Fishing Remains Strong

Frank Dwyer
September 9, 2005

Labor Day has come and gone and apparently the fish know it too. With plenty of bait in the water—especially peanut bunker—fish are on the move and beefing up for the migration south to come.

Striped bass and bluefish have come back in force over the last few weeks and most of the North Shore has been experiencing fantastic fishing action. Cod and Haddock catches have also been plentiful and tuna fever continues to persist.


Marblehead: (4 hooks) Good bass action for boat anglers around Tinker’s and Ram Island. Big bass have been slurping up large chunks of cut bait offered on the bottom. Surfcasters working from Devereux Beach have also reported good action for bass, again mostly on bait. Bluefish have also been taken all around Marblehead, especially off the Neck.

Salem: (4 hooks) Plenty of bait around Salem Harbor and there are big bluefish after them. Many hookups have been had around the Salem Harbor Islands and just outside the harbor. Bass have also been more active around Winter Island and for bait fishermen casting from Salem Willows Pier.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Early morning surface feeds have been happening off West Beach as stripers and blue corralled bait up against the beach. Large popping plugs, kastmasters or swimming plugs have all been landing fish. Fly anglers have been getting in on the action as well as the fish chase bunker closer to shore. Beverly Fishing Pier and the Danvers River continue to produce consistent bass action.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) A few flounder have been taken around Manchester and Magnolia, but bluefish and bass have been much more cooperative with anglers around Cape Ann. Good Harbor in Gloucester has been home to several heart pounding blitzes this past week as bluefish and stripers boiled on top of the water devouring peanut bunker. The mouth of the Annisquam has been alive with bass and blues and anglers report many keeper-sized bass in the mix. Tuna continue to attract anglers like a Siren’s song and have been found off Thachers Island, Halibut Point and Jeffrey’s Ledge. The Essex River has also heated up, especially towards the mouth as bluefish and stripers wait for an easy meal. Cod and Haddock fishing remains very good for the Party Boat fleet.

Ipswich: (4 hooks) Crane Beach on the Trustees of Reservation property has been quite productive for fly and spin anglers. Near the mouth of the Ipswich River has seen an influx of bait and with that, stripers and bass in pursuit. Pavilion and Steep Hill Beaches are also yielding their fair amount of fish.

Newbury: (4 hooks) With full access available to walk-on and drive-on anglers, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge beaches have been a popular destination over the last week. Bluefish have been taken close to shore quite consistently at first light and night anglers have been doing quite well for striped bass. Chunk baits, clams and eels have all landed keeper bass.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) Bluefish and Bass are readily available around the Port and anglers are feeling renewed after a somewhat slow August. Joppa Flats has been good for striped bass on moving tides from the American Yacht Club to Woodbridge Island. Bass have been feeding on the surface in the early morning hours from Newburyport Harbor out to Badgers Rocks. Bluefish continue to be available for anglers from the mouth of the river and all along the Plum Island beachfront. Several surface feeds with birds overhead were seen over the last week, with boat and beach anglers reporting success. Anglers heading out in search of Tuna report good action off Cape Ann while the party boats continue to deliver good cod and haddock action to their patrons.

Salisbury: (4 hooks) Bluefish and Bass blitzes have been within reach of early morning anglers fishing from Salisbury Beach. Those anglers fishing the Merrimack from the shores of the State Reservation are still landing good numbers of bass and bluefish.

Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) Fishing from Hampton to Portsmouth continues to impress anglers of all methods. Surfcasters working the shore line from Hampton to Rye report decent action from shore for bass and blues, especially around Odiorne Point. Pogies continue to reside around Portsmouth and Great Bay, and with that good amounts of striped bass and blues are available to boat and shore fishermen.