Bad conditions often create huge catches

FISHING FORECAST

With school back in session, vacation days depleted and daylight hours shrinking, post-Labor Day fishing is often relegated to the weekends. Unfortunately, September brings coastal storms and narrow weather windows that don’t always line up with our free time.

The flipside is that when wind and waves keep boats at the dock, they can also bring stripers into shore. A pair of rubber boots, a surf rod and a slicker can get you into the action where breaking waves and roiled waters confuse baitfish and draw migration-minded stripers into the wash.

It can seem counterintuitive, but the fishing is often best where the conditions are the worst. If you’re struggling to cast into an onshore wind and the tops of the waves are spraying seawater in your face, you are in the right spot to encounter a fall-run beach blitz.

Of course, safety is paramount, and at some point fishy conditions become unfishable. If that’s the case, fish the lee in protected harbors, bays and rivers. It might not be ideal, but with the season winding down, it’s time to fish when you can.

South Shore

The Cape Cod canal gave up good numbers of fish in the 20-pound class this week as mackerel and squid pushed into the east end. The early morning topwater bite was decent with fish hitting pencil poppers. Thick schools of peanut bunker moving along the Cape Cod bay beaches and the edges of the canal are fueling feeds of school-size stripers to 30 inches.

Windy weather has hampered the fishing reports this week, but the best bass bites have been inshore. Plymouth, Kingston and Duxbury have had surface-feeding bass under flocks of birds. The Pilgrim Power Plant outflow continues to give up bluefish. High Pine Ledge, Brant Rock and Fourth Cliff have been good, with bass chasing bait among shallow structure.

First, Second and Third cliffs of Scituate have been holding bass, which at times have been pushing bait along Peggoty Beach. Mackerel have been easy to find off Scituate and remain the best bet for connecting with a keeper bass.

Boston Harbor

A mix of baitfish in the Harbor is creating a range of fishing opportunities. Peanut bunker have 20-inch bass feeding on the surface under birds, while full-size bunker (pogies) are under siege from 20-pound bass.

You’re most likely to find the peanut bunker in the inner harbor, along the Winthrop shoreline and well inside Hingham Bay. Juvenile river herring dropping out of their natal rivers will be adding to the prey buffet. Fly fishermen and lighttackle anglers can take advantage by casting 2- to 3-inch baitfish imitations with plenty of flash.

Pogies have been under siege from big bass and bluefish around Logan Airport from Lower Middle over to Winthrop. There have also been schools of mackerel being pushed around from Graves Light in to President Roads.

With so many different types of baitfish around, your best bet is to stay flexible and be prepared to adapt to whatever the situation presents.

North Shore

Live mackerel in Broad Sound continues to be a top tactic for big stripers. All the rocky structure around Nahant, including Bass Point, the Spindle, Shag Rocks and Egg Rock, has been holding bass and should continue to give up good fish on live mackerel.

The shoreline from Swampscott to Marblehead Neck has also been hot. Schools of bass have been chasing bait along the beaches. Keep an eye on Phillips, Preston and Devereux beaches for early morning and evening blitzes.

There has been good action on schoolie stripers chasing small baitfish up inside Salem Sound from Salem Willows into the Danvers River, and the area offers many opportunities to tuck in out of the wind and waves.

The best fishing on Plum Island has been along the beachfront as stripers pursue schools of baitfish in the wash. Most of the fish are under 30 inches, but some bigger bass are being caught at night on live eels.