Fish Finder

Frank Dwyer

Fishing has been quite good over the past week with the warming weather patterns improving the fishing activity all over the North Shore. Boat and shore anglers — may they be spin, fly or bait fishermen — have all been pleased with the action around our waters. Mackerel and herring are in closer to shore now and bigger fish are following them in, so get out there.

Marblehead: (4 hooks)

Good striped bass action all around Marblehead. Fishing the Neck, especially around Castle Rock has been consistent for bass, with some keepers in the mix now. The waters around Marblehead Harbor have also been hot for both school striped bass and flounder. Some cod reported close to the mouth of the Harbor as well.

Salem: (4 hooks)

Anglers trolling tube 'n worm and umbrella rigs in and around Salem Harbor have had good success with hungry bass. In addition, fly anglers have found fish on most every cast off Winter Island as well as in the Harbor. Fish have been feeding on small herring so sinking lines small-bait fish imitations are getting the most strikes. Cod and haddock fishing has been good for those going offshore in search of table fare.

Beverly: (4 hooks)

Fishing near the Kernwood Bridge has been heating up as anglers are taking bigger bass every day from the Danvers River. Soft-stick baits and swimming plugs have been yielding good catches. Anglers fishing off West Beach, as well as around the islands off the beach, have also found good bass fishing. Flounder catches have also been quite good along the Beverly shoreline.

Cape Ann: (4 hooks)

White Beach and Singing Beach have been producing well with spin and fly anglers landing excellent numbers of bass. Cut bait, sea worms and clams have all been working for fishermen, however, skates are showing up in more numbers. Gloucester beaches and rivers are also producing good numbers of bass, with larger bass starting to show up closer to shore. Fishing near Stage Fort Park, as well as off Eastern Point/Niles Beach has also been fairly consistent for bass. Mackerel are reported to be closer to shore now, thus the bigger fish showing up. Rockport fishermen are also enjoying the influx of fresh bass as most of the shoreline has been producing fish, including Pebble and Long beaches. In Essex, lots of small fish in the Essex River with a few larger fish in the mix. Cod and haddock fishing has been good for the Party Boat crowd.

Ipswich (3 hooks)

Good-sized schools of bass have been cruising off Crane Beach, mostly feeding on sand eels. Boat and shore anglers alike report fish willing to take most offerings. While there have been no real monsters yet, the fish are getting bigger. The mouth of the Ipswich has also see good numbers of bass for both bait and artificial anglers.

Newbury (3 hooks)

Parking Lot 1 at the Parker River Wildlife Refuge is open for walk-on fishermen while the remainder of the refuge remains closed for nesting Piping Plovers. Good numbers of fish have been taken at the southern end of Plum Island with buck tail jigs, kastmasters and popping plugs all landing fish for spin fishermen. Plum Island Sound is also starting to yield more fish.

Newburyport / Plum Island (3 hooks)

I've gotten out around Newburyport several times in the past week and have found good numbers of fish on each outing. Anglers continue to crowd Deer Island to fish from shore, with many anglers landing white catfish while searching for bass. Plenty of schoolies around Eagle and Carr Island as the creeks and river have been fishing quite well. Further downriver, Joppa Flats has been pleasing both wade and boat fishermen with the outgoing tide producing the best results. Experimenting with retrieve speeds has helped quite a bit this week as the fish don't seem to be following any rules with quick retrieves working some days and near dead drifts working on other days. The ocean front from Atty. May's to the south jetty has been producing good numbers of bass for anglers willing to put in their time. If you can stand the crowds, Plum Island Point has been yielding keepers from the river for many anglers. Party Boats are enjoying the good weather with good catches of cod and haddock.

Salisbury (3 hooks)

Anglers working the Salisbury ocean front have found good numbers of bass within casting distance from shore. Jigs, plugs, metal and swimming lures have all worked well. Crowds continue to line the Merrimack River from the State Reservation in search of large striped bass. Worms and clams have been the most productive baits.

Seacoast, New Hampshire (3 hooks)

The seacoast is catching up to the waters to the south as more and more bass are showing up. The Hampton River and Marsh area has been heating up as more fish are being caught and larger fish now in the mix. Fishing off Rye Beach and Odiorne Point has also been good as fish have been feeding close to shore. Farther north, the Piscataqua is yielding more bass as is the Newcastle Island area, with fish feeding on herring.

Frank Dwyer is the Fishing and Outdoor Columnist for Eagle Tribune Publishing and is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Email him at dwyer.f@comcast.net.