June 22nd Fishing Report

Our Bass fishing continues to be very, very good. We don’t have a ton of big fish, but we have a lot of fish. These fish are in the shallows and in the rips and everywhere in between Beach Anglers are constantly being rewarded as are boat anglers.

From the beach, anglers have seen good results. In particular, the Harbor has been very good when the wind has been down, particularly in the evenings. With higher water coinciding with the lowlight of the evenings, we should see very good fishing in the harbor this weekend. Focus on the south shore of the harbor, especially water near the estuaries. Use soft baits with a slow retrieve and you should be rewarded. The South Shore has also had some very good fishing. We have not heard of many big fish on the south shore, but the numbers are very good. Anglers are having their best luck at Miacomet, Fisherman’s and Cisco. Use bigger swimmers which move more water and fish these plugs slowly through the water column. We have not heard of many bluefish from the south shore proper, but there have been a lot of fish off of sconset up to Sankaty. Many anglers associate bluefish with needing a leader and most just assume use a wire leader.Our major recommendation is to move to a 50-80lb mono leader as it will increase your opportunity for bass and will still protect you against blues.

From the boat, we are seeing some great action. The entire east side of the Island has good numbers of Striped Bass down deep. These fish can be targeted by trolling heavy jigs but they can also be targeted by simply drifting and use 4-5 oz jigs with a rubber tail. To do this method effectively, be sure to have a heavier rod and braided line as you’ll need complete control of the jig. The rips to the east have not filled in yet, but we have seen the bait and the water east is much cooler so likely the eastern rips should start to heat up as water temps around Nantucket is ticking up to the low to mid 60’s. The majority of the bait we are seeing east are squiddos. The squiddos are incredibly important, because it means we are seeing squid go through the reproduction cycle and mature in the warmer waters of Nantucket Sound and flush out the east side of the Island. Typically, we see this action evolution towards the end of June and into July, which is the basis for a strong rip fishing.

Currently, the rips to the west of the Island, near Tuckernuck and Muskeget and even over to the Vineyard have a lot of fish. This is because these fish are focused on the bait as it flushes into Nantucket Sound, the start of the reproduction cycle. We are seeing tides produce numerous Bass. These fish are not big 20 pounders but there are a lot of keepers in the mix and the fish despite being 27-33 inches are thick as they have been well fed!. The best part is a lot of these fish can be targeted with top water plugs, so you are seeing all of the action in front of your eyes. As an angler, this is the best experience.

We always talk about fishing the beach and the boat, but there is a hybrid activity that a lot of anglers have engaged in recently. The boat gives you the opportunity to fish more water, but is expensive and often will not benefit you in a sensitive fishery. You see, fish can spook easily and many times bringing a boat into smaller water will turn certain fisheries off for a long period of time. This is often why beach anglers have more success than boat anglers. They are relatively low impact and can target fish in their most comfortable habitat. The hybrid activity is using a kayak. A kayak gives you mobility while not disturbing the fishery. Someone who uses a kayak as much as anyone on Island is Kyle Snell. Kyle is a great fisherman and a better father. He took Father’s day as a selfish morning and ended up on his kayak at dawn. In a period of a couple of hours in the harbor, he managed to catch 15 fish, the biggest of which was 13 lbs. Picture the sun coming up, using a small top water bait, in a kayak with no one around and catching a huge fish! On Fathers Day! I’m pretty sure I know what was for dinner.

It’s the best time of year for Striped Bass fishing, so go wet a line and enjoy yourself.