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"

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish didn’t have to tap into AIS to find what might be the biggest bass biomass in the Bay State — he just had to figure out where the bait was. Squid, sand eels and mackerel, which are awash at Race Point, are holding a huge aggregate of striped bass. A few blues are tearing up tackle and reports of Charlie are beginning to trickle in. This year the craze seems to be centered around Mojo Rigs and Umbrella Rigs of all sorts. Of course, trolling or dropping mackerel amidst the marked fish is a solid idea, too. Others are doing just fine with slow-pitch jigs as well as the tried-and-true diamond jig. "on the water"

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters found feeding stripers in 120’ of water off Plymouth, but all signs have pointed to them moving in off Hummock Beach in 30’ of water. The fish can be fussy as they focus on sliversides. The captain is prepared, however, as he’s topping the livewell with mackerel, including tinkers. The macks seem to associate with an omnipresent green slick that snakes along the surface water about 3 miles out. There are plenty of stripers in Scituate Harbor, with the channel holding fish at low tide, while they are less concentrated at high tide and a tougher find. "on The Water"

Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters echoed what others are saying, namely that slot stripers are not hard to find. Scituate Harbor is holding them, as are beaches such as Duxbury Beach, Priscilla Beach, Burkes Beach, and Rexhame Beach. Some are report that after the long haul, the fish are feeding voraciously and prone to hit a variety of plugs and soft plastics. Captain Rowell has a hunch that the haddock are a lot closer than Jeffrey’s Ledge, making them much for accesible for South Shore anglers. He’s hedging his bets that haddock should move well into Cape Cod Bay thanks to a spike in lobster boat activity, along with their inadvertent chumming as they set and pull their traps. Over the weekend, he’s hoping to have a bead on them as they could be near Stone Ledge or the SW Corner of Stellwagen."on the water"