Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 3-22-2012

Right up there with peepers peeping, blooms blooming and tree-buds budding is another bellwether of fishy fortunes, and that is river herring. Wednesday night the alewives in a Greater Boston river were described to me by a friend as “tons.” No doubt he was a bit over-amped  by the alewives, but striper candy such as this and as voluminous as this can only mean that our seven-striped best friend can not be all that far behind. But in the meantime the stockies are fun, some are slamming salmon and smallies and there’s even a place where you can catch that first lake trout of the year.

While catching a nice day recently and not doing nearly as well with that errant flounder I can’t seem to scrounge up, my friend Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters received a message from a buddy from New York that he should be ready to receive a welcoming from migratory striped bass very early. It appears that this experienced angler is already seeing fish in Jamaica Bay. Now I know what you’re thinking – schoolies, schoolies and more schoolies because big fish are too busy spawning. This is not necessarily the case, not every breeder bass breeds every year and there are bunker already in that area; predators do have a tendency to remain fairly close to their prey. When I asked Jason how much earlier this was than usual he said “about a month”. You better get your gear in order fast!

Massachusetts

            I was stoked to hear of fish caught in the Stillwater River by Eddie of B&A in West Boylston but instead of hearing of a smattering of salmonoids it seems that some of the catch is consisting of black bass. Bass in a tributary of Wachusett Reservoir in March is just another example of how weird this year continues to be. That’s not to discount the brookies and browns that have been stocked in the Quinapoxet and Stillwater because they are catching those already also. Crappie are on the move as well. A pin-sized 1-12 calico was duped by a shiner from Singletary Lake in Sutton.

Searching for news of that first lake trout of the year took me to an unexpected source – the Swift River. Rod from Flagg’s in Orange told me of an angler who has tallied 20 lake trout and 5 salmon this year from this blue ribbon Quabbin area river. Salmon and lakers spill over from the Winsor Dam and gather in pools of the Swift. This section is fly fishing and catch and release only but how cool would that be to catch a forktail or silver leaper this early in the season? Rod recommends streamers (he ties them in the shop) in Winnie Squid, Grey Ghost and Purple Smelt patterns. A beautiful 20-inch, 3 ½-pound rainbow was taken in the Connors Pond section of the East Branch of the Swift River. This is not a catch and release section.

In the holdover brown trout category Russ Eastman took a newbie out to South Pond and in about 35-feet of water he put him into a monster brown trout that wrenched his rod toward the water. Success was not in the cards due to an incorrectly set drag that resulted in a pulled hook. Russ is actually hoping for some cooler, surface-scuffed conditions to kick the bigger fish into a more consistent feeding pattern. Eric from Lunkers who was scurrying to set sail on the Fairhaven Bay in search of bass and pike when we spoke told me of holdover brown trout action in Hopkinton Reservoir.

Rick from Fore River in Quincy was torn between telling of the super pickerel action in Whitman’s Pond in Braintree and the cod catch from Nut Island. Big toothy picks are slamming shiners, stick baits and spinnerbaits amidst the unseasonably warm conditions of many fresh water bodies. A few customers of the shop are picking off a few cod from Nut Island Pier in Quincy. Fresh bait will help somewhat and a chum pot will doubly.

New Hampshire

            Chad from Dover Marine told me that he got word that the stocking trucks are already out and about and heading to rivers already so it might be a good time for you to wet that new Rooster Tail collection you have in designated trout stretches.  Big news for big water: Winnipesauke is giving up its remaining ice and should be free and clear for “opening day” on April 1^st for landlocked salmon fishing. Black bass enthusiasts are ripping Rat-L-Traps across the tops of weedbeds and picking off languid largemouth bass that are getting motivated to eat because of rising water temperatures. Best bets for bucketmouths are Willham Pond, Swains Pond and for bass and crappie check out Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury.

Maine

It’s definitely transition time for Downeasterners as the last of the glacier melts and open water season begins. They’re seeking a variety of salmonoids from Thompson Lake. Now might be a good time to throw an oversized perch colored swimming plug into the coves of the Androscoggin River for a toothy pike. Farther downstream of the Androscoggin River and the Kennebec River post-spawn smelt can be taken and are often thick enough to snag with a treble hook. The Maine Department of Marine Fisheries regulations are such that anglers must have either a Maine freshwater fishing license or are registered in either a state’s Saltwater Fishing Registry or the National Registry. Beginning March 15^th, fishermen can keep up to 2 quarts of smelt. Try tossing a spoon or streamer into the wash here; you never know when you’re going to pick up a sea run trout.

Best Bets

            For fishy action you can’t top stocked trout which are in every Bay State region and have even been stocked in rivers such as the Quinapoxet and Stillwater. For a bit of wilder action wet a line in either branch of the Swift River for salmon, lake trout and big rainbows. In the salt an occasional cod from Nut Island Pier or Castle Island Pier make that option worth trying. Things are just getting going in the Granite State where the hatchery trucks are on the move and black bass are biting well in Willham and Swain’s Ponds. Down Maine you might tempt a toothy pike from the coves of the Androscoggin River or load up on sweet-eating smelt farther downstream towards the Merrymeeting Bay. Either way keep reminding yourself that seven stripes of bliss just might be already on the way!