Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 12-22-2011

Happy New Year – The next Fishing Forecast will be published on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

While it may not be as long as Santa’s list, the “fishy” list is surprisingly deep in spite of the fact that we are officially in winter. Holdover striper mania continues, although in some cases the real challenge may be getting your bait past the rainbow smelt that seem to be everywhere. Freshwater options are trout, bass and there is even some hardwater hi-jinx taking place in Maine.

Off-season opportunists Dave Panarello and good buddy Carl Vinning continue to stir up winter-over stripers up to the mid-20-inch throughout the Mystic River watershed courtesy of the venerable tube-and-worm. Their bite is best the first few hours after dawn. Along with pal Rick Holebrook, I decided to give it a go after dark and we found linesiders showing a lot of love to the 5” Holo Greenie soft Sebile Magic Swimmer. Years ago we had great success on the saltwater side of the Amelia Earhart Dam with a lively seaworm under a bobber. After our luck last week, plans were hatched to try this again. On Wednesday night we failed to get a single striper which I believe was in large part because the smelt would tear the seaworm to smithereens no sooner did it settle in the water. We roamed near and far along the river bank and the results were the same, smelt, smelt and more smelt!

Similar results were achieved a few days prior in Marina Bay with my friend Russ Burgess; attempts during the day to find what was lighting up his fish finder revealed smelt, jack-sized buggers at that. You don’t have to read between the lines to figure out that there are an awful lot of smelt around.

I’m inclined to believe that it’s an indicator of the health of the harbor. Captain Jason Colby illustrated that point to me this past summer as he pointed out how “live” the mud was on his Danforth as we flounder fished. Sure enough the muck stuck to the tins of the anchor squirmed with life. It’s little wonder why the flounder fishing is so good, a fish that feeds with its belly to the bottom fares well when there are plenty of organisms writhing in what was once nearly toxic sludge. Smelt are an inshore fish, sticking to bays and estuaries their entire lives and just like the proverbial canary in the coal mine are an indicator of the vitality of the environment. When there is bait in the winter there are holdover stripers making guys like Dave and Carl and others very happy.

If we ever get an ice fishing season in the Bay State look for the Connecticut Valley Region to harbor the first hardwater. Among the first to lock up out there are Club House Pond, Moores Pond and Laurel Lake. Closer to the Wachusett area, Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle recommends Fort Pond, Indian Lake, Peter Carr Pond, Mossy Pond and South Meadow Pond.

One of the more exiting fisheries in Massachusetts is the “salter” trout rebirth on the North Shore. In cooperation with the local chapter of Trout Unlimited the First Light Angler folks have stocked the Mill River area near Route 1 regularly for the last couple of years. Derek of FLA told me that fly fishermen are beginning to enjoy the fruits of those stockings as they are seeing survivors from past stockings. Wares that work well have red or reddish-brown hues, favorites are Goat Hair Leech patterns and Wooly Buggers. Speaking of patterns, should the weather suddenly behave like winter, look for a nice trout black ice bite on Stiles and Baldpate. For warm water species try Becks Pond in Hamilton.

Expecting little more than laughter when I called Dylan of Dag’s in Auburn

Maine, I was pleased to hear that there actually was some hardwater in Maine. In fact the coves in the Turner section of the Androscoggin River had 4 inches of the hard stuff and it didn’t take long before anglers took notice as they’ve already iced double-digit pike. Before you make the haul up there give Dylan a shout at (207) 783-0388 to check on ice conditions. Farther north in the Caribou area, they’re already sliding square-tailed brook trout from round holes.

And finally some hope for friends from the Granite State. Chad from Dover Marine told me that when there’s open water hard-core bass masters are pounding ponds such as Bellamy, Pleasant and Willand and catching some of their biggest hawgs of the year. The key is to go low and slow with a jig and pig and swim the bait slowly as opposed to vigorously jigging it. And when asked if there’s a New Hampshire parallel to the Bay State’s holdover stripers and smelt, he told me of 36-inch linesiders taken in the past because of the hot water discharge in the Piscatagua River. Great Bay has a prolific smelt fishery when it locks up and these fish don’t sprout from the mud so the question is where are they now? Chad suggests you shake a Hali jig with bits of Gulp sandworm off the wharves and docks of Rye and Hampton Harbors.

Best Bets

Celebrate this holiday season and wring in the New Year with a fish on the line! For open water thrills, ward off the chill with holdover stripers which lurk in the Charles, Mystic, Saugus, Merrimack and Piscatagua Rivers or check out the hot smelt bite off Nut Island and the smattering of marinas throughout Boston Harbor. If you’re more inclined to think in terms of trout when the talk is of rivers, tempt a wily “salter” from the Mill River on the North Shore.  If ice fishing is tops on your gift list, check out the Androscoggin Watershed in Maine, there are 20-pound pike lurking under fresh ice in the coves. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a great New Year and hopefully we’ll have a lot of ice fishing to discuss next month!