June 30, 2005

The Heat Is On!

Frank Dwyer
June 30, 2004

The warm weather over the last week has not yet pushed fish to deeper water, but if the warming trend continues, expect to work a little harder in your pursuit of striped bass. Bluefish have moved in quite heavily over most of the north shore, and while they may hinder your search for bass, they can be a fun catch on their own.

Overall, the fishing has been quite good over the past week with a nice mix of bluefish, striped bass and flounder for inshore anglers, while cod, haddock, pollock, cusk and wolfish are all being caught by the offshore crowd. Mackerel are readily available in all the usual spots and the July 4th Weekend should be an excellent one for fishing.

Marblehead: (4 hooks) Flounder fishing has remained strong for anglers off the coast of Marblehead, with slow drifts bouncing sea worms off the bottom working best. Anglers fishing off Castle Rock have done well with both fly and spin rods. Sinking lines and large baitfish flies are the rule for fly fishermen while all manner of bait and lure has been working for the spin casters. Bluefish and striped bass have also been taken from Devereux Beach.

Salem: (4 hooks) Mackerel continue to be readily available in Salem Harbor. Fishing from Salem Willows Pier as well as off Winter Island has been quite consistent with bait fishermen landing fish well into the 20 pound range. The Lead Mills is also fishing well, again, with bait anglers landing the bigger fish. Anglers fishing at night have done well at the Kernwood Bridge. As with most of the area, bluefish have been carousing just off shore, most in the 4-8 pound range.

Beverly: (4 hooks) The Beverly Fishing Pier has been popular as the warm weather has settled in our area. Most anglers use bait from the pier and do quite well. Anglers fishing around Baker’s Island have reported larger bass hanging in the rocks. Anglers have done well with a tube ‘n worm rig around the island and also with live mackerel and pogie’s, which are also showing up in more numbers. Flounder fishing along the Beverly coast has continued to please anglers in search of this delicious table fare.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Mackerel and pogie’s are quite abundant around the Cape and anglers have been doing quite well live-lining either of these for hungry striped bass. In Manchester, anglers casting from Singing Beach have reported larger fish, especially at night, with most using cut bait, clams or sea worms. Around Gloucester, fishermen have done well off Eastern Point, Milk Island and Thacher Island as larger striped bass have been taking up residence. Live or dead lining a whole pogie or mackerel will weed out the smaller fish and hopefully attract that linesider we are all hoping for. Wingarshaeek and Good Harbor beaches have also been yielding fish at night and the Annisquam continues to fish well. Bluefish remain in large numbers around Gloucester, so if you’re getting cut off, perhaps a wire leader is in order. Fishermen working the Rockport and Essex water have reported similar numbers of bass and blues. Party Boats continue to produce good numbers of ground fish from Stellwagen and Jeffrey’s.

Ipswich: (4 hooks) The mouth of the Ipswich River has had several mornings this week with a mix of blues and bass feeding on top, with birds overhead. Boat anglers have been having a good time hooking up on most every cast. Pavilion, Steep Hill and Crane Beaches have all been fishing well, mostly in early morning or evening hours.

Newbury: (4 hooks) The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge beaches remain closed except for a small section of beach at Parking Lot 1. Typically the beaches begin to reopen sporadically in July, but don’t expect full beach access until mid to late August. Plum Island Sound has been fishing quite nicely, with a solid mix of bass and blues now available. Anglers fishing with top water plugs, metals, and plastics have all done quite well. The Parker River has also been yielding fish, but has not been as consistent as earlier in the season.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) The fishing around the Port has been excellent over the last week, but the pressure has also been quite intense with many boat and shore anglers targeting the waters around Newburyport. Upriver, fishing from the Route 95 Bridge down to the Route 1 Bridge continues to yield good numbers of striped bass. Anglers fishing cut bait in the deeper holes have done well for keeper sized bass. Fishermen drifting on Joppa Flats continue to land good numbers of striped bass with an occasional blue fish in the mix now. The drift on the outgoing tide on the flats seems to produce the best numbers of fish. Fly anglers with sinking lines do quite well, once a fly pattern and color is identified, which can take some time. In addition, top water and swimming plugs have been producing as well as sluggos rigged on lead heads. On Plum Island Point--which apparently has become some people’s personal dump site—fishing continues to produce good numbers of bass, with many keepers now in the mix, if you can stand the mess. Here’s my annual plea; please leave the beach as clean if not cleaner than you found it. Bluefish have taken up residence at the mouth of the river and have been caught by anglers from the MR buoy to Emerson Rocks. Plum Island Beaches continue to yield striped bass and surfcasters are now able to reach blues from shore. Party Boats are doing well with Cod, Haddock and Pollock.

Salisbury: (4 hooks) Bluefish and Bass have been hooked by anglers surfcasting off Salisbury Beach. Try a ballistic missile for some long distance casting and swimming action that bluefish can’t seem to resist. Surfcasters fishing from the banks of the Salisbury State Reservation have done quite well for good numbers of keeper sized bass and some bluefish.
Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) Good fishing action for the “Live Free or Die” crew as bass and blues have taken up residence along most of the New Hampshire seacoast. Anglers fishing out of Seabrook and Hampton Harbors have reported good numbers of bass, most interested in live or fresh cut mackerel. Bluefish have also been showing up in larger numbers. Further north, fishing the Rye and Portsmouth area has continued to please both shore and boat anglers. Like the party boats to their south, the ground fishing has been good off the New Hampshire coast.

June 23, 2005

Plenty of Fish Around

Frank Dwyer
June 23, 2005

By all accounts, this past week was quite good for fishing the North Shore. From Nahant to Portsmouth, fish of all sizes have been caught, including some monster bass in the 20 – 40 pound range.

Bluefish have moved in through most of the area and striped bass, flounder, cod and haddock remain plentiful. If you can get on the water, now’s the time to wet a line.

Marblehead: (4 hooks) Bluefish have been prevalent off the shores of Marblehead as anglers either target them with any variety of top water, swimming or metal lures, or try to avoid them in their search for other species. Fishing from the neck has produced a number of legal bass for both spin and fly fishermen. Night time certainly increases your chances of landing a large fish.

Salem: (4 hooks) Mackerel are in Salem Harbor in large numbers and anglers have been using mackerel jigs to stock up on these baits and then live-lining them in deeper waters for bass in the 30 pound range. The Danvers River continues to produce good numbers of bass, with larger bass being taken at night. Cod and Haddock remain plentiful—and some Pollock--just offshore and at the ledges, while bluefish have showed up in larger numbers.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Fishermen fishing from shore off West Beach (when bathing is not taking precedence), and from boats near Misery Island have landed good amounts of bass and blues. Mackerel—live or dead—has been working well for the bait crowd and is readily available. Flounder fishing remains decent, but skates have become more of a problem. (Put a float on!)

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Mackerel are thick around the Cape and that’s good news for fishermen as bass (and blues) chase the baitfish closer to shore. Manchester remains a strong spot for Flounder fishermen as limits have been caught by anglers daily. In addition, the surfcasters have been doing quite well of Singing Beach with cut mackerel and herring. Fishermen fishing near the breakwater in Gloucester as well as near Ten Pound Light have done well for bass and blues. Shore fishermen have done well with sluggos and storm wildeyes as well as with cut bait, clams and worms. Rockport has also seen an influx of mackerel and with it, larger bass and bluefish. In Essex, the river has given up a number of larger fish to anglers working popping plugs and large bait fish flies worked with an erratic strip. The charter boats have reported good action on cod, haddock and Pollock with some pool fish topping 25 pounds.

Ipswich: (4 hooks) Excellent fishing of Crane Beach currently, especially at night. Large black flies and dark sluggos have both been deadly on bass this past week. Bluefish have made it to the mouth of the Ipswich River and are scattered all over Ipswich Bay. While they may thin out the bass, they can be a real treat on a fly rod or light spinning rod.

Newbury: (4 hooks) Anglers fishing off Sandy Point, at the southern end of Plum Island, have done well for bass. Seaworms and clams have worked quite well for the bait fishermen while sinking lines and the reliable clouser and deceiver patterns have produced nicely for fly fishermen. Plum Island Sound has also been yielding good numbers of bass.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) There are abundant opportunities for fishermen around the Port at this time with mackerel, bluefish and stripers all plentiful. Upriver action above the Route 1 Bridge remains strong with anglers drifting in boats doing well around Rams and Carr Island. Sluggos and flies on sinking lines work well, as does top water plugs in low light conditions. Plenty of bass have been congregating on Joppa Flats with some days being harder than others to target these fish. Night time seems to be the best on the flats, at least for larger fish, as the schoolies are still quite abundant 24/7. Anglers fishing the ocean front, as well as Plum Island Point have been landed plenty of legal-sized keepers. Bait anglers have been doing well with worms, clams and cut mackerel, while plugs and metals have been attracting both bass and bluefish. Party boats have been producing excellent numbers of cod, haddock and Pollock.

Salisbury: (4 hooks) The good fishing was complimented this week by the arrest of several “poachers” on Ring’s Island for targeting and illegally keeping under sized bass. Let’s hope this trend continues as I think anyone who has fished the area has seen people keeping undersized bass. If you see something suspicious, you can report it to the Environmental Police by calling 1-800-632-8075. Bait anglers have reported fish in the twenty pound range off Salisbury Beach as well as bluefish carousing just off shore.

Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) There are plenty of bass from Seabrook to Portsmouth now as the fishing has really taken off on the seacoast. Mackerel are now in quite thick and with that many bass have taken up residence. Fishing around Hampton Harbor has been good with larger fish being landed by those live-lining freshly caught mackerel. Further north, anglers fishing around Odiorne Point in Rye have reported consistent bass action from shore and boat. In Portsmouth, the Piscataqua has been alive with all sizes of bass from 14 inch schoolies to thirty pound keepers. Off shore, the Isle of Shoals has produced more bass as mackerel have been around the islands. Bluefish, while not in thick, will be soon.

June 16, 2005

Bigger Fish Moving In

Frank Dwyer
June 16, 2005

The fishing has definitely improved this week as the warm weather heated up local waters. The last few cool and rainy days have not put a damper on the action as anglers have had excellent results throughout the North Shore.

Mackerel and Herring are on the move and bigger fish have been caught as they chase these baits in closer to shore. Live-lining these baits will weed out the small fish and allow you to target bigger fish.

Marblehead: (4 hooks) Excellent fishing around Marblehead has been pleasing both spin and fly anglers this week. Surfcasters working the rocks off Castle Rock have done well, especially at night with large plugs as well as cut bait. Fly rodders with sinking lines and larger bait fish imitations have done well on bass in the 20”-30” range. Boat anglers working off Brown’s Island and Gerry’s Island have done well for bass with cut bait and live mackerel.

Salem: (4 hooks) Salem Willows Pier has been attracting fishermen all week as striped bass have continued to cooperate with both bait and lure anglers. Flounder fishing is still good just outside the harbor. Boat anglers have reported larger bass around Bakers Island. Cod and haddock fishing remains strong.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Small herring continue to school up in Beverly Harbor while mackerel are readily available for those willing to look. Fishing off West Beach continues to be a good bet as fish have been corralling bait in close to shore. Fly and spin anglers have reported decent catches with more and more keepers in the mix. The Beverly Fishing Pier has been attracting many anglers as the fishing has improved. Flounder remain plentiful.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) No major complaints—except for the last few days of cold weather—from fishermen targeting the Cape Ann area. White Beach and Singing Beach continue to produce good numbers of bass for surfcasters. I was on White Beach recently and saw a kayaker nailing fish after fish on the fly, just off the beach. Gloucester anglers have also reported an up-tick in activity as the Annisquam and Little rivers continue to yield good numbers of striped bass. Boat anglers in search of striped bass have found plenty of mackerel to live-line and have been finding bass from the Eastern Point to Emerson Point and off Thacher Island. Stripers have been cooperative in Rockport as anglers have found fish off most of the beaches as well as in deeper waters off Halibut Point and Andrews Point. The Essex River has also been producing good numbers of bass as sand eels and silversides have been chased by these hungry fish. The Party Boats have been catching good numbers of cod and haddock off Tillies and Stellwagen with a few Pollock and Cusk in the mix.


Ipswich: (3 hooks) Crane, Pavilion and Steep Hill Beaches are all active with striped bass as surfcasters and boat anglers alike enjoy good fishing around Ipswich. Fishing at the mouth of the Ipswich River as well as in the deeper waters of Ipswich Bay has been quite good as bait has been plentiful with striped bass in pursuit. I fished an evening last week at Crane’s and was treated to many bass, up to 36 inches, all taken on six to nine inch sluggos twitched on the surface.

Newbury: (3 hooks) Boat anglers have found good action for striped bass in the Parker River around Cape Merrill as well as in Plum Island Sound. Top Water Plugs, swimming plugs and sluggos have all produced good sized fish as has cut bait. Several fish over 30 inches have been taken this past week.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks) The fishing is getting better every day around Newburyport and Plum Island. I’ve had success on both day and night trips over the last week, with some bigger fish getting to the boat at night, including a 38” fish that fell for an eel dragged slowly on the bottom of Joppa Flats. Upriver fishing continues to be good, with the waters around Ram and Carr Island still producing good numbers of bass. Fishing from the mouth of the river, out to the MR Buoy and all the way down to Emerson Rocks has also been good at different times for bass. Plum Island Point and the front beach are also yielding good numbers of bass, with many keepers in the mix. The pressure has increased dramatically over the last two weeks for both shore and boat fishermen so please try to remember to be courteous to those around you and to leave nothing behind. Also, I mention this every year, but boaters should not anchor in the channel, as this is not only illegal and stupid, but also quite dangerous. Party boats have been delivering the goods to their patrons with excellent catches of cod, haddock and pollock.

Salisbury: (3 hooks) Beach weather is here—well it was-- so the Salisbury ocean front is mainly an option early morning or late afternoon and evening. This may be a blessing, as the fishing has been quite good off the beach at those hours. Bait fishermen as well as those plugging the ocean have landed good numbers of striped bass. The State Reservation has been jammed with campers, so the river front has been quite crowded but those fishing with clams, worms and cut mackerel have all done well.

Seacoast, NH: (3 hooks) No shortage of bass in New Hampshire now as the fish have made their presence known in northern waters. Seabrook, Hampton and Rye have all been hot for bass, with more legal fish being landed. Bass have been reported off Jenness Beach and Foss Beach as well as in the Hampton River and off Hampton Beach. Further north, fishing at the mouth of the Piscataqua River has seen a few surface feeds with decent sized bass underneath. Also, fishing around New Castle and in Great Bay has been steadily improving with good amounts of bass being taken.

June 9, 2005

Weather and Fishing Heating Up

Frank Dwyer
June 9, 2005

Fishing has been quite good over the past week with the warming weather patterns improving the fishing activity all over the North Shore.

Boat and shore anglers—may they be spin, fly or bait fishermen-- have all been pleased with the action around our waters. Mackerel and Herring are in closer to shore now and bigger fish are following them in, so get out there!

Marblehead: (4 hooks) Good striped bass action all around Marblehead. Fishing the Neck, especially around Castle Rock has been consistent for bass, with some keepers in the mix now. The waters around Marblehead Harbor have also been hot for both school striped bass and flounder. Some Cod reported close to the mouth of the Harbor as well.

Salem: (4 hooks) Anglers trolling tube ‘n worm and umbrella rigs in and around Salem Harbor have had good success with hungry bass. In addition, fly anglers have found fish on most every cast off Winter Island as well as in the Harbor. Fish have been feeding on small herring so sinking lines small bait fish imitations are getting the most strikes. Cod and Haddock fishing has been good for those going off shore in search of table fare.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Fishing near the Kernwood Bridge has been heating up as anglers are taking bigger bass every day from the Danvers River. Soft stick baits and swimming plugs have been yielding good catches. Anglers fishing off West Beach, as well as around the islands off the beach, have also found good bass fishing. Flounder catches have also been quite good along the Beverly shoreline.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) White Beach and Singing Beach have been producing well with spin and fly anglers landing excellent numbers of bass. Cut bait, sea worms and clams have all been working for fishermen; however skates are showing up in more numbers. Gloucester beaches and rivers are also producing good numbers of bass, with larger bass starting to show up closer to shore. Fishing near Stage Fort Park, as well as off Eastern Point/Niles Beach has also been fairly consistent for bass. Mackerel are reported to be closer to shore now, thus the bigger fish showing up. Rockport fishermen are also enjoying the influx of fresh bass as most of the shoreline has been producing fish, including Pebble and Long Beaches. In Essex, lot’s of small fish in the Essex River with a few larger fish in the mix. Cod and Haddock fishing has been good for the Party Boat crowd.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Good sized schools of bass have been cruising off Crane’s Beach, mostly feeding on sand eels. Boat and shore anglers alike report fish willing to take most offerings. While there have been no real monsters yet, the fish are getting bigger. The mouth of the Ipswich has also see good numbers of bass for both bait and artificial anglers.

Newbury: (3 hooks) Parking Lot 1 at the Parker River Wildlife Refuge is open for walk-on fishermen, while the remainder of the refuge remains closed for nesting Piping Plovers. Good numbers of fish have been taken at the southern end of Plum Island with buck tail jigs, kastmasters and popping plugs all landing fish for spin fishermen. Plum Island Sound is also starting to yield more fish.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks)

I’ve gotten out around Newburyport several times in the past week and have found good numbers of fish on each outing. Anglers continue to crowd Deer Island to fish from shore, with many anglers landing white catfish while searching for bass. Plenty of schoolies around Eagle and Carr Island as the creeks and river have been fishing quite well. Further downriver, Joppa Flats has been pleasing both wade and boat fishermen with the outgoing tide producing the best results. Experimenting with retrieve speeds has helped quite a bit this week as the fish don’t seem to be following any rules with quick retrieves working some days and near dead drifts working on other days. The ocean front from Atty. May’s to the south jetty has been producing good numbers of bass for anglers willing to put in their time. If you can stand the crowds, Plum Island Point has been yielding keepers from the river for many anglers. Party Boats are enjoying the good weather with good catches of Cod and Haddock.

Salisbury: (3 hooks) Anglers working the Salisbury ocean front have found good numbers of bass within casting distance from shore. Jigs, plugs, metal and swimming lures have all worked well. Crowds continue to line the Merrimack River from the State Reservation in search of large striped bass. Worms and clams have been the most productive baits.

Seacoast, NH: (3 hooks) The Seacoast is catching up to the waters to the south as more and more bass are showing up. The Hampton River and Marsh area has been heating up as more fish are being caught and larger fish now in the mix. Fishing off Rye Beach and Odiorne Point has also been good as fish have been feeding close to shore. Further north, the Piscataqua is yielding more bass as is the Newcastle Island area, with fish feeding on herring.

June 2, 2005

Action for Anglers on the Upswing

Frank Dwyer
June 2, 2005

The fishing has definitely improved over the last few days and hopefully a trend of decent weather will stay with us for June. The water temperatures have risen and we should see an increase in bait in our waters over the next few weeks.

Memorial Day Weekend had many anglers out and about the North Shore in search of fish and by all accounts the fishing has been quite consistent, however large fish have yet to become the rule.

Marblehead: (3 hooks) Flounder fishermen have had good luck with the flatties at the mouth of the Harbor. Drifting sea worms seems to be the best bet. Anglers working the waters around Devereux Beach and Castle Rock have seen better fishing over the last week with fly, spin and bait fishermen all reporting decent catches from shore and boat.

Salem: (3 hooks) Fishing has improved around Salem and anglers have been enjoying good fishing for bass and flounder. The area around Salem Willows Pier, as well as off Winter Island has seen an influx of bass, many in the micro (8-14”) range. Boat anglers fishing off Eagle Bar and Chappel Ledge have reported decent action for Cod. Mackerel and Herring seem to remain off shore.

Beverly: (3 hooks) Anglers fishing around West Beach have seen a few sunrise surface feeds this past week with school bass taking both top water plugs and most other offerings. Bait fishermen have reported decent action near the Salem/Beverly Bridge, as bigger fish have started to show, especially at night. The Beverly Fishing Pier is always worth a try.

Cape Ann: (3 hooks) Action from Singing Beach in Manchester has increased as hungry striped bass take offerings from both fly and spin fishermen. Anglers casting 6-9” sluggos on lead heads have done well, as have fishermen using buck tail jigs and kastmaster or other metal lures. Flounder fishing continues to be good around the Harbor. In Gloucester, the Annisquam and Little Rivers have been yielding good numbers of bass as both fly and spin fishermen reported good activity. Wingaersheek and the other beaches in Gloucester have begun to heat up as well. Cape Hedge Beach and Long Beach in Rockport have had an influx of school sized bass and anglers fishing around Halibut Point have also reported an increase in bass action. The Essex River has been fishing quite consistently for the last week for both fly and spin anglers. Sluggos twitched on the surface or jigged on a lead head have produced well for spin anglers while clousers, deceivers and ray’s flies have worked will for the long wand crew. Cod and Haddock fishermen have done well at both Jeffrey’s and Stellwagen.


Ipswich: (3 hooks) Fishing from Cranes and Steep Hill Beaches has been somewhat consistent for the past week, with most bass fitting the “micro” description. Anglers fishing the backside of Cranes along the Castle Neck River have also found good numbers of bass. If you take a swing by the Ipswich Town Hall, you can pick up an overnight parking permit that will allow you to park outside the Cranes Beach entrance after hours.

Newbury: (3 hooks)

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks)

There was plenty of company around Newburyport for the holiday weekend, and there were also decent amounts of fish, but many quite small. You’ll do well crimping your barbs regardless if you’re a spin or fly fishermen, as the schoolies are quite small this Spring. Fishing the Merrimack from Rock’s Village down to the Route 1 Bridge has been quite consistent for small striped bass. Boat anglers working the upriver holes and creeks have found consistent bass action with schoolie bass. Joppa Flats has also been producing well on both the incoming and outgoing tides. Again, small bass are the rule, but it sure beats not catching! The Ocean Front and Plum Island Point continue to fish well, with more Polaroid’s of keepers going up on the wall at Surfland Bait and Tackle every day.

Salisbury: (2 hooks) Large crowds fished the shores of the Merrimack from the State Reservation over Memorial Day Weekend as bass cooperated with anglers fishing with cut bait, sea worms, jigs and flies. The ocean front in Salisbury has also improved for surfcasters as school bass have been feeding in the wash.

Seacoast, NH: (2 hooks) Fishing the rocks off Rye as well as in the Hampton River has been heating up as bass have continued their push north. Fly fishermen have done well with sinking lines and white flies. Further up the coast, the Piscataqua has been alive with school bass in many areas, including near the Navy Yard as well as by Four Tree Island. Cod and Haddock fishing has been quite good offshore.