If you drift-fish herring chunks on unweighted hooks for striped in outer Gloucester Harbor southeast of Ten Pound Island, things probably won’t go well at first. The waters here face the bony western shores of Eastern Point, and – if a light southwesterly is blowing, you’ll set a drift line that runs towards Niles Beach. The fish will be slow to respond. And then, bang!
Everyone knows this classic fall-run striped bass tactic: jab an unweighted hook through a chunk of mackerel or herring. Cast upwind. Drift downwind through productive striped bass waters. You cover a lot of ground. You catch large keepers 28″ long and larger.
Do just that after launching a kayak with high hopes into outer Gloucester Harbor, and you’ll likely catch your legal pair of keepers after just a few hours. Don’t forget, however, that you’ll need a saltwater fishing license. Drift your fishing kayak through the waters off Niles Beach, where commercial fishermen set seasonal seine nets for mackerel, and you’re in the right place. Those nets appear here every year, so work the equation: waters that attract commercial mackerel fishermen are going to see a lot of striped bass in September and October. That’s the best time of year to fish Gloucester Harbor: in the six to eight weeks that follow Labor Day weekend.
Troll and drift the waters off Niles Beach first. You’ll do well before Memorial Day weekend and after Labor Day weekend, when local parking restrictions are relaxed. Alternatively, launch from Pavilion Beach in downtown Gloucester, where the parking is free all year.
If you’re adventurous, head for Massachusetts Bay just outside the Dogbar breakwater at Eastern Point and the lighthouse. Try the mooring field at Eastern Point Yacht Club first, fish the inner edge of the breakwater, then head for open water. Once you round the tip of the breakwater, head northeast to fish Eastern Point, Brace Cove and Bemo Ledge. Take note of the 4-second red flashing buoy marking the entrance to Gloucester harbor. Every striped bass that makes its way into Gloucester Harbor has to pass that buoy on the way in. Take your pick of tactics: whole herring or mackerel on a unweighted hook, a tube-and-worm on leadcore, large poppers, heavy jigs.
As for bait, Gloucester has several bait shops to choose from. You’ll find seaworms at Three Lanterns on Parker Street at the state fish pier. The Yankee Fleet bait shop on East Main Street in East Gloucester also sells worm.. You’ll also find good bait shop at Winchester Fishing on Washington Street in downtown Gloucester near the VFW Hall and Joan of Arc statue. And keep a look out for Rafi’s Bait Wagon, a mobile bait-and-tackle shop, run out of the side of a van, that you’ll find parked at St. Peter’s Square on Rogers Street or near the Coast Guard Station at Harbor Loop. As for fresh herring, your best bet is the herring plant at the end of the state fish pier, directly across the north channel of inner Gloucester Harbor at Cruise Port.
Sources:
Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce
NOAA chart 13267
Goodmorninggloucester.org
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