Fishing the Harbor Islands
Oyster Harbors Marine’s newest sales location is nestled in The Marina at Hingham Harbor at 26 Summer Street near the Hingham Rotary and the public boat ramp.
We know that many of our Hingham customers love to explore the Harbor Islands just outside the shallow waters of Hingham Harbor, and our center console lines from Regulator, Valhalla and Mag Bay are loaded with features for serious anglers.
Many of our customers ask for recommendations on where to fish in the collection of islands off the South Shore, and over the years we’ve compiled a list of some productive fishing grounds. The Harbor Islands are a unique asset to the Greater Boston area, where people can camp, kayak, bird-watch, hike and explore. And in recent decades, following the construction of the Deer Island Water Treatment plant, the waters in and around the islands have drastically improved–today, Boston Harbor is the third cleanest big-city harbor in the country.
That has led to a replenishment of the fishery, and anglers in and around the islands can find keeper-size striped bass, bluefish and flounder in abundance. During the fall months, the stripers are still trolling some of the shallows for food, and the winter flounder is a popular catch.
Here are some of the places we recommend in and around Hingham Harbor:
Bumpkin Island. Located just a few hundred yards off the Hull peninsula (and the low tidal flat at White Head often connects the island and the mainland), Bumpkin Island is great for light tackle and even fly fishing when the wind is calm. The depths around the island average around 10 feet at low tide.
Some good fishing spots off the island include Crow Point Flats, southwest of the island, and the shallows of Hingham Bay. Head a bit west to try your luck off Nut Island, Piglet Rocks and the shallows at the mouth of the Weymouth Fore River. Work the current streams and tidal flows at the narrow West Gut.
Tip: During the fall months, larger striped bass often troll the flats around the island.
Grape Island. One mile southwest of Bumpkin, this island is surrounded by flats and channels. Anglers often find good size flounder in these shallow waters.
Peddocks Island. Just off Hull Point, this mile long island sees lots of boat traffic in the summer. The tides in the Hull Gut can be forceful, so be aware.
The water drops off rapidly from the sandy beaches of Peddocks to 30 feet or more, which makes for excellent trolling grounds. Or you can try plugging or fly fishing in the half dozen coves around the island. Harrys Rock and Prince Head Cove are good spots.
Great Brewster Island. There is no ferry or shuttle service to Great Brewster, but a long gravel bar connects to Little Brewster where the Boston Light is found.
Anglers should explore the Martin and Boston Ledges northeast of the island or the Rams Head Flats which extend east to Lovell Island. Troll or chum offshore and you may find some keeper stripers and blues.
Lovells Island. Great fishing spots on this Outer Island include the Graves and Shag Rocks, the Roaring Bulls and the narrow Hypocrite Channel. These areas are good for chunking, drift fishing, and tube and worm baits. The Black Rock Channel off the south end is popular, and the waters due east of the island are where you’ll find the Great Brewster Spit and the gravel bar that shows up at low tides.
Tip: Look for the red nun buoy 2B north of Black Rock Channel. Here, there is a four-foot shallow which drops away fast to the 27-foot deep channel. There are often some big stripers hanging around here in the autumn months.
If you’re boating in the Hingham/South Shore area, stop in and say hello! We’re always glad to see our customers and anxious to hear what the bite is!
