Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 10-11-2012

Big Bass as Far North As Maine
South Shore Lights Up for Stripers
Inshore Cod Bite Turns On

The thus far uncharacteristically slow fall has pitted naysayer against optimist. Opinions have run the gamut from those feeling that what little striped bass migration we had passed us by in the blink of an eye, while others point to extraordinarily warm water temperatures as a reason to believe IT hasn’t even happened yet. The definitive answer comes by way of Downeast Maine, where they are hip deep in stripers up to 40 pounds!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report
If you live anywhere near the South Shore you really should be fishing! Dave from The Fisherman’s Outfitter in Plymouth took a leisurely few hours out of his schedule the other night, spiked a rod, baited up with mackerel and caught stripers all along Long Beach in Plymouth. Feeds pop-up randomly from Plymouth through Duxbury, with Duxbury Beach getting the nod as a potential big bass best bet and definitely worthy of casting a bucktail, spook or popper. In the early a.m., strolling the stretch between Priscilla Beach and Manomet Point should produce, and on low tides the same could be said from Ellisville Harbor to Shifting Lots Preserve.

Bob from Green Harbor B&T told me that anglers are having an awesome time casting to cows from Burkes, Rexhame and Duxbury beaches. Many of these fish are 25 pounds plus! The jetties at the entrance of Green Harbor have also fished well. What is surprising is the cod bite that has been taking place in 50 to 75 feet of water near spots such as Beetle Rock where they are catching a nice mix of red-bellied and white-bellied fish. More to the Sciutate area, John Wilson of Belsan’s has been recounting some dream trips anglers have been taking involving jigging up keeper cod off Minot Ledge, Stellwagen Ledge and Flatt Ledge, and then tracing the coastline from Cedar Point through The Glades with a tube-and-worm for stripers.

Greater Boston Fishing Report
Rick from Fore River B&T was just starting to put the finishing touches on the smelt wares in the shop when he received the phone call that would make all that irrelevant. Shop assistants Lisa and Maria were fast into a bluefish and bass blitz off Hull Gut. Alas, by the time Rick hauled over to Hull, the fish had moved out of range, but big bass could be seen bashing bait in the middle of the gut. Fly-fishermen have been racking up impressive numbers of stripers in the Town River in Quincy with orange streamers.

The recent deluge has flushed local grass shrimp out of resident rivers, but don’t worry! Rick has a backup plan and will be netting shrimp in an estuary in Cotuit just in time for the weekend. Once you get those shrimp, look for smelt throughout Winthrop and Revere; I’ve heard anglers have had to enquire about current bag limits (50 per day) because the bite has been so good!

Russ Eastman of Monahan Marine was busy spooling 65-pound Power Pro on a conventional reel when we spoke. This begged the question: “What heavyweights is that patron playing with?” But I was taken aback when Russ told me that they have been catching cod up to 38 inches long by the B-Buoy! More groundfish game is taking place by Graves Light, thanks to a tip from a diver. It seems the diver had informed the Monahan Marine Tackle Manager that he had been seeing unusual numbers of tautog among the rocky bottom of Graves Light. Not one to allow a hot tip to go cold, Russ steered patrons with seaworms and stout gear over to the lighthouse where they promptly caught tog!

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Noel from Dart’s Bait and Tackle told me that the smelt bite would be a much better one if they could keep the stripers from taking both the bait and the smelt! We should all be so cursed. Look for smelt and their pursuers by Pickering Wharf and the Beverly Public Pier.

Pete from Fin and Feather in Essex told me that while Essex is whisper quiet, Manchester by the Sea has made up for it. Daily feeds at first light are the norm as bass blast baby bunker and mackerel. The same bait source exists in the Essex/Ipswich area which some find puzzling because of the lack of bass, but if the anglers only knew what sooner or later will arrive from up north they would have no qualms.

Mike from Surfland said that it has been a solid week for the few anglers putting in the time at the Plum Island area. The Parker River Wildlife Reservations has been hot, especially for one angler on Tuesday who took 35 stripers up to 42 inches long from Parking Lot 6 with yellow poppers! Parking Lot 3 has been good to and there are still bluefish in the mix. While Gloucester has been slow, there is the possibility that those aforementioned fish are touching down there as you read this!

New Hampshire and Southern Maine Fishing Report
Jason of Suds ‘N Soda can count on one had the amount of anglers who are fishing for stripers, but the good news is that at least one fisherman’s bass count continues to add up! The bait is spearing and mackerel, and the catching is occurring at Little Bay, Great Bay and the Piscataqua River. If you’re a beach caster who has packed it up, you may want to reconsider when you see the report from Downeast.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t expect to get a Maine report from a tackle guru working at a Weymouth, Massachusetts Marina, but this one couldn’t have been more timely. Two friends of Russ Eastman told him that they are still catching cows up to 40 pounds in the Portland, Maine area! Confirmation of the Maine good times came courtesy of Ken from Saco Bay Tackle Company. The fishing in the Saco River and Southern Maine beaches is nothing short of fantastic. River herring fry and mackerel are keeping those stripers sated, and with temperatures as they are (next week is supposed to be peachy), don’t expect those fish to go anywhere any time soon. In fact as we spoke on Thursday morning, Ken had fresh reports of fresh catches from beaches. Cast cut bait or clams or toss artificials off Camp Ellis, Higgins Beach, Goose Fare Brook, Old Orchard and Ferry Beaches.

Fishing Forecast
It looks as if the missing fall run has been found! Put as much time as you dare into the beaches of the South Shore. From Long Beach to Duxbury to Rexhame Beach, odds are good that your season’s best fish is out there right now. If cod are more to your liking, then jig up a few in shallow water off the Gurnet, High Pine Ledge and Stellwagen Ledge. For big brown bombers closer to Boston, bait up and bounce a 10-ounce Butterfly or Norweigian Jig by the B-Buoy. Inshore options are Graves Light and for a gadoid grab bag including haddock check out the Dumping Grounds. Smelt are hitting at Pickering Wharf in Salem but you’ll have to reel in very quickly to avoid your prize being snatched by those pesky stripers. The Parker River Wildlife Reservation has been productive and I would not be surprised if eels on an outgoing tide would reward at Plum Island Sound. North of the border, cows still cruise for mackerel between Saco Bay and Portland, Maine.