Boston Fishing Reports

“Well, I had it all to myself!”, was the comment from Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters when we spoke this week. The “it” he was referring to was a major mass of big bass – up to 50” – that had been parked off Scituate and through Hull for days! Word spread quickly and soon there was nary a parking spot available at public launches. While there is evidence that some of those stripers have moved northward, this is still a place worth considering. Ledges not far from known aggregates of mackerel are where the action is. Minot Ledge and Harding’s Ledge had been two of the hottest. Captain Mark also said that the tuna bite off the edge of Stellwagen is outstanding. With sand eels among the most populous forage, RonZs have been a killer of a lure. His tip is to look for the “froth” as in the roiled water where current meets up with drop-offs. Ledge is holding good cod but haddock are few and far between. What you will see out there is no shortage of draggers; with so few haddock and cod largely off the table it’s anyone’s guess what the target is. "On The Water"

As of this writing I was still awaiting word from Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters who had heard of Plymouth pogy prospects, principally off Manomet. Most everyone knows how hot that spot was when big bass collided with pods of pogies last year resulting in incredible fishing. The North River still is holding fish albeit schoolies while slot and bigger can be found by the mouth of the river, beaches and embayments. Tinker mackerel are proving easier to find and are such good bait most feel that the effort is worth it. "on the water"

While you’ll still find striped bass around herring runs such as the Town River, South River and North River, the feed has followed the forage farther out. I wasn’t surprised to hear Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters tell me that Scituate Harbor has woken up and stripers now can be found all throughout it. Tinker macks just outside the harbor as well as outside of The Gurnet are a snack too tempting to pass up for stripers still sniffing around for river herring. Mark also talked about tautog in the 5 to 6 pound category which are mostly finished with spawning in estuaries and have now taken up residence among rockpiles, wrecks and ledges as close as a 1/2 mile off the coast of the South Shore. In order to buy live crabs you’ll have to travel to a cape shop, but a loaded crab trap placed near marinas or bridges most anywhere along the South Shore should find its mark in short order. Seaworms and clams, while not as effective as crabs, make for adequate bait also. Many of that same inshore structure holds cod as well, but for haddock, count on steaming to the “mud” on Stellwagen or east of it. What you won’t have to work too hard to catch is those darn sea ravens which seem to be everywhere. "On The Water"

With less striped bass in our realm, to avoid disappointment, it wouldn’t hurt to diversify and appreciate unintended surprises. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters was practically ecstatic about a fish most would give short shrift to – namely, a sea raven! This one was quite the specimen as it was estimated to be between 12 and 15 pounds! All the more remarkable was that it engulfed a live mackerel in 9’ of water at the mouth of the North River! As for targeted species the captain has been loading up on mackerel and fishing them throughout the North River where he’s finding all the slots he can handle. Haddock have been elusive while there’s plenty of cod hovering near most inshore humps. Joining their cod cousins are ling in larger numbers than have been seen in a while. "on the water"

 The weeks of “forecast light” are over and we can thank opening day for that! While meaning no disrespect to the Fenway Faithful, the opening days I’m referring to have nothing to do with base-running or fly balls but rather lake trout, landlocked salmon, haddock and cod! Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report It’s not unusual to feature Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters in the South Shore report but this time I found him in Florida which is a little more southerly than this column usually covers. Once he got through tormenting me with tales of snook, sea trout, redfish and permit, we got to “real fish”, namely cod and haddock. The GOM cod season begins April 1st and for now ends April 14th with a one fish per person bag limit at 22” minimum. Also at least for the month of April is a 20 fish bag limit for haddock at a minimum of 17”. Moving into May regulations are to be decided. Soon the skipper will be shoving off from his slip in Scituate for those two species and when asked how far out he said, “You could reach them with your kayak!”. Just outside of Duxbury in about 70’ of water both bottom dwellers were swimming for much of the spring last year! He also passed along a tip on tautog as numbers seem to be on the uptick around Minot Ledge. "On The Water" 

Quick trip to Florida for captain Dave captain Mark spent the weekend on the flats of New Smyrna mosquito lagoon covered, a lot of water, picked up multiple species, pompano, redfish, trout sheepshead in group.

We are eagerly awaiting Spring weather so we can get the boat in the water in May! We will open the fishing charter season with spring Striper, Black Sea Bass, Cod, Haddock fishing, then head out in end of may and beginning of June for Tuna, Bluefish, Sharks, and ground fishing. We can't wait to get on the water this season, so be sure to confirm your charter dates to get in on this highly anticipated successful season!

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters is having to keep on the move to find feeding fish during these fall months. The crew found schoolies off Marshfield and the next day that same body of fish was off Plymouth. For a south shore best bet for a bigger bass, estuaries and rivers at night throughout Mass bay are the top pick! "on the water"

According to Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters, Charlie continues to cooperate between the SE corner of Stellwagen and Peaked Hill Bar. For a chance at larger, stagger mackerel or sea herring on the Middle Bank. I expected to hear of a hot tuna bite from Captain Rowell but didn’t see a blackfish bite coming! It seems a friend of his has been targeting tautog in the Minot section for years and numbers appear to be on the rise. The ubiquitous green crab is easy to collect with a crab trap/rack of a fish dropped near a bridge or pier overnight more often than not coming up with enough bait for an outing. "on the water"

It’s not often that a charter captain tells a patron NOT to cast towards a big fish, but that was the case aboard Legit Fish Charters! The biggest tuna Captain Mark Rowell ever saw came completely out of the water during a recent trip and with the quota closed he told his eager crew to hold off deployment of the baits. Cognizant of the multi-hour war of attrition it would take to bring such a beast boatside, only to have to release it, it made little sense risking the survival of that great fish. So the group held off and was rewarded with a 60” butterball that they could keep. Word has it that later, as the charter savored the sushi, they agreed that it was a good move! What’s also was a pretty good move was staggering mackerel baits a half mile northeast of the Stellwagen Bank shipping lane in 109’ of water. "On The Water"

Blue Fin Bite is Red Hot ! Tuna of all sizes are here. Legit Fish has  few spots left for 2022 Seasons.