Despite the Weather, Fishing Action Rolls On

Frank G. Dwyer
June 8, 2006

Larger schools of bass have been invading our waters as mackerel have started to show in more numbers and keeper sized bass are starting to be caught in more numbers.

Before the turn in the weather, flounder, cod, haddock and pollock fishing had been quite good, and should heat up again quickly once we are out of the slop.

Marblehead: (3 hooks) Good fishing abounds for anglers in Marblehead. Fishing off the Neck, especially near Castle Rock, has started to heat up. Bait and Artificial fishermen have been scoring bass in large numbers from 14” to 32”. The waters around Marblehead Harbor have been decent for flounder.

Salem: (3 hooks) Salem Sound now has larger schools of bass chasing the freshly arriving mackerel. Cut bait has been working well from shore and boat as has larger profile flies on sinking lines. Winter Island has also been providing anglers with excellent fishing.

Beverly: (3 hooks) Fish have invaded the Beverly coast with excellent opportunities for bass available from West Beach to Mingo Beach. Striped Bass have been chasing mackerel closer to shore so anglers do well with baitfish pattern lures and flies as well as with cut bait.

Cape Ann: (3 hooks) The fishing has been quite nice from Manchester to Essex as mackerel and sand eels entice bass closer to shore. Manchester and Gloucester Beaches have had an abundance of small bass available to fishermen, with more keepers starting to show in the mix. Larger plugs and swimming lures as well as metals and jigs have all been producing. The Annisquam and some of the smaller creeks around Gloucester and Essex have also been holding bass. Larger Schools of Bass have been in the waters off Halibut Point, mostly in 30 to 100 feet of water. Party Boats had been delivering good cod and haddock action to their clients just prior to the poor weather at the end of the week.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Anglers have found bass from the ocean front at Cranes Beach to the mouth of the Ipswich River. Most of the bass have been in the 12-26” range, but larger fish are in the mix. There has been an abundance of sand eels in the water so anglers do well with smaller profile baits like sluggos and sand eel imitations.

Newbury: (3 hooks) The southern end of Plum Island has had good numbers of fish from shore for anglers, as bass have been taking metal, jigs, plugs and cut bait. Plum Island Sound and the Parker River have also yielded bass to 32”.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks) Water quality continues to improve in the Merrimack River and there has been no shortage of anglers looking for stripers. The weather has not seemed to impact the fishing in the river as fishing from Deer Island to Joppa Flats has been excellent. Drifting on the outgoing tide on Joppa has produced excellent numbers of bass, with several keepers caught. Larger profile flies on sinking lines and sluggos twitched on top have been working best. Along the ocean front, fish have been in close to shore and anglers have been taking the fish on both bait and lures. Mackerel have been close to shore as well. Plum Island Point continues to attract crowds as anglers have been doing well two hours before and after low tide. Cod, haddock and pollock fishing has been quite good for the Party Boats.

Salisbury: (3 hooks) Fish have been close to shore and anglers have been taking advantage of that on Salisbury Beach. Fish have been caught in the wash by both fly and spin anglers. Fishermen fishing from the State Reservation are doing just as well as their counterparts across the river.

Seacoast, NH: (3 hooks) New Hampshire anglers have seen a nice increase in striper activity over the last week. Seabrook and Hampton have seen fish just off the coast in the river systems. Farther north, the Great Bay area has seen an influx of striped bass with the best fishing in the Squamscott and Lamprey rivers. The biggest fish have been caught on either live or cut alewives. Mackerel have been inconsistent but flounder fishing is on the up-tick from Rye to Portsmouth.

Tip of the Week:

Fly Fishing 101: Many saltwater anglers have been expanding their repertoire by adding a 9-weight fly rod to their arsenal. When fighting a striped bass or bluefish on a fly rod, it is imperative that you keep the line tight and do not provide any slack or the fish will spit the fly. Keep steady pressure on the fish and utilize the rod to tire the fish out.