Northeast - Crazy Pogie Fishing

I fished today from Hull to Wollaston and in and around Boston Harbor. I have not seen this many pogies around since 2007 according to my records, but I even think there are more of them around now than even wayyy before that. I am wondering what impact the legislation that was passed (last summer/fall I believe) that cut the menhaden quota by what I believe was 1/3. Does anyone else think that this might have had an impact or is this just an anomaly?

It's no secret. They are all over. I usually try and fish off the school so as not to put them down, but today there were pockets of 15-20 boats within 4' of each other jigging on the same school. My buddy and I caught 50 pogies with trebles in 3 hours and had not a fish to show for it. Striper nor blue....a couple breakoffs. We eventually left the crowd as it honestly became stressful fishing in such tight proximity as others. Lines crossing left and right, weighted trebles landing 3 feet away....at one point, I thought I got a pogie and so did a guy adjacent to us. ..and guess what? We had each other and we were less than 20' apart. Everyone was very civil about the tangles but between trying not to cast over each other and not hitting each other, it was nerve racking. Couple guys were there fishing in a tournament loading up on bait, so I was tossing him some livies as the school would move...good guys... A few of the folks were really aggressive about being RIGHT ON TOP OF THE SCHOOL.

Had to leave that behind....besides nobody was catching any fish save for a nice bass a guy in a small black 14' aluminum lakeboat and a few broken off bluefish. We found a monster school of pogies about 1 mile from the craziness....and we didn't get a single take. The water was black with bait. Snagging pogies vertically in 14' of water. Nothing. My buddy and I were pretty depressed and shocked on the ride in that after all of that livebait neither of us got a single thing.

Frank

Might have been peanuts, too small to snag!

Let me just say that I've been fishing north of Cape Ann for 12 years now and this is the first year I ever saw a pogie!! We also had squid for the first time, but I think that had more to do with the warmer water. As menhaden is one of the most nutritionally valuable forage fish for most game species, I think they should try restricting it further and seeing if it can help the cod stocks rebound! It certainly is helping the stripe stocks.

My $0.02

Chris

Motored thru Hull Gut at 12:45, a few boats were drifting trying to snag em.

Trolled north side of Peddocks for 30 min.

Motored and trolled around Rainsford, down to Wally World, back to Hangman's and Hull Gut.

No poagies anywhere. The fishfinder never showed any bait or larger fish the entire trip.

Chunked the Gut for an hour til 3:30, never a hit, no bait movement on the outgoing.

Obviously, the poagies were active prior to the high tide slack.

;?

I fished today from Hull to Wollaston and in and around Boston Harbor. I have not seen this many pogies around since 2007 according to my records, but I even think there are more of them around now than even wayyy before that. I am wondering what impact the legislation that was passed (last summer/fall I believe) that cut the menhaden quota by what I believe was 1/3. Does anyone else think that this might have had an impact or is this just an anomaly?

It's no secret. They are all over. I usually try and fish off the school so as not to put them down, but today there were pockets of 15-20 boats within 4' of each other jigging on the same school. My buddy and I caught 50 pogies with trebles in 3 hours and had not a fish to show for it. Striper nor blue....a couple breakoffs. We eventually left the crowd as it honestly became stressful fishing in such tight proximity as others. Lines crossing left and right, weighted trebles landing 3 feet away....at one point, I thought I got a pogie and so did a guy adjacent to us. ..and guess what? We had each other and we were less than 20' apart. Everyone was very civil about the tangles but between trying not to cast over each other and not hitting each other, it was nerve racking. Couple guys were there fishing in a tournament loading up on bait, so I was tossing him some livies as the school would move...good guys... A few of the folks were really aggressive about being RIGHT ON TOP OF THE SCHOOL.

Had to leave that behind....besides nobody was catching any fish save for a nice bass a guy in a small black 14' aluminum lakeboat and a few broken off bluefish. We found a monster school of pogies about 1 mile from the craziness....and we didn't get a single take. The water was black with bait. Snagging pogies vertically in 14' of water. Nothing. My buddy and I were pretty depressed and shocked on the ride in that after all of that livebait neither of us got a single thing.

Frank

Similar experience on Thursday evening out by Boston light. Huge school of pogies, maybe 15-20 boats working them. No bass for me and got broken off a few times by gator blues. Saw a few boats near by land some good size bass. Combat fishing at its best but everybody was civil.

Was out this am and obviously with a Monday the crowds were diminished. Marked some pogies in Hingham Bay and we got 3 nice bass 34-36". Missed a few as well. Nothing quite like seeing a bass hammering a pogie on the surface.

Frank

I fished today from Hull to Wollaston and in and around Boston Harbor. I have not seen this many pogies around since 2007 according to my records, but I even think there are more of them around now than even wayyy before that. I am wondering what impact the legislation that was passed (last summer/fall I believe) that cut the menhaden quota by what I believe was 1/3. Does anyone else think that this might have had an impact or is this just an anomaly?

It's no secret. They are all over. I usually try and fish off the school so as not to put them down, but today there were pockets of 15-20 boats within 4' of each other jigging on the same school. My buddy and I caught 50 pogies with trebles in 3 hours and had not a fish to show for it. Striper nor blue....a couple breakoffs. We eventually left the crowd as it honestly became stressful fishing in such tight proximity as others. Lines crossing left and right, weighted trebles landing 3 feet away....at one point, I thought I got a pogie and so did a guy adjacent to us. ..and guess what? We had each other and we were less than 20' apart. Everyone was very civil about the tangles but between trying not to cast over each other and not hitting each other, it was nerve racking. Couple guys were there fishing in a tournament loading up on bait, so I was tossing him some livies as the school would move...good guys... A few of the folks were really aggressive about being RIGHT ON TOP OF THE SCHOOL.

Had to leave that behind....besides nobody was catching any fish save for a nice bass a guy in a small black 14' aluminum lakeboat and a few broken off bluefish. We found a monster school of pogies about 1 mile from the craziness....and we didn't get a single take. The water was black with bait. Snagging pogies vertically in 14' of water. Nothing. My buddy and I were pretty depressed and shocked on the ride in that after all of that livebait neither of us got a single thing.

Frank

Get a gill net, under a certain size you don't need a permit. If you want to catch bait and keep it in your livewell the gill net is much easier on the pogies, they won't live that long in a livewell if you snag them and one dead fish can kill the whole livewell.

I also have had pogies hit a small sabiki. The schools of bait in the harbor are sometimes a mix of peanut bunker and tinker macks, you'll pull up both sometimes on the same sabiki.

You won't have much luck following the crowd around, especially for good sized fish. Get your baits and troll over structure away from the crowd (those captain seagul maps are a good start until you find your own "hotspots").

How bout a 12 ft 22 pound cast net. When they are hauling ass that gets em , let it sink 25 ft and lett a cople hundred go.

I had no idea a pogy would hit a sabiki

Is that you MOLESTER ???
If so, you are the only one that I know that can throw a net that big with good results !!


How bout a 12 ft 22 pound cast net. When they are hauling ass that gets em , let it sink 25 ft and lett a cople hundred go.

I had no idea a pogy would hit a sabiki

This is what i thought at first as well, they don't hit it like a mack, drop it into the school and you'll pull out a couple at a time, doesn't load up like macks. I don't think it is a snag b/c it is always in the mouth. Found this out trying to get tinker macks mixed in with them one time.

He's not having trouble catching the pogies but catching bass with the pogies.

Correct me if I'm wrong ;?

Sorry if I was unclear or ambiguous in my initial post. I am having no issues catching or finding pogies. I'm also very familiar with gillnetting though I have had far more success fishing the pogies right in the school in which I snag them. I was really commenting on the number of boats on the school I was on this past Saturday and how dang close everyone was to each other, despite being very civil. I guess that brings up the question of why folks need to fish on top of each other for pogies. The scene reminded me of a tarpon fishing tournament I watched on tv in Boca Grande....guys all over each other. I found almost an acre of them not 1/4 mile from the crowd last weekend, and this am I saw the "group" of boats but managed to find some bait that was all by itself. Like I said, everyone is very civil and forgiving of crossed lines etc in the crowd.

http://youtu.be/5u271ZDfEzU

Blitz!
Even a harbor seal in the mix, though it almost looked a little big for a harbor seal. He even ate one of my snagged pogies. Fortunately I was able to get the hook back without dealing with the seal.

under 250 sq ft for rec gill net, most are '24x '10

There mite be a record number of D-bags that fish out there. Along with an equal number of peope that havent a clue !!! 2 guys in a dark green trophy ran up on a school that we had been sitting on for an hour, left there old merc running, snagged a couple pogies, all less than 50 feet from us. The bait had been milling around the surface the entire time, until these pros put em down. The drove away 10 minutes later, and the pogies resurfaced and we continued the massacre we had been enjoying!!
A little common sense and common courtesy. Leave some space, dont run up on fish, shut your engine off, and enjoy!!

There mite be a record number of D-bags that fish out there. Along with an equal number of peope that havent a clue !!! 2 guys in a dark green trophy ran up on a school that we had been sitting on for an hour, left there old merc running, snagged a couple pogies, all less than 50 feet from us. The bait had been milling around the surface the entire time, until these pros put em down. The drove away 10 minutes later, and the pogies resurfaced and we continued the massacre we had been enjoying!!
A little common sense and common courtesy. Leave some space, dont run up on fish, shut your engine off, and enjoy!!

I've seen that same boat and had it do the same to me! How do you guys find pogies when they're not at the surface or its rough? Just drive around and look for them on the Fish sinder or is there another trick?

How do you guys find pogies when they're not at the surface or its rough? Just drive around and look for them on the Fish sinder or is there another trick?

Shut the boat engine down where you think they are and listen for a splash and then cast in that vicinity. I have been having more luck letting the treble hook sink down and then retrieving.

I've seen that same boat and had it do the same to me! How do you guys find pogies when they're not at the surface or its rough? Just drive around and look for them on the Fish sinder or is there another trick?

I usually look in 8-20' of water. If it is really bright out a big school will look like a shadow. Also the water sometimes looks really silty, like a brown spot, I was told that this is from them turning up the bottom while they are feeding.

You can see them on sonar too.

Cool thanks for the advice!

went out in boston harbor on sunday and couldn't find the pogies anywhere. checked usual spots in innner harbor and out by boston light, even made a trip through hingham bay. aside from randomly happening upon them, or finding the flotilla of boats working them, how do most locate them? how long do they stick around for?

went out in boston harbor on sunday and couldn't find the pogies anywhere. checked usual spots in innner harbor and out by boston light, even made a trip through hingham bay. aside from randomly happening upon them, or finding the flotilla of boats working them, how do most locate them? how long do they stick around for?

I found the same on Sunday, a few here and there, but nothing concentrated... seems like they've gone missing

They've been netted up by a commercial fisherman out of Hull I am told. I was at Nantasket yesterday with some friends and my buddy was asking where they went...one of the children who was a part of the group said the name of the boat that I have seen OTW that has been gill netting them up. I have also heard reports (and seen for myself) like Brianhfreeh's that they have suddenly vanished. My concern is A) how many stripers got caught in this fisherman's net as a part of the job, B) the recreational fishing is going to slow down considerably, if not totally crap out, and C) that this could kill any hopes of a fall run which looked to be setting up nicely. I know there are lots of herring in the water right now but you can't catch them, can't fish them, and they just aren't they same on a forage level as the much larger pogie for the striper. The last 2 year's the fall run has been shut down due to storms in late August. My buddy was out yesterday for several hours looking and found nothing. Also mentioned how very few boats were out fishing. Last Monday they were everywhere...a week later they have disappeared.

boat all lit up in the mooring field in Quincy this morning at 5am.

Can't say for sure it was a seiner.

I fished today from Hull to Wollaston and in and around Boston Harbor. I have not seen this many pogies around since 2007 according to my records, but I even think there are more of them around now than even wayyy before that. I am wondering what impact the legislation that was passed (last summer/fall I believe) that cut the menhaden quota by what I believe was 1/3. Does anyone else think that this might have had an impact or is this just an anomaly?

It's no secret. They are all over. I usually try and fish off the school so as not to put them down, but today there were pockets of 15-20 boats within 4' of each other jigging on the same school. My buddy and I caught 50 pogies with trebles in 3 hours and had not a fish to show for it. Striper nor blue....a couple breakoffs. We eventually left the crowd as it honestly became stressful fishing in such tight proximity as others. Lines crossing left and right, weighted trebles landing 3 feet away....at one point, I thought I got a pogie and so did a guy adjacent to us. ..and guess what? We had each other and we were less than 20' apart. Everyone was very civil about the tangles but between trying not to cast over each other and not hitting each other, it was nerve racking. Couple guys were there fishing in a tournament loading up on bait, so I was tossing him some livies as the school would move...good guys... A few of the folks were really aggressive about being RIGHT ON TOP OF THE SCHOOL.

Had to leave that behind....besides nobody was catching any fish save for a nice bass a guy in a small black 14' aluminum lakeboat and a few broken off bluefish. We found a monster school of pogies about 1 mile from the craziness....and we didn't get a single take. The water was black with bait. Snagging pogies vertically in 14' of water. Nothing. My buddy and I were pretty depressed and shocked on the ride in that after all of that livebait neither of us got a single thing.

Frank

Some of the guys driving directly into the schools know exactly what they are doing... Others do not... It's clear when you look at the guys on the boat..

The guy who is dragging his huge gill net into the school while its light out is a complete idiot!

any update on the Pogies in /Hingham/Quincy/Boston/Weymouth/Winthrop etc?

In the last week , Marina Bay and Deer Island had some .

Saw some out by deer island last weekend. it was nice and quiet and I was all by myself working them... very pleasant and then out of the blue a boat speeds over, right in the middle of the school, stops and the guy actually yells to me "any fish around here?"... not anymore. If I had a torpedo I think i would have used it. Seems like the schools are smaller, but they're around. There was some good bluefish action too, but not sure what they were feeding on.

Bass were slow, so I ended up sharking using the bait I had, which was actually decent.

good to know thanks cant believe how it went from the best bass fishing in a few years to few small schools of bait.

Saw some out by deer island last weekend. it was nice and quiet and I was all by myself working them... very pleasant and then out of the blue a boat speeds over, right in the middle of the school, stops and the guy actually yells to me "any fish around here?"... not anymore. If I had a torpedo I think i would have used it. Seems like the schools are smaller, but they're around. There was some good bluefish action too, but not sure what they were feeding on.

Bass were slow, so I ended up sharking using the bait I had, which was actually decent.

sharking the harbor?

I would not be publishing where the pogies are at!!!!!! The guys running that boat look on here!!!

I would not be publishing where the pogies are at!!!!!! The guys running that boat look on here!!!

true... going to be tuna fishing all weekend if anyone has any current bait intel please pm me

thanks

true... going to be tuna fishing all weekend if anyone has any current bait intel please pm me

thanks

:thumbsup:

sharking the harbor?

I wish. No i went out about halfway to nwc, mostly dogs, but if your patient you get a big guy once in a while and dogs make decent bait for them :)

true... going to be tuna fishing all weekend if anyone has any current bait intel please pm me

thanks
What size boat are you tuna fishing on . The seas are looking bad .

27 contender

I have to clear one thing up... pogies will not hit a sabiki, instead the school will swim through the sabiki, and thier constantly opening and closing mouths will get caught in the sabiki line. As they swim forward with the piece of line in thier mouth, the line goes taught to the hook on the end and they get snagged, in the mouth. Hey if its producing pogies keep it up!

I would not be publishing where the pogies are at!!!!!! The guys running that boat look on here!!!

Our friend has been shut down !
Never had that boat permitted or license to sell.
Hopefully enough violations racked up will keep him out of the harbor for good !

The more bunker around the better. While everyone is off chasing them, I fill the livewells with shad :grin:

Our friend has been shut down !
Never had that boat permitted or license to sell.
Hopefully enough violations racked up will keep him out of the harbor for good !

I saw him with a full boat last week (wednesday or thursday), he gasses up right next to where the ferry goes out of

Out of curiosity, how much is a boat full? How many totes is that? Anyone know how many totes they actually get? Exact numbers, or educated guesses only please.

Out of curiosity, how much is a boat full? How many totes is that? Anyone know how many totes they actually get? Exact numbers, or educated guesses only please.

he had 60-70 totes last week, I heard he got over 90 in one trip about a month ago.

There is still plenty of bait in hingham bay, this guy didn't catch it all.

I know for FACT on a good day (twice this year) he has done 90ish totes. Normally 60ish....

The more bunker around the better. While everyone is off chasing them, I fill the livewells with shad :grin:

We couldn't get the shad to live much beyond the end of the jetty.