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 Fishermen and Friends,
In short… Our fishery has been nothing short of magical for the past two weeks. I have talked to many and few can remember it being so good so early. While the early emphasis was on incredible beach fishing, that has slowed down, but the fishing from the boats continues to improve. It is important to remember, in regards to the beach, that we have had very little wind for the last week plus which can often stall out beach fishing. We have a good blow coming through mid-week and we are confident that this will re-launch our beach fishing.
As for what is being caught, Stripers are always the goal this time of year but there have been lots of bluefish around and most of the blues have had a lot of size. Those targeting bottom fish have had great success, the seabass bite has been excellent and the Fluke bite is turning on. So in short, if you are on a boat, pick your target and with a little planning and execution, you should be able to deliver.
As mentioned above the beach fishing, with the calm days has stalled a bit, but that just means you have to work a bit. Fish were consistently being caught during the day time, but now focus on the night time. Also adjust from your favorite south shore beach to a piece of shoreline with more structure…think eel point, Miacomet rip, low beach, or a number of areas in the main harbor. When wind isn’t blowing bait in, you need to find the structure that the bait is holding onto. Simply said, this is why the rips are fishing so well, as it is structure that the fish are holding onto and can ambush the bait at.
Speaking of bait, boy it is plentiful… Sitting on one shallow edge today to the west I saw big schools of sandeels, squid being pushed out of the water, herring in different sizes and a few scup on the run. The water is alive…. Which is explains why these fish are aggressive and feeding.
From the boat just about everywhere is producing…old man, the western shoals, monomoy/hankerchief, the northern shoreline… frankly the only spot we still have not heard much about yet is great point.
It is also important to remind everyone of regulations on bass. The legal limit is 28-34”, one fish per person per day. I say this as we are lucky to have lots of legal fish in our ecosystem right now. We are not here to tell people what they should keep or not, if legal, but it is important to remind everyone how fragile our fishery is and while we are in boom times at the moment, the only way we are going to have years like this to come is to have these fish reproduce.
At the very least, do try and fish with single hooks as often as possible for the fish and the anglers sake and please also think about pressing the barbs back. I was incredibly thankful today as I got a hook in my index finger that the barb was crushed and the hook came easily out. Phew….
We also recognize that we are enthusiastic about our fishery right now, but that does not guarantee a fish on the first cast. If you have questions or are getting stumped, come in and see us, we are here to help you out. Our goal as a tackle shop is to help anglers catch fish and to create memories that hooked us on fishing in the first place. Go get involved and come in and ask questions and tell us stories.