Fish On!: Blitz season is here!

Get your topwater plugs and wire leaders ready, boys and girls! Finally, after a couple of slow weeks of fishing, the North Shore is lighting up! Reports have been flooding in, and they all seem to contain the same two things: Topwater blitzes, and bluefish! This action has been easy to spot by the masses of birds and the flotilla of boats using the “Run N Gun” technique chasing busting fish throughout our area. Surprisingly, mackerel are still hanging around, but that may not last too much longer with these wolfpacks of bluefish scattering them to the winds, so get ’em while you can! Live macks are still one of the premier baits for trophy bass right now. With all this bait around, the next cold front we see should really turn the fish on, and spark even more of this great fishing. Our area will only get better as we get into the latter part of August and into the Fall Run.Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborThe Harbor has been great this week, with topwater surface feeds happening daily. Bass and blues have been crashing sea herring, mackerel and peanut bunker on top from Castle Island to Deer Island, and out to Graves Light. Look for this action in the mornings and afternoons, but don’t be surprised if it lasts all day long! Topwater plugs have been the way to go for bass in the 27-33 inch range, and blues from 8-14 pounds. Hot spots this week include Georges and Lovell’s Islands, with live mackerel taking bass to 30 pounds around their rocky shorelines, and the Winthrop/Deer Island area producing quality bass for both the shore fishermen and boat guys alike. Pogies are still being reported at Wollaston Beach, in Quincy, and are a great live bait for big bass.Lynn/NahantOur area is really heating up! From Lynn Harbor to Revere Beach, and into Winthrop, topwater blitzes have been a daily occurrence. Bass and blues continue to feed on the buffet of bait in our waters, and fishing has gotten better by the day. Marc “The Mackerel Man” from Lynn reports that the macks are still around, and pretty plentiful. He says to look for them between East Point, Nahant and the red can, and has done well jigging them up this week using a small sabiki rig and a chumbag filled with sardines and cat food! (Ocean Delight has worked wonders!) Look for them in 50-70 feet of water. Two 25-30 pound cow bass were reportedly taken around Nahant on live eels at night, and live mackerel have been the bait of choice for anglers fishing the 40 Steps area of Nahant.Salem/MarbleheadBlues, blues, and more blues! Bluefish have absolutely invaded this area, and again are feeding on mostly mackerel and sea herring from Marblehead Harbor to Manchester Harbor. Finding them has been easy, as surface feeds are popping up all over the place. While many anglers are frustrated by all the bluefish and seeming lack of stripers, bluefish are one of the best fighting fish in the sea and a great way to introduce kids to fishing. Usually all it takes is one bluefish blitz experience and they’re hooked! Just watch out for those teeth! Mackerel are still being jigged up around the Islands, and in between Misery and Baker’s Island is a good place to look for them. Live mackerel have accounted for plenty of bass well over the keeper mark this week around Salem and Marblehead.Cape Ann/NewburyportCape Ann fishermen are keeping busy with all of the blues cruising around just outside the breakwater. Large bass and blues are still crashing sea herring and adult mackerel on top all over the Island, with some “alligator blues” to 17 pounds and bass to 40 pounds being taken, mostly on live macks. The folks over at Surfland bait on Plum Island report a somewhat slow week in the Merrimack River, with Joppa Flats being the exception after dark. Live eels have accounted for bass to 40 pounds at night on the flats, by drifting an eel on a regular J Hook, or by using a three-way swivel with a weight. Mackerel are still plentiful just off Salisbury Beach by Breaking Rock and are the bait