Capt. Charlie Crue reports:
Merrimack River Report #9 July 21, 2005
The inshore striper fishing has been very good this past week. There are still many “twinkie” size schoolies in the river and the big fish have moved back into the shallow waters on the high tides
Over the weekend my clients warmed up catching and releasing the small schoolies and then were able to get some large schoolies and a few keeper size fish. I enjoy watching kids getting fish after fish, keeping a running tally of the number of fish released. Some of the excitement can be seen in their faces in the attached photos.
Monday I hosted my grandson, brother-in-law and nephew. They enjoyed a super morning of fishing catching small schoolies early and then tackling some monsters on Joppa Flats. Jacob caught the largest a 14 pound 33-inch beauty. They were using Sluggos and light spinning gear so each fish was a good fight. Later in the week as the days got brighter and a front came through, the Joppa fishing action slowed down.
There have been small snapper and larger bluefish outside the river mouth around the low tide. Stripers were also there.
Some flounder are being caught by bait fishermen off of the bell buoy outside the jetties.
Capt. Charlie Crue
Channel Edge Charters
Tel 978-462-9212
Steamy hot and FAC can make for some real problems. Matt Daga reports from Cape Ann:
Was out last night trolling the 180 line, around Halibut Point and out a couple of miles. It was ridiculously flat and we saw………..absolutely nothing.
no tuna, no bait, no nuttin! Picked up a bluefish to actually call it a fishing trip! Water temps are you ready for this……70-72 when did we move to the Carolinas?
Soundking reports from his offshore excursion:
Went out looking for tunafish today at 1800. Nada. 30 fathom line to NW corner to dumping grounds, up the 30 fathom curve. Water temps were rockin out at 67…but there was a substantial thermocline at 12 feet. Didn’t see the baits I was hoping to have seen out there…the water temp is right on for it to blow open, we just need the bait (and a solid SE wind for a few days). Did see some bluefish finning but nothing in the way of what I was looking for.
Detra had a report of 10-30 lb. sbft spotted from…the Lynne Harbor Gambling Cruise on Wednesday.
I’ll caution all of you guys right now…there is a reason they call tuna "highly migratory" species – they move fast. I remember in the ’80s I thought I had them timed to a 3 day cycle on Stellwagen – you spot them on one day, then they disappear for two, then back for the third day. These fish move fast, so don’t expect them to stick in the same spot. Unlike bass, they won’t sit still and lay in a slow moving eddy behind a rock. They’re going to be moving around 25mph all the time!
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Mark N. Cahill has been writing and editing for Reel-Time.com since 1995. He started fishing in the mid-1960's and caught his first striper off World's End in Hingham in 1966. From there on in it was an obsession. He loves fishing for tuna, and fly fishing for striped bass. In a pinch, anything with fins will do...
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