It’s already August. We have reached the end of the summer doldrums and things will start to get exciting this month. While many people usually think of the “fall run” as occurring primarily in September and October, anglers in the know are aware that here on the North Shore, it starts in August. You don’t need a cold front or a nor’easter to get the fall run moving (although those it helps). Bait, bass and bluefish will all start moving this month, spurred mostly by instincts and the shortening days. The “summer” patterns that fish have settled into the past couple months will be shifting and large bait movements will pull summer residents into pursuit. Don’t get me wrong, the first half of the month has potential to be on the slow side and getting out after dark will still be your best bet. But things should start to change the second half of the month.
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The Baitfish Menu
The traveling feast which fuels the late summer/fall fishing is made up of a variety of different prey items. Mackerel are usually found in good numbers in nearshore waters this month. We sometimes will get some decent numbers of what we call “tinker” macks which range from 2 to 5 inches and they are absolute striper candy. In recent years we have also had schools of small bonito mixing in with schools of macks. Maybe one of these seasons we will see some schools of good size ones targetable with light tackle like Cape Cod sees? We can always hope.
Pogies (adult menhaden) are usually a late summer staple as well. In my experience these fish are usually found out along the open oceanfront this time of year. Beaches such as Plum Island, Salisbury are good spots to check. Further to the south Cranes in Ipswich, Singing beach in Manchester, West Beach in Beverly or even Devereux beach in Marblehead. All good spots to check when on the hunt for bass busting on bunker. Later in the month, we may start to see the offspring of all those pogies in the form of “peanut bunker.” These juvenile menhaden are on the menu for all sizes and shapes of predatory fish. While it takes a fairly large bass to take down an adult pogie, smaller slots and schoolies can get in on peanut bunker action. Same goes for smaller bluefish. Peanuts can move quickly and rarely stay in the same place for very long, unlike their parents which can mull about an area for days on end. You will need to downscale your offerings when these little silvery morsels are around. Tins, bucktails and small topwater lures are all good starting points.
We sometimes will see sand-eels this month and maybe even schools of juvenile sea herring (which are very tiny and very hard to imitate).
August Blues
I always am hopeful for some solid bluefish catching in August. In years past some of the best targeting of these guys is this month. Some people find them to be an annoyance, but their aggressiveness and their ability to fight above their weight class has made me a lifelong fan. I would check some open beaches or rocky shorelines with access to open ocean water. Sunrise and sunset seem to be the best times to try to catch one with a topwater lure. It seems they are looking up during this time of low light or at least more willing to come to the surface and chase a bait. Later in the day as the sun gets higher in the sky they seem to go down deeper and I have done well with bucktails, tins and even soft plastics. Boat anglers tend to do really well trolling deep-swimming lures into the 20-foot range. Blues tend to be in very close pursuit of some kind of bait. In my experience you will rarely find them just milling around out on their own like you sometimes do with bass. Find the bait, find the blues.
Freshwater Fallback Plan
If the action in the salt is slow or if you are just looking for a change of pace, don’t overlook freshwater options this month. August is a great time of year to get out chasing largemouth bass with topwater frogs. The lilypads and other types of vegetation are at their peak combing that with high water temps mean green bass will be more than willing to explode on your topwater offering. Anytime I am frogging, I will also have a second rod setup with a wacky-worm. If you have a bass come up and miss your frog, try throwing a wacky worm right in where the blow up was. Many times the bass will eat your follow up sinking down right in front of it, whereas they rarely will come up to eat a frog a second time. Getting out after dark can be very productive this month also. I like to use a loud, slow-moving “crawler” style bait like a large jitterbug. On a warm, quiet night there are few things better than hearing a bass come up and slurp your lure somewhere out in the darkness.
