Sometime today, it probably dawned on you that it is May. And among the fishing-obsessed, May means striped bass! If that doesn’t put you in a good mood, then I don’t know what will. While migrants may be imminent, holdover striped bass are stirring and they are not all small, as evidenced by the photo of a 35-inch fish a buddy texted me the other night. The current A-game just might be anywhere anadromous species course a river, as herring sound the alarm clock for slumbering stripers, shad provide exciting light-tackle sport and white perch prove that they are the feistiest panfish in New England.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

My buddy Russ Eastman of Monahan Marine in Weymouth told me that Captain Tom King took the helm of the Elizabeth Marie out of Scituate and found over 40 keeper cod up to 18 pounds! The bite was on clams and was just northeast of the northern tip of Stellwagen at the Mussel Beds in about 250 feet of water. Russ is sacrificing himself for the cod cause and steaming out on Sunday with Tom and Captain Rob Green to sample the merchandise himself and hopefully provide photos.

With the herring runs picking up steam among the South Shore rivers, such as the Plymouth Town River and the North River, layover linesiders are starting to stir. Pete from Belsan’s Bait in Scituate is convinced that there are more holdover stripers than most realize, but few fish for them. Regardless of the flavor, striped bass are a nocturnal critter. You will do best in your pursuit of striped bass pursuing herring if you’re search is between dusk and dawn and you look for them at bottlenecks where structure stymies upstream movement of alewives and bluebacks. When bass can bunch up herring against something, that’s when the scales fly. Pete recently heard of some striper activity in the Mill River area of Cohasset. He is also hearing of divers setting moorings in the Cohasset and Scituate Harbors and seeing flounder flocking to the stirred up bottom that this activity creates. Shad can be found right now coursing up the North River and into the Indian Head River. Tandem shad darts as well as flutter spoons worked closely to the bottom will catch these acrobatic members of the herring family. In small water such as this, dusk to dawn is usually the best time.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

With harbor water temperatures stuck in the low 40-degree range, fish are hardly on the feed. Last Sunday I jumped aboard the Little Sister with my friend Captain Jason Colby and a couple of other pals, and despite doing our best, we found the blackbacks non-cooperative. The same could not be said for some “white belly” sculpin out by Ultonia Ledge, the bites of which gave us brief drama until we quickly realized they were not the handiwork of hungry flounder. Don’t expect flounder to put the feed bag on until water temperatures crest 46 degrees, which should happen soon; after all it is May! Regardless, there are definitely some flounder among Hospital Shoals, Rainsford Island, Hangman’s Island and Deer Island Flats—it’s just that their feeding window is a brief one. Chumming liberally will certainly help.

The rivers of Boston have no shortage of herring now, and if you put your time in, you’ll catch a holdover striper. The line between harbor “homey” and migratory will soon be vague and ultimately it won’t matter as long as you’re lipping a striped bass. There’s two main ways to convince a striper to commit when water temperatures are still cold – fool them or give them meat! Carl Vining and Dave Panarello have been keeping local linesiders on a steady diet of red tube and worm. Their best fish has been about low 30-inch range. My torturous text-messaging friend Rick Holbrook has been employing the deadliest herring imitator that I have ever seen, the 6¼-inch Sebile Soft Magic Swimmer, and he’s been scoring 15-pound-plus holdover fish. Rick slips five of the included weights onto the throat of the hook; this improves casting and acts as a keel to keep the lure running true, even in current. Because the hook buries into the body, you can cast this among a junkyard with a reasonable degree of certainty that the lure is coming back to you. It never ceases to amaze me that tackle shops don’t move more of these lures. When the bass are feeding on river herring and sea herring, in my opinion there is no better lure!

North Shore Massachusetts

This was an email I relished from Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle at Pickering Wharf in Salem: “They’re catching flounder!” No one is talking in terms of limits, but it is a start as a few fish are being taken in Lynn Harbor off the shore from the Lynn Pier through the Lynnway boat ramp.

Noel from Bridge Street Sports in Salem confirmed North Shore flounder, telling me that some were taken off Fisherman’s Beach and a few anglers have had luck in the Salem/Beverly area. Noel also told me of a few holdover stripers caught from the Saugus River/Pines River stretch. One angler even took a mixed bag of schoolies and a shad! Speaking of shad, the game is on in the Merrimack as these hyper herring are coursing the river from the mouth to the Lawrence Dam. Proven pinch points are Rocks Village, behind the “Dance Club” downstream of the Rte. 495 Bridge, and at the Lawrence Dam. I wasn’t aware of this, but David of Merrimac Sports said that some shad will snake their way into the Shawsheen River.

Inspired by talk of terrific white perch fishing in Great Bay and Wachusett Reservoir, I asked Liz of Surfland in Newburyport if any had been landed among the once prolific Parker River in Byfield. While she hadn’t heard, it might be worth a go to grab a dozen seaworms (bloodworms are even better), a pail full of chubs or gill of grass shrimp and give it a try. Just maybe the resurgent run in Great Bay has spilled into the North Shore! By the way, Kay told me that they are stocking the 6¼-inch soft Magic Swimmer in blueback herring too!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing

“Interesting” trout have been stocked in a number of water bodies. While there was nothing wrong with that initial volley of rainbows, when there’s brookies, browns and even tigers swimming around, it ups the ante. Snoop online at Masswildlife and frequent your local tackle shop for the up-to-the-minute scoop. There was nothing stocked about the 6-pound landlocked salmon that Al Beauvais took by the Rte. 140 side of Wachusett Reservoir recently. That wild beauty fell for a shiner under a float and was weighted into B&A in West Boylston. While it may seem random, your best bet to bag a salmon is while floating a medium shiner as far out as you can see your float. Salmon sharpies will slip-rig their line on the float, employ line no heavier than 6-pound mono, I’d opt for 4-pound fluorocarbon and choose a spot with the wind to their back. My buddy, Larry Kuettner of Clinton, one year landed nearly 30 that way! Healthy smelt-fed lakers are still foraging close to shore and finally the white perch have been heard from – in a big way. Eddie of B&A weighed in a 1-14 and 2-4, both taken by Tom Pattiselamo on blown-up crawlers among the Thomas Basin.

The Gate 8 side of Quabbin appears to be the hottest so far in the first week of the season. A rumored 7½-pound salmon has been the loudest buzz, and Bill Martell of Gate 8 Bait did weigh in an 11½ and 13½ pound lake trout. Guys are catching well within 15 feet of the shoreline, and it’s encouraging to hear that the salmon appear very healthy, which would indicate a robust forage base. When I asked Bill about the smelt, he recommended that folks just settle down and not get nervous about the inevitable down cycles which Quabbin is most likely in. Decades of experience has taught Bill that there is generally a 7-year smelt cycle and it is not the first nor will it be the last time Quabbin’s salmon have to live with fewer smelt. On the Gate 37 side, shoreline casters are catching lakers up to 6 pounds and up to 9 per day on spoons as well as shiners. Lake Mattawa gets scant attention now that the focus is on Quabbin Reservoir, but Rod from Flagg’s in Orange said that it was just stocked with 2-pound-class brown trout.

New Hampshire and Southern Maine

Jamie from Dover Marine said that a friend hauled on the haddock to the tune of 45 fish on the flats by New Scantum recently. Now with the 3-fish bag limit in effect beginning May 1st, an angler so fortunate to be that thick into haddock would have to practice catch and release. A smattering of keeper cod as well as redfish are making for interesting outings. With trout season having kicked off last Saturday, places such as Pleasant Lake in Deerfield and Lucas Pond in Northwood are getting a lot of attention thanks to their ample stockings of brook trout. Black bass are a bonus from Pleasant Lake. Jamie recommends jerkbaits as well as lipless crankbaits, which are worked best when “ripped’ across the bottom. Another good bass spot is nearby Baxter Pond.

Congrats to guide Tim Moore of Suds ‘N Soda who is now sponsored by the group that owns Old Town Canoes. The one word he kept mumbling was “Predator,” which is their rave-reviewed kayak, which he is panting to take delivery of. You might be able to sic a Predator on the perch in Great Bay as the tributaries are experiencing a very successful white perch run this year. The Exeter, Lamprey, Oyster and Salmon Falls rivers all have some semblance of a salter run. There is a 25 fish per day bag limit; be on the lookout for poachers, they are a problem, and don’t hesitate to call a Conservation Officer at (603) 271-3360 if you see something.

For something different give hornpout fishing a try in Pawtuckaway Lake. Dusk to dawn is best with a gob of crawlers an ideal bait. These fish are feisty, fun and taste great when taken from cold, clean water! Tim looks to be putting a couple of hours aside for this pastime soon. Dylan of Dag’s in Auburn weighed in a corker landlocked salmon recently of 7 pounds, 7 ounces! Now is prime time there for the time-worn practice of trolling streamers among Maine’s cherished salmon water bodies. Dylan suggests a Grey Ghost tied with a splash of red to imitate gill flash. Keep that streamer high in the water column this time of the year and look for points which may ball up rainbow smelt, the salmon’s preferred forage. For two of Dag’s best bets, check out Lake Auburn now and Rangeley Lake next week when it is expected to finally be ice free. Rangeley is one of Maine’s premier brook trout/salmon spots, is heavily regulated (for example no ice fishing) and annually produces trophies. The best time to be out there is within the first few weeks of ice out!

Fishing Forecast for Massachusetts, New Hampshire & Maine

Soon, I’ll be trumpeting the return of the striped bass to our coast! But meanwhile a teen-sized holdover is not a bad consolation prize from the North River, Mill River, Charles, Mystic or Saugus Rivers. Most fish you will catch are schoolie-size, but you never know! Flounder are starting to stir in Scituate Harbor, Lynn Harbor and on the North Shore, but we’ll need about 5 degrees of a water warm-up before they get really active. A better groundfish game might be courtesy of northeast of Stellwagen or at New Scantum, where haddock are on a tear and there are even a few market-sized cod to be caught. A fresh stocking of a variety of trout throughout the Bay State including Lake Mattawa is enough to make you want to revisit ponds and lakes. Wachusett continues to give up trophies including salmon and white perch and Quabbin is hot from Gate 37 from the shore and Gate 8 by boat within close proximity of the shore. Great Bay fishing is good among the tributaries for white perch, and in Maine it’s salmon time as landlockeds will soon be slamming streamers from Rangeley Lake.