They're here!

[dave-j]

The stripers, that is...to north shore of Boston.

Had a buddy of mine from Baltimore who fishes the bay a lot come up for the weekend with his son. We fished Friday through Sunday. Kept a tally, and boated about 80 stripers, most Friday and Saturday. Sunday was slow.

I read about these 25-35 mile runs you guys take (we do that for tuna, but only occasionally), and feel so lucky that I have to go a mile offshore to get macks, then at most 3-4 miles to get great stripers. We even went in for lunch mid day Saturday before fishing the afternoon feeds!

About half we landed were "legal" 28" plus, with the largest at 39". Kept one 29-incher Saturday for dinner, the rest went back.

My buddy is amazed how many bait fish the Parker live well keeps alive.

 

[DaleH]

Nice Dave! I had heard that around Cape Ann to the south had heated up with a good slug of big bass coming in ...

 

[Brad 21se]

Nice Striper! That's great to hear they've moved in.......

It's crazy how much bait I can find this year (easily), but I've been getting a little frustrated pitching them in all the usual haunts with nothing really to show for it.....

 

[dave-j]

Brad, I agree that bait is super easy to find, and fish can be picky. We had full spectrum from surface feeds where we were tossing dead macks and even my fly rod where bait or flies would barely touch the water before getting taken, to watching the stipers nose up to the livies and say "no thanks"! at those times I am a bit ashamed to say that we cut up some dead macks and chummed and chunked, to good success. Messy, stinky and not as fun, but can be productive when they get picky.

 

[dave-j]

Aalso Brad, if you're in Beverly, try heading down to Swamptown/Egg Rock area. That's where we found the most. Tinkers and M'head Neck were quiet. Same for Magnolia and north Not much action up there for some reason.

 

[Brad 21se]

Thanks for the advice Dave...... I've always thought of exploring further south but never seem to get past Tinkers

Maybe this weekend

Nice boat BTW...... I've cruised by it multiple times visiting friends in MHD.

 

[dave-j]

Say hi if you see me on the water. Is yours the 21 I see now and again without a T-top?

 

[Brad 21se]

I will

Mine has a t-top........

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12109&p=83885#p83885

 

[B-Faithful]

Send them back south. While our resident smaller stripers are fun, we miss the big ones! Ha!

 

[dave-j]

Should read the WERE here! Since Arthur, a lot of the top water has been continually blown offshore and temps were very cold. While macs are abundant, my guide pals say the fishing has been terrible. I have been traveling and haven't been out much. Will be this weekend. Hope it picks up. There is a Wounded Warriors fishing event in M'head this weekend.

 

[DaleH]

PI Sound report:

"Fished PI Sound this morn. Parker River and the Sound loaded with small bait. Pogies still working up by the flashing green buoy at the mouth of the Parker. Managed to pull a 25" bass out of that feed, and had a few nice sniffs at my SmakIt. The 25" had a bigger buddy with him, perhaps 28". Lots of bait spray on the shorelines. Some small surface feeds of small bass (to 23") in very skinny water over the sand bars in the middle of the Sound. All the bait is encouraging ... but sure would like to see some bigger bass move in."