All in all a very slow week in both locations. There were very good numbers of quality stripers feeding and feasting on abundant sandeels at the rivers mouth, but it was impossible to fish there due to monster waves. So our angling was confined inside on the flats. There was a fair number of stripers on Joppa, but because of the very strong NE winds, getting a good drift on the dropping tide resulted in fewer hook ups than one might have expected. Thursday brought improved weather but the fishing was slower than expected with fewer than a dozen hook ups over the span of a tide.

Steve P. and I did get out coastwise around Cape Ann with limited success at the beaches and up in the backwaters. I'm confident however,that improving weather will improve the fishing from Cape Ann to the Merrimack over the next several days. The forecasted SW winds will help knock down the big ocean and allow anglers to safely fish coastwise and at the river mouths. Just remember to play it safe when it comes to boating, wading the surf or scrambling the rocks, no fish is worth the risk!