Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 3-8-2012

That paramount patriot Paul Revere was famous for exclaiming, “The British are coming.” Had he been around today and worked for Masswildlife, he may have been inclined to shout, “The trout are coming…” In some cases, they are already here. In the brine, the holdover striper bite is just fine and smelt are still biting at Nut Island, where they’re even catching a few cod. However, contrary to the spring fling thing, they’re still making ice up north.

Massachusetts Fishing Report

The wimpy winter has been a windfall for those in the fish-rearing business. Unusually warm hatchery water prompted the trout to keep the feed bag on longer, resulting in superior growth rate compared to other years. This week began the incipient phase of the stocking of over 500,000 rainbows, brown trout, brook trout and tiger trout. If you recall, last year the hatchery trucks did not rumble forward until the end of March. This year we’re getting at least a two week jump on those trout! The odds are really good that by the time you read this, the Masswildlife Southeast District and the southern portion of the Northeast District will have freshly stocked trout. Look for the Masswildlife website stocking update come Friday. One clue to where some may be already comes courtesy of Eric from Lunkers in Ashland. It seems he is getting an unusually high demand for mealworms! There just may be a few extra rainbows swimming around in Ashland Reservoir/Hopkinton Reservoir right now.

Of course with that recent catch of the double-digit brownie out of White Pond, who could be faulted for looking for something bigger than a stockie. Your opportunity for catching a tremendous trout right now may seldom be as good. With a lack of ice there’s been no winter die-off to speak of and the fish haven’t been the least bit pounded by hardwater junkies. From Cape Cod to Cape Ann, pepper those trout ponds and lakes with over-sized Kastmasters, Little Cleos and Krocodiles and you may tangle with something that makes you forget about stocked trout. Naturally something can be said for the natural presentation: garden hackle, mealworms and shiners are awfully tough to beat when water temperatures are still cold.

The Bay State’s only water body managed for trophy brown trout, South Pond in Brookfield/Sturbridge unquestionably has monsters swimming in it. In addition to the previously mentioned White, there is its more famous sibling, Walden, where it’s pretty certain that you would be handsomely rewarded if you put in the time there.  Little and Long ponds in Plymouth could show you some holdover love. Don’t neglect the winter-over broodstock salmon possibility; the activity and scent from freshly stocked trout tends to invigorate resident salmon and catch rates go up. Bring a spoon with a splash of orange in it to tempt a broodstock. Nat Moody of First Light Anglers in Rowley told me of an upper 10-pound salmon that was just taken from Pleasant Pond in Wenham. This is also a promising pond for holdover trout, I knew of an angler who would focus in March on big browns there exclusively and he would catch some awfully handsome specimens.

‘Eddie of B&A in West Boylston is keeping vigil on the Stillwater Basin, awaiting the “berg” that is clogging it up to let go. And there’s good reason, there are most likely lakers and holdover browns, rainbows and maybe wild brook trout swimming under the ice. Wouldn’t it be cool to catch a laker in March? Well before the other guys are able to fish Wachusett proper in April. Keep in touch with Eddie, he checks this place daily. Meanwhile there’s a flurry of fishy activity upstream by the Muddy Pond or Singing Bridge. Eddie’s not sure what type of trout they are but something is stirring.

Rick from Fore River B&T in Quincy told me that guys are getting cod off the Nut Island Pier with clams. And the smelt bite remains solid from the pier as well as the Town and Weymouth Back Rivers. Mitigating rush hour gridlock aside, a benefit from the dismantling of the mammoth Central Artery has been the creation of water-front parks which to my mind means – fishing access! Some are taking advantage of that opportunity and casting into the inner harbor and reportedly catching holdover schoolies.

I also have received word of flounder already being caught. Those blackbacks do spawn now, which puts them within casting range of many land locations. I would not be surprised if you were able to find flatties of the Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury on an outgoing tide. And how about the main Green Harbor Jetty, apparently others are like minded as Bob Pronk from Green Harbor B&T is getting inquiries from patrons: “any seaworms yet?” Bob’s working on the worms, but he is carrying clams.

Closer to the hub, a place that looks awfully fishy to me is the mouth of the Neponset River, at the spiffy new platform at the tail end of the Harborwalk in Dorchester. There has to be spawning flounder moving through there, especially during a sunny afternoon on an ebbing tide. For safety’s sake, buddy up and fish with a friend – you never know who you are going to run into in some of these urban areas.

New Hampshire Fishing Report

Not expecting much news I was pleasantly surprised when Jamie from Dover Marine told me that some portions of the northern half of New Hampshire have more ice than all season. 19 Mile Bay in Winnipesauke is just such a destination, and the bite is on fire. Big white perch, lakers, rainbows, cusk and even black bass are all increasing in activity. Other water bodies in the “lakes region” are sporting quite a bit of ice as well. For some Southern New Hampshire sport, Jamie recommends spending some time at the Lamprey River or the Cocheco rivers, which are tributaries of Great Bay. These spots are known for holdovers and there is catch and release fishing for trout allowed at both of them now.

Maine Fishing Report

While southern neighbors are yearning for that first stocked rainbow of the year, Dylan from Dag’s along with other Downeasterners are planning trips to such places as Moosehead Lake where they are wondering if they’ll need an extension for their auger! It really is a different world down there. Dylan told me that regulations are such that as of March 1^st, anglers can catch and keep landlocked salmon from highly-coveted Thompson Lake provided that they are using artificials. Once there is open water, live bait can be used, however.

Some in these parts anxiously anticipate open shorelines so that they can once again participate in “conduit fishing”. This has to be a uniquely Maine pastime, where guys lug up to 10, ten-foot pieces of conduit/PVC pipe into the woods. There is a tapered end to each conduit; the pieces are pressed together with a cap added to the end piece. A rubber band is used to secure the anglers line at the end of the 100-foot conduit. This contraption is buoyant and can be slid into the opening and under the ice thereby being a means of presenting a smelt or shiner far out to hungry salmonoids that are cruising just under the ice. When a fish takes the bait the line is snapped free from under the rubber band and it then becomes an extended handline. How’s that for Yankee ingenuity?

Best Bets

For some steady, heady action float some Power Bait or cast some small wares into Long or Little ponds in Plymouth where you should find frisky, freshly stocked trout. Those hatchery trucks most likely won’t hit Metrowest or more northern areas for another week or so but there are holdovers that will make you glad to swap quality for quantity. Cod and flounder are cruising within a casting distance of the Massachusetts shoreline; try Green Harbor, Nut Island, Castle Island or Point of Pines in Revere. And if you’re reluctant to mothball your hardwater gear, there’s still plenty of ice at 19 Mile Bay at Winnipesauke and Thompson Lake in Maine.