Fish On: Remember, it’s safety first, fish second

I’d like to touch on a topic that’s can’t be stressed enough, and that’s safety.I was reminded of this while out fishing this week off Nahant, when we had an electrical fire on the boat.A wire shorted out and caused an open fire in the stern area.Luckily, no one was hurt and everybody sprang to action immediately, putting out the fire with the fire extinguisher, and disconnecting the problem wires right away.It was scary there for a few minutes, and went to show how quickly a nice night out fishing can turn into a near disaster.Complacency is a killer.So before heading out next time, just double check your own safety equipment.Life preservers, fire extinguisher, a VHF Radio, flares, and a good anchor, to name a few of the important ones.I was reminded the hard way how important these items really are!Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborThe word in Boston Harbor is all about pogies. Pogies, or Bunker, are one of, if not the best bait for stripers.They didn’t make an appearance last year until late, seemingly the bottom of the ninth, but they’re here now, being snagged off Wollaston Beach, Quincy, Crystal Cove, Winthrop, and right up on our very own Revere Beach.Bass to 35 pounds were taken last week around the pogie schools.A weighted treble “snag hook” will do the job snagging them, and as Ron Powers said, “The biggest bass in the area will be around the pogies.”So bring a few snag hooks and some strong leaders, and look for the pogies.Lynn/NahantStriper fishing continues to be solid, as anglers are having no problem catching them. Bass from 32-37 inches have been all over Lynn Harbor and Nahant lately, and guys who are live-lining mackerel to them are emptying their bait wells in no time.Short Beach, Nahant, and Lynn Harbor have been particularly good as of late, with top-water surface blitzes popping up all over, in the mornings and afternoons.Revere Beach is the place to be, with pogies being spotted and snagged a few hundred yards off the beach, this is where the biggest bass will be found, so long as the bait stays. Tom’s bait and tackle on the Saugus River reports the river is fishing well again, after that slowdown last week due to the rains.Fishermen are catching flounder still in our area, and some nice stripers have come out of Lynn harbor.Salem/MarbleheadLike most of the North Shore, live-lining mackerel has accounted for some fantastic fishing.Bass to 39 inches were taken this way, tossing those mackerel close to the rocks.Mackerel are still being reported in between Misery and Bakers Islands, and though it may take a little longer to find them, when found, they’re been stacked up like firewood. Chunk mackerel is working well for the surf crowd, as quality stripers are being caught off Castle Rock, Marblehead, and West Beach, where there have been reports of top-water blitzes popping up, so have a few topwater plugs on hand.Needlefish and Pencil poppers have been working great.Cape Ann/NewburyportFishing from Manchester to Gloucester has been a hot area this past week, with fisherman reporting live mackerel are being hit within a minute when fished along the rocky shorelines.Bass from 32 inches to 39 inches have been providing anglers with this action, and a lot of them.Big blues are cruising around Rockport and Gloucester Harbor, but not in numbers. Surfland Bait and tackle on Plum Island reports, “some guys are catching big fish, while others are getting skunked!”It was a good night this week for one angler, who took two huge stripers, one a 50 inch, the other 46, from the Joppa Flats area on live eels.The pictures can be seen on their website.The Bottom Line:If the pogies are off Revere Beach right now, they’re most certainly in Lynn Harbor as well.Look for them at first light and sunset, by the Volunteer and Seaport Landing Yacht Clubs, as well as Revere Beach.Live bait right now is the way to go for big fish, whether it be slinging live eels at night along a beach or rip, or swimming a live mackerel or pog