Fish On!: Catch a trophy this Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day weekend to all you dads out there! After a rainy week that kept most anglers off the water, this weekend should bring some welcome sun and some nice morning and afternoon high tides! It’s a great time of the season to be fishing, as the weather is usually beautiful, and June has historically brought some of the biggest bass of the season for many fishermen. That’s true this year for a few North Shore anglers, as some truly large stripers are in our waters, and fish in the 30-40 pound range were taken this week. Live mackerel are key right now to landing a trophy. There were a lot of nervous murmurs this week about mackerel being scarce in some areas. There really haven’t been many bluefish reported, and usually we don’t see the macks disappear until the bluefish come in and drive the schools out. So hopefully their numbers will swell, and keep these big bass around. Get out there this weekend and catch one for yourself!Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborTomorrow is the 15th Annual Boston Harbor Striper Shootout. Like I mentioned last week, it’s a charity tournament that benefits the Soldier’s Home in Chelsea. It starts tonight at midnight, and runs until 5 p.m. It’s not too late to sign up; for more information, go to www.stripershootout.com. It should be a fantastic event, as the Harbor is loaded with fish. Bass in the 15-pound range have been the norm, with larger fish around. Live mackerel out around the outer islands as well as Boston and Graves Light have accounted for cow stripers in the 30-pound range. The arrival of herring in the mix with the mackerel schools should only add fuel to the fire!Lynn/NahantWe’re loaded with bass in our waters right now, too! Revere Beach has been giving up bass in the 26-32 inch range all week, mostly in the mornings and late afternoons, with sporadic topwater surface feeds reported. Ron Z’s and topwater pencil poppers were the hot lures. The big news is that there are some true trophies around Nahant/Lynn and Swampscott right now. Last week, bass of 32, 35, and 38 pounds were taken on live mackerel, and a friend of mine lost what he said was at least a 40-pounder right at his boat. The fish threw the hook while he was trying to grab the gill plate. That’s something that will keep you awake at night during the wintertime! Unfortunately, most of us know that feeling. Mackerel were the common denominator in these big fish being caught, so look for macks around East Point, Nahant, Egg Rock, and at the mouth of Lynn Harbor.Salem/MarbleheadMackerel are around the Beverly Pier, Salem Willows Pier, by Jubilee Yacht Club, and out around the Islands. Although they were hit or miss on certain days, stripers in the 35-inch range were taken on them right from the piers. While many struck out looking for mackerel around the islands, those who found them really found them. Macks were reported in 65 feet of water around the submerged rock piles outside of Salem. Bass to 34 inches were reported in Marblehead Harbor, taken on chunk herring. Pogies were reported deep in Salem Harbor, by Palmer Cove last week, but nothing confirmed.Cape Ann/NewburyportCape Ann beaches are filled with bass. Crane’s Beach has been a hotspot, with surface feeds reported with bass from 25-32 inches in the mix feeding on sand eels. Mackerel are both outside and inside of Gloucester Harbor, and haven’t been hard to find. I spoke with the folks at Surfland Bait on Plum Island this week. Steve from the shop reports a steady pick of bass around the Island, mostly in the 27-34 inch range. Low tide has been good along with oceanfront for those casting swimmers like the SP Minnows. Worms and clams are both working well for the bait crowd. Joppa Flats is heating up as well, as bass to 36 inches were reported, with many on topwater plugs.The Bottom LineIf nothing else, have a Happy Father’s Day this weekend. But if you’re heading out fishing, there are some quality bass in our waters right now. First light and lat