Got out Sunday at first light. Only saw 5 or 6 other fishing boats all day probably because of the gale watch so after picking up some macs we soaked them in spots that would typically be overrun with boat traffic on a Sunday morning including the Danvers River, Misery and Peaches Point. Picked up three few healthy fish around 26". Good fun. Water was 56 degrees. Anyone seeing any keeper class fish around Salem / Beverly yet?

We are the Mackeral these days in and around Salem? I typically get them off Half-way, but this coming weekend will be my maiden voyage for the year.

PM sent

I had some luck in Salem Harbor earlier this week with two barely legal keepers. But no question it’s been slow.

No macks near half way this morning but LOTS of mackerel near the #10 off misery, even more in shallow water (25′) between the buoy and the island working a chum bag. Had fun with the kids catching 3-4 at a time. My daughter even caught two good sized squid on the sibiki. Took the macks on a troll around the breakers, the groaner, closer to Baker’s for some time with nothing until hanging it up when the channel became a highway.

Cheers

Went out of Winter Island Saturday morning at low tide and worked the incoming. Tons of macks near the #10, so many in fact they were attacking my chum bag. Took them on a swim around the breakers without anything unit I heard on the radio that people were catching 30-40 pounders by killing their macks and drifting in 100+ feet instead of trolling live ones. So I sliced two open to expose guts, etc and drifted near the #1 groaner in 100 feet, low and behold two missed solid strikes, and two fish (both only 26-27" though). As the tide was done coming in it stopped. I later realized the radio chatter I was picking up was from Green Harbor (South Shore)!, not in the Salem/Marblehead area (my radio works better than I thought!). Wish I had tried this trick earlier in the day.
Is it true that 30-40 pounders were being caught Saturday in the Harbor and South?

I have heard great reports from Race and Situate. Let’s hope they are in our waters this weekend.
God Bless America!

Fished the deepwater outside of halfway rock yesterday from 7am to 12pm with only a few high 20 something to low 30 inch fish. Then slow trolled the contour line and humps and bumps to Bakers with nothing to show. Bunch of mid 20 to low 30inch fish at bakers and house island. Fished hard, went through a bunch of mackerel that were spotty to catch.

Hoping those fish showocoff the southshore show up this way, deep water this time of the year SHOULD be productive. Would be happy to see some bluefish too.
Tightlines to all and lets keep some info moving so we can all get on some productive waters

Stripers have been slow, steady, and small in the Sound. Better luck drifting with chunks vs. live macks because I wasn’t getting a good hook set with 24 inchers trying to swallow 10 inch macks. Smaller macks were getting picked apart by squid.

For a fun change, the cod fishing has been fun on humps South of Gloucester. Good numbers, good size.

Launced out of McCabe at first light yesterday. found some macs between the islands and tried to get one down deep right there hoping some bass would be sitting under the school in the deep cooler water. Nada. Tried a couple more spots around Misery and then some beaches near Emerson but by that time the boat traffic and the sun were way up. Pulled back to the ramp, put the fishing rods and live well (aka trash barrel) back in the truck. Cleaned all the mac guts off the fiberglass and had the boat ready for a day of family tubing and beach sitting near Wingearsheek. Total 13 hours on the water. No fish contact but a good day.

There were a few birds working and a few snapper blues sporadically hitting what looked to be sand eels or small bait fish outside of Beverly mid morning. Moving fast, not a well formed bait ball.

Anyone catching anything.

Had a few tough days on the water Friday and Saturday.

Did the whole mac thing and went deep water around the Gloucester groaner Salt Rock Saturday Night Ledge and Cash’s ledge with only two blue fish and about 20 miles to show for it. Went back inshore and fished singing Beach and white Beach and had good luck with 6 inch white sluggos and small jig heads but the fish were tiny. Have heard some reports of big fish being taken a few miles south of the groaner but I have not seen any. Still looking for some decent fish this year.

Some good fishing in the Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem area this past weekend. Plenty of macks and blues and bass thrown in. Biggest bass was 38" and fat! Loving this weather.

Twisted wrote:Some good fishing in the Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem area this past weekend. Plenty of macks and blues and bass thrown in. Biggest bass was 38" and fat! Loving this weather.

Good news Twisted. Any tactics work better for you than others. Troll, drift or anchor? Live, dead or chunk? Shallow or deep water? tide? thanks, I’m still trying to learn this game.

Hey Bowditch,
We were anchored up as the wind was not conducive to a drift and were soaking chunks in about 10 feet of water. We started about 90 minutes before high tide and fished with success for a couple hours past. Good luck out there!

Twisted wrote:Hey Bowditch,
We were anchored up as the wind was not conducive to a drift and were soaking chunks in about 10 feet of water. We started about 90 minutes before high tide and fished with success for a couple hours past. Good luck out there!

And may the fishing gods grant you the bounty of a thousand seasons upon your hooks.