I made a post this winter after the wife, dog & I made a walk on Crane's beach during a warm spell in January.
We returned to Crane's over the Holiday weekend & I was again struck by how fishey it looked. Paticularly the point to the South of the main beach where the channel rips by about 50' from the sand bar. I did not venture over to the estuary side where the Ipswich River dumps in. The beach is State run ($15 by the way!) & is open sun rise to sun set. I think Juro stated that you could get a pass from the town which allows you to park near the gate & walk in after hours (including night time when it's dark).
I was just wondering if anyone has this pass & fishes this local. One of my goals this year was to find new fishing spots, particularly ones closer to home. This spot is about 45 minutes from my house. I'd really like to try it, especially with someone that knows the area. As the dog-days approach the Bass will be heading to colder waters; it was 62 degrees there on July 2nd. Thanks. GregO.
To rekindle memories of the area, I called the Ipswich town hall upon moving back from Seattle to ask about parking after hours. The kind lady said "the fee is two-fifty". Having paid the Dennis oversand, I proclaimed "two-fifty? That's highway robbery!". She calmly replied "that's two-dollars and fifty cents"... dOh! I apologized and anxiously sent in my SASE. They send back a pass for the dashboard. I fished the channel between the boater's bar and the shore on the ebb tide, plenty of schoolies and no greenheads at night. I remember it was just after the Merrimac / Joppa area got very very warm and the fishing went off. I fished the refuge (Sandy Pt) and there were fish around, so I tried Crane's.
Ever since then I know that when the river mouth gets too warm, go to the crisp water between Crane's and the refuge or fish the beachfront. Hampton is another option, but according to the biologists the real big bass are up one more river system in the Piscataqua system.
Last year Bob Desplaines and I started at Joppa and hit one or two in the pea soup summer water. We decided to seek cool clear water and found hyperactive fish on every drift once we ran down through the cut to the Ipswich side. In fact, I brought the wrong tip section for the rod but was able to land a striper on half a rod!
It's a long walk to the outlet of the Essex River system but that's gotta be a hotspot. I have experience in the currents between the bar and shore (near bouy), on the humps just to the east, and up across from Little Neck (Steep Hill). Also from the other two land masses that come together there.
It might be a better idea to launch across from Woodmans' and run amok in the Essex River estuary... some of the finest mid-summer fishing in the region.
I'm really into exploring this area. Gonna start soon. Used to do all those rivers including Essex with my Dad in the same boat I have now back in the early 70s. I want to explore them more now. The area also has the added benefit of getting you away from the joppa flotilla. We'll have to compare notes. Dale Hubbard is the guy to ask.
Grabbed my sticker a little over a month ago- one of the few real bargains out there! I tend to fish the Ipswich River end of the beach- generally very few people around there, even in the daytime. Couple of nice little rips form off the beach, and the mouth of the river can be pretty interesting.
Marvin:
Let's go! How did you get your sticker, by mail or in person? Please send info. Also, I'm bringing my boat back up this way later this week or next week & I still owe you a trip. Maybe we could attack it by land & sea.
Terry:
I know you're close by so let me know if you want to car pool. Also, we should try to find out if there's a place we can slip you small aluminium in.
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