Fish On!: Unusually cool water temps slowing down the bite

Last week, we saw a fantastic striper bite happen from Thursday to Sunday, with some beautiful stripers up to 40 pounds hitting local scales, only to slow right down again, as water temps dropped back into the upper 50s earlier this week, much to the dismay of basshounds all over the North Shore. At this time of year, local water temps are usually in the 63-65 degree range, well above what they?re at now, so this strange year of weather continues as we once again have to just roll with Mother Nature?s punches! I spoke with Captain Jason Colby out of Quincy this week. Not only is he a Charter Boat Captain, but he?s also an advisor to the ASMFC (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission). His opinion is that a cold water eddy from the Labrador Current, that flows down from the North, pushed into our area, and cooled off not only the water, but the fishing as well. The good news is, we?re stuffed with all kinds of bait in our area, with pogies, mackerel, squid and herring topping the list, so when it lights up, it should really light up!Here?s a look at our areas:Boston HarborAfter a great weekend last weekend, and everyone I know catching fish that went out, it?s slowed down, with a few days of “flashes in the pan” of good fishing this week. Rumors of bluefish abound lately, but none of them have been substantiated yet. I?m sure that will change soon. Surfcasters and boat fishermen are finding stripers to 40 inches around Winthrop, in particular the Deer Island area. Fresh pogies have been responsible for the largest fish being caught lately. If you?re looking for pogies, Wollaston Beach, Crystal Cove and out front of Revere Beach have all been pogy hotspots lately. Flounder fishing has slowed down, but they?re still being caught in Quincy Bay, you?ve just got to put in a little time to catch your limit.Lynn/NahantOnce again, our area seems to be fishing the best. Bass are still holding around the rocks from Nahant to Swampscott, but there hasn?t been any rhyme or reason when it comes to predicting where they?ll be, what tide, or when they?ll be there, so you?ve just got to wet a line and find out! This “hit or miss” fishing is almost assuredly because of the cold water temps. But when they?ve been there, bass to 42 inches have been reported hanging around Swampscott earlier in the week, with a couple surface feeds erupting around the Spindle just outside of Swampscott Harbor, with fish chasing herring around the Bay. Lynn Beach continues to be a producer, and the Red Rock area is the place to be.Salem/MarbleheadPositive reports from the Salem/Marblehead area this week, as surface feeds were reported in Salem Harbor, Marblehead Harbor, and out front of Beverly Harbor on numerous afternoons.Stripers were reportedly hitting flies, topwater plugs, and Storm shads in those blitzes, and bass to 36 inches were taken. Many fishermen reported sea lice on those fish, indicating that we?re still seeing fresh migrating bass cruising into our waters. I spoke with Tomo this week over at Tomo?s Bait and Tackle in Salem. Tomo reports that it?s picked up the last few days around Salem/Marblehead, with a nice amount of bass in the 34-inch range appearing in Salem Sound. He reports mackerel still out around the islands, but said that huge numbers of them are staying out on Stellwagen Bank. Squid fishing has been up and down lately, with the best squidding coming from well-lit docks and piers from Nahant to Marblehead on the high tides.Cape Ann/NewburyportCrane?s Beach was holding stripers this week, with the night crowd doing best casting needlefish plugs and SP Minnows. The Annisquam River was productive for the fly fishermen this week, with mostly small fish in the 20-inch range to show for their efforts. The folks at Surfland Bait and Tackle on Plum Island reported a pretty good week of fishing. They reported that Parking Lot 1 on the Parker River Wildlife Refuge was the hotspot of the week, with multiple 20-25 pound bass hitting the sand, a