Marblehead offers quintessential North Shore inshore fishing: a busy harbor, the rocky shoreline of Marblehead Neck, and the ledges and islands offshore, Children's Island among them, all holding striped bass and bluefish over hard structure.
The ground
Fish the rocky points, ledges, islands and rips around the Neck and offshore. Current over the structure stacks bait, and bass set up to ambush it.
How to fish it
Work the structure with soft plastics and jigs, and throw topwater around the rocks at first light. When mackerel are around, big bass follow, so live bait can shine.
Tip Fish the rocks early. First light around Marblehead's ledges and islands is prime time for a topwater eat, before the boat traffic picks up and the sun gets high.
Regulations Striped bass rules apply, see Massachusetts DMF.