Massachusetts Fishing
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2023 7:18 am
Hi everyone, I moved to Massachusetts a month ago and have been fishing a lot in my free time. I had heard people tell me that the inshore fishing here was good but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. I'm not even exaggerating, I think I've caught close to 200 striper since late August. I caught four the first evening I was here and had pretty consistent success picking off a few most of the times I went out. Productive spots were pretty easy to find since it seemed like anywhere there were bunker schools, the bass were nearby. Everyone told me that the fishing hadn't even gotten good yet and I needed to wait for the first cold snap/storm to trigger the fall run. I was a little skeptical, but then it happened and the fishing completely busted wide open with lots of 20-30 fish nights. Mostly schoolies with some bigger fish mixed in. Most of the bass have been caught on paddletail swimbaits, but I've also had some really good fishing with pencil poppers and even surface irons. I never was a big fan of those lures when I lived in SoCal but they work great in situations where you want to make long casts and cover water quickly, but the fish aren't fired up enough to smash poppers. Only problem is that surface irons were definitely not meant for fishing in close-quarters, shallow water estuaries and rivers, so I've definitely lost my fair share in trees or snags.
In addition to bass, I've run into plenty of bluefish anywhere from little snappers to big ones. I've found the bluefish to be trickier than the bass, which is the opposite from what I expected since I always heard that the striper were the elusive ones and the bluefish were the ravenous piranhas that eat anything and bite swimmers. I think the fact that I've mostly been fishing in low-salinity backwaters has contributed to this, since I imagine the bluefish have much lower tolerance to freshwater than the striper and only roll through for brief periods instead of hanging out in the rivers for extended stretches. I've also done some fishing for scup and more recently tautog off the rocks. Both are fun to catch but after giving the tog my first couple of tries last weekend I can see why they have a dedicated following, despite their relatively small size and unassuming appearance. Very similar to sheephead fishing, except they're more challenging to hook and fight harder for their size. It also seems to be easier to access them from shore than sheephead, where you really need to have the right spot, and I was surprised at how much cheaper live crabs are here than market shrimp were in California.
Overall, the fishing here has been great so far. The fact that most of the species (except a few holdover stripers in the backwaters, and the tautog (although they're closed for fishing during winter)) vacate the area during the brutal winters is unfortunate, but I imagine this only makes you appreciate the fishing more when the season is on. Plus, I think the fact that the more migratory species need to pack on as much weight as possible before heading south makes them feed more aggressively and be less picky about conditions. I really enjoyed the fishing while I lived in SoCal, as it can be really tough and makes you a lot better at fishing (especially live bait fishing; the biggest striper I've caught here so far was on a dead mackerel and the guy I was fishing with told me that they like lazy baits more), but this is a nice change of pace. As you guys all know, SoCal has some great fishing to offer, but the inshore department in particular is kind of lacking compared to the east coast. A lot of species available, definitely the best inshore fishing on the west coast, and the year-round fishing is a major advantage, but consistently catching big fish in SoCal inshore waters is a lot harder (in my opinion) and requires a lot more experience and time on the water. In addition, it feels like you really need a serious boat and/or a lot of money to spend to consistently capitalize on the region's most exciting fisheries. The SoCal "fishing season" is dominated by offshore fishing, and when you factor in the long runs, necessity of purchasing live bait that can't be practically caught oneself, and high cost of living that makes everything from fuel to charters more expensive than just about everywhere else, it can be pretty costly to get on the water. I went on one inshore charter here so far, and the cost of the entire boat was cheaper than a single spot on most 4 pac operations (or even a lot of longer sport boat trips) in San Diego. Massachusetts is also far from the cheapest state to live in. I found that my favorite fishing seasons in San Diego were honestly the winter and spring, as it admittedly is sometimes hard to want to fish for Spotties in summer when everyone going offshore is getting tuna, yellowtail, or dorado. Even the fact that the best inshore-style fishing in SoCal is at the offshore islands contributes to this. I still do miss Yellowtail, though. Nothing over here in the inshore department fights nearly as hard, but on the flip side, it means you can get pretty lazy about changing out your nicked or roughed up leaders!
Photos here:
https://ibb.co/album/SJQbkr
In addition to bass, I've run into plenty of bluefish anywhere from little snappers to big ones. I've found the bluefish to be trickier than the bass, which is the opposite from what I expected since I always heard that the striper were the elusive ones and the bluefish were the ravenous piranhas that eat anything and bite swimmers. I think the fact that I've mostly been fishing in low-salinity backwaters has contributed to this, since I imagine the bluefish have much lower tolerance to freshwater than the striper and only roll through for brief periods instead of hanging out in the rivers for extended stretches. I've also done some fishing for scup and more recently tautog off the rocks. Both are fun to catch but after giving the tog my first couple of tries last weekend I can see why they have a dedicated following, despite their relatively small size and unassuming appearance. Very similar to sheephead fishing, except they're more challenging to hook and fight harder for their size. It also seems to be easier to access them from shore than sheephead, where you really need to have the right spot, and I was surprised at how much cheaper live crabs are here than market shrimp were in California.
Overall, the fishing here has been great so far. The fact that most of the species (except a few holdover stripers in the backwaters, and the tautog (although they're closed for fishing during winter)) vacate the area during the brutal winters is unfortunate, but I imagine this only makes you appreciate the fishing more when the season is on. Plus, I think the fact that the more migratory species need to pack on as much weight as possible before heading south makes them feed more aggressively and be less picky about conditions. I really enjoyed the fishing while I lived in SoCal, as it can be really tough and makes you a lot better at fishing (especially live bait fishing; the biggest striper I've caught here so far was on a dead mackerel and the guy I was fishing with told me that they like lazy baits more), but this is a nice change of pace. As you guys all know, SoCal has some great fishing to offer, but the inshore department in particular is kind of lacking compared to the east coast. A lot of species available, definitely the best inshore fishing on the west coast, and the year-round fishing is a major advantage, but consistently catching big fish in SoCal inshore waters is a lot harder (in my opinion) and requires a lot more experience and time on the water. In addition, it feels like you really need a serious boat and/or a lot of money to spend to consistently capitalize on the region's most exciting fisheries. The SoCal "fishing season" is dominated by offshore fishing, and when you factor in the long runs, necessity of purchasing live bait that can't be practically caught oneself, and high cost of living that makes everything from fuel to charters more expensive than just about everywhere else, it can be pretty costly to get on the water. I went on one inshore charter here so far, and the cost of the entire boat was cheaper than a single spot on most 4 pac operations (or even a lot of longer sport boat trips) in San Diego. Massachusetts is also far from the cheapest state to live in. I found that my favorite fishing seasons in San Diego were honestly the winter and spring, as it admittedly is sometimes hard to want to fish for Spotties in summer when everyone going offshore is getting tuna, yellowtail, or dorado. Even the fact that the best inshore-style fishing in SoCal is at the offshore islands contributes to this. I still do miss Yellowtail, though. Nothing over here in the inshore department fights nearly as hard, but on the flip side, it means you can get pretty lazy about changing out your nicked or roughed up leaders!
Photos here:
https://ibb.co/album/SJQbkr