Fish On!: Find the pogies, find the trophies!

After a stormy, rainy week, it seems that lately there are two categories of fishermen. There are those that are having a tough time finding fish, and those that are consistently catching fish. With the guys that have been on the fish consistently, there?s been a common denominator, and that is the Almighty Pogy. Bunker, Menhaden, Fatbacks, Moss Bunker, whatever you want to call them, the bottom line is, they just always seem to catch big stripers. This past week we?ve seen a massive amount of them flood into Broad Sound, and with them came a fresh school of quality bass right on their tails. Bass to 35 pounds have been reported harassing the pogy schools, and surely there are bigger bass below them. This is the time of season when “matching the hatch” really comes into play. These cow stripers want pogies. They?re a large baitfish, somewhat slow moving, and are definitely easier for them to catch than a speedy mackerel. Big bass stalk, harass and feed on pogies whenever they get the chance, so if it?s trophy bass you?re after, finding the pogies will be the key to your success.Here?s a look at our areas:Boston HarborStriper action has picked up again after a slow spell. Captain Jason Colby reports the flounder bite to still be solid, but he?s looking to deeper water now to limit out his charters. He?s also putting guys on stripers in the 35 inch range, fishing fresh clams in Quincy Bay over sandy bottoms. The Winthrop area was reportedly holding fish this week, as fishermen were taking bass to 38 inches fishing live mackerel and live eels at night. Look for pogies around Crystal Cove in Winthrop as well as Wollaston Beach in Quincy around first light and sunset.Lynn/NahantPogies have poured into Broad Sound in amazing numbers, and bass were reportedly stalking those schools out around the mouth of Lynn Harbor and towards Bass Point this week. Stripers to 30 pounds have been taken on live pogies this week, and I?ve heard of two separate incidents of guys losing monster bass by getting spooled, and broken off. This has been going on off Revere Beach and Bass Point for a week or so now. Aside from the solid bass bite, the squid bite is still fantastic lately in our area, with fishermen getting as many as they want for the table from any well lit dock or pier at night. Thirteen-year-old Nahant resident Anthony Conigliaro has been hitting the squid at night in Nahant, but also casting them for stripers. Just last week he took a 40 inch fat striper on a dead, fresh squid from the docks. Also, this Sunday, from 9-11 a.m., Ippi?s Bait and Tackle is hosting the free kids fishing derby at Flax Pond, sponsored by Camp Lion. Be sure to stop in the shop or call for more info!Salem/MarbleheadI got word of a nice blitz in Salem Harbor this past Saturday afternoon, with bass to 35 inches chasing herring fry around the harbor. SP Minnows, Storm shads, and topwater pencil poppers reportedly did the trick. And the 10 or so boats that fished it all had success. Misery and Bakers Islands are still holding mackerel, and the best fishing I?ve heard of in this area has been on live mackerel fished around the rocks of Manchester. Oddly, no word this week from the Devereux Beach crowd in Marblehead, which means they?re probably catching! Squid are being taken from Salem Willows and the Beverly Pier at night under the lights, and are easy to catch with a standard squid jig. Pink is working the best.Cape Ann/NewburyportThe Cape Ann/Rockport area was slow this week, with most of the stripers seeming to hang in the Manchester area. Reports from Manchester Harbor area were pretty good, with bass taking topwater plugs and live mackerel along the shoreline. The folks at Surfland Bait on Plum Island reported a pretty good week of fishing in the Merrimack, with mackerel being jigged up at Breaking Rock off Salisbury Beach, and fished at the mouth for stripers to 40 inches. The oceanfront at night has given up bass from 35-42 inches for those slinging live eels