Fish On! The Fall Run is in full swing

Is this really the first week of October? Seventy-degree days, stripers and bluefish crashing bait in Lynn Harbor, and aside from a little rain, fishing in T-shirts! If you’re thinking it’s over, don’t put away that fishing gear yet, big bass are moving our way from the North, with fishermen still taking bass in the 30-pound range in Southern Maine! It’s certainly been a strange year weather-wise, so there’s no telling when the end of striper season will be, but as of right now it’s not looking like it’s going to be anytime soon! Over the past 10 days or so the mackerel have made a triumphant return to local waters, with some quality bass right on their tails. It’s getting to be crunch time, so now is the time to get out there and hit it hard, your season’s best striper could come within the next 10-14 days!Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborStriper fishing, according to Tomo over at Bob’s bait shack in Winthrop, has been “Fair to good overall.” Bass to 40 inches are being reported, mostly taken on live pogies, which are still being spotted and snagged in Winthrop Harbor around Snake Island. Bluefish are all around the harbor, but the talk is of the smelt bite that is going on. The well-lit docks and piers of Winthrop and Hull are producing smelt for happy anglers, as smelt are considered a delicacy. A lantern hanging off the dock just over the water, as Ron Powers suggests, is a good way to attract them.Lynn/NahantWhile out in Lynn Harbor this week, there were blitzing bass on Monday and Tuesday, both inside the harbor and up the side of the causeway in the channel. The third tripod was particularly good. Mackerel are all around East Point, Nahant right now, and were responsible for stripers up to 36 inches in the harbor this week. Pogies have been hit or miss. Surprisingly, this week small Bonito were jigged up off Nahant on Sabiki rigs. Bonito are a member of the Tuna family, and are rare North of Cape Cod. Not only are they great striper bait, they’re also delicious!Salem/MarbleheadTopwater blitzes were reported this week by Forest River Park, with bass to 30 inches taken on Storm Shads and pencil poppers. Mackerel are around the Islands, the Salem Willows Pier, and by Jubilee Yacht club. One angler reports that he filled his livewell with mackerel in ten minutes between Bakers and Misery Islands. Live macks are still one of the best options for trophy bass in the Fall.Cape Ann/NewburyportLocal striper “sharpie” and writer for On The Water magazine Ron Powers reported that the South facing beaches of Cape Ann saw insane action this week, with “about a dozen anglers battling cows in the 40-pound bracket” right from the beach. These huge bass were gorging on peanut bunker (juvenile menhaden). Those same fish should move South through our waters any time now. The folks up at Surfland Bait on Plum Island report stripers in good numbers, but mostly in the 22-28 inch range, with the occasional 15 or so pounder being weighed in. The bait of choice are seaworms, and the places to be are parking lots 1, 2 and 3 on the Plum Island Wildlife Refuge.The Bottom LineThe temperature is going to cool down a touch this coming week, and these weather cells we’ve been having should really get the fish moving. Migrating schools of bass and blues are going to keep passing by us, so don’t be discouraged if one tide doesn’t produce fish. The very next tide could be striper mayhem! If you’re going out this weekend, look for topwater blitzing fish from East Point, Nahant to Swampscott, given away by the birds, cormorants, terns and seagulls all in one area. Topwater plugs are arguably the most exciting way to catch stripers. For larger fish, try live lining a mackerel around the boulderfields of Nahant. As always, good luck and be safe!Joe Holey can be reached at [email protected].