Current Waters: July 4th Fun And Fins

Happy Fourth of July, Nantucket! Now that it's July, summer is in full swing. There is a lot of fishing action to be had. The string of warm summer days this week has raised the water temps and changed things up a bit.

This summer marks the 50^th anniversary of the movie "Jaws." If you didn’t know that already, just look around town, sharks everywhere – even at Stop and Shop. If you’ve been on-island this past week, you most likely heard about various beach closures due to shark fin sightings. ‘Sconset was closed for a few hours two days in a row, and then Tuesday, Nobadeer Beach. It’s like the sharks knew their cue and showed up just in time for one of the busiest weeks of the year.

Nobadeer Beaach, historically one of the most crowded on the 4^th, was closed to swimming for two hours on Thursday due to a confirmed shark fin sighting. The shark was actually seen jumping out of the water, according to the Harbormaster. Typically, when a beach is closed for a “fin sighting” it’s when lifeguards get confirmation of a fin in the water. They don’t always know what kind of shark it is but it prompts an automatic closure to swimming. The lifeguards fly a purple shark flag and alert local media to help spread the word quickly. And those are for the lifeguarded beaches. Remember, when you see the fin, you know where it is. When you don’t see the fin, you don’t know where it is, but it’s still in the ocean.

Off of Miacomet, a juvenile white shark was spotted recently from a boat. Maybe all of these sharks are just getting ready for the buffet, I mean, “the beachgoers” for the 4^th. In truth, the sharks aren’t here for people. There really is no need to fear as long as people are smart about time in the water. The sharks are here for a meal – namely, seals.

Multiple beachgoers have noticed and reported wounded seals coming ashore. The Marine Mammal Alliance says that most are likely shark bites and the seals come ashore to avoid sharks and recover. Not all the sharks are great whites. Dusky sharks are likely also contributing to some of the seal bites. Brown sharks are often sought out for fishing. Dusky sharks, brown sharks, sandbar sharks… there are more than people think. That’s not to scare anyone, just to know that it’s a big ocean home to a lot of creatures including sharks that call Nantucket waters home. Two things to keep in mind: 1) When you see a freshly wounded seal, avoid that swimming spot. Seals can also bite, and harassing them is illegal. 2) If you see a seal close to shore in the water, don’t go swimming with them and don’t do anything to look like a seal (floaties, wetsuits, etc.). The sharks are looking for food as they should in their habitat (the ocean). It’s not their fault if you look like a (seal) snack.

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The 4^th on-island can be full of traffic, crowded beaches, and even fireworks. For boaters, the water can feel just as crowded. There will be a lot of people, anglers, boats, and other vessels in our waterways. We welcome everyone on the water – it’s the best place to be this time of year.

This is a good time to remember that there is plenty of water out there. You’d think that a huge ocean would spread out the boats, but the fish are where the fish are, and we like to chase them. There will be lots of boaters out on the water this week, of all experience levels. Let’s slow it down and pay attention. Be safe on the water and know the rules, especially in and around the harbor. The inner harbor, around all the docks, and the mooring field are all a “no wake zone,” so everyone needs to chill out. There’s no reason not to give everyone plenty of room. And for those of you who are anchoring on beaches, keep in mind the tides, so you don’t find yourself high and dry.

There is nothing quite like fireworks from a boat. The perfect combination of dark skies, quiet water, and the light show overhead. There may be fewer people on the water than at Jetties Beach, but it will still be crowded once the fireworks are done. Give everyone a wide berth and take your time getting back onto shore.

Fishing Report

Stripers are still everywhere and scattered about. Some areas are starting to warm up and that means timing is key. Squid is still the major bait. I did notice the stripers are feeding on some really small bait the other day at one point in the tide. Makes them a little more difficult to entice, but that just makes it fun.

Bluefish of all sizes are improving. It’s still a little thin at Great Point, which isn’t the typical stronghold right now.

I think it’ll be a good August Blues tournament this year. Registration just opened, but more on that closer to August.

Black seabass are on the move again. We now need to find their next holding spot. We’ve had occasional sea bass mixed in while fluking. There have been a lot of undersized fluke right now, but we manage to find keepers among them.

All in all, the fishing is great. So go out while you can.

Until next tide!