Boston Fishing Reports 3

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has been shaking things up beyond the South Shore while taking charters out to fish for false albacore and Spanish mackerel in the Craigsvillle Beach area in Nantucket Sound. There have been no shortage of bass and blues occupying cleanup duty as those southern speedsters leave a wake of injured/dead bay anchovies in their wake. Locally the skippers pick is the North River where the bait buffet of baby bunker, herring fry and tinker mackerel are keeping stripers in check. Squid are swarming throughout Stellwagen with the SW corner chock full of Charlie in the 60” category. "on the water"

“Hard bottom” within 3 miles of much of the South Shore is holding cod according to Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters. The conundrum is that the shallower structure is more likely to give up smaller rock cod while “white bellies” up to 35” are falling for clams between 2 1/2-5 miles once Scituate Harbor is cleared. Blues and bass have been busting peanut bunker all across the South Shore from Plymouth to Peggotty Beach. The North River has been noteworthy as well as has the Cliffs. The acquisition of mackerel is not a problem as they can be found among inshore eddies and upwellings in as little as 40’. Some major bluefin can be found in the SW Corner of Stellwagen Bank but you can expect company because the word is out. You’re not likely to find Captain Rowell among the fleet as he has his sites on Charlie in the same Cape Cod Bay areas he’s finding cod!

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters out of Scituate said that sharks have been taking a liking to his boat! The other day he had a monster blue shark that kept bumping his engines, worrying the captain that it might take a chomp out of them. While floating a mackerel for Charlie, a thresher shark kept thumping the balloons with its massive tail. There’s good reason to deal with the occasional toothy nuisance however as “jumpers” that look to be grander giants have been observed chasing halfbeaks. Not all has been sideshows as haddock continue to cooperate halfway between port in Scituate Harbor and Stellwagen Bank. It’s tempting for the captain to just stay in port with all the striper-on-peanut bunker action in the harbor. While most would think that the five Bs – bass, blues, bonito, black sea bass, and blackfish – would be enough to satisfy, Captain Jason Colby keeps trying to give his crew a little more. Soon that will include the cornucopia of critters which call Coxes Ledge home – especially cod! In addition to the very real prospects of finding cod, it’s also nice to know that as of September 1st in the Southern New England area anglers will be able to keep up to 5 cod at a minimum of 23”. Get your arsenal of jigs ready! "on the water" "on the water"

I’ve heard many an adjective used to describe tuna but never until now the word – rude! That was just the description used by Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters to portray pelagics which have been engulfing haddock at boat side. When those tanks have not dispatched his catch, the catching has been quite good with 10 fish per person outings common. The bite remains impressive halfway between Scituate Harbor and Stellwagen. File this one away for the open season of September 1st- white-bellied cod are gathering around rocks and wrecks within 3 miles of the shoreline. Blitzes in the Three Bays, Scituate Harbor and numerous other locations have become a reality as peanut bunker have arrived. Three-inch white/pearl paddletials will catch what can be fussy feeds for those not matching the hatch. "on the water"

It’s been looking like a boat show over much of the South Shore with sizable schools of super-sized striped bass pounding pogies. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters sent me a video of a scene just beyond his backdoor that looked like a mooring field as boat after boat jockeyed for position over pogy schools. The mob of menhaden as well as their pursuers have been moving back and forth from Plymouth through Scituate with no rhyme or reason as to where they will appear next. I guess something can be said for an even playing field. Manomet Point has been mentioned as one of the more consistent spots with honorable mention going to White Cliff. The bass on the bunker are beasts with most begin caught on what drew the predators in – pogies. While interesting, the captain has been steering clear of the flotilla and taking a short sprint out to Stone Ledge where he’s been limiting out on haddock in record time. The fish are there for small shrimp and sand eels making 3” pink/white Gulp lethal. While in the can’t-touch-this-status until September, cod on higher sections of the ledges are numerous and impressive. The sweet spot for the haddock is 200’, while the cod are shallower in about 185’. "On The Water"

While Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters did not have a halibut make mince meat out of any groundffish this week, he did encounter a different sort of toothy fish in deep water. Big blues, which have largely been absent from Massbay so far, were falling for mackerel intended for a certain extra large flatfish. According to Mark those blues were real gators and found by Stone Ledge. Maybe this could be the first wave of more of a bluefish presence across our coast. The haddock bite has been good from Stellwagen Bank through Cape Cod Bay with the sweet spot 200’ of water. "on the water"

Anyone who knows Captain Mark Rowell knows that the Legit Fish Charters skipper is a practitioner of the calm, cool, collective mindset. That resolve was sorely tested on Sunday when he put a charter in position to land the fish of a lifetime – a monster Atlantic halibut! Mark is no stranger to landing the world’s largest flatfish, so when he pegs the weight at 200 pounds that estimate is – legit! The venue was Stone Ledge, the quarry was haddock but the captain and the crew were ready for the ever-present prospects of hooking into something far larger. In between a good pick of haddock and off-season market cod, one of the anglers came up with a cod and en eviscerated whiting on one of the rigs. While some might blame a shark for the damage done to the whiting, Mark immediately recognized the signature chomp of a halibut. His hunch was confirmed by live imaging on his Lawrence electronics which had the captain and first mate struggling to catch their breath. broken rod This broken rod and tattered braid was all that was left from a duel with a monster halibut aboard Legit Fish. The captain immediately dropped the half a whiting towards the bottom when the rod bent and shook from the weight of what he knew was the halibut. His Contender is equipped with conventional gear suited for such warfare and while it took a while, the captain and mate were well on their way towards landing that halibut when the rod was passed among the patrons on board. The barn door sized halibut was but a few feet away with Mark at the ready with a harpoon when one of the crew grabbed the top of the rod causing it to break. The broken blank was bad enough, but the resulting fraying of the 80 pound braid as they still tried to land the fish proved lethal. The reaction of most captains after losing such a fish would have been loud enough to jam nearby GPS units but Mark gave a typical “meh, we’ll get ‘em next time” shrug. That next time may be soon enough because Mark has on good authority that that fish was not alone! Just maybe best of all, those beasts are within 7 miles of the shoreline! "on the water"

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters told me he’s recently found pogies just outside of Scituate Harbor along with bass big enough to dispatch them. Those intent on chasing Charlie should bet on the bank between the NW corner out to the middle of Stellwagen. You’ll also find haddock there as well as intermittently on Stone Ledge. For a shot at a halibut consider a chunk or whole mackerel, whiting or sea herring along the northern edge of the shipping lanes. "on the water"

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Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters told me he’s having no trouble finding them in CCB now. What he’s also spotting under the schools is huge marks. When asked if those might have been big bass beginning to migrate he said “those fish are not pushing the bait upward, so what do you think they are?”. The point being that bass have to move the bait towards the surface to dispatch them while tuna simply snap them up with ease! Fishery regulators have freed up additional quota for giants on Sunday, so timing for those big “marks” in Cape Cod Bay may be good. Don’t delay if you want a brute of a bluefin; doubtless that quota won’t be open for long. "On The Water"

For a better bead on where cod are congregating I consulted Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters who told me that the western edge of Stone Ledge in about 204’ has been the sweet spot. If while pounding lead or jigs on the bottom, the unmistakable “suction” sensation of mud is being transmitted through your line than you’re in haddock territory, if you’re jig is coming up with chips/divots marring it’s finish than more likely you’re going to find cod. The fish have been full of shrimp making pink teasers hot! As for stripers, not surprisingly they are on the move with previously quiet estuaries/rivers reloaded with life. "On The Water"

Captain Mark of Legit Fish Charters said that bluefish have pushed mackerel inshore and up against ledge with tuna in tow! “Sea monsters” up to 110” have been following both species with some of those brutes as close as 4 miles out! While targeting tuna with RonZs, the Legit Fish crew got a surprise in cod up to 30 pounds! Close to rockpiles/ledge you’re likely to find rock cod, while white-bellies are more likely to be found in 80-90’ in open water. Along with haddock, “fun-sized” 2 – 3 pound pollock have been prevalent. The skipper usually cruises into port with mackerel in the livewell to treat patrons to some fast paced striper action right in Scituate Harbor! As Mark put it, the harbor is so stacked with stripers, you could “walk on them!”. "On The Water"

Of course something can be said for the Gulf of Maine, especially if you’re Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters. Bass and blues aren’t the only species packing on the protein right now; from the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen all the way to Scantum tuna are on a tear. Slack tide at the edge of drop-offs with a bluefish on the line is the trick according to Captain Rowell. Some of these fish are pushing bait on the surface as close as five miles out from Scituate Harbor and when breaching the surface look like “school buses.” As for cod, the skipper has been catching 10-15 pound “white bellies” in 90-114’ of water. The edges of different structure, especially where hard bottom abuts mud, is where you’ll find more forage as well as opportunistic feeders such as cod. Small green teasers are a good option to match the ubiquitous spike mackerel. Bunker in both big and small versions can be found from Plymouth to Point Allerton and are holding both bass and blues. You’ll have to search for mackerel but once found will not last long among rocky outcroppings of the South Shore. "On the water"

According to Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters, your keeper cod awaits you on the South Shore among most any interesting bottom structure in 75’ of water. On a recent haddock trip to Stone Ledge the crew had to cull through about 100 cod to catch a half dozen haddock! The patrons also put the pedal to an impressive porbeagle which was released after giving an upper state New York bunch an experience they never get up there. Stripers from schoolie to beyond slot are chasing peanuts in the Three Bays, Green Harbor, Scituate Harbor and among embayments all along the South Shore. "on The Water"

What fishers do care about in deep water is cod! Beginning September 1st and lasting until October 31st, anglers will be able to keep one cod per person at a minimum of 22” in the GOM and state waters. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has had personal experience with this as he has had to cull through market-size cod to catch haddock. The Stone Ledge area in 205’ of water is holding both species as well as slab Arcadian Redfish of 2-3 pounds! South Shore harbors such as Scituate are chock full of peanut bunker and silversides which is keeping stripers in check. "On the Water"

There’s more of a pogy presence now on the South Shore. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters has been experiencing the smaller version in Scituate Harbor as well as Cohasset with adults hanging around the North River. Blues are less of a factor which may be the reason that mackerel acquisition is a bit easier. Those macks tossed around structure from The Gurnet through High Pine Ledge to Cowen Rocks as well as off Gunrock Beach are resulting in a reliable slot-to-larger bass bite. With an influx of peanut bunker, blitzes are getting more common which bodes well for a significant fall run. Haddock as well as double-digit cod can be found by the Double LLs on Stellwagen. Having a feel as to bottom composition matters as cod are more likely to frequent rocky, irregular bottom while mud is good for haddock. Just maybe best of all is the lack of dogfish, making clams and other types of bait a viable option. For consistent blues, Provincetown is where it’s at, with everything from snappers to gators figuring in the mix.