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Stripers are in
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When I lived in Lowell, I put most of my yearly driving miles on my YJ just driving to that spot every Friday and many Saturdays (lived 2 miles from the office vs 50 miles one way to PI). Loved it. So peaceful.
Chest waders are a must.
In the fall, loved lazy man fishing from the beach on the refuge. Drive out, dump the gear, set up and sit back.
Usually I own 2 boats but still frequent that spot starting on mothers day every year, although one year they were early and I got my first keeper in April. Its just a great spot for when they first show. But I never use waders, I like it simple and easy, walk down with a backpack and a rod, sometimes my sneakers get wet no biggie..
Caught 2 sturgeon there as well.
Caught 2 sturgeon there as well.
Dennis in MA
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My son was just asking me about this today. He's going to be in July4 week. I don't think the timing is going to be good for the canal. I'm a freshwater guy myself anyhow.
He was home on the full moon last Summer. I think we got up too late. Arrived at 4am or something. Some guys were already hauling catches (HUGE ONES) out.
We did see squid trapped in the rocks of the canal. That was a different sight. Saved one of them. At first we assumed they were bait someone dropped.
He was home on the full moon last Summer. I think we got up too late. Arrived at 4am or something. Some guys were already hauling catches (HUGE ONES) out.
We did see squid trapped in the rocks of the canal. That was a different sight. Saved one of them. At first we assumed they were bait someone dropped.
If there are squid in the canal I might try a squid jig in the wee early morning hours, maybe just casting one with a light trout rod would be how to do it from shore - from a boat we put squid jigs over a sabiki or use 2 squid jigs on dropper loops over a diamond jig, sometimes with a little bait smeared or on the metal jig (squid like the scent)...
Put a live squid on there and you are well setup for big stripers- they can also live awhile in a bucket of water even
Put a live squid on there and you are well setup for big stripers- they can also live awhile in a bucket of water even
45collector
NES Member
I haven't even touched any of my fishing gear since last August. If I have any free time at all lately, it's spent shooting/ competitions. I need to actually schedule myself some fishing time though.
I live so close to the canal too, and I'm just not knowledgeable enough about fishing the ditch to make it worth my time to go there. I went as far as to have braid put on one of my reels, but I got f*cking rats nests on almost every cast last season at the canal, I just gave up and just went with what I know. For the most part I fish the bay side from Barnstable Harbor to Quivett Neck. I have a sand eel rake and if the timing is right, I can rake my own bait and throw it out on a double-hook rig on the same day and catch some pretty decent stripers.
Once my babies are older I hope to start taking them fishing!
I live so close to the canal too, and I'm just not knowledgeable enough about fishing the ditch to make it worth my time to go there. I went as far as to have braid put on one of my reels, but I got f*cking rats nests on almost every cast last season at the canal, I just gave up and just went with what I know. For the most part I fish the bay side from Barnstable Harbor to Quivett Neck. I have a sand eel rake and if the timing is right, I can rake my own bait and throw it out on a double-hook rig on the same day and catch some pretty decent stripers.
Once my babies are older I hope to start taking them fishing!
I need to get out with my dad soon. I heard they're catching em off Gloucester now. I remember catching a 30 pounder on May 27th years ago. Need to schedule time off to go and hope my dad isn't booked everyday for fishing charters like he has been over the years...
45collector
NES Member
I think this was the biggest Striper I ever caught not from a charter boat. She was 42.5" IIRC.
May 14th 2012 and that was the last season you could still drive out on Chapin Beach at high tide. Man those were the days.
May 14th 2012 and that was the last season you could still drive out on Chapin Beach at high tide. Man those were the days.
People that don't know me well sometimes classify me as a "gun nut" at a glance, they see me going shooting every Sunday, the disassembled guns, piles of ammo, and errata laying around my place, but the truth is I partly only own so much because I wanted a lifetime supply while the stuff is cheap & easily available, and most of the time I'd rather be fishing (and more specifically tuna fishing if I really had to choose).. So I shoot when the season is closed or the fish aren't around, winter months, spring, then when we really start fishing the guns ride the bench for awhile.
As far as the braid stuff goes (and by that I mean spectra) - a lot of people have jumped on the braid train for all purposes under the guise of "it's thinner, it's lighter, has no stretch - must be better!".. The truth is sometimes it wins, sometimes it loses, sometimes it's just a stupid idea.
Once I'm hooked into a fish I always wish I had mono on there, the stretch is like a big bungee cord - makes it really hard for them to part you off or find slack to spit the hook.
Braid wins for casting until a bail snaps closed or you birds nest it - both of which are inevitable, both result in loss of gear or a big mess to fix.
Mono wins for abrasion resistance - braid seems really tough until it's pulled tight, then you can cut it with a butter knife, ie when it matters braid has little abrasion resistance.
Braid wins for capacity on a reel - very often, even with a small reel like a 3000-sized Penn I'll add ~100 yards of properly sized (ie say 15 lb test) braid on first then I'll bimini twist loop to loop splice mono to it and will fill the reel the rest of the way with mono - works like mono until you hook a fish that tries to spool you and at that point you have better capacity; on a big reel like a 130 class I'll put 600 yards of hollow core ~200# and will chinese finger splice mono or flouro topshot to it for the good handling/stretch/abrasion properties while still getting great capacity... Lately I use a lot of flouro lines for topshot - hides better, has some stretch so helps keep fish on, and is tougher than mono..
Braid wins for fishing deep when you need to feel what is going on - what I tend to do with a bottom reel or a striper reel that will go past 40 feet, is I'll fill the reel with braid but will add a 20 foot section of flouro or mono spliced to it - you can still feel what is going on even past 300 feet but there is some stretch and good abrasion resistance there where you want it, ie run sliding egg sinkers or when your rig is rubbing on stuff on the bottom.
Anyway - point being, braid has it's advantages but so does mono/flouro, it's good to consider them when rigging up, braid isn't always better.
As far as the braid stuff goes (and by that I mean spectra) - a lot of people have jumped on the braid train for all purposes under the guise of "it's thinner, it's lighter, has no stretch - must be better!".. The truth is sometimes it wins, sometimes it loses, sometimes it's just a stupid idea.
Once I'm hooked into a fish I always wish I had mono on there, the stretch is like a big bungee cord - makes it really hard for them to part you off or find slack to spit the hook.
Braid wins for casting until a bail snaps closed or you birds nest it - both of which are inevitable, both result in loss of gear or a big mess to fix.
Mono wins for abrasion resistance - braid seems really tough until it's pulled tight, then you can cut it with a butter knife, ie when it matters braid has little abrasion resistance.
Braid wins for capacity on a reel - very often, even with a small reel like a 3000-sized Penn I'll add ~100 yards of properly sized (ie say 15 lb test) braid on first then I'll bimini twist loop to loop splice mono to it and will fill the reel the rest of the way with mono - works like mono until you hook a fish that tries to spool you and at that point you have better capacity; on a big reel like a 130 class I'll put 600 yards of hollow core ~200# and will chinese finger splice mono or flouro topshot to it for the good handling/stretch/abrasion properties while still getting great capacity... Lately I use a lot of flouro lines for topshot - hides better, has some stretch so helps keep fish on, and is tougher than mono..
Braid wins for fishing deep when you need to feel what is going on - what I tend to do with a bottom reel or a striper reel that will go past 40 feet, is I'll fill the reel with braid but will add a 20 foot section of flouro or mono spliced to it - you can still feel what is going on even past 300 feet but there is some stretch and good abrasion resistance there where you want it, ie run sliding egg sinkers or when your rig is rubbing on stuff on the bottom.
Anyway - point being, braid has it's advantages but so does mono/flouro, it's good to consider them when rigging up, braid isn't always better.
BUMPA01603
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I was here yesterday starting at 5:30a, early action was quiet with a few guys getting schoolies on plugs. The mackerel started showing up around 10a and the fishing picked right up! Several 30"+ stripers were taken over the next couple hours until the tide rose and the mackerel disappeared. I think over the next couple weeks a lot of bigger fish will come in. Good luck to all!
45collector
NES Member
Yeah you definitely fish way more often than I do.
Would you suggest a certain weight of mono if I were to head back to the canal to try again? 50lb test seems like a lot for my old Penn 710, but it seems I wouldn't want anything lighter if I'm gonna hook onto a big canal striper, no?
Yeah you definitely fish way more often than I do.
Would you suggest a certain weight of mono if I were to head back to the canal to try again? 50lb test seems like a lot for my old Penn 710, but it seems I wouldn't want anything lighter if I'm gonna hook onto a big canal striper, no?
The canal is not my expertise but I got a 40 lb sturgeon to the shore in the merrimack current with 12 lb test before, lots of 40+ lb stripers via boat with 14 to 20 lb test and thats as heavy as I normally go for stripers
To me seems like even in the canal no more than 25 lb would be needed if you tie good knots and replace line when it gets shabby. But again, I dont fish the canal.
Mostly what gets a fish to come to you is turning its head.
Stripers dont live in there but its not so dirty anymore either.. not that I eat much of that, generally I let them go, give them away, or during commercial season sell them.
What im catching now are small, tops 26 inch, but they will keep getting bigger as the season gets going.
45collector
NES Member
In the past few years I’ve only taken a few keepers home each season. I don’t have the time to fish like I used to. I’m not too worried about mercury if I’m only eating a fillet per year.
Lone Wolf McQuade
NES Member
I loaded up my Mustang 5.0 and went to South Cape Beach in Mashpee last night.No Hits No Runs No Errors. Tons of weeds in the water from the beach to about 10 ft out. Give up after an hour. Spoke with two other angles out there, same results.
Wickedcoolname
NES Member
Stripers........I thought it said strippers. Never mind.
Dennis in MA
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OK, school me on this. You want the tide LOW at Scusset and coming in to catch stuff, right??? Night better than day. Full/new moon versus any other.
I only ask b/c my kids are coming in for FOJ and I've got, like, a 2-day window to take my son fishing on teh canal. We hit the other side last year and not much luck by anyone. Just those few HUGE ones. Caught as the tide was dropping, not rising. I thought maybe Scusset would be better, assuming we can even get in there. I assume that weekend overall is gonna be HELLA busy.
BUMPA01603
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No rhyme or reason this past week. My friend went back again yesterday, got there around 7a and fishing was the same as Tuesday for the most part: morning was slow, mackerel showed in small schools mid-morning and guys were getting them sporadically with sibiki stringers off the back of the dock. The chances for a striper with the mackerel were great Tuesday, a bit less yesterday as he said one guy used the same mackerel for a half hour before it's head fell off .... Your chances for a fish drastically decrease with lures. I imagine the weekend will bring shoulder to shoulder anglers and make the experience suck! Anyway, you get there early and you don't have to pay to park, bonus! The rangers will stop by, say hi, and check licenses at least once.
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BUMPA01603
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Updated chart, by the Fourth of July things will have slowed down dramatically and that Pier at Scusset shouldn't be too busy. The bait of choice then could be eels / sea worms as the mackerel will be much more scarce. "On the Water" is a great site for current info.
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The general rule for stripers is in a river or harbor, outgoing lowish tide is best (and that area on the merrimack Im talking about its the last half of it).. on a beach front incoming highish tide.
Crack of dawn beats anything generally but night can be really outstanding too, especially for bigger fish.. peak of day generally the worst.
Bait almost always works better but if its crowded you gotta look at how those in the know fish an area and follow suit. Some places its bad manners to fish bait because it does not allow others to fish without tangling your gear...
Where Im going unless you are there in the rain and nobody else is around, one bait rod takes the space of probably 6 artificial rods - current constantly drags your rig to shore and blocks others from casting. Anyone who shows up with bait rods gets sneared at or worse, just is bad manners. Plastics work great anyway.
The other thing to mention is generally on the shore, if you are walking, its a whole lot easier to travel light with a 7 foot spinning rod and a small backpack with extra lures in it, versus a cart, cooler, bait, 2 big surf rods, sand spikes etc.. being mobile is a huge advantage.
Crack of dawn beats anything generally but night can be really outstanding too, especially for bigger fish.. peak of day generally the worst.
Bait almost always works better but if its crowded you gotta look at how those in the know fish an area and follow suit. Some places its bad manners to fish bait because it does not allow others to fish without tangling your gear...
Where Im going unless you are there in the rain and nobody else is around, one bait rod takes the space of probably 6 artificial rods - current constantly drags your rig to shore and blocks others from casting. Anyone who shows up with bait rods gets sneared at or worse, just is bad manners. Plastics work great anyway.
The other thing to mention is generally on the shore, if you are walking, its a whole lot easier to travel light with a 7 foot spinning rod and a small backpack with extra lures in it, versus a cart, cooler, bait, 2 big surf rods, sand spikes etc.. being mobile is a huge advantage.
2020 Striper Regulations....
Recreational Striped Bass Fishing Measures for 2020
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries sent this bulletin at 04/16/2020 04:07 PM EDT
content.govdelivery.com
Recreational Striped Bass Fishing Measures for 2020
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries sent this bulletin at 04/16/2020 04:07 PM EDT
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Recreational Striped Bass Fishing Measures for 2020
Aggravated about the above, a bunch of us submitted comments that the slot thing was a bad idea. Guessing on the commercial side they made it > 35 inches as they proposed too (which is what really kills me)..
Wish NH had a commercial striped bass fishery.
Wish NH had a commercial striped bass fishery.
