Stripers Arrive in Massachusetts!

To cut right to the chase – they’re here! While little linesider intel is trickling in from the South Shore, fresh fish covered with sea lice are gracing rivers all the way up to Gloucester. And there have even been whispers of “keepers” being bandied about. We even have the bottom rung covered as the first authenticated winter flounder of the year have been caught. Sweetwater is hardly taking a back seat to the bass and blackback bedlam as Wachusett, Quabbin, Winnipesauke and Sebago have been delivering slamming salmon action.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

There’s been some blitzing activity occurring throughout the Plymouth-Kingston-Duxbury area but I haven’t talked to anyone who has put a tape to these fish. The problem in April is that there are so few fishermen fishing. There have been some inshore keeper cod caught on jigs at The Gurnet and Farnham Bell. Mackerel are roaming around and Bob from Green Harbor B&T told me that they are out by the first green can outside of Green Harbor. Rumblings of stripers that are on the tails of herring in the South and North Rivers are popping up. Those pilgrim bass would have a hard time passing up a live mackerel. Pete from Belsan’s said some stripers have been taken as far upstream in the North River as Blueberry Island.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Russ Eastman of Monahan Marine in Weymouth reported a 36-inch bass that was bested in the Weymouth Back River. An incoming tide coupled with low light conditions such as the inclement bout of weather predicted for this weekend could prove really special. The bass will push herring up against any impediments at flood tide; Fin-S Fish, Magic Swimmers, Slug-Go type baits as well as Danny plugs and jointed-eel plugs will score the biggest stripers around.

A buddy of mine observed an angler catching schoolie bass on an incoming tide at Black Creek at Wollaston Beach. You could do worse than pitch a white bucktail/curly-tail grub into the current here. Many of the Boston area rivers now have schoolies; friends of mine such as Rick Holebrook have been taking mostly sub-20-inch specimens on chartreuse Storm Shads. Don’t discount the possibility of stripers in most every river now that has alewives or bluebacks.  River herring seem to be very active at dusk and that is when you should target stripers. There are also American shad starting to show in the North River and the Merrimack River.

Some view Friday the 13th as unlucky, but last Friday it proved anything but as that first flounder of the year was brought aboard my friend Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister. The pretty respectable 15 ½” flattie was given a freedom pass because we were hoping to court good karma from the fish gods for blessing us so early in the season. The bite has hardly been blistering yet but with Quincy Bay/Boston Harbor water temperatures poised to pass the magical 50-degree mark these flounder should be putting on the feedbag any day now! As always chum, moving water and soft bottom interspersed with hard bottom are the key ingredients for flounder. And clams have been out-fishing seaworms, but it’s good to have both.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

The North Shore has not been removed from all the April fun! Nat Moody of First Light Anglers told me that on Wednesday the first stripers of the year – 21 and 22-inch fish, fresh and wearing sea lice – were taken on Storm Shads from the Little River by the Nichols Candy Store. Kay from Surfland had some exciting news for me also, way beyond what I’d ordinarily expect to get for this time of the year. Schoolie bass and shad are bring caught in the Merrimack River by the Lawrence Dam! And a few flounder are being taken right from the shore of Plum Island Beach! What is also promising is that there seems to be a slight rebound in the white perch run in the Mill/Parker River as an “old salt” who is very familiar with this area has been encountering an increase in white perch numbers for the second year in a row!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Wachusett Reservoir and Quabbin Reservoir are both red hot. With the ‘Chu it all comes down to the bait, and with smelt stocks healthier than in years fishermen are encountering broadly-proportioned landlocked salmon, lake trout and smallmouth bass. A killer lure, which Eddie of B&A in West Boylston is struggling to keep in stock is the new elongated Kastmaster XL, which in the water looks just like a smelt. Rod told me that shore anglers are catching plenty of lakers in Quabbin from Gates 16, 22 and 35. The boat brigade is trolling shiners and streamers and catching leaping landlockeds as well as lake trout. Top salmon so far is a 5-pound 9-ounce fish which should be surpassed quickly. Smallies are starting to stir and in response Rod’s shop is practically crawling with crawdads.

New Hampshire and Southern Maine Fishing Report

According to Jason of Suds ‘N Soda, alewives are livening up the tributaries of Great Bay and most likely there are holdover striped bass not far away. Mackerel remain nomadic and sometimes cruise around the mouth of the Piscataqua River. A few flounder are being found at Rye and Hampton Harbors with the former getting a “best bet” nod. If there is demand for them, seaworms will soon be kept in the shop. Chad at Dover Marine told me that he took some nice holdover brown trout up to 16 inches long from the Androscoggin and Connecticut Rivers in the Pittsburgh/Colebrook area. The hot lure is the Koppers Live Target Smelt; one gluttonous brownie was found to have a 7-inch dace sticking out of its gullet yet it still whacked the lure. The winning fish on Winnipesauke lately has been white perch which are shoaling in preparation for spawning and are very aggressive. Fish close to shore in the bays with your offerings right on the bottom here; shiners or worms are great bait.

While groundfishing around Stellwagen is middling the haddock and redfish bite at Tillies Basin and Jeffrey’s Ledge is outstanding. Haddock up to 30 inches are being caught and “dinner-plate” sized redfish are also hitting well.

Dylan of Dag’s told me that landlocked salmon are the big Downeast draw in these parts. Lake Auburn, Thompson Lake and Sebago are hot for those trolling smelt which are fished from a sliding-hook rig or are sewn on the hook. Since Sebago is so massive, Dylan recommends you stick to Jordan Bay or Friar’s Leap. For Auburn, take a pass by Salmon Point. There are closer options near the store, however, as a shop helper took some “garden hackle” to a nearby brook and tallied a 10-inch wild brookie for his efforts.

Ken of Saco Bay was uncharacteristically reticent when we spoke having had little feedback from the fishing-afflicted in Southern Maine, He was optimistic that shad darts would start popping off the walls soon in response to the reappearance of the greatly anticipated “poor man’s salmon.”

Fishing Forecast

Just like the recent participants in the Boston Marathon, you have to pace yourself and keep in mind that it’s only April. This is a hard thing to do when stripers are christening river systems as they migrate northward. Toss some Tsunami or Storm shads at the mouth of the Town River in Plymouth at dark for something that might be more substantial than a schoolie. Or jig up some macks from Green Harbor and let them loose in the South or North Rivers. Quincy Bay and Boston Harbor are showing some early season winter flounder love. A muddy bottom in less than 20 feet of water, preferably in the afternoon on a sunny day, may reward you with a flounder or two. If Plum Island is closer to your hub, soak some clams from the beach for blackbacks. Or rip some casts into the Mill River for white perch or the Merrimack for a mixture of schoolie bass and shad. They’re grinning in the Granite State because of the great gadoid bite off Jeffrey’s Ledge and Tillies Basin with big haddock the real prize. Downeasterners are zeroing in on the landlocked salmon that are slamming trolled smelt from Thompson Lake, Lake Auburn and the mighty Sebago.