Finding the bass in tight among harbors

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters briefly thought that his sonar must be on the fritz: there just seemed to be too many marks on the screen. It took but one drop of a butterfly jig off Race Point to prove that the marks were all real and that they belonged to stripers and bluefish. Closer to home, the captain is finding 25” of water off Scituate is the striper sweet spot regardless of the stage of the tide. Mackerel have moved – or, more accurately, been pushed – into Scituate Harbor. Bluefish have finally become a factor with X-Raps and mackerel catching them in 35’ of water. Pete from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that it is shades of late last August out there as Egypt Beach is loaded with striped bass. Just maybe best of all is that the bass are big and not the least bit fussy, with all manner of baits and lures working. Football tuna, in the 40” range, have made a showing within three miles of the coastline. The small bluefin can be found pummeling the same pogy schools which are attracting the striped bass and bluefish. "on the water"

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters said that some of the substantial schools of striped bass off Race Point appear to have spun off and moved deeper into Cape Cod Bay. Some impressive reports have been trickling in regarding solid striper action in such spots as Fishing Ledge, Billingsgate Shoals and outside of Sesuit Harbor. Mackerel remain the weapon of choice, with bite-sized tinkers tending to be farther out than their larger kin inshore. Pogies, which were offshore, have largely blown in and are swimming off area beaches and in harbors such as Scituate Harbor. Charlie has made his presence known and is keeping shop owners busy re-spooling line on reels which were not intended to handle the heat of a tuna. Haddock had been pulling a no-show, but there are some signs that this has changed. A recent charter of Captain Mark’s was interested in a few fillets for the cooler, with the mission being accomplished on top of ledge from 124-135’ of water. The skipper emphasized the need to be on top of that ledge as cod rule the edges. Anglers trolling X Raps and mackerel off Cohasset and Hull have been picking up stripers and the occasional blue. "on the water"

There are some signs that the shift in wind direction to a more easterly direction has blown in cooler temperatures and a hotter bite off the South Shore. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters said that while Race Point was still productive, the area off Scituate has picked up a lot. In addition to more favorable water temperatures the ultimate big bass bait – bunker – have moved in. Areas off beaches are holding schools of bunker and they are even present in Scituate Harbor. On the water"