Keep an eye on the commercials

FISHING FORECAST

The commercial striped bass fishery is open in Massachusetts, and the immediate effect has been an armada of boats descending on productive striper spots.

It’s a rod-and-reel only fishery, no nets allowed, so the commercial fishermen out there on Mondays and Thursdays (when commercial striper fishing is permitted) are indistinguishable from your average sport fishermen. The one difference is they can keep and sell up to 15 striped bass, at a minimum size of 34 inches.

There is a vocal segment of the fishing community that is in favor of declaring the striped bass a gamefish in Massachusetts, effectively closing the commercial fishery. Their argument is that striped bass are more valuable as a recreational target species and doing so would leave more bass in the ocean for sport fishermen.

The opposition argues that the commercial striped bass fishery is bringing local, sustainable seafood to the public. The season is managed with a quota, just over 800,000 pounds this year, and rodand-reel methods cause no damage to seafloor habitat and result in minimal bycatch of other species.

Whichever group you side with, you’ll probably agree that catching 15 stripers over 34 inches is no easy feat and would be a spectacular day of fishing. So, even if you’re only looking to catch a single keeper and release the rest, it’s a smart idea to take note of how the commercial guys do it and try to emulate their success.

One tactic common among the commercial guys is that they rarely wet a line without bait. They know that whether it’s mackerel, menhaden, sea herring, or eels, nothing is as effective as the real thing.

And when it comes to locating commercial fishing hotspots, just keep an eye out for the fleet on Mondays and Thursdays. Whether you run toward or away from the crowd is up to you.

South Shore

The Cape Cod Canal has been quiet, and not coincidentally bass fishing has picked up in Cape Cod Bay and along the South Shore. Live mackerel at Race Point has been automatic on most days, but with good fishing from Plymouth to Scituate, crossing the Bay isn’t necessary.

The fishing has been dependent on the presence of mackerel, which have been tough to pin down this year but recent reports have them outside Plymouth Harbor and around the SA Buoy outside Scituate. Minot has macks and big stripers as well, and the entire area from Collamore Ledge out to Can 21 has big bass potential now.

Flounder can still be found but they are drifting off to deeper water. Out on Stellwagen Bank, haddock have also moved deeper and can be found at 250 feet.

Boston Harbor

Menhaden, or pogies as they are known locally, have moved into the harbor and big stripers are shadowing the schools. Wollaston Beach in Quincy has been the hot spot for snagging pogies and letting them swim into the waiting mouths of big bass. The downside is that if you can’t find the pogies, you’ll have a tough time finding the stripers.

Flounder fishing is slowing, but it’s the perfect time to seek out an outsized specimen, like the 4-pound, 3-ounce blackback landed by Ron Powers aboard the “Little Sister” last week. Focus on areas with nearby mussel beds and rockpiles instead of featureless mud flats.

Mackerel have been consistent around the outer harbor islands, and the bass fishing has improved on the ledges off Hull. Troll mackerel by the B Buoy, Thieves Ledge, and Three-and-One-half-Fathom Ledge.

Winthrop is still a bass hotspot. Clams and seaworms are working from the beaches, but live eels after dark will work even better.

North Shore

The presence of pogies is fueling an excellent striped bass bite A number of big bass have been caught this week, including several over 45 pounds and at least one over 50. Manchester Bay has had pogies, and there are also mackerel off Nahant, Marblehead, and Bakers Island. The Groaner buoy off Gloucester has given up some big bass to bait fishermen but Ipswich Bay has been more consistent. Look for pogies being chased by bass from Annisquam Harbor to Plum Island Sound.