Hot Weather Continues to Keep Fish in Deep Water

Frank G. Dwyer
July 28, 2006

With the Commercial Striped Bass season well underway, you’ll find extra company on the water with you as the pro’s look to fill their quota.

Bluefish continue to patrol the waters of the North Shore as some 15+lb blues have been landed this week. Striped Bass fishing during the day has been somewhat inconsistent with bait fishermen doing best, while the best bet for a hog is still at night.

Marblehead: (3 hooks) Flounder have been abundant just outside the harbor as anglers have been taking their limit. Bluefish continue to take pleasure in wreaking havoc on your lures as some large blues are in the waters around the harbor as well as the Neck.

Salem: (3 hooks) Bluefish and bass have been taken from Winter Island this past week even as the summer doldrums seem to be settling in. Around Baker Island, larger bass have been taken at night as fish have been taking larger top water plugs as well as live-lined eels.

Beverly: (3 hooks) Bait anglers fishing from the State Fishing Pier in Beverly have found bluefish, bass and flounder all willing to take their bait. Sea worms baited on a fish-finder rig with a small float has worked best for flounder, while cut mackerel and clams have been catching blues and stripers.

Cape Ann: (3 hooks) Larger bass have been off Eastern Point and Halibut Point in deeper water, with smaller bass being the norm closer to shore. Much as with the rest of the region, night time is proving more successful for those looking for larger bass, with eels certainly the bait of choice. Bluefish continue to be cooperative with anglers from the beaches of Gloucester as well as just outside the breakwater. School bluefin tuna have not showed in numbers offshore just yet, but the fishery should improve over the next 10 days. Ground fishing has been somewhat consistent with market-size cod and haddock being taken by Party Boats.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Bluefish have taken up residence at the mouth of the Ipswich River as well as off Steep Hill beach and Crane beach. On Wednesday, boat anglers were treated to a top water blitz at the mouth with bluefish
crashing bait on the surface. Bass fishing at night from the Ipswich beaches has found larger bass taking eels and cut bait.

Newbury: (3 hooks) Bluefish have been taken in the mornings from the Parker River NWR as parking lots 1, 6 and 7 have been attracting anglers. Anglers trolling off Emerson Rocks to Sandy Point have found larger bluefish willing to take most offerings.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks) Finicky fish have been swirling on top of the Merrimack all week from the Gillis Bridge to Woodbridge Island, but have been hesitant to take most offerings. I did manage a few fish on a un-weighted sluggo drifted on the top, but other than that, bait has been the rule of the day and night. The ocean front has seen bluefish close to shore in the mornings and larger fish in deeper water falling for deep swimming lures. Plum Island Point has been producing keeper size bass, mostly on bait, but the larger fish have been hitting sporadically. Party boats continue to fight through dogfish to get their patrons some cod and haddock.

Salisbury: (3 hooks) Bluefish have been showing up just off Salisbury Beach in the morning this past week as both shore and boat anglers have landed fish in the 8-12 pound range. Fishing from the State Reservation continues to provide bait anglers with somewhat steady action for school sized bass with keepers being landed on occasion.

Seacoast, NH: (3 hooks) There have been mackerel hanging around the mouth of the Piscataqua as well as out by the Isle of Shoals, and large bluefish and some bass have been feasting on them. Further south, Hampton and Seabrook continue to offer good bluefish opportunities during the day and good bass action on eels at night.

Tip of the Week:

Saltwater, as we all know, can corrode metals quite quickly. It’s important to take the extra 10 minutes after every saltwater fishing excursion to rinse off your reels, rods and lures with fresh water. In addition, reels should be checked for proper lubrication every 3rd trip or so, to ensure your gear will operate as intended and prevent you from costly replacements.