Weekend Promises Good Weather and Better Fishing

BY Frank G. Dwyer
Publication Date: June 18, 2010
The Father’s Day weekend weather forecast looks great and should help provide for some great fishing. There’s no shortage of fish around the North Shore and anglers should find plenty of options.

The tuna bite is officially on off-shore while flounder, bluefish and bass are providing terrific inshore action for shore and boat fishermen alike.

Marblehead: (3 hooks) Devereux and Singing beach have been hit or miss for surfcasters this week but anglers fishing in and around the harbor have found surface feeding bass around Fort Sewall, Lady’s Cove and Chandler Hovey Park.

Salem: (4 hooks) There have been a multitude of surface feeding bass in Salem Harbor this week, and anglers lucky enough to catch one have found the fish quite cooperative. The bass are chasing herring and mackerel and top water plugs, metals and sluggos were all working and live mackerel helped anglers find the bigger fish. Some bluefish have been in the mix, but they have not overrun the area just yet.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Both Dane Street Beach and West Beach have seen surface feeding bass this week which are willing to take most offerings from anglers. Mackerel have been taken from the pier this week and we all know that’s good for striped bass fishing! Fishing around Lynch Park is also a good bet.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Mackerel are still available around the cape, mostly at first light. There are also lots of small herring in the water which has made bass fishing quite good over the last week. Surfcasters working the rocks around Magnolia have found bass taking most offerings including sluggos, deadly dicks and top water plugs. Boaters have found large bass by Dog Bar Breakwater, Halibut Point and off Lane’s Cove. Bluefish have also started to show in more numbers and bait anglers have been fending off more and more dogfish. Rockport beaches are fishing well with bait at night while the Essex River fishing has slowed a bit. Party boats have had good action for Cod, Haddock and Pollock while Tuna fishing on Stellwagen and Tillies is on the up-tick.

Ipswich: (4 hooks) Pavillion Beach has been fishing well for mid-sized bass with the occasional keeper thrown in. Sand eel patterns for fly fishermen are deadly right now and un-weighted sluggos are working well too. Crane and Steep Hill continue to fish well at dusk, overnight and at dawn.

Newbury: (3 hooks) Plum Island Sound has been hit or miss this week and a few bluefish have made their way into the sound. The Parker is still giving up schoolies, mostly in low light hours and Sandy Point has been good for bait fishermen.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) Joppa Flats remains very hot for large bass at night. Eels and tube and worm are working best for 25+ pound bass. Anglers drifting the outgoing tide from the Toothpick to the mouth of the river have found excellent bass action, especially with live mackerel. Shore anglers are getting in on the action as well on the outgoing tide near the sandbar at Plum Island Point. Beyond bait, metal lures like Hopkins and Kastmasters are also hammering the fish. Flounder fishing remains strong along the Plum Island Beachfront with shore anglers also limiting out! Party boats have been having great success with cod, haddock and Pollock. The tuna action is heating up on Stellwagen, especially around the NWC, while Tillies is also providing tuna action, mostly on the southern side.

Salisbury, MA: (3 hooks) Keeper bass have been taken off Salisbury beach this week on eels and black sluggos. Top water plugs are also attracting bass. A few stray bluefish are in the mix near the mouth of the river and flounder limits are still being caught just off the beach.

Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) The mackerel are thick from Seabrook to Kittery and bass are there for the taking. The best fishing has been around the Great Bay and throughout the Piscataqua river system. Anglers are using Sabiki rigs outside the mouth and then live lining mackerel for bass to 40 pounds. Eels have been working upriver and around the Bay at night. Ground fishing has also been good for the party fleet and anglers spending the gas money in search of Tuna have found them on Stellwagen and the footballs should be on Tantas Ledge any day.

TIP OF THE WEEK: No Bananas! The reasons are many, some more reasonable than others, but any angler worth his salt knows to NEVER bring bananas or anything remotely related to bananas on a boat when going fishing. (Related items could be Banana Boat sunscreen, Banana muffins, etc...) Bananas are considered bad luck for numerous reasons and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief by staying away when fishing on a boat.

Bigger bass chasing newly arrived baitfish

BY Frank G. Dwyer
Publication Date: 5/28/2010

Fishing is really starting to pick up as bait is becoming more abundant in North Shore waters and attracting larger bass.

One word of caution: There have been two drownings in the Merrimack River in the last two weeks. Neither was fishing-related, but they are another reminder that the waters we fish can be quite dangerous. Know your surroundings and please be careful and use common sense out there.

Marblehead: Fishing the harbor this week on the outgoing tide has been consistent for bass over 25 inches. Closer to shore, the Neck has provided good action for bass for fly and spin anglers alike. Try poppers during the day, Sluggos at night.

Salem: The Salem Harbor entrance has seen several surface feeds of hungry bass. Poppers via spin or fly rods have been working best. Mackerel have been active around the islands so if you can get a few and live-line them, you will likely find yourself with a keeper-sized bass. Flounder catches are on the rise just outside the harbor.

Beverly: Striped bass are being taken in the environs around the Beverly-Salem Bridge, with small flies and Sluggos working best. The areas around West Beach and Endicott College have been fishing quite well, especially at sunrise. Mackerel were taken this week off the Beverly Fishing Pier.

Cape Ann: Fishing has been great from Magnolia to Essex as bass and bait become more abundant around the Cape. Just outside the breakwater to Thacher's, there have been good schools of mackerel to attract bass. Larger bass have been taken in deeper water off Halibut Point with both tube-n-worm set ups and bait working well. The Annisquam continues to provide good fishing action, especially around deeper holes. Rockport Beaches are fishing well and the Essex River also has been good for striper activity.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Pavilion Beach and Crane Beach have both been fishing well, especially in the early morning or after sundown. Top-water activity persists at both beaches, with the mouth of the Ipswich also yielding its fair share of fish.

Newbury: The backside of Plum Island has been fishing well around high tide. Fishermen have found top-water plugs and lures as well as soft plastics working well. The Parker River continues to fish quite nicely from the 1A Bridge out to Plum Island Sound.

Newburyport/Plum Island: Fishing from Deer Island to the mouth of the Merrimack has been good this week, with more bait arriving and larger bass in pursuit. Anglers drifting worms, clams and chunks by Deer Island and the I-95 bridge have found keeper bass, especially at night. Joppa continues to please fly and spin fishermen as larger bass feed on the surface and take most offerings. The oceanfront has been producing but has been hit or miss, with the rising tide the best time to fish. Plum Island Point continues to yield keeper-sized bass, especially on the last two hours on either side of the low tide. Flounder catches are increasing along the Plum Island beachfront and party boats report a consistent pick of good-sized cod.

Salisbury: Boat fishermen bouncing worms have been limiting out on flounder just off Salisbury Beach. Bass fishing has been good from the banks of the State Reservation with worms, clams and chunks working best.

New Hampshire Seacoast: (2 hooks) Fishing is still a tad slow in the Granite State, but as bait continues to increase, I'd expect in the next week that from Seabrook to Portsmouth fishing will improve greatly. Bass have been taken off the beach in North Hampton as well as at Rye. Jigs, Sluggos and flies have all been working. The Great Bay area has provided bass opportunities for the patient angler, while striper activity in and around the Piscataqua has definitely improved. Cod catches have been good off the Isles of Shoals.

Tip of the Week: In case of emergency

Whether you are heading out to fish on a boat, jetty, sandbar or anywhere else, always let a few folks know where you are and your time-line for return in case of emergency.

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.

Fireworks in the Air and Water

Frank G. Dwyer

Publication Date: July 4, 2008

Fishing close to shore has been somewhat hit or miss this week as unsettled weather in the late afternoon and evening has disturbed fishing patterns. Striped bass, bluefish and flounder remain plentiful; you’ll just need to work a bit harder to find them.

Offshore, tuna fishing continues to improve as ground party boats try to get their patrons under cod and haddock and away from dogfish.

Marblehead: (4 hooks) The beaches in Marblehead continue to produce good bass at night. Anglers using larger swimming or popping plugs or weighted sluggos have been doing quite well. Bluefish and Flounder remain just off shore.

Salem: (3 hooks) Larger bass have retreated to deeper water as the summer heat settles in. Boat anglers are doing well around Bakers and Great Misery Islands. Surfcasters do well with larger plugs at night.

Beverly: (3 hooks) Anglers around Beverly have found hungry bass at night near the Kernwood Bridge as well as off the Beverly Fishing Pier. Flounder anglers report good action just off shore bouncing worms off the bottom.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) Tuna fever has hit the cape and anglers have been patrolling the Northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of bluefin. Large amounts of bait and birds have been the norm, with school bluefin tuna available for those in the right place at the right time. Bass continue to hold in the deeper sections of the Annisquam and large bass have been active off Halibut Point. Bluefish have been at the Breakwater in Gloucester and anglers have done well trolling deep swimming rapalas. Rockport Beaches are fishing well at night with eels and cut bait working well as well as large plugs twitched across the surface. Fishing in the Essex River has slowed, but bass remain, especially after dark. Cod and haddock boats continue to catch good amounts of fish while trying to evade the dogs.

Ipswich: (3 hooks) Cranes Beach continues to be a good bet, especially for fly fishermen targeting bass. Larger baitfish imitations stripped rapidly have been working well. Bluefish have been plentiful in Ipswich Bay and have been getting bigger.

Newbury: (3 hooks) The beaches from the Refuge have provided some action for bluefish and bass, however the action has slowed some. Chunk mackerel, worms and clams will work best for bait and larger sluggos rigged on lead heads should provide some strikes. (I prefer the albino white color)

Newburyport / Plum Island: (3 hooks) Joppa Flats is the place to be at night or at false dawn as large stripers are taking eels, tube-n-worms and sluggos. Your best bet is on the ebbing tide. Crowds have decreased my interest in fishing the bank of the river at Plum Island Point, but if your into combat style fishing, you will find striped bass and bluefish willing to take your offering. Flounder have been taken just off the sandbar in the river as well as just off the front beaches. The front beaches have been hit or miss this week for surfcasters but party boats continue to provide good cod and haddock action. Further offshore, bluefin tuna have been marked at Tillies, Jefferies and Stellwagen.

Salisbury, MA: (3 hooks) Camping and Beach season is firmly here and with that the crowds at the State Reservation rival those across the river at Plum Island Point. That said, bluefish and bass are being taken from the beach at the state reservation as well as off the north jetty. Surfcasters report tough fishing off Salsibury Beach.

Seacoast, NH: (4 hooks) Mackerel are still present in numbers north of the border and large bass are still chasing them. Anglers from North Hampton to Portsmouth report good fishing from the beaches and rivers. Flounder fishing has also been quite good for anglers dunking worms near Hampton and Rye Harbors. Cod and Haddock remain steady for the charter boats

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Tides and Currents Matter: Many casual surfcasters do not understand the importance that the tidal movement plays in the game of catching fish. Take time to note the tide when you begin fishing and especially when you seem to be on a steady bite. Veteran surfcasters have used the “trial and error” method to discover what tides are most productive and certain locations. Once you are privy to this crucial information, you will catch more fish.

The Bite is On!

Frank G. Dwyer

Publication Date: June 13, 2008

Fishing has improved as steamy weather has warmed the ocean temperatures and increased bait and game fish activity.

Flounder and Striped Bass are all quite available to anglers in our region and bluefin tuna will not be far behind as the speedy fish have been found off the Cape in the past week as well as off Stellwagen Bank. Bluefish have been somewhat absent from our landscape but that is sure to change soon.

Marblehead: (4 hooks) There has been excellent striped bass action reported all around Marblehead. Fishing the Neck, especially around Castle Rock has been consistent for bass, with many keepers in the mix now. The waters around Marblehead Harbor have also been hot for both striped bass and flounder. Cod have been reported close to the mouth of the Harbor.

Salem: (4 hooks) Salem Willows continues to please anglers, as larger bass have become more prevalent in the last week. Fishermen have still reported large schools of pogies in the area and bass find it quite hard to resist a live-lined pogie! Flounder catches are on the up tick.

Beverly: (4 hooks) Bait anglers working the Pier in Beverly have found bass to be quite cooperative over the last week. Cut mackerel and pogie have worked well. West beach and the area that surrounds it has been home to excellent striper action for both fly and spin fishermen.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks) White Beach and Singing Beach have been fishing well with fly and spin anglers landing excellent numbers of bass. Cut bait, sea worms and clams have all been working for fishermen; however watch out for skates! Gloucester beaches and rivers are also producing good numbers of bass, with larger bass increasingly showing up closer to shore. Fishing near Stage Fort Park, as well as off Eastern Point/Niles Beach has also been fairly consistent for bass. Rockport fishermen are also enjoying the influx of bass as most of the shoreline has been producing fish, including Pebble and Long Beaches. In Essex, numbers of bass are in the Essex River with larger fish in the mix. Cod and Haddock fishing has been quite good offshore.


Ipswich: (4 hooks) The Ipswich River and environs continue to please anglers as large bass have been chasing river herring. Crane Beach as well as Pavilion Beach continue to be good choices for fishermen.

Newbury: (4 hooks) The Parker River continues to produce bass as herring continue to attract fish upstream. Fishing near Emerson Rocks has also been quite hot, as large bass have been hammering both bait and large plugs.

Newburyport / Plum Island: (4 hooks) Bass to 25 pounds have been weighed in at Surfland over the last week with fish being taken from the front beach, Plum Island point and Joppa Flats. Joppa has been especially hot for anglers using eels at night. Fly and spin anglers report a hot bite on the outgoing tide using all variety of flies and lures. Anglers heading to Speckled Apron for mackerel have done live-lining their catch at the mouth of the Merrimack. Cod and Haddock fishing has been quite steady for the party boats.

Salisbury, MA: (4 hooks) As it is across the river, anglers fishing from the State Reservation has found larger bass taking clams, sea worms and cut mackerel. Enterprising anglers have found ways to get to the north side of Joppa Flats via Ring’s Island and have been rewarded for their exploration with large bass. The Salisbury beachfront has also been productive for surf casters.

Seacoast, NH: (3 hooks) Things are looking up for the Live Free or Die crowd as bass fishing from Seabrook to Portsmouth has improved quite nicely. North Hampton and Rye have been pleasing for anglers as plugs and flies have been attracting bass. In Great Bay, pogies have arrived, pleasing angler as large bass have become quite active. Large cod continue to please anglers near the Isle of Shoals.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Catch more flounder: Flounder feed predominantly by sight. If the fish can't see your bait, you won't catch flounder. Try to utilize chartreuse or silver spinner blades and white, chartreuse or pearl buck tail hooks along with your bait to help you put more flounder on the table!