Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 2-23-2012

Word of the Atlantic sturgeon at the mouth of Charles served as interesting fodder for the media, but I’m optimistic that it is yet another indicator of the revitalization of the Harbor. After last season – when the ordinarily transient mackerel refused to leave, the flounder fishing bordered on incomparable and senior members of the smelt fraternity were ecstatic about their season – about the only thing missing has been an inshore cod fishery. Oh by the way, there have been a few of those caught from shore recently.

Massachusetts Fishing Report

Hoping for an elixir to this way-too-stale forecast I decided to place a call to Fore River B&T in Quincy expecting little more than a voicemail explaining Spartan winter-time hours. I was doubly pleased that not only did Maria answer the phone but there were fishy tales to tell. It seems that there has been a craving for clams from a few hearty souls who are hauling in a cod or two from Hull. The area behind the High School is one of those places where habitually cod are caught from shore. Ordinarily this takes place in March, but have you looked at the water temperatures lately? I saw one figure of 43 degrees, unheard of for this time of the year and right in the middle of the cod’s comfort zone.

When I asked Maria if any cod are being taken from Nut Island Pier in Quincy, she commented that anglers may have trouble elbowing their way past smelt fishermen. Smelt, late February in Massachusetts – I never heard of such a thing! Apparently the bite is still on and Fore River B&T is digging deep into their grass shrimp supply. It’s a good thing that shop proprietor Rick Newcomb slogged all those hours in estuaries during the fall for grass shrimp. This is good timing since I heard that the Maine Smelt Camp thing for the most part is going the way of the departing ice.

You’ll have to do your homework as far as ever-shifting access, but there are a number of historical casting-for-cod places. On the South Shore they’ve been taken from The Gurnet, Manomet Point, Duxbury Beach, Cedar Point and The Glades. Closer to the Hub, there’s Hull High School, Hull Gut, Nut Island Pier, the Sugar Bowl and Castle Island. Not long ago we used to catch cod from the sprawling wharf inshore of the mouth of the Reserve Channel, the deep water of the shipping lanes here acts as a thoroughfare for white bellies.

Farther north they’ve been caught off Deer Island, Point of Pines in Revere, 40-Steps in Nahant, Red Rock in Lynn and Devereux Beach in Marblehead. I was talking cod with my buddy Dave Panarello and he told me he was visiting Surfland the other day and there was some buzz about cod from the suds. He remarked that many tides ago he used to hammer the cod from the shore of Plum Island around this time of the year. It’s a given that the stock is not what it was during the halcyon days, but just maybe if you lob a long shot full of clams into the distant green water something will come knocking. Just remember there’s a minimum size limit of 24 inches on cod.

For a 24-inch fish of far different pedigree, consider the West Branch of the Swift River. Rod from Flagg’s in Orange told me that it has been a spectacular winter for the few fly fishermen that ply this river this time of the year. And there have been 24- and 25-inch landlocked salmon landed! One delusional angler was so amped by the size of the salmon that he came into the shop proclaiming that Atlantic salmon were finding their way into the Swift from the Connecticut River. Rod assured the excitable guy that they were merely landlocked salmon that spilled over from Quabbin. This is one amazing place; there are also trophy rainbow trout and brown trout as well as native brookies. Even if you don’t catch a lick, the odds are good that you will see sterling examples of Salmo sebago fining around in the pools. The stretch below the Winsor Dam to Rte. 9 is among the most productive, and it is fly-fishing only as well as catch and release. Rod ties flies especially for this place and he recommends streamers, egg-flies and scud nymphs in sizes as small as #22!

Other good news came courtesy of Eric from Lunkers who told me that they are catching holdover rainbows, browns and tigers from Ashland Reservoir and Hopkinton Reservoir and he is doling out decent numbers of shiners as a result. And in the former where there are tributaries where you may catch a native brook trout. After discovering a cache of these native char within 15 minutes of Boston last year, I’m convinced that there are more wild brook trout locations than we realize – you just have to do some hunting. Those still chomping at the bit for an open water toothy should consider Indian Lake in Worcester according to Eddie of B&A in West Boylston. A guy came into the shop the other day, bought some pike shiners and proceeded to Indian Lake hoping to hook into a pike. Later he came back in and bought every last pike shiner…

New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report

I have zero news regarding New Hampshire; sure you can find pockets of hardwater, but there’s a lot of unsafe ice around which precludes most from open water fishing. I’m not sure if the “fat lady” is singing but you wouldn’t want to be standing anywhere near her at a smelt camp! My buddy, Rick Paone, was out and about on James Eddy on Saturday and he heard that the next day they were pulling their shacks. It was one short and not-so-sweet season.

Yet there’s still hardwater worth fishing in Maine said Marcel from Dag’s, when we spoke. Amazingly Sabattus, despite the pounding, is still producing a pile of pike. And now is not the time to quit as the biggest females in the lake will be coming shallow in pre-spawn mode. A better choice might be the relatively unheralded Belgrade Lakes; these water bodies produce less crowds, less pike but just maybe bigger ones. Much of the Androscoggin River is open but they’re still fishing in the coves knowing that the biggest fish of the year are prowling within reach. Think shallow now – as little as 1 to 2 feet of water.  The “Range’s” are still fishing well for a variety of salmonoids as is Clearwater Lake in Farmington.

Best Fishing Bets

With the glacier receding ever northward and ice fishing prospects withering, it might be time for Bay State anglers to begin considering salty options. Folks will be talking about the smelt this year off Nut Island for awhile but better yet, they can still catch them! A smattering of cod catches from the shore could be meaning that we’ll see an uptick in inshore numbers this year. It could be because of the increase in winter bait we’ve seen. Spearing, sculpin, tommycod, smelt and green crabs have all had population surges and it doesn’t take predators long to realize that there is ample prey around. Sling some seaworms or clams from Cedar Point or behind the Hull High School or Castle Island and see what you can stir up; don’t be surprised if you catch a conger eel (ocean pout),  which are tough on the eyes but sweet on the palette. Up north, the northern catches should only get more impressive from Sabattus and the Belgrade Lakes as breeder fish begin to binge.