Fish On!: Excellent fishing as Fall Run begins

As expected, after those “doldrums” that we go through every year, September comes along and the saltwater fishing scene lights up, like it has over the past 2 weeks! If you?ve been out lately, then you know what I mean! With rods bent, drags screaming, and baitfish under assault in a harbor near you, many fishermen are in agreement that the Fall Run has started. Anglers are catching blitzing bass daily all along the North Shore, and to everybody?s excitement, mackerel have shown back up! That epic albie bite is still going strong just South of us, throughout Buzzards Bay, and into the west end of the Cape Cod Canal. So for only a short drive from Boston, you can be into this fantastic action in no time! Locally, everyone?s talking about all the bitzes going on lately. And while the “Run and Gun technique,” chasing breaking fish and catching them on topwater plugs, sure is fun, if you want to “cull the cows,” and catch a truly large fish from that blitz, you?ve got to fall behind those schools and fish deeper. As many of you know, that?s a hard thing to do. Watching everyone else catch fish after fish in the fray while you wait for that one monster isn?t easy! But most of the time, the largest fish of the pack will lazily follow their smaller brethren and pick up their scraps, letting them do all the work while smartly choosing not to expend all that energy chasing baitfish. We call these oversized bass that trail the blitzes the “Triple C,” or, “Cow Cleanup Crew.” So next time you?re in that heart-pounding blitz, go against the grain, and you may just end up with your personal best striper! This is it, the bottom of the ninth for the striper season, so make these next 3-4 weeks count!Here?s a look at our areas:Boston HarborExcellent fishing has been reported in the Harbor, with mackerel, pogies, and bass to 40 pounds being reported regularly. Bob?s Bait Shack in Winthrop recently reported massive schools of pogies stretching from Deer Island to Hull and Quincy. Surprisingly, flounder have moved back into inshore waters, and are being caught in Quincy Bay and on the Deer Island Flats. Squid fishing reportedly picked up in the Harbor this week, and can be found most nights under well-lit docks and piers throughout Boston.Lynn/NahantLocal fisherman and top rod angler Jay Ludwig has been hitting our local beaches this past week during his off time, chasing blitzes and catching bass on all sorts of presentations. He reports blitzing fish daily from Winthrop to Swampscott, with mostly smaller fish just under the legal size, but with mid-30 inch stripers in the mix. Salem fisherman George Gikas, who took a 52-pound massive striper in late June while fishing a new moon, is still a big fish magnet. On Monday night, while fishing with a fresh mackerel chunk, he hooked up to a 36-pound cow striper. Some guys just have it! Speaking of mackerel, look for them around East Point, Nahant, and the 2 Can, as they?re back in good numbers!Salem/Marblehead?Run and Gun” has been the name of the game in this area lately. From Salem to Manchester, schools of stripers have been chasing, and crashing, schools of peanut bunker and silversides on the surface, making for some great action. Bass are reportedly to be in the 23-30 inch range, with bigger fish being taken at night on live eels. This week I heard of two break offs of monster fish on live eels, both wrapping around boulders on these unfortunate fishermen! Look for consistent striper action out around the Islands, and mackerel by Misery and Tinkers. And always be on the lookout for surface feeds throughout Salem Sound, the action is hot!Cape Ann/NewburyportBlitz, blitz, blitz! Same reports in this area, surface feeds are abundant, with Crane?s Beach being particularly “fishy.” Bass to the mid 20-pound range were reported this week on Plum Island, mostly taken on chunk mackerel. Mackerel are back around here again also, with Breaking Rock off Salisbury Beach being a hot spot for them once again.