August 20, 2019
Dear Fishermen and Friends,
The cooler temperatures and dry air have made it feel like Fall might just be around the corner. Our water temperatures have stayed consistent around 70 degrees and fishing is great right now. My fear in writing this report is that some of what I say may sound repetitive. Well, it is, because our fishery remains extremely stable week after week. We have not had any major weather conditions or sustained blows to change our fishery and those who are on the water on a daily basis see this as a blessing.
Great Point has been closed again due to nesting birds. It is open up to the Galls though and there is walking access past this point. This has forced several fishermen to wet a line in spots that they are not used to. The great news is that fishing from the point has been very good in the last week. My brother fished an hour on the west tide yesterday and landed six fish with several chasers. On the same morning another friend caught a Keeper Bass and a Bonito. It’s amazing to spend time at Great Point and have such solid fishing.
Having Great Point fish so well is what we are used to in our fishery. We are also used to having exceptional Bluefishing so it’s great to see glimpses of the old days with Bluefish. We are starting to see blitzes on a daily basis. The east side of the island has some bigger fish, with Blues weighing in over 10 pounds. These fish are migrating up to the rip at Great Point. Perhaps the most consistent Bluefishing is in the south eastern rips at Pochick and Old Man. However, closer to the harbor there are still plenty of smaller Bluefish on the north shore of Nantucket.
From the beach there is a lot of action stretching from Washing Pond to Eel Point in the evening. We are mostly seeing Bluefish caught with an occasional Bass in the mix. The best Striped Bass fishing from the beach is on the south shore. There continues to be good reports in Madequecham, but I have seen most of my action in the Cisco area. We are not seeing too many big fish, but I would advise to use small swimming plugs of plastic jigs with these Bass. Generally they are smaller, so pinch the barbs so as not to hurt them too much.
Our Bonito fishing continues to be about as good as I can remember. The speedsters are all around the island. The best action is on the west end and in the harbor. I’ll never forget catching my first Bonito when I was 10 years old aboard “Just Do It Too”. At the time, my older brother was a mate for Captain Marc and we had a fun trip at first light before his 7am charter started. We went to the west Jetty and these fish were popping everywhere. On my first cast, in blitzing fish, I hooked and landed my first Bonito. It was a very memorable day. In 30 years, I have not seen the Bonito in harbor blitz like that and this year it’s definitely back. There is nothing better than seeing blitzing fish at first light.
When targeting the Bonito in the harbor or in shallow water, your best bet is to use a small metal plug such as a deadly dick. If you are targeting Bonito on the west end, in deeper water it’s best to use a smaller profile swimming such a yo-zuri or SP Minnow. Use a fast retrieve and make sure you have good line.
We have another week or two until our water temperatures start to fall, so go wet a line and enjoy our amazing fishery.