August 8, 2008

Stripers, Tuna, Bluefish and Floundrer, Oh Yes!

Frank G. Dwyer
Publication Date: August 8, 2008

Marblehead: (3 hooks) Bluefish are in the mix now outside the harbor, around the Neck and off Devereux Beach. Anglers report good bluefish hits on large Balistic Missiles and Ranger plugs as well as large metals. Bass continue to cooperate at night.

Salem: (3 hooks) Bluefish, striped bass and flounder have all been landed this week in the Salem environs. Fishing near the Salem-Beverly Bridge has been productive at night while anglers fishing from Winter Island and around the harbor have found decent action for bass and bluefish. Flounder have been somewhat spotty, but persistent worm dunkers will find their table fare.

Beverly: (3 hooks)
Fishing near the Kernwood Bridge and Danvers River areas has been better this week as there has been a somewhat steady pick of decent sized bass. The area around West Beach has also been fishing well with good bass action.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Offshore, school bluefin tuna have been taken from the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank as well as closer to Thachers Island with additional reports of small tuna busting near the Groaner outside the harbor last week. Bass fishing has been decent for fish in the 22-26” range, with the occasional cow in the mix. Rockport beaches have been producing good bass action at night for anglers using both cut bait and large plugs.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Fishing has been hit or miss around Ipswich this week with a few surface feeds reported around the mouth of the Ipswich. Crane Beach has been slow, as the bait has thinned out. Some bluefish are starting to appear in Ipswich Bay.

Newbury: (3 hooks) Parking Lots 1, 6 and 7 remain open to walk on fishermen at the Parker River NWR with drive on access still a few weeks off. Plum Island Sound has had several surface feeding bass blitzes over the last week and decent bluefish action.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) Bluefish have shown up at the mouth of the Merrimack and along the ocean beaches. While not as thick as last year at this time, the choppers have finally shown in decent numbers. Stripers continue to cooperate with anglers, but larger fish are really only available at night. Anglers have done well with eels on Joppa Flats as well as drifting the mouth of the river. Party Boats report decent ground fishing but the crews are working hard to evade dogfish.

Salisbury, MA: (3 hooks) Bluefish and bass are pleasing surfcasters from the shores of the State Reservation. Bluefishing has been better by boat, but they remain available to the land locked angler who can toss a large plug a decent distant. Bass fishing from the Reservation continues to be best at night.

Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) Bluefish have made their way to the Granite State and reports have them cooperating with anglers from Seabrook to Hampton Harbor. Further north, flounder remain active around Rye Harbor and in Portsmouth, bass continue to feed from Great Bay out to the Isle of Shoals.

Tip of the Week:

Beach Bucket: Surfcasters have many ways to carry their weaponry however I find for a long night on the beach, a 5-gallon bucket with drilled holes strategically placed just below the rim of the bucket to be a great plug and gear tote. Plugs can be hung from the drilled holes and gear and bait placed inside the bucket.

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