The Tight Lines Fishing Report is brought to you by Corey and Cam Gammill via Bill Fisher Tackle and Bill Fisher Outfitters. Visit their website, their shop at 127 Orange Street, or give them a call at (508) 228-2261.
Dear Fisherman and Friends,
Fishing continues to be fantastic with a lot of bait in our ecosystem. We are seeing a lot of top water action on birds and having very visual feeds. These fish are simply on big piles of bait, which are being pushed by the tides. These fish are so keyed on the bait that it can be difficult to hook them, but the National Graphic show they are putting on is worth the price of admission. Unfortunately for beach anglers, it has been more hit or miss this week, while boat anglers have enjoyed more consistency. This should change though.
We had a lot of wind this past weekend. While it was in parts frustrating because fishing has been so good, in many ways it allowed us to have a hard reset, which is too often needed in life but not often acted upon. It was great to take our minds off fishing for a few days and to focus on everything else. It was also a good opportunity to get our gear back in order and prepare for the crazy few weeks ahead of us.
Many people ask, what will a big wind and change in weather do to a fishery. Sometimes it can provide welcome change. If we get a big weather event in the summer, it may stir up the fishery enough to infuse more cold water and bring bait and fish back to life. It may introduce new species into our ecosystem. For example, in July a big event often brings in Bonito for their first push. In the late fall, it can kill our fishery if the temps change too much. Luckily, this time of year, with the amount of bait in our local waters, the wind will just continue to help promote the very healthy fishery that we have been blessed with.
The next week will be fun on the North Shore. This fishery will be alive and well. We are looking at water temperatures rising quickly, and we have already seen Nantucket Harbor start to slow down. Many of the fish are still there, but they are hunkering down in the deeper holes until the low light situations when they will swim into the shallows and ambush bait. Evening, morning, and night will be your best bet in that fishery. On the North Shore, we’ll see the deeper more fluid water still be a cooler than the harbor and with similar amounts of bait. These fish will swim in 6-8 feet of water and be very happy. You’ll have a mixture of Blues and Bass, and the action should be extremely visual. This will be as good from the beach as it is from the boat.
The flats currently have a lot of fish, but you shouldn’t fish these fisheries unless you really know what you are doing and have the right boat to fish. The good news about the fish up on the flats, is that these are the fish that push over Eel Point and settle on the North Shore for a few weeks. So, all signs are pointing towards some productive fishing ahead of us.
The edges and open water in and around Madaket are continuing to produce very well. Similar to the flats, this is important because most of these fish are what fills in the rest of fishery. They will be active on the South Shore and then Slip into the eastern rips. These fish will also slide up to the North side of the Island and fill in the northern side of our fishery.
We hope your gear is prepped and you have new line on your reels for the next two weeks, because the forecast and fishery look to be fully cooperating. Go wet a line and enjoy these long June days!
Sincerely,
Captain Corey Gammill: 203-962-8867
Captain Cam Gammill: 508-332-9149
Captain Mike Ruby: 508-221-7144
Captain Nat Reeder