Frank G. Dwyer
August 25, 2006
Striped bass fishing has been quite productive throughout the north shore as bass above 20 pounds have been landed from Marblehead to Portsmouth this past week. Bluefish remain prevalent and bluefin tuna, some legal sized, have moved in off Stellwagen Bank, while cod and haddock fishing has been decent.
The annual Leo Almeida Memorial North Shore Striped Bass Tournament is slated for Labor Day weekend and will include shore, boat and junior categories. The tournament benefits North Shore food pantries. For information on joining the fun pick up an entry form at most North Shore Bait and Tackle shops or by visiting http://www.northshorestriper.com/ .
Marblehead: (4 hooks) Bluefish and striped bass have kept anglers busy from shore and boat around Marblehead. Fish are keying on eels at night from the Neck as well as 9” Sluggos. Bluefish have been hitting trolled umbrella rigs as well as deep swimming lures.
Salem: (3 hooks) Bluefish continue to feed just outside the harbor and anglers have been taking the choppers on both top-water plugs and by trolling lures and umbrella rigs. Larger bass have been taken at the Salem/Beverly Bridge at night this week.
Beverly: (3 hooks) Feeding bass have been on the surface just off West Beach and around the islands over the past week. Fly anglers using small poppers and sliders have had fun with schoolies, while larger bass have been taken at night on Eeels. Fishing from the State Fishing Pier continues to provide good bass action for bait anglers.
Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Bluefin tuna are active off Stellwagen and Tillies, but have been a bit slow closer to the Cape. Good bass and bluefish action along the Manchester, Gloucester and Rockport beaches and both bait and artificial fishermen have found bass close to shore. Bluefish continue to be landed just outside the breakwater in Gloucester and larger bass have been taken in deeper water off Halibut Point. The Essex River has been fishing well for smaller striped bass over the past week. Party boats have done well for Cod, Haddock and Pollock.
Ipswich: (3 hooks) Surface feeding bass have been taking top-water plugs at the mouth of the Ipswich River over the past week. In addition, anglers fishing from shore at Steep Hill and Crane Beach have found good bass fishing, with fewer sunbathers and no greenheads!
Newbury: (4 hooks) Bluefish and striped bass have been fairly active in both the Parker River and Plum Island Sound. Anglers have been landing fish on larger sluggos rigged on lead heads and small top-water plugs. Larger bass have been taken early in the morning from the beaches of the Parker River NWR.
Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) Fishing around the Port continues to please anglers as bass and bluefish have been taken from the Route 95 Bridge to the ocean beaches. Small bluefish have been taking small top-water plugs around Deer Island down to the Gillis Bridge. Bass have been taking small baitfish imitations from fly fishermen and sluggos, top-water plugs and metal offerings from spin anglers. Some larger bass have been taken off the beaches by anglers fishing with fresh ocean hearing and clams. Offshore, anglers in search of bluefin tuna have been heading south to the waters off Cape Ann and out to Stellwagen in search of these so called “footballs”.
Salisbury: (3 hooks) There has been decent bass fishing from the shore of the State Reservation has been pleasing bait anglers as keeper size bass have been taken on the end of the outgoing tide. Occasional “bite offs” is proof positive that bluefish are also patrolling the river.
Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) Good fishing from the beaches of North Hampton and Rye as Striped Bass have been feeding close to shore. Bluefish have invaded both Great and Little Bay in the Portsmouth area and anglers are catching them on most offerings. Larger bluefish have been at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, with some larger stripers in the mix as well. Striped Bass and bluefish have also been taking trolled tube-n-worm rigs out around the Isle of Shoals.
Tip Of The Week:
Many anglers utilize chum to attract fish, but often anglers don’t utilize their chum slick for maximum success. Once you have a good chum slick set up and are ready to utilize live or cut bait, don’t use any weight or a leader. Tie your hook directly to your line and free spool the bait in your slick. Remember, no weight is needed as the chum slick is attracting the fish to compete for food on the top of the water.
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