Fish On!: Local fishing is as hot as the weather!

The saltwater fishing scene has been as hot as the weather! There?s certainly no doubt about it now, BIG fish are in! This past week has seen some moby stripers taken in our waters, with many fish in the 30-pound range, a few in the 40-pound range, and a fish that sparked chatter throughout the striper community. Russ Burgess, who puts in arguably more time on the water than anyone in our area, took a 55-pound massive striper last week in North Shore waters. It goes to show, perseverance, dedication, and putting your time in absolutely pays off! Not only is the bass scene on fire, but the blues are in, flounder fishing is still red-hot, sea bass are biting and scup have made their way into Quincy Bay. Add in the mackerel schools, herring, and the Almighty Pogy, and it?s no wonder that huge stripers have been hitting the scales all over the North Shore. If you?re looking for trophy bass, now?s the time to hit the water, get in while the fishing is hot!Here?s a look at our areas:Boston HarborI spoke with Pete Santini this week from Fishing Finatics in Everett. Pete reports a great turnout for last weekend?s Boston Harbor Striper Shootout. 27 boats fished in what Pete colorfully described as bad weather, but that did not affect the fish! First place went to Russ Burgess with a 48.25-inch bass, followed by Joe Dusavitch with a 44 ? inch fish. The smallest bass weighed in was 36 1/4 inches. It sounds like it was quite a day. Captain Jason Colby reported another lights-out week of flounder fishing, with limits once again being reached in sometime under 2 hours! Some big flounder are tipping the scales from 3-4 pounds, the Sea Bass bite is heating up, and scup are in the Harbor, which are a choice bait for trophy stripers.Lynn/NahantOur area was great this week. Some impressive reports came from the Revere Beach/Lynn Harbor area. Bass in the 20-pound range were reported on live mackerel, as well as a 41-pound beast of a striper that was taken late at night this week around Lynn on a whole, fresh mackerel fished on the bottom. Pogies were spotted in Broad Sound this week, with large bass shadowing the schools. Some nice bass were taken in Nahant waters this week as well, including a trophy 50-inch striper taken on a live mack. Anglers are reporting sea lice on them, indicating to us that they?ve just come inshore from deeper waters. Look for Squid to really stack up this month in our area, and keep an eye out for pogy schools!Salem/MarbleheadTomo from Tomo?s Bait and Tackle on Pickering Wharf reports a week of big fish! He reported the 50-inch fish taken off Nahant, as well as hearing of 2 customers who were spooled by massive fish while livelining mackerel on Cape Ann. Good news for calamari fans, Tomo reports fishermen catching up to 70 squid a night off local piers. Look for any well-lit pier such as the Beverly or Marblehead Pier to get in on this action. Mackerel are still around Misery and Bakers Islands, but are more thick up around Cape Ann. Cape Ann/NewburyportThe guys at First Light Anglers this week reported a solid week of fishing around Cape Ann and the Merrimack. Fishing in the Merrimack was reported as good to excellent, with plenty of smaller fish around, with the occasional 40-plus-inch fish taken on live mackerel. The bad side is that it was reported to be a “boat show” around the mouth of the river on most days! The South Side of Cape Ann is holding mackerel and plenty of fresh bass, with most reports being fish in the 28-35 inch range.The Bottom LineThe fishing is hot! If you?re heading out this weekend and are fishing with live mackerel, be ready because your fish of a lifetime could hit at any moment! With multiple reports of spoolings, and oversized stripers being taken lately, I expect to hear of someone making the “Nifty Fifty” club again soon. Now should be the time to beef up your line and leaders, and have some wire leaders at the ready in case you run into the wolf packs of bluefish that are pouring into