Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

[Fly Rod]

The flounder fishing has been great along our coast this past week. Every day catching the limit of 8 fish per day, per person. Even people fishing from shore are doing well. The flounders are biting on seaworms and sea clams. the water does not need to be deep at this time, fish in 20' or less on the coming tide. our water temp is 57 degrees, as the water warms the flounder will be going deeper.

Stripers are all over the place chasing mackeral and tiny mineows. To catch the big boys you need the mac's. This should be a good year for catching live pogies for bait.

Cod and haddock fishing is a hit or miss fishery. Some days you go out and slaughter them gettin your limit of 10 cod, some weighing in more then 40lbs. and there is no limit on haddock.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

Man I love summertime, the fishing turns on like crazy.....so how big do the flounder get up there?

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

Hello Capt. Sam
18-20 inches is a good size flounder, here in the northeast we call them blackbacks. We only fillett one side, the bottom is very thin. With the 12" minimum size limit and an open & closed season they have made a great come back. I use to catch a 5 gallon bucket in about two hours of steady fishing.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

Hello Captain Flyrod
I hope this finds you well and fishing instead of doing carpentry work. I never did catch a lot of flounder,my preference is fluke,in slightly warmer waters.Striper season should be on its way in your neck of the woods.I'll have to make do with 30 pound salmon this year.Striper does taste a lot better than Ontario salmon.
During the fall run I will be in Israel at my daughter's wedding so no stripers for me this year at all.
Try using some 3 or 5 ounce bucktails on a wire line trolling/jigging and let me know how that works for you

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

Hi rolmops,
I am well as can be, gave up the business five years ago this past April not of my own choosing. I have been doing real estate with the wife that has been doing it for the past 30 years.

Wire line around my way really does not work, been there and done that. There are to many lobsta traps along our shore and on the humps in deeper water. Matter of fact I use lobsta bouys for anchoring in deep water while striper fishing which is illegal and a fifty dollar fine when caught, but I have permission from a few people that lobsta to use their bouy. Here on Cape Ann it is either live bait or chunking herring. Millons of pounds of herring are landed here about every three days. There are quite a few lure fishermen along the shore. My lobsta friends and gillnetters keep me in supply of lost lures and jigs There are no fluke around here, it would be a fluke if a fluke was caught. With global warming some day we may have fluke. I hope the words, "global warming" is not political.

Salmon fishing up your way must be great in the Fall. Do you just catch and release? I have heard that you should not eat them because of polution in the past.

I wish your daughter the best.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Fishing Cape Ann - Massachusetts

Hi rolmops,


Salmon fishing up your way must be great in the Fall. Do you just catch and release? I have heard that you should not eat them because of polution in the past.

The only problem with catch and release is that you first have to catch.
Actually I release all Atlantic salmon and the 1 or 2 year year old Chinooks.Coho I like to eat.But 3 year old Chinook(king) I take home for smoking.They are exclusively hatchery bred and their life cycle is up after 3 years.