Massachusetts fishing reports
499 reports for Massachusetts — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
False Albacore Push Holds Through the Elizabeths Ahead of Nor'easter
Water temperatures sit at 66-67°F across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound this morning per our tide-station readings, still firmly in fall-run territory. False Albacore are the headline: Goose Hummock Shop landed fish past 12 pounds on a half-ounce jig, while Falmouth Bait & Tackle reports False Albacore mixed with schoolie Striped Bass pushing bait around the Elizabeths. Striped Bass are also active in local harbors and rivers per Falmouth Bait & Tackle, and Sports Port notes surf anglers scoring fish over 30 inches around Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck as baitfish crowd the beaches. Bluefish are steady along the Falmouth shore and through the Sound per Goose Hummock, and Black Sea Bass continue producing on the bottom according to Sports Port.
Peanut bunker pulls stripers and blues into Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay water is sitting at 61.3°F this morning per NOAA's tide station 8449130, still mild enough to keep the fall bait push rolling. Peanut bunker have flooded inshore water from Plymouth Harbor down through Pegotty Bay and Shore Acres, and per The Fisherman's South Shore MA to ME report those bait schools have pulled a fresh wave of striped bass into the same water, mostly "around-slot" fish following the bunker and running smaller than the 40-inch-plus stripers that showed earlier. On the Cape Cod Bay side, The Fisherman's Cape Cod & Islands report has Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck holding pogies too, with surf anglers picking off stripers over 30 inches and bluefish working the sound shore in a steady mixed bag.
Fall transition kicks in for Central MA pike and crappie
Northern pike are showing up strong out of the Merrimack as Massachusetts freshwater fisheries ease into fall, with a report from The Fisherman — New England Freshwater noting a single outing produced five pike and a handful of crappie despite low water across the region's ponds and rivers. Closer to Central MA, the same publication's Milford shop report describes steady kayak and shoreline action at local ponds, including Hopedale Pond, as warmwater fishing continues through the cooling water.
Pike, crappie stir on regional waters as MA reservoirs near fall turnover
Massachusetts' central reservoirs are moving into the heart of the early-fall transition under this week's full moon, with predator fish keying on baitfish as surface water begins to cool. Elsewhere in the state's freshwater systems, Roger Aziz Jr.'s trip on the Merrimack River (per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater) turned up five northern pike and a mix of crappie this week, a pattern that typically shows up on deep, structure-rich reservoirs like Quabbin and Wachusett around the same time of year. The same report flagged low water levels across much of the region's ponds, lakes, and rivers, worth keeping in mind as September closes out.
False albacore blitz Buzzards Bay as striper run builds
Water held at 67.3°F this morning at both regional CO-OPS tide stations, still comfortable for the fall run crowding into the area. False albacore are the story right now: Falmouth Bait & Tackle has albies running in the 10-pound class alongside bonito, and Black Rose Fishing Charters is finding them between Yarmouth and Hyannis. Sports Port reports surfcasters connecting with striped bass over 30 inches along the sound shore from Falmouth to Hyannis, while Falmouth Bait & Tackle notes stripers working the harbors and rivers. Goose Hummock Shop adds solid bluefish on the sound side and pogies pushing into the Cape Cod Bay beaches.
Stripers and albies stack up in Cape Cod Bay ahead of fall push
Water temp sat at 61.9°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130, right in the seasonal cool-down window. Per Goose Hummock Shop (The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands), the Cape Cod Bay side is loaded with pogies and plenty of stripers, with an approaching northeast storm expected to push those bass in tight to the beach. Bonito and albies remain steady across the Cape per Goose Hummock and Sports Port, and Falmouth Bait and Tackle reports blues and a few albies in the 10-pound class along the Falmouth shore, while Sports Port also notes solid bottom fishing for sea bass around Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck.
Pike and Crappie Signal Fall Transition Across Central MA Ponds
Central Massachusetts ponds are sliding into the fall transition, and shops are seeing it in foot traffic before the water shows it. Jerry's Bait and Tackle in Milford reports steady after-school and weekend interest from local anglers working area ponds, including Hopedale Pond, by kayak and shoreline as the school-year crowd settles back in. To the north on the Merrimack River, Roger Aziz Jr. (per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater) turned five Northern Pike and a handful of Crappie in a single day, even with water running low across the Northeast Wildlife District's ponds, lakes and rivers.
Fall Transition Sets Up Bite Shift at Quabbin and Wachusett
Quabbin and Wachusett are entering the leading edge of the fall transition this week, the stretch when cooling water starts breaking down summer weed growth and pushes baitfish into tighter schools. The Fisherman's New England Freshwater column already has that shift showing up elsewhere in the state: an angler working the Merrimack River in Methuen landed five Northern Pike and a handful of Crappie in a single outing this past week, a sign that predators are keying on schooling baitfish as the season turns.
Albie action builds off Falmouth as fall bite kicks in
Water temperatures across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound are holding at 67 to 68°F this week, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8447930 and 8447386, still warm enough to keep bait pinned tight to shore. Falmouth Bait and Tackle, reporting to The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands, has decent bluefish working the Falmouth shore alongside false albacore in the 10-pound class, striped bass holding in the harbors and rivers, and schoolies pushing small bait around the Elizabeth Islands. Sports Port, also reporting to The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands, notes false albacore working the sound shore from Falmouth toward Hyannis and Chatham. Nothing here qualifies as a blitz yet, but the pieces — bait, blues, and albies converging on the same stretch of shoreline — are in place.
Cape Cod Bay stripers push toward the beach ahead of storm
Pogies are stacking up along the Cape Cod Bay shoreline and stripers are following them in, per Goose Hummock Shop, with a predicted northeast storm in the forecast that could push both bait and bass tight to the beach. Working the Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck stretch, Sports Port reports surf anglers connecting with stripers over 30 inches as the same bait push works along the shoreline. False albacore continue to show on the Cape, with Goose Hummock landing fish past the 12-pound mark this week, and bluefish remain steady on the sound side per the same report.
Fall shift brings albies and tautog signals into Buzzards Bay waters
Water in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound held at 67.8°F this afternoon at both NOAA CO-OPS stations (8447930, 8447386), still solidly in range for the fall bite to build. High tide lands close to 6:40 PM tonight at both stations, setting up an evening window right around sunset. To the south in Rhode Island, Saltwater Edge Blog reports the fall run has "kicked off in a big way," with albies and bonito working the oceanfront and the tautog bite building, though striped bass have stayed lackluster and are expected to sharpen up once the season's first chilly nights and northerly winds arrive. Massachusetts anglers already have a marker of how strong this albie run is: OTW Saltwater reports a 19.9-pound false albacore just broke a 36-year-old state record.
Peanut bunker push pulls stripers tight to Cape Cod Bay beaches
NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130 read 62.4°F this morning, still warm enough to keep bait pushed into the shallows. Goose Hummock Shop, working the bay side, reports the area loaded with pogies and plenty of stripers, with an incoming northeast storm expected to push those fish in tight to the beach. Just down the shoreline, The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME notes peanut bunker showing up inshore and a fresh run of around-slot stripers moving into Plymouth Harbor, Pegotty Bay, and Shore Acres, per Belsan's Bait and Tackle and Dave Anderson. Falmouth Bait and Tackle adds decent bluefish along that shore, and Goose Hummock together with Black Rose Fishing Charters both have false albacore still showing on the Cape's south side.