AROUND MARBLEHEAD

When people speak of Marblehead, most think of a quaint little village located on the coast just north of Boston. Others think of the numerous small shops nestles within the boundaries of this New England town. Still others think of Marblehead as the sailing "capital" of Massachusetts with thousands of sailing vessels moored within the small, picturesque harbor that has been the subject of many photographers and story tellers. These are not the only visions that come to mind when Marblehead is brought up in conversation.

For many fishermen, the topic of Marblehead usually stirs up memories of many nights in the surf of Devereux Beach. Others think of the great striper fishing that takes place along the rocky shores of Marblehead Neck. For generations, fishermen from all over the North Shore have frequented the shores of Marblehead in search of cod, flounder, mackerel, stripers and bluefish. Devereux Beach has a good reputation among sportsmen. Other spots along the Marblehead coastline remain fairly undisturbed in comparison to the beach. Lighthouse Point, Castle Rock and some of the remaining "rights of way" do experience some fishing pressure.

Devereux Beach is unique in many ways. Usually considered a "late" producing beach by the area’s many fishermen, Devereux will generally produce fish during any time of the year. The best time to fish the beach is generally right after an eastern blow. Though somewhat difficult to fish during these periods due to the vast amounts of sea weed and debris that is pushed onto the beach Devereux usually produced best under these conditions. This is largely due to the winds pushing the warm surface waters in to the beach and along with the warm surface water comes the bait and along with the bait comes the big fish.

There is a town owned parking lot located at the beach and is patrolled by the local Police Department. This parking lot is generally closed down around 11:00 pm and parking becomes difficult. A food stand is located on the beach where light meals are served. Soft drinks and coffee are part of the menu and can be welcomed on a summer night. Surf fishing on the beach can start as early as late March by fishermen looking for cod. Stripers and bluefish are popular species at the beach and often times predators will "coral" bait fish in the corner pocket created by the beach and the Neck. A favorite location for surf fishing is the third light pole.

Chandler Hovey Park, otherwise known as Light House Point is popular among shore anglers. Casting from the rocks can be dangerous as they can be slippery. This is generally a good location for stripers. During the spring and again during the late fall, cod can be caught by fishermen casting sea clams and squid strips. The bottom is rocky and you must be prepared to lose some gear. When fishing this area, tie on your sinker to your bait rig with a line that is lighter than your running line. If your sinker gets hung up, the lighter line will break and you lose a sinker not your entire compliment of terminal tackle. Bank sinkers are best for the rocks.

By the time the forth of July rolls along, the beach and many of the rights of way are loaded with fishermen looking for stripers. Castle Rock is a favorite of many striper fishermen. Casting chunks of mackerel and herring to the swirl created by the incoming and outgoing tides is a favored technique exercised by many fishermen. Boat fishermen cast plugs right up onto the beach and start their retrieve in an erratic motion. Plugs work well in this area as long as there is a slight chop.

Striper fishermen scout out any area that looks like a right of way. Night fishermen "crawl" around the Neck casting live eels to rocky points and quiet coves looking to hang that trophy bass. The gut between Marblehead Neck and Tinker’s Island is a great location for hooking into good sized bass. The gut is a tricky location loaded with rocks that has claimed many lower end units and bent more than one prop.

Moving a bit further around the Neck, fishermen do well at Ram Island and the Pigs. These areas are best fished during the rise or fall of the tide. Ebb tides create little activity. Casting live, fresh and frozen chunks of bait entice stripers into hitting. Morning and evenings are generally the best times to fish these areas.

When the bluefish arrive, so do the fishermen. Scores of fishermen descend upon local beaches, points and rights of way in the hopes of doing battle with a good sized tackle buster. Most fishermen cast baits from shore while boaters troll Rapala Magnums, Rebel Jawbreakers and Cordel Red Fins. Blues are apt to be found anywhere within Marblehead waters.

Boat fishermen troll at the mouth of Marblehead Harbor, along Children’s Island and from the mouth of the harbor to Tom Moore’s Rock. Another good location for bluefish is generally around the Aquavitaes. This area is usually good for smaller bluefish, but these are the fish that are best for eating. Small bluefish can also be found along Waterside Cemetery and at times along the West Town Landing.

Bait fishermen, fishing from boats or shore, are now starting to realize the benefits of the circle hook. This hook is designed so that the majority of hook-ups that take place are "lip" or "jaw" hook-ups. Very seldom does a striper or bluefish "swallow" the hook and become "gut" hooked. This makes it much easier to release the fish unharmed. This is especially beneficial when there are a lot of schoolies in the area. Some fishermen find it a bit more difficult to bait the hook but this can be made easier if the hook is offset just a bit.

The biggest problem with circle hooks is that most fishermen still want to set the hook. This will pull the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. When you get a hit, relax. Let the fish take line on his own. M Keep a tight line on the fish and the fish will set the hook itself. Start your retrieve.

Whether you fish Devereux Beach, Castle Rock, Light House Point or Tom Moore Rock, come to Marblehead armed with plenty of jigs, poppers, chunked bait and live bait. Once you have fished the area, I am sure you will return again and again. You will become part of the brotherhood that fished picturesque Marblehead.