around the Breakers, the Gooseberries, Hardy Shoals, the Pigs, Coney Ledge and Coney Island. Trolling tube n' worms have been the most popular method of Bass fishing among boat fishermen. Shore fishing for stripers is a bit more difficult but can be done successfully. Beach fishermen have started to report increased numbers of stripers caught during the nighttime tides. The White Fuel Bridge remains a popular spot for bridge fishermen as anglers score on good numbers of bass, though not all keepers. Drifting a large sea worm or a strip of bait along the edges of the current proves successful for many. This technique requires fishermen to arrive on the bridge well before the tide turns in order to secure a prime position on the bridge. Nahant fishermen score steadily when working the rocks.
Bluefish action over the Holiday weekend reminded many anglers of the action that took place during the "Good Ole Days". No Blitzes were reported but anglers scored from Gloucester to Boston. Bluefish were caught in good numbers throughout Boston Harbor with the Islands attracting good numbers of blues and fishermen. Bluefish were quickly taking swimming plugs and baits of cut mackerel and herring. Closer to home, anglers scored nicely inside Salem Harbor. Trolling plugs worked well as did tubes. Fishermen were quick to realize that casting plugs and bait to the Lighthouse at Winter Island could result in the hookup with a feisty bluefish. Most of the bluefish that were brought to gaff were in the four to eight pound class.
The huge schools of mackerel that were so common a couple of weeks ago have started to thin out and have become harder to locate. The arrival of the bluefish really pushed along the breakup of mackerel schools. Smaller schools of mackerel can still be found in local waters but are decreasing by the minute. Over the weekend small schools, almost considered pods, of mackerel were found around Halfway Rock, Nahant and Winthrop. Fishermen caught a sew mackerel on Herring Rigs and jigs. Fishermen were caught by surprised when they had a mackerel on the line only to be cut off by a bluefish.
Cod fishermen were quite pleased with the cod action both inshore and offshore. The best action and the largest fish were found at the offshore ledges and banks. Jefferies and Tillies produced well for jig fishermen as long as they added a teaser to their jig. Norwegian worm and soft plastic teasers were very effective. Often times the cod went for the teaser rather than the jig. Drift fishing was a very effective method to use but you had to watch your depth finder in order to miss hooking the bottom. Stellwagen Bank also gave up good numbers of cod. The general consensus of opinion was that the Eastern side of the bank was the most productive. Inshore fishermen were rewarded with good numbers of fish. Undersized cod were mixed in the catch. Productive areas were Gales Ledge, BooHoo Ledge, Pickett Ledge, Tinker's Ledge, Cole Ridge the 101 Hill and Hill 47. Although not all these areas were productive at all times, fishermen found that stopping at each location for a short period of time was very effective. Cod to fifteen or twenty pounds were common.
Flounder fishermen that were willing to put in the time and put up with numbers of skate were successful and were rewarded with flats that tipped the scales at better than two pounds. Although not all flounder were this fat. Good numbers were. Fishermen that fished along Manchester and Magnolia found flats. Catch rates improved dramatically when flounder fishermen chummed the area they were fishing. The new First Strike chum seemed to be very popular. The flounder fishing turned out to be good just inside the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. Flounder were also found around the Haste Rock and Cutthroat Shoals.
Largemouth Bass fishermen have always considered the Bucketmouth to be a challenge, especially if you are looking for a trophy sized fish. This past week has been no different. Bass have been tricky to entice except for the smaller and less cautious. Bass baits must be presented with a certain degree of perfection in order to fool this highly sought after predator. Plastic worms have worked well for those anglers that have learned how to impart a realistic movement to this popular bait. At times this week, spoons have attracted bass but the spoon must be dressed with a strip of bait in order to be effective. During the evening hours, poppers have been very effective at attracting hungry bass. Hula poppers, skitter pops and Jitterbugs have been very effective. Of all the baits that have been used this week, live shiners have been the most effective. Clipping the tail fin will slow down the bait and clipping a pectoral fin will make the bait swim in a circle making it much easier for the bass to strike. Try fishing the back waters and eddies along the Merrimack River from Lawrence to Lowell, Chebacco Lake and Field's Pond. Make sure you bring plenty of shiners.
Trout fishermen have reported a steady trout catch during the past week by those anglers that are willing to present baits at the crack of dawn. If you wait till breakfast or later the trout action will have ended for the day. Sometimes there is a slight increase in the action during the evening hours just around dusk. All sorts of bait has been successful at attracting trout but all baits are not successful on any given day. Pond fishermen have done well with power bait, salmon eggs, trout worms and meal worms. Often times a combinations of the above baits will attract trout. A couple of the best combinations have been a meal worm and marshmallow, salmon eggs and a meal worm, floating power bait and a meal worm or salmon egg. Present these combination on a sliding sinker rig. Ipswich River fishermen have done very well working the harder to get to and secluded sections of the river from Middleton to Reading and along the Ipswich sections. The best bait to use in the river has been trout worms and dillies. Present your baits above a pool and allowing them to drift along the edges of the currents. Shaded pools of deeper water are other good places to present a bait. Fly fishermen have done best at first light and during evening hatches. Try fishing Horn Pond in Woburn, Sluice Pond in Lynn and Pleasant Pond in Wenham.
Overall, during the past week pickerel fishermen have been both rewarded and frustrated. Although the action has been good at many local pickerel waters, the size of the pickerel that have been landed have been far from trophy sized. Fishermen have scored when they present offerings of spoons run by the edges of weed beds and patches. An erratic and fast retrieve works best. At times, even a swimming plug will catch the attention of a pickerel laying in ambush. The best bait for attracting hungry pickerel is shiners. Present you shiners along thick and heavy weed lines. Be prepared for an explosive strike that will catch you off guard if you are not paying attention to your bait. Try fishing Johnson's Pond, Tewksbury Pond and Leggs Hill Pond.
Perch and panfish have been very active in the area's many ponds and lakes. Good sized yellow perch have been reported in local lakes and ponds that can tip the scales at better than a pound. Sunnies have been quick to pounce on offerings of trout worms, bits of night crawlers and meal worms. Fishermen have been rewarded with good numbers of "pout" when they present "stink" baits and worms on the bottom of many of the local warm water bodies of water. We are now approaching the end of the season when panfish have the best tasting fillets. As the water warms the flesh of panfish starts to taste like the bottom. For perch and panfish try fishing Brown's Pond in Peabody, Bart's Pond in Peabody and Red's Pond in Marblehead. Enjoy a great Saturday Night dinner of fried fresh fish fillets and home made Boston Baked Beans with a salad and fresh Italian bread.
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