Fish On!: Early is the word!

Everyone that I’ve been talking to lately is all saying the same thing. “Everything is early this year again, like the last 3 years.” Schoolie bass are all over North Shore waters right now, and another big push of fish seemingly came in this week hitting our beaches. Lynn area fishermen are reporting blitzing bass in Lynn Harbor this week, mostly stripers in the 12-16 inch range, but still a welcome sight all the same. If you haven’t been out yet, now is the time! It’s looking like it could be a banner year for North Shore fishermen as another season is upon us, and early to the delight of us all!Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborEverything is early this year, and that means bluefish as well! Scattered reports of blues on the South Shore and even a couple reports of small “snapper” bluefish in the harbor came in already. Mackerel are the way to go, and are producing fish in the 33-37 inch range around the Islands. The biggest news of the week is from Ron Powers. Ron says he can confirm that pogies have been spotted in the harbor. The presence of the almighty pogie means one thing. The spring “cows” should be right behind them, if not on them already. A standard snag hook “swept” through the school should do the trick acquiring this prized baitfish, should you be lucky enough to come across them.Lynn/NahantOur area is alive with fish right now! Fisherman Brian DeLeo, a well-respected local basshound, has been hitting big numbers of bass from the beaches from Revere to Marblehead all week. The bait of choice for him has been floating a seaworm just off the bottom. You can find these rigs at any local bait shop, and baited with a seaworm, these rigs are deadly in the spring. Lynn Harbor reportedly saw some nice surface feeds of blitzing bass this week, and mackerel are still stacked off Nahant. Some nice bass were taken this week off Nahant by Lynn fishermen Torrin Mailoux and Donny Lambert on live mackerel, with a good number of bass ranging from 32 to 38 inches.Salem/MarbleheadThe action has been great in this area as well. Half Way Rock has still been a hot spot for mackerel and stripers, and the area beaches are loaded with schoolies. The Danvers River had a few good reports this week, including a nice fat 35 inch spring “keepah” that was taken by Jay Ludwig in the early morning hours on a Ron-Z. The key in the rivers is to “match the hatch.” With all the alewives and silversides in the rivers right now, a Ron-Z is a perfect match. Look for these bass around structures in the rivers: piers, pylons, bridges, etc.Cape Ann/NewburyportLive mackerel are still the way to go around Gloucester, and there are plenty of them. There have been some early season quality fish being taken on them already. Blitzing schoolies are popping up all over Cape Ann, with Crane’s Beach being particularly “fishy” as of late. I spoke with the folks at Surfland Bait and Tackle this week on Plum Island, and they report plenty of fish. The incoming tide they say to fish the beachfront, while the outgoing tide fish the river, near the mouth of the Merrimack. Ron-Z’s, Sassy Shads, stickbaits, and storm shads are all working well.The Bottom LineWith everything being early this year, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see some larger fish caught any day now. With the macks around pretty thick, and now pogies being reported in the harbor, big bass are sure to sniff them out anytime now. In the meantime, schoolie stripers are flooded throughout our waters right now, with a few bigger bass mixed in. The beaches are hot right now, and soaking a seaworm on any North Shore beach would be a good bet this weekend. If you’re fishing the rivers in our area or others, remember, the two main ingredients for stripers: Structure, and moving water. This weekend is looking good weather-wise, especially after a rainy week, so get out there and catch that first striper of 2013 if you haven’t yet! Good luck and be safe!