Fishing Cape Ann - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Fly Rod · 08-12-2010, 08:08 PM

The harbor is loaded with micro mac's. If you love fishing for blues the outer harbor waters had plenty of bluefish busting the surface. As I was leaving the harbor they started to bust in front of the boat and I boated three nice blues, two twelve pounders and a fourteen.

Outside the harbor just beyond the breakwater tuna were pushing and jumping as far as the eye could see. As I was drifting dead mac's off the stern about a dozen footballs jumped out of the water no more then twenty feet from the boat. They just were not interested in my baits.

Slick Moedee · 08-13-2010, 08:32 AM

Bass had them slammed up against the beach in Western Harbor late yesterday, as well. Tidal beach/rocks were littered with em, to the point the birds had a nice breakfeast buffet again this morning. Hope the tiny buggers are still around tomorrow as I have tuna on the mind.

mag minnow · 08-13-2010, 09:02 AM

Any readily (widely known) accessible locations from shore to take advantage of the current action? I may give Cape Ann area a shot tomorrow as opposed to the Canal. Never fished there...

Ideas appreciated...

spinncognito · 08-13-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slick Moedee

Bass had them slammed up against the beach in Western Harbor late yesterday, as well. Tidal beach/rocks were littered with em, to the point the birds had a nice breakfeast buffet again this morning. Hope the tiny buggers are still around tomorrow as I have tuna on the mind.

That was an epic scene that went on for more than 5 hours yesterday. Looked to be setting up again this morning as the macs are still helplessly trapped with nowhere to go. My hands are cut up bad and my arms are sore from all that craziness. There were some very large stripers in the mix. Where abouts were you Slick?

luds · 08-13-2010, 09:59 AM

nevermind.....mag minnow check your pm's

Slick Moedee · 08-13-2010, 10:18 AM

Mrs. is traveling so had family stuff to take care of. I set up down by the far end, by the tennis courts. Most of the action had died down by the time I was able to get back. There were still pockets of bait visable on the surface but most of what I was into was smaller fish.

Mag Minnow - Look into Stage Fort Park.

mag minnow · 08-13-2010, 10:25 AM

Thanks for the response but I think I'll
ll have to find less of a crowd at least for the fishing...

Gloucester Waterfront Festival
August 14, 2010 - August 15, 2010
Stage Fort Park
Gloucester

Fly Rod · 08-14-2010, 04:20 PM

Well , I thought that I was going to go fishing at 5 AM this morning, but, my son, the girlfriend and her brother changed my plans. So instead of fishing at five I went to my famous coffee house and enjoyed a couple cups of coffee minus a couple of avid striped bass fishermen and I am sure they were already fishing.

My son and the others finally showed up at 8 AM, the rods were ready to go with 5 inch deep diving Rapalas, untied the lines and backed out of the dock in the inner harbor by the State Fish Pier, put the motor in neutral and began flinging the Rapalas into the busting blues and stripers, birds were working. Within thirty minutes we had 8 nice blues and four small striped bass the largest being 33 inches.

There were 5-6 other boats and only one other boat had caught a blue. You need to match the hatch, when there are only mini mac's in the harbor,big lures do not do it, ask my son.

Slick Moedee · 08-16-2010, 07:37 AM

out by 10 lb. We managed 5 bass to 32" and another 8 nice blues. All released. Went off shore in search of charlie. only a few crusers outside of thatchers. It looked like the late 90's at the 30 fathom, huge fleet on anchor. I guess the dogs were not around. Had footballs in 70' of water off the rockpile. No takers.

spinncognito · 08-16-2010, 09:24 AM

Pretty much the same from shore(minus the tuna) as the bait was pushed into a certain beach both w/e mornings. Saturdays fish were bigger, landed one at 37" but had some very much larger fish come clean outta the water after my spook. Blues were smaller than as of late averaging 7-8#.

In a fall-like pattern with the hefty feeds and breaking fish but these fish are not migrating and hopefully they will hang out here for a few more weeks.

Fly Rod · 08-16-2010, 10:04 AM

Sunday morning may have been the exodus of the macs from Cape Ann Harbor. The outer harbor had witnessed an explosion of blues and stripers munching on the bait fish. Many pods of birds were working from the paint factory to the breakwater. Have the macs left? Boats jigging for macs early Sunday did not fair well loading up on the macs which leads me to believe that they have mostly left, pushed out by the blues and stripers. Maybe Saturday's explosion of blues & stripers in the inner harbor by the state pier started the forcing of the bait to head to the outer harbor and exiting to the open ocean. I did not see any birds feeding this morning as I drove by the outer harbor and along the state pier.

It may be time to start chunking or put the net out for pogies

JackK · 08-16-2010, 10:14 AM

Didn't see the birds working this AM, although I didn't have time to fish so wasn't too focused in on the activity.

Be a big shame if they did finally decide to leave... been spoiled

spinncognito · 08-16-2010, 10:43 AM

There was a small pod of bait/birds visible in the middle of the harbor this morning. Perhaps I am just being optimistic but I think there was less activity visible because of the strong wind and chop. When the blow lessens it will be interesting to see what is left. That wind was actually favorable to blow the bait into the harbor. Also of note is some signs of different baitfish around. Some of yesterdays bluefish were hacking up small herring.

I want to continue being spoiled!