Fish On!: Fall Run … feast or famine

The Fall Run. It?s feast or famine for local anglers right now, the time of year where one minute the ocean looks barren, but the next minute your favorite spot is loaded with fish. Mobility is key this time of year, and it?s wise to give a spot an hour or so and move on if nothing?s going on. Chances are you?ll find the fish if you try a few different spots. Be on the lookout for Fall Blitzes now, the masses of birds, bait and fish. They?ve started, but it?s been sporadic. There?s nothing like throwing topwater plugs into a Fall Blitz. From now until mid-October is our “bottom of the ninth,” and there are some monster bass moving through our waters right now, heading South. So get out there while you can; your “personal best” striper could come on any cast now!Here?s a look at our areas:Boston HarborBoston Harbor is still fishing well, and as schools of migrating fish pass through, some spectacular fishing is happening. The best fishing has been for those finding the schools of pogies that are spread out across the Harbor. Live pogies are still the name of the game in Boston, and the largest bass are being taken on these prized baits. Wollaston Beach, Crystal Cove, Winthrop, and all along the Deer Island Wall are all good places to look for them. According to the kayak crowd, the Tube N Worm rig has been a killer lately in the Harbor. If you can?t find seaworms, a nice squid strip has been working just as good, if not better, for bass to 40 inches.Lynn/NahantMackerel are abundant again at the mouth of Lynn Harbor, and all around Nahant. One particular area that is holding macks with numbers is the East Point, Nahant area. The red cans around East Point, to the point itself, is the place to go to load up on mackerel. This week, some nice stripers were taken around the rocky crags of Nahant, including a nice 32-pounder taken on a live mackerel. There were some nice surface feeds reported this week again off Revere Beach and in Lynn Harbor, mainly consisting of bass in the 30-34 inch range crashing bait on the surface. With reports of pogies in the Harbor, it?s no wonder there have been some nice blitzes reported in the mornings in there. Another spot in our own backyard that has been getting rave reviews lately is Red Rock on Lynn Beach, which has reportedly been on fire! Live mackerel, chunk mackerel, chunk pogy, it?s all working here lately. Look for the best action in our area to be going on around sunrise.Salem/MarbleheadMackerel are hanging in bigger numbers out between Misery and Bakers Islands, and the fishing has been, at times lately, fantastic. The Beverly shoreline is loaded with bass, and one angler reported this week catching over 30 bass in one outing using live mackerel caught at Misery, and taken to the Rte. 127 shoreline. Squid are still being caught off the piers of Salem and Beverly at night, although it sounds like it?s slowing down. With such solid reports from Beverly, it?s surprising to hear nothing but slow reports out of Marblehead, including “Old Faithful,” Devereux Beach. But such is the Fall Run, and as I write this, it?s probably blitz city over there, so don?t discount any beach just yet!Cape Ann/NewburyportCape Ann has been seeing some nice topwater blitzes this week, with Crane?s Beach once again being a hot spot. The Annisquam River has had some surface feeds in the morning, with schoolies and teen sized bass chasing bait around. I stopped into Surfland this week on Plum Island, and the folks there report a pretty good week. Some nice bass in the 20-pound range have been caught at the Parking Lots of the Reservation, Lots 3 and 6 in particular. Seaworms and clams have been the hot ticket, coupled with a nice low tide around sunrise.The Bottom LineIt?s getting late in the season now, and big fish are in. If you?re heading out this weekend in search of that trophy striper, be on the lookout for live bait. Pogies and Mackerel have been King lately for large bass, as well as live eels at night. A bu