Striped Bass Moving In

Flounder Catches Improve as Temps Rise

Cod and Porbeagle Sharks Offshore

If I could overlay a soundtrack on this report, it would be ring announcer Michael Buffer bellowing, “Let’s get ready to RRRRRRUMBLE!” The first wave of macks invaded Boston Harbor, and Mother Nature did not waste the resource as drag-pulling stripers were hot on them! The South Shore has not been immune to striper fever, and there is even news of a few fish appearing in Great Bay. Stable weather and rising ocean temperatures will only build on this.

 

Greater Boston Fishing Report

I don’t usually begin with Boston, but news this hot cannot have second billing. A longtime Boston charter captain recently bested a 38-inch and a 40-inch striped bass off Castle Island with an umbrella rig. Lou lost two other fish, but the more exciting news wasn’t what the skipper caught but what he witnessed. A lone angler near Boston Light jigged up macks and live-lined them to the tune of steady striper action! Coincidentally, a short time later Lou lucked into the angler at Fore River B&T in Quincy where they discussed his success!

Don’t be under the impression that Boston Harbor is inundated with bass bingeing on mackerel—but the first of many waves of both prey and predator has arrived. The weather forecast looks bright, and it looks as if this fishing forecast just might rival it.

Rick from Fore River told me of schoolie striper activity in the Weymouth Back River as fish push river herring way upstream to “The Dump” and the “Boy Scout Bridge.” There are also scattered reports of fish taken by Hull High School and Nut Island. Rick recommends the reliable tube and worm or Cape Cod Spinner rig for boaters and ‘yakers. For shore slingers, try a white Storm or Tsunami shad, the color of which will easily be distinguished from the herring.

Captain Jason Colby is focusing on flounder and is fully expecting the slow pick from the weekend to shift into game-on status now that water temperatures are flirting with 50 degrees. Deer Island flats, Hospital Shoals and Rainsford Island are all harboring flounder.

 

South Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report

Dave from Temple Fork Outfitters in Plymouth told me that surfcasters are picking off a few small bass off White Horse Beach and Long Beach. The few boaters that had been out did well by Warren Cove on the tube and worm. He has not heard of any bigger bass as of yet, but that could change as you read this. There are a few of the flounder faithful in the Plymouth area, and they scratch together a few fish from depressions in front of Sandy’s Restaurant on Long Beach. Other options for flounder are Brown’s Bank and Duxbury Beach. Mackerel have arrived off The Gurnet; try dropping one down behind an egg sinker on site or troll some at High Pine Ledge or Saquish Point.

Pete from Belsan’s told me that schoolie talk in the North River has morphed into keeper chatter. Guys are jigging up tinker macks just outside of Scituate in 50 to 70 feet of water and drifting them in the North River as far up as they can go. The effluence where the tributaries meet up with the North River is a good bet also. Pete fully expects the first 20-pound plus fish to be taken over the next week. The blackback bite is on in Scituate Harbor, and those reluctant feeders of last weekend are expected to be feeding with purpose this weekend. Other local options are Green Harbor and Cohasset Harbor.

Cod remains a deep-water game as Stellwagen Bank remains eerily quiet with little going on up top. Drop your wares in 250-plus feet of water if you want to improve your catch chances. Shad numbers are increasing almost daily in the Indian Head River, and the night bite is the best one.

 

North Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report

While I don’t have confirmation, with mackerel in Boston Harbor, I wouldn’t be surprised if some are off Nahant already. And there could very well be prowling stripers with them. A more reliable bite for bass can be found in the Pines and Saugus rivers. Noel from Dart’s Bridge Street B&T told me that a few schoolies have appeared by the Kernwood Bridge area in the Danvers River. Some have also been taken on sea worms off the ferry landing in Salem. Beverly remains your best bet for blackbacks. Increasingly kayakers have taken to pursing flounder in Beverly Harbor, especially by the Jubilee Yacht Club. Most reports are of just a few fish, but look for that to improve considerably as temperatures rise.

Kay from Surfland said that shad is the substitute as anglers await the first striped bass. Patrons of the shop on a recent outing tallied 6 fish a piece at Rocks Village in West Newbury. No word from the Plum Island folks on flounder from the beach front, but with the increase in boot traffic predicted over the weekend, that could change.

 

Freshwater Fishing Report

It was only a matter of time before someone took a corker landlocked salmon from Wachusett Reservoir. The fuel from the abundant smelt forage has not only produced paunchy lakers but now there is news of a 5½-pound silver leaper that was weighed into B&A in West Boylston. Eddie told me that lucky angler was Alan Beauvais, who took his trophy by the Masswildlife side of the reservoir and the fish fell for a shiner. Recent calm conditions have been angler friendly but not conducive to good catch rates for the keen-eyed salmon. When a “salmon scuff” kicks in, expect landlocked salmon to behave more aggressively.

Rod from Flagg’s told me that some of the best fishing in Quabbin Reservoir is taking place right from the shore by the boat ramp at Gate 31. The Power Bait brigade is taking bows, and shiner soakers are landing lakers up to 5 pounds. Salmon remain active within the top few feet of the water column, especially at first light, and the ticket is shiners or streamers. Probably the bass bite is best of all as anglers bouncing blade baits are finding plenty of bronzebacks.

 

New Hampshire and Southern Maine Fishing Report

Chad from Dover Marine said that some stripers are waking up among the tributaries of Great Bay as river herring numbers mount. The feeling is that these fish are mixture of holdovers as well as migrants with some of the former topping 30 inches. Unlike Massachusetts, licensed anglers can obtain river herring for bait, and those live-lining the alewives among the Cocheco River and Lamprey River are doing most of the catching. The groundfish game is on at the top of Jeffrey’s Ledge as they as bottom bouncers are having little trouble catching keeper cod as well as haddock.

In Winnipesauke, the water is sweet and so is the salmon bite as an uptick in smelt results in fat landlockeds, some of which are topping 24 inches long! The bays are best with a trolled Grey Ghost or Wolfboro Streamer working well. Crappie have moved into shoreline brush and timber to spawn in Bellamy Reservoir and Willand Pond.

Maine is just waking out of a post-winter slumber according to Peter from Saco Bay Tackle Company who capitalized on a gadoid grab bag of pollock, haddock, and cod working the slopes off Jeffreys Ledge. Zing worm teasers and cod flies in purple/chartreuse as well as red were hot but they had to search as pockets of fish aggregated between 175 and 330 feet of water. Smelt and salmon gather in the Songo River in Sebago and trollers working orange/gold Mooselock Wobblers and DB Smelts are racking up fish. For togue drop your wares down to humps in 50 feet of water. Another togue possibility is Lake Auburn.

 

Fishing Forecast

Mobs of mackerel and migrating stripers will make for a potent cocktail in coming days, from the South Shore through Boston Harbor. Toss a live mack up against upstream structure or drift along the North River. Rubber shad baits should do the trick in the Weymouth Back River for bass busting on river herring. Closer to the Hub, keep one eye for wheeling birds and one eye on your chart plotter for mackerel. Liveline one on site and you may catch your first big bass of the year! On the North Shore, the shad bite is on in the Merrimack River and schoolies are making an appearance in the Danvers River. North of the border, Great Bay is getting good thanks to alewives and stripers and in Maine, Sebago is it for salmon and Jeffreys Ledge is the place to drop a jig for groundfish.