SMALL BOAT FISHING
Most striper fishing, with the most diverse options, is conducted from small boats. The boats range from kayaks or canoes and johnboats or small skiffs, up to the ideal striper machine: the fully equipped flats skiff. From a small boat, you can pick your fishing style: dunk bait, cast flies, fling plugs, troll, drift and even pole the shallows with the added excitement of sight-fishing.

While the Merrimack River is a popular walk-in destination, it is best fished from a small boat. On Joppa Flats, the big bass that moved upriver chasing spawning herring earlier in the year return in July. Bait-fishermen drifting live herring and mackerel, or chunks of the same, in the channel near the Badgers Rocks harvest plenty of keepers.

If last year was any indication, Bay State anglers should see plenty of sub-legal and just-legal stripers in 2007, along with some true monsters.

Though fish can be anywhere near the river mouth, places like Badgers Rocks near the “Toothpick,” Woodbridge Island, in front of the captains’ docks at Plum Island Point, the shallow side of the green buoy “C11” across from the Toothpick and the long flat down-river from the American Yacht Club mooring area are all productive. Work the flats at high tides and near the channels at low tides. Launch at Salisbury beach landing, as described earlier.

For quick access to the Salem Harbor area, the landing on Winter Island is a great choice. On the Salem side of the Route 1A bridge, take Webb Street to Fort Avenue on Salem Neck. Located at the end of Winter Island Road, this popular landing charges a launch fee in season.

Huge numbers of very large bass roam the rocks within Salem Harbor. Check the rockpile called Aquavitaes, which lies exposed at low tide and is almost covered at high tide. Bait-fishing is most productive within these rocks during higher water, but plugs are effective on falling water near low tide, when most of the island is fully exposed.

Coney Island also has lots of rocky hiding spots. Off Marblehead, Gerry and Brown islands are treacherous to navigate, but give up good numbers of bass.

The seven miles of coastline associated with Duxbury, Kingston and Plymouth bays are filled with sand flats, rockpiles and channels that support excellent striped bass fishing throughout the season. Outside of the long breakwater is an edge of rocky structure. A little farther out is a slight dropoff to deeper water that is subtle, but enough to attract fish.

Goose Point Channel, which runs along the inside of Plymouth Beach, is good on a dropping tide. Opposite the beach toward High Cliff, is a large flat area that fully drains at low water. This flat has boiling fish and bird activity at times and at other times, shows only subtle signs of bass moving around. But fish are generally there.

The large Plymouth town landing on Water Street is where most boating activity begins. Even with its size and parking capacity, the ramp is crowded on nice summer days

In Buzzards Bay, the Westport River landing, across the Route 88 bridge, is a large and popular access point for the Westport River system and Rhode Island Sound. The river system is shallow and dotted with islands, sand bars and rocks that are great habitat for stripers, blues and fluke. The area is shallow and warms fast, somewhat limiting summer striper action, but bass are there along with blues and wild bonito.

The most popular spots are at the Westport Harbor entrance and around Gooseberry Island.

Massachusetts has a free Saltwater Sport Fishing Guide that lists public landings, guides, charters and other information. It is available from many sporting goods shops, from the Division of Marine Fisheries at (617) 626-1520 or on the Web.

If there’s a textbook-perfect striped bass fishing spot, it is probably in Massachusetts. Whether you like fishing the shallows, the rocks or offshore, you can find bass all season that will attack a lure and then fight hard.

For more on fishing for stripers in Massachusetts, pick up Capt. John Gribb’s book, Fishing the Coast of Massachusetts, available at local bookstores or on Internet book outlets.

Find more about New England fishing and hunting at www.NewEnglandGameandFish.com