Strong swing toward safety
There’s a trend growing among fishermen that has our full support. It used to be rare to spot a life jacket on an angler, at least those older than 16. Today, they pop up regularly, whether the fisherman is in a kayak, center console or cruiser.
Maybe fishermen and boaters are smartening up. We’ve all heard the message that drowning is preventable, and that wearing a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) is the way to keep from becoming a statistic.
New designs in PFDs are another factor. The classic orange yoke-style jackets are uncomfortable and bulky vests limit casting motion, but modern life jackets have slicker designs and are comfortable for all-day fishing. Inflatable life jackets, in both suspender and belt forms, aren’t restrictive and can be inflated in an emergency with a quick pull.
Whichever style you choose, remember that simply having a life jacket on board is not the same as wearing one.
South Shore
Another stretch of excellent fishing on the Cape Cod Canal peaked early this week on strong tides and tailed off by Thursday. Mackerel, sea herring and pogies poured in and sparked the good bite on pencil poppers, Stick Shadds and Magic Swimmers. With plenty of pogies still around, some big fish will linger even if the bulk of the school has moved into Cape Cod Bay.
Striper action has been excellent at Race Point and around the backside of the Cape, but boat traffic is heavy. Be aware that fishing pressure will spike on Mondays and Thursdays, the open days for commercial fishing.
Some big bass have moved into Plymouth Bay. No doubt pogies have drawn them into the shallows, but there are also mackerel out front that can be live lined on the edges of Browns Bank and off The Gurnet. With so many big bass moving through the Canal, the Plymouth-to-Scituate stretch is a good bet to fish well this week.
High Pine Ledge, Farnham Rock and the waters off Fourth Cliff all have potential to give up some good fish. The Scituate ledges should continue fishing well, and if you find mackerel offshore in deep water (but within the 3-nautical-mile line) live-line them on the spot for a shot at a trophy.
Flounder fishing remains decent in the harbors, but is shifting out to cooler, deeper waters off the beaches.
Boston Harbor
Flounder fishing inside the harbor is also beginning to shift to deeper waters among the outer harbor islands. If you have trouble putting together a limit in Quincy Bay or on Hospital Shoals, try around the Brewsters, Calf Island and Green Island.
School-size stripers continue to dominate in the harbor. Pogies have been reported in Winthrop Harbor and around Snake Island, and anywhere there are pogies there could be bass big enough to make a meal of them.
There has been a good bite in the Mystic River, and there are plenty of opportunities from shore to tie into a fish, from the Amelia Earhart Dam down through Charlestown.
The best big-bass fishing is still on the north side of the harbor, from Graves Light to Faun Bar and through Broad Sound. Slow trolling live mackerel is the top method. Load up on macks at the BG Buoy and start your trolling route on the spot.
North Shore
Swampscott to Magnolia, and all of Salem Sound, should benefit in coming days from a fresh shot of bass coming up from the south. Fishing seemed to slow this week, but with good amounts of bait around, including mackerel and harbor pollock, it will pick back up.
Ipswich Bay has been good, with bass off Crane Beach in the early mornings. A few fishermen have reported schools of pogies off Wingaersheek Beach that are drawing big bass within reach of shore.
Sea worms fished from the Plum Island beachfront have been producing bass, and the mouth of the Merrimack at low tide has been hot. Inside the river, Joppa Flats has been consistently good for striped bass in the 30-inch class. Small soft-plastic lures and baitfish flies are working best.