Date: 2026-08-29
Harbor Stripers & Herring Runs: Also hearing about very good striper action from North Shore spots like Cape Ann and Plum Island. South Shore striper sharpies are convinced they have it best, while their counterparts in Boston are sure that the Harbor is hottest.
Tautog & Early Saltwater: Our regular charter captains report that striper fishing is still viable by day on the tube & worm in Cape Cod Bay. While targeting tog earlier in the week, black sea bass were engulfing my crab/jig combo and later, miles away while casting epoxy jigs for bonito in a full-blown Buzzards Bay blitz, they were porpoising out of the water like bluefish or stripers.
Best Baits and Presentations: There were trips when we ran out of patience for the bonito quest and decided to jig for fluke and sea bass. It took but one drop of a butterfly jig off Race Point to prove that the marks were all real and that they belonged to stripers and bluefish.
Highlight Catches: When they turned around and headed back to Cape, they found good bonito feeds off the south side of the upper Cape and caught a handful, including a couple in the 7-pound range.
Recent Changes: Larger baits—Berkley Gulp 6” grubs in New Penny and Blue Fuze, and Z-Man Doormatadorz—are flying off the shelves for recreational and commercial sea bass anglers alike.