Great Marsh Outfitters is a fly and light tackle guide service targeting primarily Striped Bass, mainly in Ipswich Bay and Plum Island Sound.&nbsp; Explore marsh channels tossing flies at eager schoolies, or run out to the bay to fish big flies, live bunker, and big topwater plugs for pelagic Stripers up to 50 inches. Your guide specializes both in teaching new anglers and pursuing trophy fish . Low pressure, high excitement, high reward! You’ll be treated with respect, courtesy, and patience. Success in fishing is 90% confidence, and should always be fun! Trips usually depart around dawn. At this time, you will have the Great Marsh, Plum Island Sound, and Ipswich Bay largely or entirely to yourself. We can usually find feeding fish within minutes of getting on the boat. Return by 9 or 10 am, when the bite slows down, and the weekend crowds are just finishing their coffee. There are unique and action-packed fishing opportunities year round. Feisty schoolies arrive in late April or early May, invading the great marsh. Things heat up in May and into June with slot-sized fish feeding on Herring in the sound and rivers. July brings abundance to Ipswich Bay, with the arrival of the bunker schools, and the cow-sized Stripers, schoolie Bluefin, and even whales that come right up to the beachfront to feed. This is world class Striper fishing! If you’re lucky, you might even get a shot at hooking a Bluefin Tuna. August brings the sand eels in thick on the sandbars and beach fronts of Ipswich Bay. Come September, we take our show on the road and target False Albacore and Bonito. These pint-sized Tunas provide intense action on fly rods and light tackle. Through the end of October, we’ll be chasing Bass as they move south in their fall run.

Striped Bass

Striped Bass are biting!

The striped bass were in abundance today, much to the delight of the team at Great Marsh Outfitters, the renowned Boston fly fishing guide. This is undoubtedly the best time of year for striper fishing in Massachusetts, as the water temperature is perfect for the fish to be active but not too wary. Our day began with some promising catches, but we soon hit the jackpot - a massive school of striped bass passed through and we landed nearly 50 fish in one day!

If you're planning a fishing trip in the area, Great Marsh Outfitters is the top choice for fishing charters. They cover a wide fishing area, including Gloucester fishing charters, and their experienced guides are experts in striped bass fishing. Don't miss the chance to experience this incredible fishing in Massachusetts.

EPSG:4269

Great Marsh Outfitters is a premiere fly and light tackle guide service, fishing the North Shore from Gloucester to Newburyport.

Great Marsh Outfitters is a fly and light tackle guide service targeting primarily Striped Bass, mainly in Ipswich Bay and Plum Island Sound.&nbsp; Explore marsh channels tossing flies at eager schoolies, or run out to the bay to fish big flies, live bunker, and big topwater plugs for pelagic Stripers up to 50 inches. Your guide specializes in teaching new anglers. Low pressure, high excitement, high reward! You’ll be treated with respect, courtesy, and patience. Success in fishing is 90% confidence, and should always be fun! There are unique and action-packed fishing opportunities year round. Feisty schoolies arrive in late April or early May, invading the great marsh, ready to demolish flies and lures. Things heat up in May and into June with slot-sized fish feeding on Herring in the sound and rivers. July brings abundance to Ipswich Bay, with the arrival of the bunker schools, and the cow-sized Stripers, bluefin tuna, and even whales that come right up to the beachfront to feed. The night bite tossing live eels to cow stripers on the beachfronts is epic. This is world class Striper fishing! If you’re lucky, you might even get a shot at hooking a Bluefin Tuna. August brings the sand eels in thick on the sandbars and beach fronts of Ipswich Bay, and the Bluefish usually make an appearance. Come September on through the end of October, you’ll be chasing Bass as they move south in their fall run. We run a custom 19 foot Aquasport center console which is a purpose built skinny water striper fishing machine. It is equipped with a Yamaha four stroke, trolling motor with spot lock, livewell, and Raymarine electronics with side scan sonar. Flush decks and folding cleats make it a fly anglers dream. We fish top of the line tackle by St Croix, Shimano, Sage, Orvis, and GLoomis. Rods, tackle and flies are covered in the cost of your trip.

About Captain Erik Christiansen:Captain Erik's passion for fishing began in his childhood days, growing up overlooking the bay in Ipswich. Having grown up on the bay, he knows it's waters and shoals like the back of his hand. He acquired his USCG Captains License in 2019 and has been running charters since. Equal measures of experience and skill are needed to run the tidal rivers, shoals, and oceanfront we fish. He is the proud father of two young daughters, who proclaim "When I grow up, I'm going to be a fisher and a boater". Outside of guide season, he works as a mechanical engineer.

The map shows where we fish. The red area is our primary fishing area depending on time of year and fishing conditions. The pins represent guest meeting locations.

Where we fish

Captain Erik Christiansen 

Things To Do

Our Latest News & Updates

Things To Do In Gloucester

Great Marsh Outfitters

Licensing 

Questions? Call 978-457-6683

Ipswich Bay Guided Fishing

Ipswich Bay Fishing Charters Operate Year-Round

DEPOSIT: A deposit is required for all bookings and will be applied at checkout BALANCE: The remaining balance is due on the trip date as either Credit or Cash.

GUEST CANCELLATION: In the event that you must cancel your booking, you must do so 1 day prior to your trip date to receive a refund on your deposit. Rescheduling is encouraged and dependent on guide availability.

GUIDE CANCELLATION: In the rare event that your guide must cancel due to inclement weather, health, or equipment issues, you will have the option to reschedule your charter for a later date or receive a refund on your deposit.

TIPPING: Tips to your guide are greatly appreciated for your quality trip.

Ipswich Bay - Essex, MA Fishing Report on 24th Feb, 2023

AUTHOR

Erik Christiansen

NOTES

Striped Bass are biting!

Ipswich Bay - Essex, MA

STATS

CATCHES

1 Total Catches

Total catch1

Striped Bass

Catch - 1

Great Marsh Outfitters Available Trips

Navigate