Much to the chagrin of spouses of the addicted-to-fishing set, the Northeast has a never-ending season. From New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve, somewhere, something is biting. We’ve compiled a list of the best places to fish in 2013, so get your planner and your phone and take the first step to making 2013 your best fishing season ever.
Lake Trout by Land
Where: Wachusett Reservoir, MA
When: April
Sharp drop-offs, abundant smelt and cool water bring the lake trout of the Wachusett Reservoir well within reach of the shore bound angler. Launch a 1/2 to 1-ounce Kastmaster or soak a large shiner to tempt one of these deep-dwelling brutes. Most fish will be 14 to 20 inches, but lakers longer than 30 inches are caught here every year. Ice conditions permitting, Wachusett opens to fishermen on the first Saturday in April.
Get the Scoop: B and A Bait and Tackle | 508-835-4558
Shad Run on the Big D
Where: Delaware River, New Jersey
When: April and May
Nicknamed the “poor man’s salmon” for their fighting ability and acrobatics, the American shad is pound-for-pound, one of the toughest fighters you’ll encounter in freshwater. Have a 7-pound shad attack your flutter spoon and brace yourself for a battle. Put yourself in position to intercept the spring shad run up the Delaware River for some of the fastest fishing you can encounter in sweetwater.
Get the Scoop: Sportsmen’s Center | 609-298-5300 | sportsmenscenter.com
Get a Guide: Fishin’ Fun Charters | fishinfuncharters.com
‘Eyes on LI
Where: Lake Ronkonkoma and Montauk, New York
When: May
Fish for one fanged predator you probably didn’t know existed in Long Island’s sweetwater. Lake Ronkonkoma and Fort Pond have healthy walleye populations with some specimens topping the 6-pound mark. Target them with curly-tail grubs or jerkbaits in the late spring when they move shallow in an attempt to spawn.
Get the Scoop: Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle | 631-563-3474
Big Tailwater Trout
Where: Riverton to New Hartford, CT
When: April to June
With the water remaining a cool 50 degrees as it spills out from under the Colebrook River Dam, the West Branch of the Farmington River maintains one of the best trout fisheries right through the summer months. Stocky rainbows and brown trout in excess of 20 inches are spread out throughout the river.
Get the Scoop: UpCountry Sportfishing | 860-379-1952 | farmingtonriver.com
Get a Guide: CT Fish Guides | ctfishguides.com
The Q
Where: Quabbin Reservoir, MA
When: April to June
When the Quabbin Reservoir opens in mid-April, the landlocked salmon will be active just under the surface and lake trout will be feeding heavily just about everywhere. As the waters warm, big smallmouth bass move into shallower water in preparation for the spawn. Four-pounders don’t even get a second look as serious bass-masters ply these waters hoping for the next state-record small. Rent a boat or bring your own.
Get the Scoop: Flagg’s Fly and Tackle | 978-554-0034
North Fork Doormats
Where: Greenport, New York
When: May and June
Few baits will concentrate big fluke like squid, and this cephalopod is in ample supply around Long Island’s east end in the late spring. Drift a large strip bait or bucktail-and-bait combo to tempt the big fluke lurking inside the North Fork of Long Island.
Get the Scoop: Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle | 631-765-3918
Get a Guide: Peconic Star Fleet | 631-875-2631 | peconicstarfleet.com
Bluefish Homecoming
Where: Vineyard Sound, MA
When: Late May
It’s not officially saltwater fishing season on Cape Cod until you can stand on a sandy beach and cast a Roberts Ranger to ravenous blues. From Falmouth to Chatham, look for a Southwest wing to put the blues on the Beach.
Get the Scoop: Eastmans Bait and Tackle | 508-548-6900 | eastmanstackle.com
Falmouth Bait and Tackle | 508-457-0700 | falmouthbaitandtackle.com
Drummin’ In The Bay
Where: Cape May, New Jersey
When: May
When you hear the drumming of spwaning black drum through the hull, get ready to lug it out with one of New Jersey’s largest inshore fish. Black drum as big as 100 pounds start moving into the Delaware Bay n late April and stay until mid-June, but May is the peak. Drop a glob of fresh clams on the bottom in 15 to 30 feet of water and wait for one of these big bottom feeders to lurp it up.
Get the Scoop: Sea Isle Bait & Tackle | 609-263-6540 | seaislebaitandtackle.net
Get a Guide: Full Ahead Charters | 609-847-2304 | fullaheadsportfishing.com
Beantown Blackbacks
Where: Boston Harbor, MA
When: May and June
The good ol’ days have returned to the Boston Harbor winter flounder fishery. Limit catches of tasty flatfish are common, and the possibility of “phonebook” sized flatfish is making every outing interesting.
Get a Guide: Little Sister Charters | 617-755-3740
Jersey’s Bunker Bonanza
Where: Monmouth and Ocean counties, New Jersey
When: June
Pitch 2-pound live baits to monster stripers off the Garden State Coast in some of the best striper fishing in the entire Northeast. Terrified bunker beat the water into a froth as 30- to 50-pound stripers rocket up from below. Surfcasters wielding big pencil poppers or bunker snag rigs will get in on the action too.
Get the Scoop: Fishermen’s Supply Co. | 732-892-2058
Get a Guide: Big Kid Sportfishing | 732-261-0606 | bigkidfishing.com
Race Point Rampage
Where: Provincetown, MA
When: June
Put yourself in the middle as migrating schools of bass and bluefish collide with massive amounts of herring, sand eels and mackerel at the tip of Cape Cod. Leave the trolling rods at home and break out the spinning gear to throw top waters, jigs and swimming plugs. Let the birds guide the way.
Get the Scoop: Nelson’s Bait and Tackle | 508-487-0034 | www.nelsonsbaitandtackle.com
Get a Guide: Reel Deal Charters | 508-487-3767 | fishreeldeal.com
Cows at the Race
Where: Fishers Island, CT/Orient, NY
When: June to August
Deep water, fast currents and severe structure combine to make The Race a prime feeding station for large striped bass. Drift buck tail jigs on three-way rigs to tempt the deepwater cows, and get ready for intense up-and-down battle with trappers weighing as much as 60 pounds.
Get the Scoop: River’s End Tackle | 860-388-2283
Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle | 631-765-3918
Get a Guide: Sundowner Charters | 631-765-2227
Mackerel Madness
Where: Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, MA
When: June
Launch tiger-striped pencil poppers into the manmade cut at the base of Cape Cod, where schools of mackerel and big migrating stripers collide to create some of the most explosive topwater action available to anglers on dry land. Keep your cool when casting your plugs at the 40-pounders rampaging on the surface of the “Big Ditch.” Fish around the new or full moon for the best shot at a bull bass.
Get the Scoop: Red Top Sporting Goods | 508-759-3371 | redtoptackle.com
Drifting Eels for Jumbo Bass
Where: Montauk, NY
When: July
The Montauk Rips load up with stripers under the July full moon. Eels are the ticket to 30-pound or better fish, but diamond jigs will catch fish too. Fish during the strongest tides for the best shot at a monster.
Get the Scoop: Montauk Marine Basin | 631-668-5900 | marinebasin.com
Get a Guide: Grand Slam Charters | 516-457-5298 | montaukstriperfishing.com
Jumbo Bass at the Block
Where: Block Island, RI
When: July
Some of the biggest stripers on the coast summer in the deep, cool water off Block Island. Eels ar ethe ticket to 40-pound or better fish, but diamond jigs and plugs will catch fish too. Target the rocky ledges around the island’s southwest corner.
Get the Scoop: Block Island Fishworks | 401-466-5392 | bifishworks.com
Get a Guide: Flippin’ Out Charters | 401-539-2267 | flippinoutcharters.com
Nighttime Largemouths
Where: Your local pond or lake
When: July and August
Don’t restrict your graveyard-shift fishing to saltwater. Largemouth bass, especially big ones, switch to a nocturnal feeding pattern during the hottest months of summer. The bass will be looking to the surface for unsuspecting baitfish, frogs or even mice to move within striking distance, so focus on topwater presentations like buzz baits, poppers and prop baits. Have a headlamp and a hand scale ready for when things go bump in the night.
Bluefin Jigging
Where: Midshore Structure off Long Island’s South Shore
When: July
As sand eels bunch up over wrecks and humps in 100 to 180 feet of water off the South Shore of Long Island, it becomes easy for captains to locate hungry bluefin tuna. Ditch the trolling gear and drop metal jigs to tuna hunting the depths for sand eels. Good electronics will help you locate the bait and tuna.
Get the Scoop: White Water Outfitters | 631-594-3336 | whitewateroutfitters.net
Get A Guide: Shore Catch Guide Service | shorecatch.com
The Bones from Nantucket
Where: Nantucket, MA
When: August
Sand eels summering in the rips and shoals surrounding Nantucket don’t know what hit them when the lightning-quick bonito swarm the island in late summer. Troll deepwater shoals or drift and cast to rips for fast action with this hard-fighting, good-eating pelagic.
Get the Scoop: Bill Fisher Bait and Tackle | 508-228-2261 | billfishertackle.com
King-Size Trolling
Where: Lake Ontario
When: August
In the late summer, the Lake Ontario king salmon that spent the last three years or so feeding and growing in the massive lake school up and stage for a few weeks off the mouths of their natal rivers. Salmon in excess of 30 pounds will strike trolled spoons both during the day and at night. When trolling at night, don’t forget the glow- in-the-dark spoons.
Get the Scoop: Oswego County | visitoswegocounty.com
Get a guide: Fish Doctor Charters | 315-963-8405 | fishdoctorcharters.com
Pogy Time in Boston Harbor
Where: Boston Harbor, MA
When: August and September
When large schools of adult menhaden invade Boston Harbor, big stripers and big bluefish take notice. Snag a live pogo and send it back into the school with a hook through its nose and wait for a hefty striped bass to take notice. When the bite is on, it won’t take long!
Get a Guide: Reel Pursuit Charters | 617-922-3474 | bostonfishing.com
Overnight at The Edge
Where: Northeast Canyons
When: August to October
As warm Gulf Stream water spills over the continental shelf, pelagic predators move within reach of Northeast anglers and give them the best offshore fishing of the year. Devote a full 24 hours to a canyon quest, trolling the days away for billfish and bigeye and chunking through the nights for yellowfin and swordfish.
Get the Scoop: The Reel Seat | 732-223-5353 | reelseat.com
Get a Guide: XTC Sportfishing | 732- 616-3763 | xtcsportfishing.com
False Albacore Fall Run
Where: Newport, RI
When: September
“Addiction” is the word used most often in conjunction with catching false albacore on spinning or fly gear. Just one hit gets you hooked for life on this lightning fast gamefish. Early fall brings albies tight to shore from the South Side of Cape Cod to Western Connecticut. Arm yourself with slender metals and soft-plastics or realistic baitfish flies and keep your eyes peeled for birds and airborne aquamarine missiles.
Get the Scoop: The Saltwater Edge | 401-842-0062 | saltwateredge.com
Get a Guide: Patterson Guide Service | 401-396-9464 | pattersonguideservice.com
Stellwagen Sharkin’
Where: Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts
When: July to September
There won’t be as many pup makos or threshers as you’ll find south of Cape Cod, but Stellwagen Sharks are bigger, and meaner, from a steady diet of slammer bluefish and small bluefin tuna. Anglers setting up slicks on Stellwagen in October and November regularly encounter porbeagle sharks, the mako’s coldwater cousin.
Get a Guide: Black Rose Fishing Charters | 508-269-1882 | blackrosefishing.com
CPF Charters | 617-291-8914 | cpfcharters.com
Hopatcong Hybrids
Where: Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey
When: September
Anglers accustomed to saltwater striped bass will be surprised just how hard a hybrid striper can pull. Find out for yourself by suspending a live herring 8 to 10 feet down in Lake Hopatcong as waters begin to cool.
Get the Scoop: Dow’s Boat Rental | 973-663-3826
Peanuts! Get Yer’ Peanuts!
Where: Monmouth and Ocean County Beaches, New Jersey
When: October and November
When juvenile bunker begin spilling out into the ocean, monster bluefish will be there to greet them. In 2012, blues to 20 pounds were taken during savage daytime blitzes. Stripers will mix in too, as the first waves of the fall bass migration are usually reaching the Garden State when the peanuts are
making their mad dash for southern waters.
Get the Scoop: Giglio’s Bait and Tackle | 732-383-5375 | gigliosbaitandtackle.com
Get a Guide: Shore Catch Guide Service | shorecatch.com
Pulaski Platinum
Where: Pulaski New York
When: October to December
Drift salmon egg sacs or egg imitations along the rock-strewn Salmon River when the Lake Ontario steelhead swarm the river, hot on the tails of spawning salmon. Expect to lose lots of tackle, not just to the bottom, but to ticked-off chromers hell-bent on reaching the lake once they feel the hook. Salmon egg sacks and egg imitations get the most bites in the fall and early winter, but when the flakes start to fly, try stonefly patterns fished on spinning or fly gear. Lead split shot is legal to use in New York, but illegal to sell there, so make sure to bring your own and bring plenty of it. Getting down is crucial to getting bit.
Get the Scoop: Whitaker’s Bait Shop | 315-298-6162 | whitakers.com
Get a Guide: Tinker Tavern Lodge and Guide Service | 315-298-3143 | tinkertavernlodge.com
Montauk Magic
Where: Montauk Point, New York
When: September and October
Stripers, albies and bluefish converge on the swarms of bay anchovies that get trapped in the swirling currents off the east end of Long Island. The question isn’t whether or not a blitz will pop up, it’s which blitz do you want to cast to. Small boats and kayaks fish tight to shore with light tackle and fly
gear, while surfcasters sling bucktails from the rocks into schools of breaking fish. Boaters launching from Connecticut and Rhode Island can make the easy run across Long Island Sound to Montauk, and surfcasters can cut the drive time by hopping the ferry from New Bedford.
Get the Scoop: Paulies Tackle | 631-668-5520 | pauliestackle.com
Get a guide: Anderson Guide Services | 800-667-4523 | fishingct.com
Monster New York Brown Trout
Where: Oak Orchard Creek, New York
When: November
Twenty-pound brown trout almost don’t seem real, unless you’ve fished Oak Orchard Creek. Mammoth lake-run browns invade this small tributary each fall to spawn, but they won’t object to munching on the salmon egg smorgasbord tumbling downcurrent thanks to spawning kings and cohos. Fish egg sacs or egg imitations to tempt the trout of a lifetime and make for some of the best freshwater fishing of the season.
Get the Scoop: The Oak Orchard Fly Shop | 716-626-1323 | oakorchardflyshop.com
Deep-Water White Chins
Where: Newport, Rhode Island or New Jersey
When: November, December
Falling water temperatures send big blackfish to deepwater wrecks and rocks where anglers sending crab baits to structure 60 feet down slug it out with double-digit white chins. Use stout rods and simple rigs, and be prepared to lose some tackle in the bottom.
Get the Scoop: Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle | 401-294-9642 | quakerlanetackle.com
Get a Guide: Lil’ Toot Charters | 401-783-0883 | liltootcharter.com
Skylarker Charters | 732-502-3226 | skylarkercharters.com
The On The Water staff is made up of experienced anglers from across the Northeast who fish local waters year-round. The team brings firsthand, on-the-water experience and regional knowledge to coverage of Northeast fisheries, techniques, seasonal patterns, regulations, and conservation.