May 17, 2019
Hello Fishermen and Friends!
The last few weeks of fishing have been really fun. Classic early season fishing but really fun! What we mean by classic early season is that most of the fish are still small and scattered, but what is so much fun is that almost daily the fishery is changing. New/larger fish are arriving daily and one day you fish a spot that you know should hold fish and nothing and a few days later, the fish are there. It has also helped that we have been FINALLY! blessed with some sunshine the last few days, which has awakened the bait and gotten the fish more active.
We still have not had a keeper (28″) caught in our fishery, but we think with the progression of the fishery, it could be this weekend. Unfortunately with the state of the Striped Bass fishery, we are not going to be promoting keeping many fish. The truth is, Black Sea Bass are amazing table fare and have a very healthy population, so why not let the big Striped Bass go and catch some Black Sea bass for dinner! Look on our instagram posts, you’ll see the term #releaser instead of #keeper . We hope you’ll follow suit!
Black Sea Bass season opens tomorrow (May 18th), the minimum size is 15″ with a 5 fish limit. Fluke doesn’t open until May 23rd. We have no scouting reports on these bottom fish yet, but we expect it to be a bit slow at first around Nantucket. Most of the boats who want to load up on their limit head up to the Cape as their waters are a little warmer.
Striped Bass are being reported all over the North Shore from Tuckernuck to Madaket to Dionis into the Harbor. There really is not one spot right now, but your best bet if wading is to find a shoreline you can walk and walk a couple of hundred yards working every inch. When you find a specific spot that seems fishy hold there for a few casts. Over the Winter, most of our shorelines change, even the north shore, so people’s go to spots adjust.
As to what lure to fish, fish have been fairly aggressive and not picky, that said, fish to the conditions. If the water is smooth and not much wind, surface lures have been working well, and if there is some disturbance, such as wind, fish below the surface. Many will use weighted soft plastics or ron z’s below the surface, personally I have been big into stick baits this year.
There are still Mackerel and herring about, around the boat basin, in the mooring field and out front off the jetties. If you are looking to bend a rod, this has been a lot of fun.
As a reminder, Our good friend has put together an awesome tournament which focuses on our spring fishery. The biggest fish wins, the smallest fish wins and you even win just by participating. The best part is all of the entry fees go to a local charity. The winner gets to pick the charity! We would love everyone to join, even if just to support the concept.
As for some shop updates, most of our inventory is in! and we are open daily. Come in and see us, check out some new lures and please remember if you have Mono, we highly recommend replacing that every year. Braid can last a few years, but look for wear marks. And make sure your reels are properly lubed as well.