I was reminded yesterday how great our fishery is. I had the opportunity to fish with Kurt Walbeck who is a world class fisherman and hosts and produces a TV show in the Midwest/Canada. Kurt has literally fished all over the world and it would be an understatement to say he was blown away by our fishery. He was exposed to blues/bass and he had the opportunity to hook up to fish in the flat water and rips as well as on surface /subsurface action. It is always important to remember just how lucky we are to have this great fishery at our finger tips. We hope everyone takes advantage of it this week.
If you look to our reports from years past, we typically talk about how the striped bass are slowing down as the crowds show…. Well, this year is different. The Striped Bass are still here and they are providing anglers with so many smiles. The common answer now to did you catch anything is “I did…”. How awesome is that. Often people think that you need to get on a boat to go chase stripers. Not true this year, in fact as much as we love being on a boat for all the obvious reasons, the beach anglers are doing great as these fish are surrounding the island. So if you are just arriving for the summer, or you are here for the week or the weekend, don’t think you need to get on a boat to catch fish, all you need is the willingness to get your feet wet.
Literally Striped Bass are being caught on every corner of the island. So to answer the question “where do I go?” Don’t overthink it, go where you can. If you have an hour to fish, go to the closest harbor or beach and work it, if you have a few hours, now start getting strategic. To highlight a few spots, the entire south shore is producing, most notably Cisco, Madaket, Nobadeer and Low Beach in Sconset. During the day it is mostly schoolies eating sand crabs on the shoreline and during the evening/nightime bigger fish are cruising the troughs. Fish are also being caught along the eastern shoreline and up at Great Point. Again, the smaller fish during the day and the bigger fish in the evening. Both Madaket Harbor and Nantucket Harbor are producing as well. As to where to go in each of the harbors, find public access and walk and cast and when you find a fishy spot (structure/point of sand/rocks).
As to what to use… Think through the bait and match to the size. If you are seeing gulls diving than you have a big bait and match it with a larger bomber or Super Strike. If you see terns than the fish are feeding on the sand eels cruising around the island and match it with a #1 deadly dick/Epoxy minnow or a soft plastic like a Sluggo/Albie Snax/Ron Z.
For those on the search for bluefish, so are we. While we have found pockets here and there and in the last week a few different times we were convinced the blues had arrived, we were humbled the next day. While water temps are still a bit low, we are starting to get a bit worried and we are waiting for some bluefish consistency. We hope that this is the week they show up in mass, but until than… go get the stripers that are out there.
Our last recommendation if you are targeting fish this week, consider using a 7’ lightweight rod. These fish are close to the beach and you don’t need a big surf rod. Some of these fish are small, but are so much fun on lightweight equipment…
Our final plug, is to make sure to include your kids in your fishing. While catching a bass from the beach is rewarding, watching your son or daughter catch one with you is even better.
Go wet a line and create a memory.