July 23rd - The Night Bite and Other Summer Patterns

Stripers and Blues- Stripers are maintaining a summer pattern in the area, which means they are going deeper during the hot hours of the daytime and then becoming more active in shallower areas at night. Live bait for the most part will get it done during the day in deeper rips or wherever you can find good marks. At night, live bait also works, along with bigger live bait imitations such as Gravity Tackle’s GT Eel. Rig the eel on the lightest jighead you can reach bottom with. Usually that’s a jighead in the 3/4-2 oz range depending on current. Cast it in the direction of your drift, wait for it to near bottom, then slow crank with an occasional twitch. When you feel the thump, swing for the fences!

The BHO crew got out the other night with Gravity Tackle owner Gabe Ravizza, and the boys had a night to remember under the stars. Gabe’s expertise on how to use the GT Eels was spot on, and he put the guys on a bite they will never forget. Big fish of the night went to BHO Westbrook Manager Shawn Pagano, with the stud 48” behemoth seen on the left. The next photo is a sweet double-up for Mason and Matt from the BHO Westbrook crew! A huge thanks to Gabe for taking the guys out. If you want to get in on the GT Eel craze, come by the shop and we will talk to you about how to use them. You can also follow Gabe on Instagram @gravitytackle and @gravitycharters for more pics and info!

Mike Roy from ReelCast Charters reports that there has been an influx of silversides in the area with bluefish and schoolies shredding them. Look for diving birds and popping water and set your drift up to get some casts into the area.

BHO Fishing Team member Scott Schneider reports that a fun method for getting into some great stripers recently has been reverse surf casting from a boat into the surf zone. Use a 1/2 oz. jighead and vary your retrieve style until you figure out what they want. Sometimes it’s a speedy retrieve ripping it as fast as you can, and sometimes it’s a slow roll with lots of pauses and twitches. Figure out what they’re into, then rinse and repeat! Billy from Seven Stripes Fishing reports that in Southeastern Massachusetts the bass are finally on live pogies, a bite that the area has been waiting eagerly for! Right now it’s tough to get the bigger bass on anything aside from live bait, so prep your setups accordingly. Around the Cape, there are some excellent fall-style blitzes happening, with birds dropping from the sky everywhere. A welcome sight! Bluefin fishing in the Chatham area has been great up in Mass, particularly in the Stellwagen area. Get your gear locked in because those things can pull!

Seabass and Porgies- Seabass are still the in area, but keepers are getting harder to find. Deeper has been better, but you’ll still have to search through some un-fished waters before getting into some bigger fish. Porgies also remain active, with many shore anglers getting them on clams and squid.

Fluke- Fluke fishing seems to run hot and cold, with some days producing limits and other days proving to be a bit more bleak. We’ve had some great fish weighed in at the shop, including a nice 5 pounder from Vic Kadziela seen on the right! The water has been clear, so white Spro bucktails dressed with a variety of Gulp mullets or grubs have worked well. Always switch it up when fluking if you aren’t getting into the fish, particularly if you are in a spot in which you have confidence. Sometimes they just want a particular color. You can also adjust the speed of your drift with a drift sock, or if you’re in a pedal kayak give the pedals a few pumps to negate the strength of the current and slow your drift. This can also be a catalyst to getting those fluke fired up.

Tog/Blackfish- Tog have been around, but getting the crabs to catch them with has been tough! Many anglers are opting to go for other species, but there is a good tog bite to be offered if you can get ahold of the bait!

Crabbing- Blue crabbing continues to be productive. There are some smaller crabs around, but definitely enough keepers to make a day of it. With another molt coming soon, report contributor Sean Harrison is confident there will be more keepers available. He also requests returning female crabs to the water to improve stock for the future. We all want the next generation to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as we do!

Freshwater- BHO Fishing Team member Jack Tibbens reports the bass bite has been stellar! He’s been going under cover of darkness and throwing black buzzbaits and black jitterbugs for some awesome nighttime blowups. When that isn’t producing, Jack suggests switching to a lipless crankbait. Find a grass bed or a grass line and rip the lipless out of the top of the grass when you feel pressure on your rod tip. That’s a reaction bite even the most sluggish summer bass can’t resist!