Why did the striper fishing pick up so dramatically you might ask? My guess is because of the horde of bluefin tuna that are present just a few miles offshore. I believe these tuna are driving the normally offshore spike macks shorward into shallower water and the usually deep water feeding stripers are simply following the bait ashore... much to the delight of the surf casters and the live liners. Most of the large stripers I saw were quite plump, lice covered and hard fighting. Just how long the stripers will stay ashore is much dependant on the tuna keeping the bait close by. And for tuna, most of the tuna I chased around were very large and just about impossible to hook up on a tossed plug. Their surface time was measured in a few seconds. So getting close enough to them in-time to get a cast off was futile at best. There are some slot sized tuna in the mix, so it's worth chasing them around for a time...it will get your heart racing.

Joe W reported another good week night fishing the Merrimack flats with eels. The daytime striper bite continues to be slow and frustrating for the light tackle anglers, but the live liners and tube-n-worm guys are getting their fair share of stripers. There are tuna just off the river mouth in 90-120 feet of water, but again difficult to get hooked up. Check the Stickman's Surfland Report for other happenings

Joe and Bob

Best bet for the w/e are; fish early for stripers...close to shore with topwaters, eels and live macks. The blues are not concentrated anywhere that I could find, but Andrews Point was the most consistent. If you got the right gear, go chase tuna...the excitement will get your blood moving! And check Brian's report for the most recent info for Crane Beach

Big Blue, small grandson!

Capt Skip Montello