Fish on! It’s hit or miss on the high seas

First and foremost, Happy 4th of July to everyone!I wish I could say that the fishing this week was as hot as the weather, but that simply wasn’t the case! But while many have been struggling lately to get on the fish, we did see a couple of great catches on the North Shore this week.Last Friday, with the New Moon, I wrote about the old timers always raving about fishing around the New Moon for big Bass. Well, as if on queue, local fisherman and my good friend George Gikas caught a bass off Lynn Beach that very night that weighed 52 pounds on a Boga scale, and is the newest member of the sacred “Nifty Fifty Club.”Last Friday night into Saturday morning, while fishing in the wee hours of the morning off Lynn Beach, a 52 pound massive striper found his live mackerel, and the rest is history. My brother Marc caught a fish in the high 40’s as well earlier that night over in Lynn Harbor that he weighed in at Ippi’s Bait, one of his best fish, but was shy of that magic number. So big fish are still hanging in the area, but you’ve got to put in the time to find them. There have been a couple nice topwater blitzes reported this week in the Swampscott and Nahant area’s, but overall it’s been pretty slow on the saltwater scene. But with this storm moving up the coast, it could be just what we need to kickstart the fishing back up!Here’s a look at our areas:Boston HarborThe Harbor was reportedly pretty slow this week, with fishermen all of a sudden having to put in a couple hours to find bait. Mackerel are still out around Graves Light, as well as the B and BG Bouys. Pogies were scarce this week in Boston, after being in pretty thick recently, which is probably why there weren’t too many striper reports as of late. Flounder fishing is still lights out, making up for the slower than usual bass bite, as Captain Jason Colby is still putting guys on limits of fat flounder in the 2-3 pound range in no time! Deer Island Flats, President’s Roads and all around the Boston Harbor Islands are places to find flounder if you’re looking.Lynn/NahantSince those big fish last friday night, it’s been pretty quiet, with the exception of a couple of decent days. On one such day earlier this week, Lynn fisherman Cory Moore launched his kayak off Swampscott beach after seeing an all out blitz going on, and was quickly into stripers in the 28-30 inch range. This action was fueled by a huge school of 6-7 inch sea Herring, which the bass, terns, and gulls were in on. The fish we hitting topwater plugs, as well as Sebile Magic Swimmers in Herring color. Macks are still being found around East Point, Nahant, and the black Shag Can just outside of Nahant Harbor. Over at Ippi’s bait, squid jigs are flying off the shelf with the great squid bite happening at night off local piers.Salem/MarbleheadThe annual Palmer Cove/Jubilee/Salem Willows Yacht clubs’ fishing tournament kicked off at sunrise last Saturday morning. With close to 70 fishermen fishing, the bite was reported to be dismal, that is until half tide around 11:00, and then the switch was flipped! Most boats reported good action from Marblehead to Manchester, mostly on live mackerel which were easy to find out by Misery and Bakers Islands, as well as Tinkers Ledge. The most coveted prize of Largest Striper, as well as bragging rights for the whole year, went to angler Dan Tsoutsouris, who, while fishing with his Father landed a 43 inch, 29 pound bass to take top honors in the tournament.Cape Ann/NewburyportQuiet around Cape Ann as well this week, but the Merrimack River around the Plum Island area has been pretty good for those live lining mackerel around the mouth of the river. Bass to 38 inches were reported, and a kayak fishing friend of mine reported Joppa Flats to be alive with fish, but none were biting! A good bet would be fishing the Parking Lots along the Reservation with seaworms and clams.The Bottom LineIf you’re heading out soon, Big storms usually mean Big stripers. As of tuesday while I’m writi