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With the departure of anglers favorite species, bluefish and stripers, the summer fishing season officially comes to a close. Most anglers had a good season despite the less than perfect weather. Fall fishing is now underway.
For the past couple of weeks, smelt fishermen have scored on decent numbers of cold weathers favorite fish. Smelt fishermen frequent the Beverly floats behind the old Mac Donalds, the Congress St. Bridge, Manchester Harbor, the South River and the Danvers River. Numerous baits have worked. Some of these baits included bits of sea worms, killifish, small jigs and trout worms. Lucky anglers score on catches in the dozens.
Local water temperatures continue to cool and now are running in the low fifties. With the transition number set at fifty degrees, there are a very limited number of days to take advantage of the final striper fishing days left in this season. Reports tell of the final few stripers that are in the area have been feeding along Marblehead Neck. Few striper reports have been coming out of Boston Harbor. This may be the last weekend that a few stripers will be caught. Get out and give striper fishing a final shot for this year.
Bluefish numbers have declined to the point that the numbers caught have declined to the point that it appears the bluefish have departed the area. There have been no reports of bluefish this week. Reports indicate that bluefish are now down to the Cape and feeding heavily for their southern journey.
Despite the drop in water temperatures, mackerel continue to stick around. Anglers continue their assault on the popular species by successfully working mackerel trees and herring rigs. The mackerel scores remain high with some catches nearing the century mark. Once again, mackerel trees have outfished herring rigs by a wide margin.
Cod fishermen have been reporting good catches of market sized cod taken from inshore waters. The hills and bumps just outside the harbor islands have been very productive with anglers scoring on jigs and sea clams. Bait fishermen seem to hold the edge. Many near limit and limit catches have been reported. Some of the better areas have been Tinker's Ledge the 101 Hill, Hill 47 and Cole Ridge. Increased numbers of somewhat larger cod have been caught along the "B" buoy and the Graves. The largest cod remain around the offshore banks and ledges. Jigs seem to be best when presented offshore. Expect to see twenty and thirty pound cod along the offshore banks.
Fat flounder have been located by persistent anglers drifting sea worms along the bottom. Flounder have been reported along Manchester Harbor and towards House Island. Limit catches of fat flounder have been reported on a regular basis. Flounder have also been caught in limited numbers from the Willows pier over towards Winter Island. Chumming increases the number of flounder that are drawn to the area that is being worked.
Largemouth bass fishermen have been scoring during the past week on impressive bass when they present medium and large shiners. Large shiners have been quick to inhale shiners when presented along rock piles, decaying weed beds, fallen trees and contour lines. Surface action has dropped off but deeper water action has increased. Although bass action has been god during all times of the day, late afternoon appears to be most active. Spinnerbaits have also attracted plenty of hungry bass. When using spinnerbaits use larger bladed baits and slow down the retrieve for the best results. Plastic worms have also been very effective.
As the old saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm!" translated for fishermen states "The early fisherman catches the trout!". Early fishermen presenting trout worms and grubs score on good sized trout from the popular trout waters of Sluice Pond, Pleasant Pond and Horn Pond. Fishing starts before sunrise and is generally over by breakfast. Floating the bait just off the bottom with a marshmallow increases the chances of a strike. Fishermen have reported near limit and limit catches quite frequently.
During the past week fishermen have scored well on good sized pickerel. Pickerel, reaching weights in excess of three pounds have been a common catch for anglers presenting medium and large shiners. Large shiners presented along now decaying weed lines almost guarantees a quick hit and a hard fight. Some of the better pickerel waters have been Chebacco Lake, Pillings Pond, Johnson's Pond and Brown's Pond. Spoons have also been productive with the old standard Dare Devil among the most popular.
Angers have been kept busy baiting hooks, casting baits and fighting good numbers of perch, pout and sunnies. The bulk of the catch has been perch and horned pout. Armed with a supply of angle worms or crawlers, fishermen have invaded small ponds throughout the area. Worms, presented within a couple of feet of the surface keep anglers bust hauling in plenty of perch. Night fishermen score big when they present crawlers on the bottom. Stink baits also work well. Nothing beats a Saturday night supper of fresh, fried pout fillets and a good helping of homemade baked beans.
Water temperatures are now dropping and in the mid fifties signalling the season nearing closure. Fishing days are now limited so take advantage of the great striper fishing now. It won't be long before complaints are heard of cold, ice and snow.
Striper activity continues to rule local waters. Trollers score on tubes, plugs and bait while shore fishermen score on cut and live bait. Stripers continue to remain close to structure preferring rock piles and ledges. Fishermen continually score around the islands when presenting all sorts of bait. Plastic shads have been extremely productive especially when the smaller sizes are presented. Small swimming plugs and poppers that are close to the size of peanut bunker that are so plentiful right now have been very productive. Stripers have been plentiful in local harbors with anglers flocking to Boston to work the islands. Water temperatures have now dropped to the mid fifties limiting the number of striper fishing days left this season. Get out and enjoy wjat is left of the season.
The numbers of bluefish that have been caught during the past week have thinned out. Limited numbers of bluefish have been caught around the outside hzarbor islands. Deep diving plugs are preferred by a large number of anglers, followed by jigs. Bait fishermen score best. Shore fishermen score well on chunks of mackerel as long as you cut the bait so that ZA bit of skin is allowed to move in the current. Most bluefish that have been caught have been under ten pounds.
Mackerel have returned in full force blanketing local waters. Huge schools of mackerel have been observed from the Cape to Plum Island. Anglers have scored on mackerel numbering into the hundreds. Many times the action is fast with anglers scoring as much as nearly 100 mackerel in an hours time. Although tandem rigged jig worked well, herring rigs and mackerel trees out performed jigs. Most fishermen preferred mackerel trees as the heavier rig handled the heavier fish much more efficiently. Schools were quick moving.
Cod fishermen have been pleased to see market sized cod return to inshore waters. Anglers no longer have to travel offshore to score a few cod. Inshore cod fishermen have tallied cod at Tinker's Island, Tinker's Ledge, Newcomb's Ledge, the 101 Hill, Hill #47 and Cole Ridge. Market cod have preferred generous portions of sea clams and small jigs. Fishermen working the area around the "B" buoy have scored good numbers of cod in the teens and low twenties. Fishermen making the longer trip to Stellwagen and east of the bank have been rewarded with cod in the twenties and thirties. This is the time to fill the freezer for winter. Just remember to freeze your fillets in a water filled plastic baf or container. This prevents freezer burn.
Flounder fishermen have been more than satisfied with this years flounder action. Flats have been caught throughout the local waters with the best action taking place around the mouth of Marblehead Harbor, Cat Island and from Manchester Harbor to House Island. Dorormats have been common on the Manchester side of the harbor. Some of the gigantic flounder have tipped the scales at close to 3 1/2 pounds. All you need is a couple of flats this size for a good flounder feed. Drift fishing produces best and working the area with a spinning rod produces even better.
Largemouth bass fishermen have enjoyed a week full of challenges, triumphs and good sized bass. As local waters start their fall cool down, the natural urge for bass to feed heavily turns on. Fully gripped by the urge to pack on the weight for the long winter season, largemouth bass have been feeding ravenously. Fishermen have been reporting that shiners and often large shiners cause bass to pound on this prime bait. Medium shiners have been working well but the larger shiners have been more appealing to hungry bass. Bass action has been good at all bass ponds as long as anglers work the structure and show a preference of rockpiles and fallen trees. Surface swimmers have also produced nicely.
Fall trout fishing has been very good this year. Good numbers of trout have fallen victim to a wide variety of trout baits including worms. power bait and hardware. Most fishermen seem to prefer worms and grubs. Morning fishermen score best with a secondary spike in activity taking place during late afternoon into evening. Pleasant Pond seems to be the most popular trout waters as most fishermen seem to leave with near limit catches. Sluice Pond, Horn Pond and Pleasant Pond remain the prime trout ponds of the North Shore. Worms seem to account for the most trout catches.
Pickerel fishermen have been pleased at just how aggressive pickerel have become during the past couple of weeks. Good sized pickerel have been quick to pounce on medium and large sized shiners. Most activity has taken place along weedlines and any vegetation that is left along the shallow water. Fair to good numbers of pickerel have been caught at many local ponds with Chebacco Lake, Longham Reservoir and Pillings Pond leading the pack. Although medium sized shiners have taken good numbers of pickerel, large shiners have been preferred by both anglers as well as the fish. Spoons have also attracted pickerel but have not been as effective as live bait.
Despite the less than enjoyable week through last weekend, fishermen were pleased at the density of the panfish populations. Panfish provided plenty of action for anglers of all ages and skill levels. Yellow perch and sunnies kept the youngest fishermen hooking up and fighting fish. Calico bass challenged the more experienced anglers and pout kept old timers out after dark filling creels. Kids were overjoyed at catching good numbers of fish and were proudly showing off their catch. More experienced anglers challenged their skills searching out crappie and enjoyed meals of fried calico o fillets. Old timers were briefly brought back to the days of their youth when they spent hours on the side of a muddy pond catching pout. Their sweet fillets go well with a crock of fresh baked beans. Panfish anglers hit the banks of local ponds and lakes armed with a good supply of small lures and plenty of garden worms and crawlers. Some anglers score nicely with homemade potions.
The promise of good weather has been made for the second half of the weekend. Fish activity has been strong and demands a return to the suds to capitalize on the action.
Good numbers of striped bass have been working local shorelines feeding on any bait fish that dares come within striking range. Fishermen have been favoring herring chunks and strips over mackerel. Local rivers have been active with fishermen casting and trolling baits. Most fish have been schoolies but provide plenty of action and excitement. The harbor islands and rocky structures have provided anglers with plenty of action. At times strips of bait will attract more bass than chunks. The Boston Harbor islands have been loaded with stripers. There have been good numbers of trophy bass, sometimes reaching weights into the thirty pound range.
Fishermen have been chasing bluefish attempting to score before blues start their southern migration. Bluefish have been constantly moving in and around local harbor. Successful anglers have been trolling swimming and diving plugs as well as presenting chunks of mackerel, herring, and squid. Boat fishermen have been scoring better than shore fishermen.
The word is spreading fast, the mackerel have returned to local waters. Schools of mackerel have been spotted from Gloucester to Boston. Reports indicate that fishermen have been scoring heavily on huge schools of mackerel along the State Fish Pier inside Gloucester Harbor. Reports also indicate that mackerel trees have been working much better than herring rigs. Catch a few mackerel now so that you will have bait for the finish of the bass and bluefish action.
More fishermen have been reporting increased numbers of market cod within local inshore waters. Fishermen have scored when they present generous portions of sea clams. By reports that have come in, sea clams have been outfishing jigs. Offshore fishermen have been reporting cod catches of larger proportions on both clams and jigs with jigs slightly outperforming clams. In offshore waters the major banks and ledges have produced the largest cod with somewhat smaller individuals being caught around the hills and bumps. Inshore fishermen have scored at Tinker's Ledge, Gale's Ledge, Newcomb's Ledge and Cole Ridge. Don't overlook the 101 Hill and Hill 47.
Flounder fishermen have been scoring on flounder along Marblehead Harbor and from the mouth of Manchester Harbor to House Island. Using whole sea worms is a more productive method than using bits of worms. Working the area fully around with a spinning rod covers more area and is far more sensitive allowing for more hook ups. Doormats have been a common description when anglers talk about their catches. Chumming greatly increases the numbers of keeper flounder that are hooked. Near limit catches have been fairly common.
For the past couple of weeks local bass waters have been cooling and a side effect of this cooling in local waters has been increases bass activity. Fishermen have been scoring consistently when presenting medium and large shiners. Presenting shiners along weed lines entice fish into striking. The best action has occurred at both ends of the day with some big bass falling during the early morning hours. Those anglers that prefer surface action, work the dusk to dark periods. Inflated night crawlers presented on the surface and close to emergent vegetation and rock piles have produced trophy sized lunkers. Even though artificial baits have worked well, live shiners rule.
Newly stocked trout have been driving local trout fishermen insane. Early morning anglers line the banks of local trout ponds casting baits to what seem to be hungry trout. As soon as the baits hit the water, the trout scatter. Light nibbles and soft takes torment anglers. Patients pay off for some fishermen as they will make limit catches. Light lines have been mandated as clear waters cause trout to be extra leary. The most productive baits have been trout worms and night crawlers. Small spinners and spoons, along with meal worms and power bait have also worked well.
Young and old fishermen alike, armed with a good supply of night crawlers, have been pounding yellow perch. Large numbers of perch have fallen victim to the popular bait, garden hackle, in most all local bodies of water. Some of the smaller ponds have yielded good numbers of hefty perch, some coming close to the two pound mark. Some of the larger perch have fallen victim to shiners, small spoons and small spinners. During the mid day period a limited number of anglers have been reporting perch aggressively attacking small swimming and sinking plugs when presented along lily pads and eel grass.
The weather promises disaster but the fishing holds a bright spot. Get out the oil skins and take advantage of the great fishing. A little rain never hurt anyone. Fishing days are numbered.
The numbers of small bluefin tuna that have remained around Thatchers Island have largely moved away. It appears the the huge schools of tuna that were so common for the past couple of weeks have moved south. Now, concentrations of small tuna have gathered the BF buoy and the southern sections of Stellwagen Bank. Metal squids remain gret for attracting tuna. Other successful weapons have been squid bars and bait. If the oppertunity arises, get out and experience this challenging fish.
Stripers continue to demand the attention of fall anglers and rule local waters. Good numbers of heavy bass have been caught by bait fishermen working the rocky shoreline from Plum Island to Revere. Chunks of mackerel and herring presented along the white water yields planty of action. The action has not been limited to shore fishermen as boat anglers have also been busy bringing stripers to gaff. Boaters score trolling tube and worms. squid strips and umbrella rigs. Plastic shads yield impressive numbers of bass when presented along most any bottom structure. Cut bait fishermen remember to cut your bait so that a flap of skin is visible and allowed to move in the current. The Boston Harbor islands have been infested with stripers of all sizes. Fishermen score when they cast plastic shads, sluggo worms and chunks of bait.
Schools of bluefish continue to slash through bait leaving trails of blood tinged water and bits of torn up bait. Many of the schools of blues that have been destroying bait have been on the smallish side. The lone invaders can tip the scales at close to a dozen pounds. Most of the bluefish action has taken place offshore as boat fishermen report the most action. Night fishermen that work the beaches have reported limited action from Devereux Beach, Singing Beach and Revere Beach. Revere Beach was the choice of anglers this week. There was plenty of action reported at this popular surf spot.
The mackerel have returned and fishermen have been scoring all along Cape Ann. Both mackerel trees and herring rigs attract good numbers of mackerel allowing angler to return home with buckets of mackerel. Tandem rigged mackerel jigs have also worked well. Most of the action has taken when anglers come across a moving school of mackerel. Reports indicate that fishermen have caught very few small mackerel. The bulk of the catch has been large jacke, many reaching two and three pounds. Reports have filtered in about a limited number of mackerel being caught during the early morning hours from the Salem Willows pier.
Recreational fishermen have been reporting that cod have started to return to inshore hills, bumps and ledges. Cooler water temperatures have signalled a return of market sized cod to the inshore grounds. Steaker sized cod have remained offshore wth good concentratioins of cod on the eastern side of Stellwagen Bank, Jefferies and Tillies. Pigeon Hill and Old Aquantum have bees popular locations for the bigger boats. Small boat fishermen have been scoring along Tinker's Ledge, Newcomb's Ledge, Cole Ridge and Gales Ledge. Some of the local hills have produced market sized cod. The 101 Hill and Hill #47 have given up limited numbers of cod. Reports have been telling of fair to good numbers of cod responding to offerings of jigs and generous portions of sea clams.
Flounder fishermen have been reporting the best flounder fishing so far this fall. Near limit catches have been made along Manchester and Marblehead. Although there have been excessive numbers of flounder that were less than meal size, excellent numbers of two anf three pound flounder were brough to net. Successful anglers were slow to reveal that they chummed the fishing area heavily. Many anglers chase to use light spinning gear reporting that they could cover more area and a greater degree of sensitivity.
Largemouth bass have put on the feed bag and have been eating everything in sight. Bass have been actively trying to put on layers of fat to help them get through the long winter when food sources drop off dramatically. Hungry bass have been activily hitting numerous plugs and most baits. It appears that most fishermen have been having their best luck when they presented live shiners. Plastic worms, stick baits and spinnerbaits have also worked well. Reports have been positive from the Merrimack River In Haverhill and Lawrence. Live baits have attracted the greatest numbers of strikes and from that point it is up to the angler to get the fish in. Best locations have been under overhanging tree branches, along points that create back eddies and at the edges of the current.
The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's trout stocking trucks have been rolling through the district and depositing their precious cargo of lively trout. Pleasant Pond, Sluice Pond, Baldpate Pond and Horn Pond are among the selected ponds to receive a limited number of fall trout. Newly stocked trout have been feeding on fishermen's offerings of meal worms, rigged with a marshmallow or power bait. Trout worms, crawlers and power bait remain among the most often presented trout baits. The primary time for trout activity has been the pre dawn hours into first light, with a secondary spike in activity taking place around sunset to twilight. This is also a great time to present flies.
Fishermen have been reporting increased pickerel activity at weed laden ponds. Presenting large shiners along the edges of the thick weed beds generally produces incredible strikes. Pickerel are now starting to feed heavily in preparation for the coming lean months of winter. Johnson spoons and Dare Devils are rated among the best artificial lures for pickerel although other spoons and plugs will attracr hungry pickerel. Look for good local action at Longham Reservoir, Pillings Pond and Lake Attitash. The largest shiners that you can find will yield the trophy sized pickerel everyone hopes for.
As local bodies of water start the fall temperature drop, fishermen have continued to report increased activity among the area's panfish populations. Yellow perch are probably the most sought after species by andlers of all ages but are preferred by young anglers largely because of their good numbers and ease of catching.
This is a good species to break in new fishermen. Perch have been active at most local ponds with night crawlers, dillies and trout worms. Fishermen have also scored when they presented small shiners, small spinners and small jigs. Although most fishermen report great morning action, perch activity usually remains good throughout the day. An added bonus of perch fishing is that perch are great tablefare. Head out this weekend between showers and score big on perch. Calico bass or crappie fishing has been pretty good with anglers scoring at Chebacco Lake, Putnamville Reservoir and Pillings Pond. Successful fishermen presenr small and medium shiners, trout worms and dillies. Small jigs also work well. Crappie are also great when served with a fresh pot of homemade baked beans. Life doesn't get much better.
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