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Article& Photosnv Tom Keer of The Massachusetts North Shore-th"t stretch coastlineL.efweenBoston Harbor and the New Hampshire border-is a picce of turf whe re you can catch striped bassand still smel1the pungency of rotting applesor cut hay drying in the sun. There are not many placesalong the easternseaboarclwhere you get the mix of sweet inland and salty coastalsmells. I think of thc potato fie1dsof eastelnLong Island and thcir earthy smell; I think of crunching acorns while walking through the woods to get to a beach on Cape Cod; and I think of freshiy-cut corn along the Rhode Island coastline.The combination is a powcrF u lo n c . A l l t l r e m o r c r c i l s o nt o s r v o r i t . You never knowwhat to expectalong the North Shore.C)ne day the fish are schooledup in big numbcrs crashing bait, and the next dav they are apparently gone. They may be gone, but more likely they have simply moved around. Maybe they are fulther south or a bit offshole, or perhaps they moved inshore. Vhat is true is that they are not in the sameplacc they wer-ein vesterday.Fishing on the North Shore is a lot like hunting, and tracking fish patterns and movetnent calls fol patience.It requircsfishermen to be flexible and deliberate, and for those rvho wish to play it's a high-stakes gan-re. Therc is a lot of Lraitaround the North Shorc, but the small menhadcn or peanut bunker get most of the attcntion. The tcrrain here could not be more perfect for then-r.For starters, the
adults are in closeproxl imity to their offi;hore ll,' breeding grounds. After a short periocl of time the fly move inlar.rdinto the safety of the North Shore'sseveral dozen rivers,creeks a n d e s t u a r i e sw h e r e they begin to firature. You'll sce them in the middle of the seasonin any number of the nain estuary systems or smaller offshoots, like the Merrimack, Black Rock Creek, the Palker, Jericho Creek, thc Annisquarr River, and the Jones and Mill Rivers. There are amplc spots for the menhaden fry to grow, and if thcre has been a good hatch therc wili be plenty of srnall bait by fall. tVhen the peanut Lrunker are a lew inches long they gather and stage in coves along thc North Shore. All covcs do not hold rnenhaden, br-rtIike thc many river systems there :rre alscr numerous covcswhere yoLr can find them. Some are small and
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rocky with sandy beaches, like Loring Beach or PIum Cove, and others arejust rocky, like Pigeon Cove. The menhaden stage on the quarter moons and move out on the full and the new moons, and shortly after a cove has been purged of its bait the peanut bunker will start to build and gather. As the wind changes direction the bair may move from one end ofthe cove to the other. \7hen the bait increasesin these coves it is not surprising that the fishing increasesproportionately, too. Finally, the bait moves out on the waning moon, providing evidence of why the fishing is hot one day and cold the next. I used to see lots of menhaden years ago while scuba diving in the coves of Marblehead, Rockport and Gloucester, but back then there were never many bass.During these times I had the luxury of sitting under them for a while. They have a fascinating schooling behavior. Menhaden will daisy chain and swim rhythmically in circles. Should a predator or a boat threaten from above, they descend for as long as they need to and then ascend again when it is safe. Their vibrant purple color shimmers in the sunlight and then fades as they turn. \flatching these baitfish was always soothing until a predator arrived on the sceneand they popped out ofthe water like corn from a hot, oiled pan. It currently seems that menhaden suffer like the striped bass once did. As with maxy other species, menhaden populations are cyclical. Tons of menhaden are netted for fertilizer and catfood, which has depleted their populadons and causedobvious concern among the fisheries biologists. For a long while it was common to seewhat a child would call miles ofmenhaden, but an adult would call acresof tiem. And though we're now in a down cycle, on some days you would never know it. Striped bass of all sizes feast on the small menhaden, and fishermen get excited when they arrive. \7hile there are lots of easy fish to catch, most anglers will remember specific ones. I am no different and remember one fish in particular. It was a mid September night when Terry and I had waded far out on an offshore sandbar. I wanted to fish the edge where it dropped into a bowl. It was either a full or a new moon, I can't quite remember, but it was around midnight and the sky was as bright as Foxborough Stadium during a Patriot's night game.
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The tide was running out and the stripers were working into the current. \7e were in the perfect spot and the fish just kept coming to us. The soft wind quarteredat our backs,our castingwas leisurely, the fish were in tight, and we had several more hours to fish. Everything was just right. About rwo hours into the action I hooked a good bass. It took out all of my line and a yard or two of backing. There were no rocks around here, just sand and a deeper water drop-off, and I was fishing with 2O-pound nylon which I knew would hold fast. The fight continued for what seemed like an hour, but in realitywas about ten minutes, and the basswas ready to come to hand. "W'ant me to land him?" Terry asked. He was always helpful like that. "Sure," I said. "Het coming up onto the bar and itt shallow enough now that the tide has dropped." I led the fish to Terry and he leaned over to grab the bass' mouth, but it dodged by him on the right side. "Thought you were going to land him?" I asked. 'A "Het a nice fish," Terry said. really nice fish." "I'll just beach him over there." "No, bring him around. I'll get him this time." This time was a repeat of last time, and I was concerned for this was perhapsmy best fish of the year. There were probablya bunch of20-to 3O-pound fish in the school now that the tide was right. "I'm going to beach him," I said. "Give me one more shot," Terry said. "C'mon, then." "One more time. Bring him over here." Terry hiked up his waders and crouched down like an infielder anticipating a shot up the middle and I led the fish to him. The basswas on course and as it approached I saw Terry lunge to grab him. The basspanicked, took a few strokes with his tail and shot in benveen his legs. I remember yelling as Terry lifted his leg, but it was no use and he raked his foot across the leader and brokeoffthe fish. Terry has been appropriatelynicknamedShortstopeversince. Daytime fishing has its rewards, too. It is daunting to see big schools of fish and bait mixed together. Fishermen can run numbers if they wish, catch striped bassand bluefish mixed in together, or simply find big bluefish devouring the menhaden.This past fall my friend, Nate
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The MassachusettsNorIh Shoreis hometo somebig stripers,and the bestwayto find themis with a local guide-at leastthe first time out.
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McGinnis, and I found several big schoolsof bluefish working the menhaden into the wind. \We dead-drifted 5inch streamers on the surface alongside the froth and found bluefish that would drift to the surface and sip them as a trout takes a mayfTy dun. Catching nearly a dozen ofthem was enough ofa workout, so we quit fishing and drifted with the current. There was not the randomness to their behavior that sometimes appears violent and haphazard; quite simply, the bluefish methodically worked their way through the bait. Fishing on the Massachusetts North Shore is an endlesssummer. All of the fly shops and guides listed here offer guide services covering the best North Shore venues. \X/hile you may not need a guide every time you fish, the best way to acquire local knowledge is to fish with a pro.
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