Great Marsh Outfitters is a fly and light tackle guide service targeting primarily Striped Bass, mainly in Ipswich Bay and Plum Island Sound.

Explore marsh channels tossing flies at eager schoolies, or run out to the bay to fish big flies, live bunker, and big topwater plugs for pelagic Stripers up to 50 inches. Your guide specializes in teaching new anglers. Low pressure, high excitement, high reward! You’ll be treated with respect, courtesy, and patience. Success in fishing is 90% confidence, and should always be fun!

Trips usually depart around dawn. At this time, we will have the Great Marsh, Plum Island Sound, and Ipswich Bay largely or entirely to ourselves. We can usually find feeding fish within minutes of getting on the boat. Return around 10 am, when the bite slows down, and the weekend crowds are just finishing their coffee.

There are unique and action-packed fishing opportunities year round. Feisty schoolies arrive in late April or early May, invading the great marsh, ready to demolish flies and lures.

Things heat up in May and into June with slot-sized fish feeding on Herring in the sound and rivers. July brings abundance to Ipswich Bay, with the arrival of the bunker schools, and the cow-sized Stripers, schoolie Bluefin, and even whales that come right up to the beachfront to feed. This is world class Striper fishing! If you’re lucky, you might even get a shot at hooking a Bluefin Tuna.

August brings the sand eels in thick on the sandbars and beach fronts of Ipswich Bay. Come September on through the end of October, you’ll be chasing Bass as they move south in their fall run.



Select date to see available trips and rates:

  • Private trip
    4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle
    FREE Cancellation 14 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 5:00 AM
    Seasonal trip Apr 21 - Nov 1 (Sat, Sun)
    US $500
    Morning trip, departing at dawn and returning by 10 am. The best bite window and the best bang for your buck. All fishing equipment is included in the price.
  • Private trip
    Full day – Fly & Light tackle
    FREE Cancellation 14 days notice
    8 Hour Trip, starts at 5:00 AM
    Seasonal trip Jun 24 - Sep 30 (Sat, Sun)
    US $800
    Full day trip, 7-8 hours. All fishing equipment and licenses are included in the price.
    Targeted fish
    Bass (Striped)
    Striped Bass
    Bluefish
    Bluefish

FAQs about Great Marsh Outfitters

Great Marsh Outfitters offers the following trips to customers:
  • US $500 per group - 4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle (4 hours)
  • US $800 per group - Full day – Fly & Light tackle (8 hours)

When you book a trip with Great Marsh Outfitters, you can expect the following amenities onboard:
  • GPS
  • Fishfinder
  • Live Bait Well

Trips booked with Great Marsh Outfitters include:
  • Rods, reels & tackle
  • Live Bait
  • Lures
  • Catch cleaning & filleting
  • Drinks
  • Fishing License
  • Fly Fishing Equipment

Great Marsh Outfitters offers the following types of fishing:
  • Inshore Fishing
  • Nearshore Fishing
  • Offshore Fishing
  • Flats Fishing

Great Marsh Outfitters offers the following fishing techniques:
  • Light Tackle
  • Bottom Fishing
  • Trolling
  • Spinning
  • Jigging
  • Popping
  • Fly Fishing

Top targeted fish species with Great Marsh Outfitters include:
  • Bass (Striped)
  • Bluefish
  • Cod
  • Flounder
  • Haddock
  • Tuna (Bluefin)

Meet the Captain

Erik Christiansen
Rockport, Massachusetts, United States
22 Customer reviews
Response time within an hour
Member since June 2020
Captain Erik has been guiding fishing trips for many years. He specializes in catching Striped Bass and can help you catch a fish of a lifetime.

About this listing

Targeted species

Bass (Striped) Striped Bass
Bluefish Bluefish
Cod Cod
Flounder Flounder

Boat specs

Aquasport (Center console) originally built in 1970, and restored in 2022. Powered by a 130HP Yamaha engine, with a maximum cruising speed of 37 knots.

Length
19 ft
Capacity
2 persons

Types of fishing

Inshore Fishing
Nearshore Fishing
Offshore Fishing
Flats Fishing

Fishing techniques

Light Tackle
Bottom Fishing
Trolling
Spinning
Jigging
Popping
Fly Fishing

Amenities

GPS
Fishfinder
Live Bait Well

Trip includes

Rods, reels & tackle
Live Bait
Lures
Catch cleaning & filleting
Drinks
Fishing License
Fly Fishing Equipment

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 14 days prior to trip

You can cancel or modify your booking up to 14 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.

Listing policies

Pickup agreed upon reservation
Transfer to/from departure site may be available and included in price depending on your location and distance from the dock.
Child Friendly
You Keep Catch
Catch and Release Allowed

Payment

Book with 10% deposit, pay rest to captain

When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 10% deposit to guarantee your reservation.

The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:

Cash

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 22 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (16)
4 hour trip ,  Ipswich mass
4 hour trip ,  Ipswich mass
Big Stripers
+13
Angler rating
20
0
1
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
94%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
91%
Appropriate for children
75%
Satisfied with the boat
94%
Caught fish
76%
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Featured  
Showing:
5 of 22 reviews
Kevin W.
Pittsburgh, PA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Erik

VERIFIED   4 Hour – Fly & Light Tackle (PM) on June 17, 2023
Kevin W. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Kevin W. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Ed D.
Saugerties, NY
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Almost perfect day

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle on July 10, 2022
Eric, our captain was great!  We started at the crack of dawn and had a beautiful sunrise to watch as we cruised out. We started...
Ed D. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Ed D. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Jim S.
Newburyport, MA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half Day Trip with Captain Eric

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle on July 4, 2022
When I checked out the information on the Fishing Booker website I was Impressed with Eric’s reason for getting an early...
Jim S. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Jim S. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Katelyn C.
Hawley, MA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip with Erik

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle on August 14, 2022
Erik was on time and very friendly. The boat was perfect for the 2 of us aboard, Erik provided a cooler with water and we brought...
Katelyn C. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Katelyn C. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Matthew R.
Maynard, MA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half Day Trip

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip – Fly & Light Tackle on July 16, 2022
My father and I had a great time with Captain Erik!  The bait was a little hard to come by this morning but Captain Erik worked...
Matthew R. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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Matthew R. recommends Great Marsh Outfitters
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