- Surf Highlights Fishing Reports

Surfcasters across the southern reaches of our range are reporting difficult fishing for at least the third week in a row. Water temps are gross, eclipsing 70 degrees in many areas. This has lead to many surf guys calling it a lost summer. There are exceptions of course, the Canal being the most notable; it seems like the Canal reports just keep getting better! In fact, Cape Cod and the islands have produced some of the best surf fishing throughout the month of July. The outer and backside beaches have been holding up quite well and the north side of the Vineyard has recently seen a push of more and better bass. In fact, the Cape and points north seem to be giving up the best surf results across the board. Fear not, this is nothing more than a rough patch. Seasons that follow a mild winter tend to feature these tough summers, I believe that happens because the springtime water temps kickoff from a higher starting point, allowing them to climb to higher apex which the inshore stripers, clearly do not enjoy. It might be something worth logging in the future, because we’re likely to see these mild winters more frequently going forward. The good news is that climate experts are predicting a mild August in New England with cooler-than-average temperatures and this is likely to continue into the start of the fall. So sit tight, enjoy this last month of the 2023 summer and keep a close eye on the weather. Dramatic weather changes or strong cold fronts are likely to kickstart the surf fishing, and it’s definitely one of those things where you need to be on it, hearing about it in fishing reports will mean you’ve missed out. And this change absolutely will, without a doubt, happen. It’s up to you to be vigilant and act when the change occurs. Good luck out there!