Coastal Fishing in the Bay State Massachusetts by Tom Keer originally printed in Fly Fish America

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cartographerscrazy.They're never exactly sure what to measure. One comnron rnethocl is to measure a state'sboundaries at the high tide mark. You'll get a clear read for sure, but if you take the same ureasurenrentsome six hours later at the lorv tide line, yodll get a 'fhere greater distance. are nllances as q'ell, and if you conduct your sLlrveyduring a full moon, your numbers willvarr'. As if that is not enough, there is the question of how best to handle bays, coves,inlets, strcams,rivers:rnd state-owned inshore islands. Cartographers must have the patience of Job. M a s s a c h u s e t t s - i n n r 1 ,o p i n i o n , t h e c o u r l t r y ' s n u m b e r o n e r e c r e a t i o n a ls t r i p e d bass fishery-has 192 direct milcs of coastline from the Rhoc{eIsland line to the New Hampshire border. lf vou account For all of the bays, coves ancl estuarics, thrrt number s w c l l st o a w h o p p i n g I , 5 1 9 m i l e s .A s t a g g e r ing amount of water ro fish, so it's easyto sce whv many Bay Stateanglerswon't leavehome for a fishing trip. Hcck, there'smore r+'aterin Massachusettsthan \/ou cArlfish in a lifetime.

Three major bays fbrm Massachusetts' continental fisherr': Mrssachusctts Bay, which runs from Boston Harbor north rcr Cape Ann; Cape Ood B:rv,which runs fronr

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B o s t o n H a r b o r s o u t h i r n d e a s tt o t h e i n s i d e of Capc Cod's arm; and Buzzards llay, lving west of the Cape Cod Canal. Those areas a r e e a s i l yd i v i d e d i n t o t l r r e ep a r t s : t h e N o r t h

t h e h e r r i n g a r r i v ey o u ' l l 6 n d s q u i d , s i l v e r s i d e s and sandeels.Adult menhrrc'lcnarrive in the midclle ofJune , and iuvenile menhaden stase in the fall. It's a veritable fbastForstripersand

S h o r e ,t h e S o u t h S h o r e ,a n d C a p e C o d . f ' h e terrain is very difTercnt, as are thc specics

ThvrNc ro DETERMTNctl're bouncls of the North Shore is a rnatter of debatc. Some

b l u e f i s hf o r s i x s o l i d n r o n t h s .

IJassrvill rrrriveon thc beachfr<lntsand in the river systems shortly rrfter the irlewivcs arrivc. I'r,e caught them in the rivers as clrly a sA p r i l 1 9 t h , a n d I ' m s u r es o m e a n s l e r sh a v e caught thern cven carlier.'l-hev'llstay until the temperaturcswarnl or the bait drops out. Not

say I-ynnficld through Ncwburyport, and others include Revere and \Winthrop. No matte r, therc is plenw of diversity r.rpthere.

to ferr.r,they're replacedby summer blue{ish.

I F v o u l i k e t o f i s h e s t u a r i e s y, o u ' l l b e i n lrog he,r'u'en on the North Shore. T'he rnrrjor

As 1,611 rnove out of the urban environmeut of Revereand'W'inthrop, with planes landine at Logan Airport, vou'll find rocks, ledgcs a n d i n s h o r e i s l a n d si n t h e C a p e A n n t o w n s o Ir Marb Ieliead, Beverly, lt{enchester-by-the-

rivers rrrc the Merrirnirck, Parker, Rowlcy, Essexirnd Ipsrvich, and there are minor rivers ofFof rno.stof rhem as well. With the i 2-fbor tides, grassbanks iind nruddy bottom, vou'll srvcaryou'rc crrstingfbr sn-rallmouthin sorle

S e a ,G l o u c e s t e ra n d R o c k p o r t . C o n t i n u e o n a n o r t h e a s tt a c k a n d y o u ' l l e n c o u n t e r r n a n y from diverseriver systemsand barrier beache.s Ipswich to Nervburyport. The North Shore

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'Ihe scasonsrarrs early on thc North Shore, rvith alewives moving into the river s\/stenrsas earlv as rnid April. The origins of many of the rivers arc fieshwater, a favoritc of thcsc anadrornous baitfish. Shortlv after

Beach anglers are eclually pleased. From lpsu,ich to Ncwburyport, vou'll find nrile after rnile of some of the rnost bear.rtilrulbeaches to wade. Sornc areas,Iikc thc mouths of the r i v c r s , h a v c r n o d e r a t e - s i z e df l a t s o n w h i c h a n s l c r s s i g h t - c a s tt o c r u i s i n g b a s sa n d b l L r c s . 'flrc rrrerris fishernrart fricndlv, irncl fcw resteurants or rackleshops brrt an eye if yotr lvalk i u rvcrrrin g rvlrclers.

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Rocks abound in the Cape Ann stretch of the North Shore. Due to the colder warer temperatures, the season around Rockport, Gloucesrer, Beverly and Marblehead starts a bit later than in rhe warmer river systems.

You'll see different rypes of bait in these haunts: pollock, mackerel and lobsters for starters. Make sure you pack a pair of Korkers, becausethe rocfts are slippery. And ifyou have a boat, the inshore islands off of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Beverly, and Marblehead are phenomenal in the summer. Getting a srrike on a streamer you just cast into rhe wash is almost as much of a rush as finding out how much the bassweighs.

These communities have varied histories.

Newburyport was well known for producing clipper ships, and is the home ofAmerica's first Coast Guard Sration (the Coasties consider the Merrimack River to be the second mosr dangerous river entrance in the country after the Columbia). Gloucesrer was America's first fishing communiry. Beverly and Marblehead engaged in a dispute over rhe which was rhe birthplace oftheAmerican Navy. And after the smoke from the Salem witch trails cleared. this town was one of the largest shipping centers in the United States. Needless ro say, the Nonh Shore is steepedin the sea.

BOSTON HARBOR Oursr,c,NorNc FrsHrNGis rypically associated wirh scenic areas. Cities, on rhe other hand, get the nod for nighdife, dining, sports and culture. In Boston, you can have the best of both world.s-the rariry ofworld-class fishing in and around one ofAmerica's major cities.

For the most parr, urban fishing is different from virtually any orher place you've wet a line. You'll carch striped bass and bluefish while jets land at nearby Logan Airpom, water shumles ffansporr brokers and rraders from the South Shore into the Financial District, and barges offoad new cars or oil. And then there's history. \lZhen you fish in Boston Harbor you'll be near rhe Boston Tea Parry ship, and Revolutionary'War, Civil \flar, and Vorld'War II sires. If you're lucky, you may see Old Ironsides our on one of its semi-annual voyages.

There are a rotal of 34 islands in Boston Harbor, and the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Service and the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recrearion maintain them. Boat fishermen work the Inner Harbor's channels, ledgesand structure as well as rhe Outer Harbor's rocks, ledges, and shoals. \Wade fishermen walk beaches like Volloston, Revere, or Hull, and river

estuarieslike \Winthrop's Belle Isle Creek and \Teymoutht Back River. The advenrurous pack a tent and hitch the ferry to overnight on Grape, Bumpkin or Lovellt Islands (seewww. bostonislands.com for more information).

Local history frequently contradicts factual history. So be it. The local version of the Hangman's Ledge srory for insrance, saysthar a gallows stood on the rocks to string up captured pirates and privateers,with gulls picking off the remains of their carcasses.Facrual history reports that the original name on a 177 5 London naurical chart was "Haymant," and in 1882 several fishermen built fishing shacks on the island. These anglers used fish guts and seaweed as fertilizer and planted vegetable gardens for a September harvest. I prefer the local legend.

In late April, alewives fill the harbor to spawn in the many rivers and creela. Hundreds of thousands of them congregare in the Inner Harbor and passthrough the locks that separate the Charles River from the ocean.

Silversides,squid, mackerel and menhaden follow and there are bassto carch from lareApril through June, bluefish in the midseason,and both speciesin the fall.'fhe migration rypically ends in the middle of October, thereby leaving seven solid fish-catching monrhs.

In the Outer Harbor, rwo scenic lighthousLight and Graves Lighthouse-

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round out the picturesque setting. You'll swear you're fishing offthe North Shore, but youre really only a half dozen miles from downtown Boston. And in 30 minutes from netting a bass you can be on terra firma, trying to decide on dinner at an ltdian, Indian, Japanese,Chinese, Vietnamese or New England seafood restaurant, or head over to Fenway Park or down to Gillette Stadium to see the BoSox or the Pats play ball. Or you can keep fishing.

Tnr 9ourn Jnone FRoM Braintree south ro rhe Ruxxrxc Cape Cod Canal, the South Shore transitions as it moves from an urban fishery near Boston to an adjunct of Cape Cod. There are inshore islands around Hingham, and then the rocks and ledges from Scituate to Cohasset.Around Hummarock, a hamlet of Marshfield, you'll find the noteworthyNorth and South Rivers and beaches. Don't forget Duxburyt beachesand extensive fats, which adjoin America's hometown, Plymouth.

Depending on water temperatures and bait patterns, striped bass start moving into

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the Cape Cod Canal sometime inApril. They chase alewives that move into the North and South Rivers. Silversides arrive in the shallower waters of Plymouth and Hingham in May, and the fishing picks up dramatically.

An early run of bluefish arrive in mid May through June, with the big schools migrating with the warmer temperatures in July and August. Sandeels, shrimp and crabs are hot baits beginning in mid May. And as with the North Shore, the fishing around Scituate and Cohasset heats up in June, July and August.

Here, you'll find mackerel, pollock, and lobsters as important food groups.

There was an initial movement of lrishAmericans in the late 1800s and early 1900s from Boston to the South Shore, giving rise to the nickname the "Irish Riviera." Regardless, from the Pilgrim's initial settlement to Presidents John Adams and John Qrirry Adams, the South Shore has played a significant role in history. Heck, Howard Johnson's and Dunkin Donuts both got their starts not far from striper hot spot'Wolloston Beach (Q"incy), and Toll House chocolate chip cookies came from \fhitman, the home of salnvater angler/author/casting guru, George Roberts.

CAPE COp Ooorv ENoucH, Cape Cod is directly connected to the North Shore. The Labrador Current that runs from north to south along Plum Island collides with the Gulf Stream. and that collision formed Cape Cod. It might take a few years,but sand from Plum Island on the North Shore feasibly winds up on Race Point on the Cape.

It's hard to go wrong fishing Cape Cod. Each of its four sections-the Upper, Mid, Lower, and Outer Cape-has a time of year and a species,from April through December.

The Upper Cape starts early and ends late.

The 6rst bass and blues of the seasonarrive in Buzzard's Bay and the Canal when the herring arrive in April/May. Fishing continues to improve on the South Side's\W'aquoit Bay and Popponesset (and all their various creeks) when the silversides arrive. It's hard not to catch fi.sh. Summer is the time for stripers on the rocks off the Elizabeth Islands, but also for bluefish, bonito and false albacore in Buzzard's Bay (so named by the Pilgrims who had never seen wild turkeys and thought the shoreline'svast population of same were buzzards).

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l'he Mid Cape'.sBarnstable Harbor and BassRiver ger mosr of the artention from fly anslers. Bassfilter into l]amstable Harbor a n d i t s r i d a l c r e e k sw h e n t h c h e r r i n s s t a r r t o a r r i v e, a n d t h e v s t a y d r r e r o t h e a b u n d a n t bait. Silversidesand sandeels keep the fish l i n e c i u p i n r h c c h a n n e l s ,f l a r s , , l n d g u z z l e s , a n d t h e v s r a yp r e r r y r n u c h t h e e n t i r e s e a s o n .

The Bass lliver is the longcst river on the Cape, and gets irs name fbr gooc{reason. Ir'.s loaded with bass for sure, but also bluefish.

You'll even fincl sorne bonito and albiesat thc mouth.

The l-ower (lape is where mosr lblks so when thev think olt flars fishing. Wirh the ba,v side'.sBrelvster Flats and the ocearn

parallel and br.rllnoscbars, give every angler 'T'he plenty of room ro fish. recl weed in tl-re .sr.lr-nrner scarcsaway sonre fisherrnen, but it shouldn't. Oftenrirnes ).ou'll catch bassright at ',,our fbet.

M a n y a n g l e r sr r r r a c e t h e i r f b o t s t e p sa n d -[-hat's retlrm to rheir favorire lishing spors. a goocl approach, bur there are many more o f t h c B a y S t a t e ' sI , 5 1 9 r n i l e so f c o a s t l i n et n f i s h . A n c l r h e n r h e r e a r c t h c " b i g i s l a n d s "o f Nantucl<etand Marrha'.sVineyard, but rhat'.s 'I'he anorher story (or trvo). rerrl beautv oI f i s h i n g i n M a s s a c h u s e r tlsi e si n r h e i n c r e d i b l e vrrriety of rvarer. T'his year, n-rakeir a poinr to try some place new'. Odcls are you \\.ont be disappointed.

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Lslrrndsand Pleasanr Bay, you'll ncver run our of fishing grotrnds. The Monomoy rips pick up as the warer warms, and are good places to find seasonalbonito, albies and tuna. 'fhe C a p e C o d N a r i o n a l S e a s h o r er l r n s f r o m E , a s r h a r nu p t h r o L r g h P r o v i n c e r o w n at the poinry encl, and if 1.o,, enjoi, beach fishing, head ro the Outer Cape-you.,von'r be clisappointed. Miles and miles of rvide, white-sand beacheswith onshorc, offshore,

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i;: Torvr KBen is a fiecluent contributor to f ly Fislt Arnerica, and lives in \Wellfleet,Massachusctrs.