The author (above) lifts a small bass from the fertile waters of Boston's South Shore. The South Shore holds bass from April to October and has a variety of water types for both wading anglers and boat fisherman.

Where is the South Shore? Many anglers pass it on Route 3 as they head south from Boston to Cape Cod or to the Falmouth and Woods Hole ferries that transport them to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It runs from the town of Weymouth south to Scusset Beach. Farther south of Scusset Beach, you'll run into the east end of the Cape Cod Canal, locally known as the Big Ditch. In all, the stretch from Weymouth to Scusset Beach has about 55 miles of good water.

The South Shore's Season
The first stripers of the season arrive as early as mid-April. They frequent the southern South Shore, from Scusset Beach to about the North and South rivers in Marshfield and Humarock. The fish use the warming beachfronts as corridors and hold over in the flats, rock gardens, guzzles (recesses), estuaries, and rips around Plymouth, Kingston, and Duxbury. Large schools of bass and hickory shad also wind their way into the warmer waters of the North and South river estuaries in the early season.

Fishing in the southern South Shore is good through June, until the water heats up to the high 50s F. and the bass move north or seek cooler, deeper water in the ledges and drop-offs. With warmer water, however, bluefish make their inshore appearance to feed on silversides, sandeels, and menhaden. Blues range from snappers (3 to 6 pounds) to fish that weigh up to 18 pounds. While most fish are in the 7- to 9-pound range, heftier fish in the 16- to 18-pound class are caught occasionally.


Wading anglers should focus their attention on the tidal estuaries or the beachfronts with access to deep water like at White Horse, Humarock, and Nantasket. When the water gets warm in July and August, fish at night or in the early morning. Boat anglers (below) can fish the deep rips and structure where big bass find cool water and bait all summer long.

The fishing in the northern portion of the South Shore heats up in June and July. This is prime time for fishing the rocky ledge drop-offs around Scituate, Cohasset, and Hingham, and this deeper, colder water provides good fishing all summer long.

In the fall I've found acres of bass crashing silversides and sandeels on the surface, and topwater action with poppers and sliders is as good as it gets. The fishing in Weymouth, Hingham, and Cohasset slows around mid-October, while Humarock, Duxbury, and Plymouth fish well into late October. From White Horse Beach south to the canal, the fishing often continues into mid-November.

The game on the South Shore is to consider the water temperatures and the striper migration before you decide where to fish. You should start fishing at Scusset Beach in late April or early May. As the water warms, move north to Plymouth and Duxbury for most of May and head to Scituate, Weymouth, and Cohasset in June, July, and August. In the fall, reverse the pattern to coincide with the dropping water temperatures and departing fish.