Fish On!: Red Rock is Red-Hot!

While it’s still on the slow side for most of the North Shore, there’s been some good action right in our own backyard, Lynn Shore Drive! The Red Rock crew has seen a parade of stripers cruising in and around the boulderfields of Red Rock. My uncle Henry Fitzgerald has been walking the beach in the mornings, around 8 a.m. this week, and couldn’t believe the fish he has been seeing caught at Red Rock. One after another. Bass from 30-40 inches are being taken on chunk bait here most mornings. So when most of the North Shore is slow, there’s no need for long drives to find fish, just take a ride down Lynn Shore Drive and throw a line out off Red Rock! August is the month where we usually see fishing light right back up again with topwater surface feeds picking up, so look for dropping water temperatures and plenty of action as we get further into this month.Boston HarborBoston Harbor was slow this week for the daytime crowd, but come night it has given up some pretty good bass. Winthrop is still a hot spot when the sun goes down, particularly the Deer Island rip. Live eels are usually a sure bet come nightfall, but pogies are the best bait around right now. Look for them along the side of Deer Island, from Winthrop’s Crystal Cove right out to the tip of Deer Island. President Roads, Winthrop, has had a good number of them hanging around. If you can snag a few of these prized baits, try dropping them down below the schools, where cow stripers typically stalk them, looking for wounded or sick baits to fall below the school for easy pickings. Black needlefish plugs at night have been working as well. The focus should still be on Winthrop at those magical times, sunrise and sunset.Lynn/NahantAs I mentioned above, Lynn Shore Drive is the place to be, particularly Red Rock. If you’ve driven Lynn Beach in the morning lately, there’s no doubt you’ve seen the crowd of fishermen gathered out on the seawall by Red Rock. First light is the time to be here, and chunk bait has been working great. Mackerel, herring and clams have all been producing here when most areas haven’t been. There’s a boulderfield around the tip of Red Rock that’s been holding fish. They aren’t called “Rockfish” for nothing! Swampscott fisherman Chris Kane reported he filled his livewell with mackerel this past Tuesday. I did a double take when he said live mackerel, as they’ve been pretty much non-existent the past month, due to the bluefish around, but seem to have made a re-appearance around the 40 steps, Nahant area.Salem/MarbleheadHuge schools of pogies are being spotted in the mornings in Salem Harbor, right where the wetdock restaurant used to be. There are guys both netting and snagging them at first light. Remember, anything longer than a 25-foot net, you need a license for. But snagging them for bait is perfectly legal, and with the amount of them there, it shouldn’t be a problem. Anglers bringing them away and to their regular fishing spots have been striking out, but those fishing them around the schools where they’re being snagged are faring better. Use a 3-way swivel with a small weight, I prefer 2-3 ounces, depending on the size of the pogie and the current. Drop a live pogie under the school and hang on! There are some large linesiders shadowing the schools.Cape Ann/NewburyportBluefish are still all over Plum Island and Cape Ann. The folks up at Surfland Bait on Plum Island report a lot of blues, but basshounds are still taking stripers from the beach on seaworms and clams. Joppa Flats has been slow, as the water has been too warm up on the flats. Cape Ann has a good amount of bass hanging in the cooler waters around the drop-offs. The rocky shorelines of Rockport and Gloucester are perfect for this, as there are many ledges that drop to deep water. The breakwater in Gloucester Harbor has been hot with both bass and blues, and topwater plugs from that rocky structure have produced some quality bass this week.The Bottom LineIf you’re looking for that trop