Here's my situation......My brother, Jeff, (who is a H-U-G-E hunter and fisherman) is visiting from Idaho next week. This guy is used to duck hunting in Argentina, Mexico, Stuggart,LA......nothing but the best.

Anyways, he is coming here to F-I-S-H and I am his guide for the week! I plan on taking the boat (18' aluminum dual console) to the Merrimack River and off of Plum Island, if the seas are good. I also plan on going to Salem Harbor and/or Boston Harbor. I'd like to get him to catch some stripers and/or blues......OF COURSE stripers would be 1st on the list!

I have not been out fishing for the last two weeks (boo-hoo), so I'd like to know your ideas on places and techniques to GUARANTEE that Little Bro' catches some fish. (Sounds like one of those Banjo Minnow info-mercials....). I'd be willing to drive as far south as the South Shore and as far north as Kittery.

Thanks for any help - I want Jeff to have a great time. I'll also follow up with reports on how we do (with pics from my new digital camera!)
I am used to this 'guide' business....here's a photo of Dad and Uncle Al fishing in the mouth of the Merrimack!

Jim

OK - looks like you're fishing the mouth of the Merrimack, anchored. I don't know what's happening up there (although there should be some nice bass and blues)... But down Boston Harbor, you can use the traditional methods for bass and blues... You can troll tube-n-worm rigs or drift chunks but if you are fortunate to get LIVE Herring, Mackeral, or Bunker - get it. Work near the ledges from the rocky, north side of Winthrop (is it under fished?) through the graves, off the airport, Brewsters Spit, Spectacle Island, down through Quincy with Long Island, Nut, Hangman's and the Hull area... from Toddy rocks to GunRock... GET A MAP as there is plenty of structure to hold fish and that same structure will shred your skeg too... I'd recommend a navigable chart from NOAA and then a fishing chart like Cap'n Seagulls...

For the last few years, I've had a large 4x3 foot copy of a chart hanging in my office (kinda beat up these days). This chart covers from Minot/Davis Ledge to the south to just north of Winthrop Highlands. I've always looked at this almost axclusively from a surfcaster's perspective - my favorite shore spot is in there a little t'wards the south. But recently, looking from a boating aspect as well, I see a couple wonderfull words that apply to both segments of the inshore saltwater angler - FOUL, LEDGE, ROCK, & UNCOVERS. For purposes of navigation, they become words that represent areas you want to stear clear of. For the serious bass angler - they are like nectar to a honey bee - but you need to treat them with great respect...

Another thing to watch out for - Now is the time of year that the bass & blues really start mixing up on top water. Keep your eyes out on the water for big busting schools of fish everywhere. Bass -n- blues crashing scools of bait, birds working down from above. When you see these schools, work the periphary as you don't want to drive them down and away. Topwater plugs like Chrome Creek Chubs, Gag's poppers, Atoms and so forth can be deadly in these conditions. Also great are soft plastics like the ones that GS makes and others like zoom fluke // Queen Cocahoes/Berkeley Power Mullet // shad bodies // sluggos/fin-s fish - you name it...

John R - Thanks so much for the info. I already have the navigation charts for the North East from Watch Hill to ME.!! I will go home and find the spots you mention (and plug 'em into the GPS).

Actually we are drifting with clams in the attached photo....Dad and Uncle Al just look like we are anchored..(they always look that way)

Jim

Jim, Boston light has been very productive, Georges Island , out by Logans Runway, Quincy Bay and Dorchester Bay in the AM. There was'nt any live bait around last Thursday. I will be out in the Harbor this Thursday evening I will post a report in the report area Thursday or Friday night. Some guys are also doing good with eels at night from boat out by the Hull Gut.

Here are some of the results.....

Went to Salem Harbor on last Saturday, 9:00AM-3:00PM.....pretty slow..fished the breakers (the rock islands just south of Bakers Island)....caught one blue trolling a tube 'n worm...then caught about 5 stripers (between 5 and 10lbs) throwing herring chunks into the rough water near the rocks.

Also caught several sea gulls and one cormorant who kept trying to steal our bait!......practiced catch and release with the birds.

What was nice was that I parked at the public pier...near the RT 1A bridge.....20 minute max tie up time, but I walked up to the bait store right across the street.....forget the name.....but they had decent bait and tackle. Funny thing was that I asked a guy in the Beverly harbor master boat if there was a bait shop on 1A...he told me NO.....luckily I pulled out the binocs and there was a big sign not one block away that said B-A-I-T.....Jeff and I told the store owner about the bad info we had received...needless to say, the last we saw, he was running down to the harbor master's boat to 'tell him the store hours and some other things'!!

BE CAREFUL using the ramp on the Danvers River in Salem (off Kernwood St http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/PAB/pabpdfs/PAB-83.PDF) It's was unuseable from 1/2 hour before and after low tide. I actually waited for 1 1/2 hours to get my boat out!

Fished the Merrimack on Tuesday 5:00AM - 12:00PM and caught about twenty on clams and herring chunks.....no blues around off Plum Island (although i the fog, I couldn't see very far) but I never marked bait/fish on the Lowrance. It's definately slow...but we caught enough to keep Idaho Jeff happy!

Going back to the Merrimack tomorrow night.

Jim

Jim nice fish, sound like you did'nt let your brother down. On thursday evening last week, in Boston harbor we caught triple headers for about 2 hours on one rip. It sure was fun. Glad you guys had fun.

I know that I am a little late but here is my two cents.

Nixes mate has been my ace in the hole while trolling a 9er rig....naturally the tube n worm works as well. I noticed that no one mentioned another area that produces, Faun Bar whether using chunk bait, live bait or trolling tubes or the 9er rig.

I fished on Wednesday, poor timing with the tides resulted in only two fish.....no surface action at all....fished from 6am till noon

Did anyone else fish Boston Harbor on Wed??


BTW does anyone know where you can catch herring in or around the Harbor??