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.