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Moving from shore to boat

4K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  Stripersteve 
#1 ·
I picked up a 19 foot Key Largo CC. I have always done my fishing from shore in the past, so all my old spots are pretty much out of the question. Anyone have some pointers on good spots around the Scituate and the rest of the south shore? GPS coords for any great spots would be much apprechiated.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the site nlarson! Hope you have a great first season on the boat!

I sincerely hope no one on here is stupid enough to give out GPS coordinates for "great spots". That's called spot burning and is prohibitied in the "Board Rules" which you can read at the top of the page. General area info, or advise on what to look for and technique is about all you should expect in that department. There's no substitute for just getting out there and doing your homework. Make sure you get a good chart of your area and scout it out.

There's a TON of great info on here. Get familiar with the Search feature and feel free to ask questions. Hope you have an AWESOME spring!!!
 
#4 ·
nlarson,

Welcome to the sight.... I ask you why you think the spots you fished from shore are no longer any good?????? for every striper I take in water over 10' deep I take 50 in water under 5'..... when I fish the beach by boat, I fish the last curl of the wave... when I fish the mussel and clam flats, I fish the shallowest water i can get the boat in without getting stuck..... and I'm not talking schoolies....
 
#5 ·
What Roc said, especially in spring. When the water temps increase in the summer, during the day, I'll fish a little deeper.

I don't fish your area so I can't help you there. But consider these suggestions.

If you've got some binoculars, while running the coast, look for working birds. Chances are, where you find the birds, you'll find the fish.

Look for rips. When baitfish get dissoriented in these rips, larger fish are usually waiting to ambush. One of my favorite spots is a large bay with a narrow channel entrance. The tide causes a major rip in the channel. On the bay side of this channel is a clam mud flat. My best luck in this area is when I position myself on the ocean side (off to one side or the other) of the channel with an outgoing tide. I'll cast my bait just outside the entrance where the rip begins to slow. If there are any eddies around this area, this usually indicates some sub-surface structure and a good place to target also. If I'm really serious about fishing this spot, I'll sink some frozen chum on the bayside of the channel under the stated conditions. Make sure your out of the way of boat traffic, if any.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you make out. Oh yeah, welcome!
 
#6 ·
Hey man....I am also moving from shore to boat and I happen to be on the south shore. I agree with the guy who said to fish shallow. I know a "spot" where I've been on a boat where when the tide goes out there is 2' of water tops. As far as "spots" I used to fish with a buddy of mine who had a boat and whether it was blues or bass, every time we caught fish it was in a different area.........we did alot of trolling
 
#7 ·
guy's, it's a common misconception that as soon as you get in a boat the fish begin to bail in.... sorry but it doesnt happen that way..... often times some of my very best "boat" spots are out of reach because it's wall to wall surfcasters... the boat adds mobility.. but also adds confusion, it's way too easy to pick up and go elsewhere trying to find fish, some anglers blind troll all day, not the best use of time or fuel, even though striperes are caught in offshore rips the shoreline is their home and they stick to it.. especialy at night, for every fish Ive taken in water over 20' deep I've taken 50 in water UNDER 3'..... I dont believe in the warm water theory that the water gets too arm, at least not above cape cod... cold water is another matter... bass.. especialy big ones hate it and will seek out warmer water.... I've got over 30 years of records that bear this out... bass go where the food is.. the food is usaly in the shallows!
 
#8 ·
True dat True dat......I agree.....and when I get out there in the next couple of weeks I may head right for my beach spot........
I bought my boat not so much for stripers but so I can go off shore and catch some big Blues, Cod, football tuna!!!

I've had equal luck with night/day.....though I have rarely caught anything after 8:00 am or so
 
#10 ·
Very true Roc. I had that misconception when we got the boat. After 8 years with the boat, I've still not caught anything bigger than that 43 incher I caught surf casting off the beach.

Also, I think there's a few thoughts in this thread that may need clarification. From my experiences and those of others, this is my take.

Water temperature: I pretty much agree with what Roc said. If you're fishing the shore with open ocean in front of you, say in Maine (and probably north of say Rockport MA), warm water temps really don't come into play. Under those conditions water temps rarely, if ever, get over 65?F. However, when fishing a river or shallow protected bay, water temps can reach 75 or even 80?F. IMO, those are conditions not suitable to holding active stripers. They may chase bait into those conditions but, they probably won't hang there for too long.

Day and Night: Stripers don't like bright sunshine. Fishing at night, early in the day or just before sunset when the sun is low on the horrizon, or on cloudy/foggy/rainy days, you'll find the fish shallower/closer to shore. Fishing mid-day and sunny, the majority will be deeper.

This doesn't mean that you won't catch fish under those adverse conditions, because we all have. But, IMO, your chances for success are less.

You constantly see people asking for locations. Hell, I've done it when saltwater fishing. One of the things I learned fishing for large mouths (and tend to forget when saltwater fishing) is that it's not the location that's important, it's the conditions the location may present that draw the fish, aka the pattern. Once you understand their patterns.....your in tune. Check out Jigmans recent post in the Nova Scotia/New England Forum. He talks about tuning in....it's a great post.

edit: Jigmans post is in the striper room forum in the thread on "paying your dues"....Hey I'm old sleep.gif
 
#11 ·
I'll tell ya , roc knows his stuff....i've you've ever done night fishing and you drift down a river or near the flats, shut your motor off for a little while and just listen....i guarentee if you're there at the right time you'll hear the water just about exploding with bait, and big bass right behind them...directly off shore. I remember one time i was in a canoe, before i had a boat and my uncle and i had paddled up river into this cove....it was about 10 feet deep at the time of high tide, and before we knew it we heard big fish right off of the point of land about 10 feet away from shore...I felt something under my paddle as i was rowing, so i shined the light down and we were in less than 1 1/2 feet of water and the bass were HUGE!!!
 
#14 ·
shocktherapy,

Anyone that's been doing this more than a year or two's gonna tell ya there aint nothing worse... I mean nothing... than having even one googan(never mind a half a dozen) in a spot thats yeilding steady fishing, they may anchor in the drift, they may make more noise than a group of goblins on halloween or they just plain my ruin your plan of attack by crossing your lines and running over the fish, or getting too close to you and the fish, thus scaring them into hiding and send you looking for safer/greener pastures, yessir, I learned my lesson many, many, many tides ago.... it's not worthit ... I've been a victim of this before, I sacraficed alot (and still do) to be able to find fish every night, I'm not willing to sacrafice that in the name of being a good guy.. if that makes me a dink.gif then so be it... this is my last post on this ugly subject for the '06 season.... some day I hope you understand....

tight lines
Roc
 
#15 ·
Roc, you're a dink.gif th_icon_loll.gif th_icon_loll.gif th_icon_loll.gif laughing4.gif

Roc, it's funny....I was all set to respond to his question. In fact I had it all typed out ready to hit the submit button until I thought, this is a ridiculous question and not worth a response.
 
#17 ·
Not to worry shocktherapy, I doubt anyone will hold it against you. You touched on one of the more opinionated subjects in fishing. Last year there was an article in one of the regional fishing magazines that gave out specific spots which ticked off a lot of people.

Shore fishing spots are far and few between in an area such as the northeast where coastal development has left few areas where people can legally access the ocean. The few spots that remain tend mostly to be small. So it doesn't take but a few people to burn a spot. Also, when we say "burn", it's not only the probability of too many people but more important to me is the influx of certain types of individuals that disrespect others and the environment.

There's so much more to fishing than just catching fish. For the amount of money some of us have invested in property, boats (gas), slips, fishing gear........the few fish I take a year probably costs well over $1000 a pound. If it were just about the fish, I'd obviously spend my money elsewhere. But it's not.

I love that boundery between the land and water/sea. IMO, it's the most beautiful, constantly active, ever changing, life filled piece of real estate on the planet. It humbles me. For those reasons, I've lived pretty much on that stretch of geography for most of my life. I will surely die there and have instructed my daughter (and wife) to spread my ashes in two of my favorite spots.

I tell you this to illustrate how personal and passionate it is to some of us so that you can begin to understand why we reacted the way we did.
 
#18 ·
TonyDB said:
Shore fishing spots are far and few between in an area such as the northeast where coastal development has left few areas where people can legally access the ocean.
  • Just a reminder, if you are fishing, fowling or navigating in MA, you have rights of use.

    Over the years, Massachusetts courts have ruled that the scope of activities on private tidelands covered by the reserved public rights of fishing, fowling, and navigation is broad, and includes all of their "natural derivatives." For example:

    The right to fish includes the right to seek or take any fish, shellfish, or floating marine plants, from a vessel or on foot;

    The right to navigate includes the right to conduct any activity involving the movement of a boat, vessel, float, or other watercraft, as well as the transport of people and materials and related loading and unloading activity; and

    The right to fowl includes the right to hunt birds for sport as well as sustenance. (The Massachusetts Attorney General takes the position that the right of fowling also includes other ways that birds can be "used," such as birdwatching, but also notes that this issue has not yet been addressed by the courts.)

    Clearly, these rights cover a variety of both old and new activities that many people enjoy, such as surfcasting and windsurfing. Still, the courts have imposed some limits. The right of fishing, for example, does not allow the use of structures for aquaculture or the taking of plant debris washed up on the beach. Also, courts have made it clear that the public right to use this area does not include the right to simply stroll, sunbathe, or otherwise engage in recreation unrelated to fishing, fowling, or navigation. Without permission from the landowner, such general recreation is trespassing. There is only one narrow exception to this rule-because there are no private property rights in the water itself, the public is allowed to swim in the intertidal zone provided the swimmer does not touch the private land underneath or use it to enter or leave the water.

For more info, check out http://www.mass.gov/czm/shorelinepublicaccess.htm.

Obviously, try to exersize good judgement while on other people property so we don't lose these rights.
 
#20 ·
I'd like to see you try to stroll onto the Kennedy complex and fish from their beach or better still the Bush Estate in Kennebunk. Hell, the cops won't let you drive down the public street by the Bush estate when GW is there. In a boat, try to get within a mile of his estate....not gonna happen.

Be careful if you attempt to do this. You could easily get yourself hurt. Personally I think it's bullcrap. And it's not only because I've got a couple of waterfront homes.

Consider this:

If you've got your family swimming on your very expensive hard earned "private" ocean beach and some people come up and start fishing where the kids are in the water, you gonna welcome them with open arms? I don't think so. My house in Maine is on a private no parking street. If people are polite and ask and I feel the beach is not too crowded, I allow them to park either in front of my house or even in my driveway. But, if you're disrespectful and think you can just waltz in and take over, not gonna happen.

I've also owned property on a pond for 25 years. I allow the neighborhood kids to fish off my dock, if they ask and if they respect my property. I'm not gonna pickup someones trash, fix broken items, or replace stolen property (boats - yes its happened) because the law says I have to let them on my property.

Call me an elitest if you want. But I've worked my a$$ off for over 30 years, sacraficing a lot, to make the life we have. What's next...if I don't have someone sleeping in one of my beach home bedrooms, you have the right to use it?

F'n A. I'm pissed.
 
#21 ·
Roccus said:
shocktherapy,

Anyone that's been doing this more than a year or two's gonna tell ya there aint nothing worse... I mean nothing... than having even one googan(never mind a half a dozen) in a spot thats yeilding steady fishing, they may anchor in the drift, they may make more noise than a group of goblins on halloween or they just plain my ruin your plan of attack by crossing your lines and running over the fish, or getting too close to you and the fish, thus scaring them into hiding and send you looking for safer/greener pastures, yessir, I learned my lesson many, many, many tides ago.... it's not worthit ... I've been a victim of this before, I sacraficed alot (and still do) to be able to find fish every night, I'm not willing to sacrafice that in the name of being a good guy.. if that makes me a dink.gif then so be it... this is my last post on this ugly subject for the '06 season.... some day I hope you understand....

tight lines
Roc
what I dispise most is when it's taken me 20 minutes to sneak into position, get anchored,on electric power and some bonehead comes gasing right up to me.... it's a good way to get to 2oz. jig right between the lookers.. now I hang around for an hour for fish to settle in.. cadicted.gif
 
#23 ·
just my opinion on this, there are no truly secret spots out there anymore. Too many boats on the water now, someone always is seeing what you're doing and where you're doing it. The biggest issue here is about RESPECT! Don't go crowding in on a spot where someone already is fishing, you don't want that happening to you...............
 
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