Unexpectedly the most consistent catches of big striped bass north of the Cape seem to be coming from northern New England! River herring runs are in full swing and the stripers are taking advantage of the prey. Check for local regulations but in most circumstances live lining river herring is permissible and that is the ticket to fast action.
Chad from Dover Marine told me that he has heard of mid-40 inch fish bested among the herring-swollen tributaries of Great Bay. The Cocheecco and Lamprey Rivers deserve special mention with a nod going to the area by the Henry Low Park. There’s also plenty of action in the Piscatagua River for those working bucktail jigs or drifting mackerel, although the fish tend to be smaller than the upstream fish feeding on the herring.
Tim from Suds ‘N Soda said that keepers are being commonly caught at the Lamprey River. There’s also no shortage of stripers in Hampton Harbor and Hampton River. The shops hot striper lure is the Daddy Mac DM Minnow. Flounder can be found in Peperell Cove as well as Hampton Harbor where they are foraging in shallows of only 8 – 12 feet.
With few fish of this size taken so far in the Bay State I was taken aback by news of low 40” stripers swimming around in Saco Bay! Kenny from Saco Bay Tackle told me of a 42” bass which belted a Yo-Zuri 3D Crystal Minnow. Scarborough Marsh is not disappointing either. Other good catches are coming from the Mousam River and Kennebunkport seems to be the place if you want to jig up some mackerel. Anglers spiking their rods and fishing clams and seaworms are scoring short fish off Pine Point Beach as well as Biddeford Pool. Groundfishing currently is erratic with your best chance of putting fish in your cooler coming courtesy of 170’ of water in Jeffrey’s Ledge. Haddock has been the hottest fish with clams/shrimp left resting on the bottom the best offering.
Brandy from Webhannet Bait and Tackle said that there have been stripers up to 30” taken off Gooch’s Beach. There are also plenty of schoolies as well as slot fish available in the Webhannet River and the Mousam River. While clams and sandworms will always lure in hungry linesiders, anglers are doing equally well with all manner of soft plastics. Promise of bigger and better bass lies in the bait balls of herring as well as the mackerel congregating within a mile from shore! It shouldn’t be long before some sizeable stripers find all that bait.
Fishing Forecast for New Hampshire and Southern Maine
Stripers are hugging the coast in search of river herring and most any river that supports alewives/bluebacks will have striped bass right now. The tributaries of Great Bay have bass up to the mid-40-inch range keying in on river herring. In Maine if you are finding the beaches to be a bust, you’ll fare much better with soft plastics or swimming plugs in the Mousam, Saco and Webhannet Rivers.