Friday, October 1, 2004

By Frank Dwyer

Marblehead: Things are looking up, at least compared to last week. The recent hurricane remnants were not that helpful midweek, but this weekend should provide good fishing. Surfcasters fishing near the lighthouse on Neck have done well with stripers. I saw a few keepers taken there with my own eyes. Most anglers are using bait, but some fish are falling for plugs and large rubber shads. Devereux Beach has also yielded stripers, again mostly for the bait crew. Bluefish remain available, but in deeper water and mostly on the troll.

Salem: Striper fishing has been steady around Salem, with some fish close to trophy size being landed. Anglers working the waters around Winter Island have reported good striper activity. Spin fishermen have done well with large popping plugs and needlefish, while fly anglers have been landing fish consistently on large baitfish flies presented on a sinking line. The Salem Willows Pier has also been home to a few striper catches, and bluefish remain available outside the harbor.

Beverly: Stripers have blitzed West Beach a few times, with excellent surface activity and willing striped bass. Flounder have also been plentiful, with the best action around West and Mingo beaches. Anglers targeting flounder have had the best results using sea worms as bait.

Cape Ann: Good numbers of flounder have been reported just outside Manchester Harbor, with many anglers catching their limit. In addition, surface-feeding schoolies have been pleasing anglers in Manchester Harbor, mostly at dawn and dusk. In Gloucester, bluefish have been plentiful at the mouth of the Annisquam, with most of the fish being landed on deep trolled swimming lures. Bluefish activity was also strong around Gloucester and Magnolia Harbors while stripers, mostly on the small side, have become more plentiful around Cape Ann. Fishing has also picked up in the Essex River, as the fish have been actively feeding on sand eels on the surface and taking small popping plugs, sluggos and sparsely tied sand eel imitations. School bluefin tuna reports have been a bit more consistent, with most of the activity out in Ipswich Bay and on the troll. Party boats report decent numbers of cod, pollack and haddock, with some pesky dogfish getting in the way.

Ipswich: Crane, Pavilion and Steep Hill beaches have all been yielding bass within casting range, as the fall run seems to finally be getting under way. Fish have been available along the beach, and at the mouth of the Ipswich and Essex rivers. Small popping plugs have been working well for spin fishermen, and sparsely tied flies like Ray's Fly and the small epoxy sand eels. Bluefish remain in the mix.

Newbury: Anglers trolling 9'er rigs and tube n' worm set ups have reported larger bass catches in Plum Island Sound. In addition, the Parker River has also heated up with several surface-feeding pods of striped bass reported. The crew fishing the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge had high surf to deal with for part of this week, but nighttime catches continue to yield keeper-sized bass. Clams, sea worms and cut bait have all been working well. If history is any measure, surface-feeding bass should be crashing the beach over the next two weeks.

Newburyport/Plum Island: The last week has seen the activity around the port increase. I was out twice this past week and pleasantly surprised by the availability of both stripers and bluefish. Fishing upriver of the Route 1 Bridge has found actively feeding schoolies off Carr, Eagle and Deer islands. Fish have been taking sluggos and Fin-S's for spin fishermen and sand-eel imitations for fly anglers. Further towards the mouth, Joppa Flats has been heating up with willing fish feeding quite nicely, mostly on the outgoing tide. Fishing around the AYC moorings as well as along the dike and Woodbridge Island has been good for feeding bass. Surfcasters working the point have reported an up-tick in activity as striper catches have increased. The last two hours of the outgoing tide seems to be the favorite time for the locals. Bluefish have been caught from the Toothpick out to the MR buoy, with most of the fish being landed on deeply trolled swimmers. Tuna have been more evident over the last week, with landings in the range of 30 to 50 pounds. Most activity has been reported around Stellwagan Bank and Jeffries Ledge. Party boats have had a good week, landing plenty of cod and haddock for their customers.

Salisbury: Bluefish remain off Salisbury Beach, and trolling swimming lures has landed plenty of these aggressive fish. A few fish have been landed off Salisbury Beach, mostly on bait, with anglers hoping the annual surface feeds will start soon. Plenty of bass have been landed at the mouth of the Merrimack by anglers fishing from the State Reservation and off the North Jetty.

Seacoast New Hampshire: Stripers have been cooperating for anglers fishing in the Seabrook and Hampton areas. The railroad bridge in Hampton has been heating up as anglers fishing with both bait and lures report good bass landings. In Rye Harbor, anglers fishing from the Jetty have reported decent activity for small stripers and some bluefish. Further to the north, anglers have done well with striped bass around the mouth of the Piscataqua as well as into Great Bay, with some bluefish still in the mix. Some larger bass are being landed around the Isle of Shoals, and some tuna have also been reported in the area.

Frank Dwyer is the fishing and outdoor columnist for Eagle-Tribune Publishing and is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. E-mail him at dwyer.f@comcast.net.

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