The Essex River estuary, part of the great marsh system around Essex and Ipswich, is classic striped bass nursery water. Its marsh creeks, flats and the bar at the mouth funnel bait on the tide, and it fishes beautifully with light tackle and the fly, especially for schoolies and cruising fish in skinny water.
The ground
Fish the marsh creeks, flats, channel edges and the bar. Bass follow the tide in and out of the marsh, hunting crabs, silversides and mummichogs, and stage at the drains and the mouth.
How to fish it
Light gear and a stealthy approach. Small soft plastics and flies to visible or feeding fish, and swing offerings through the creek mouths on the dropping tide when bait washes out.
Tip Fish the marsh drains on the falling tide. As the creeks empty, crabs and baitfish get swept out, and bass stack at the mouths to ambush them, one of the most reliable patterns in any estuary.