Frank Dwyer
September 9, 2004
Marblehead: Fishing is showing signs of picking up as fish are becoming more active along the North Shore. Anglers fishing off Castle Rock have had good luck over the last week with both bait and lures, even with the less than perfect surf conditions. Surfcasters fishing off Devereux Beach have done well with chunk herring and large plugs. (Danny Plugs, Needle Fish) Boat anglers fishing with live eels have reported good action with striped bass around Brown’s and Gerry Islands.
Salem: Fishermen have done well off Winter Island using chunk baits in the surf near the lighthouse. Schoolies and keeper size bass have been in the mix over the last week, with the best action at night. Boat anglers have done well trolling tube n’ worm rigs around The Gooseberries. Action at the Salem Willow Pier is increasing as well.
Beverly: The Danvers River has been heating up and anglers casting cut bait from the base of the Salem/Beverly Bridge have done well at night with keeper bass being landed. There have also been surface feeds reported in the river over the last week. Boat anglers working the shoreline near Endicott College and the Landmark school have done well using both live and dead herring. Flounder have been caught near Tuck’s Point.
Cape Ann: Anglers fishing Singing Beach at night have reported an increase in striper activity over the last week. Anglers using live eels as well as cut bait and sea worms have done well with several keepers being landed. The herring in Manchester Harbor have thinned out a bit, but fish are still around for the taking. Fly anglers using large profile bait fish imitation on sinking lines have also reported better fishing activity this week. Fishing around Gloucester and Rockport has been somewhat consistent in the low-light hours, however most fish taken have been sub-legal. Bluefish are still around, but not quite as thick in weeks past. The Peanut Bunker have yet to show in any numbers, but once this happens, fishing should improve quickly. Fishing in the Essex River has been slow, but some stripers have been located by persistent anglers. Those in search of tuna have had limited success, with most fish being landed while trolling. Party boats have continued to please their patrons with good trips for cod and haddock.
Ipswich: Anglers fishing in the Ipswich and Castle Neck rivers have reported an up-tick in activity, with bluefish and stripers actively feeding on top several times this past week. Fish have been most interested in top water plugs, like the Rapala Skitter Pop or the Creek Chub Striper Strike. Shore anglers working both Crane and Steep Hill beach have also reported catch-able numbers of bass, with both spin and fly anglers tallying fish.
Newbury: Plum Island Sound has been slower than most spots this week however some big bass have been landed at night. Angler’s trolling broken-back swimming lures and tube ‘n worm rigs have done well. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge beaches have been yielding fish, but most anglers are awaiting the typical fall feeding frenzies. The Emerson Rocks area seems to be the most productive stretch of beach.
Newburyport / Plum Island: Fishing has certainly improved over the last week around the Port. Boat fishermen have done well anchored up near the Route 1 Bridge with cut bait, clam strips and sea worms. Joppa Flats has been home to consistent numbers of small school sized striped bass most of the week. There is an abundance of bait in the river with juvenile herring, sand eels and minnows all in the mix. Flies fished deep on the edge of the channel, as well as on outgoing drifts starting near the AYC, have led to consistent hook-ups. Anglers wading on Joppa Flats at low tide have also reported increased activity. Fishermen working the Woodbridge Island area at night have reported larger fish caught on eels and cut bait. Plum Island Point continues to draw anglers and while the action is picking up, most of the fish caught have been small. The beaches on Plum Island have also seen an increase in activity with blues and bass being landed on both lures and bait. Just outside the mouth, bluefish continue to be landed, mostly by anglers trolling the vicinity, with the occasional blue being picked up on bait. Those in search of tuna have reported sporadic sightings and landings, but not much consistent action has been reported. Cod and haddock catches remain plentiful for those fishing from the party boats.
Salisbury: Boat anglers continue to find bluefish just outside the mouth of the Merrimack and along Salisbury Beach. Reports also had stripers corralling bait along the north jetty this week, with the fish actively taking flies and sluggo type offerings. Shore fishermen had consistent fishing for schoolies along the river at the State Reservation, with sea worms and clams landing the most fish.
Seacoast, NH: The Seacoast seems to be lagging behind other areas as the fishing seems a bit slow. Reports from Hampton have a few fish coming from the river, as well as the marsh, but overall the fish have been slow to take most offerings. Further north, around Portsmouth anglers have had to work hard for just a few fish. Bluefish have been active just offshore, with most getting them on the troll. Further offshore, tuna action remains spotty, with scattered activity and landings reported.
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