There are more than just schoolies swarming the rivers of Southern Maine and New Hampshire as recent tails of the tape are showing stripers up to 40 inches! While the rivers remain red hot, those who enjoy nothing better than spiking a rod in the sand and watching a sunrise or sunset are finally finding fish among the beaches. Groundfishing is good off Jeffreys. And for sweetwater pursuits among the Green Mountain State, tempt a trout with a fly from the Winooski River or consider a trek to the Otter River in Lake Champlain where the salmon are spawning and walleye gather among nearby reefs.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Jason from Suds ‘N Soda said that the two best places to seek stripers are the mouths of the Great Bay tributaries as well as Little Bay. For bass binging on herring, patrons are finding that you can’t beat the Daddy Mac ¾-ounce Baby Viper. Other places to poke around are Pierce Island, where a 40-inch fish was landed, as well as Dover Point. Suds’ own Tim is finding more flounder poking his Predator Kayak around the mud flats of Rye and Hampton. Fish should be groveling around Wallis Sands Beach for a clam snack with the sustained east wind and once anglers can get out there they should do well.
Jamie of Dover Marine jammed the haddock the other day in 185 feet on Jeffreys. The trick was a fresh mackerel fillet, paired into strips and hooked to a Sea Wolfe Cod Fly. The preferred colors have been pink and chartreuse. The hope is that once the cold combers from the incessant east wind subsides, then more bait, especially mackerel, and bass will arrive to liven up the Granite State coastline.
Vermont Fishing Report
If you’re in the mood for something different, then America’s “sixth Great Lake,” Lake Champlain, certainly qualifies. I spoke to George LeClair of Big River Dog Supply in Champlain Valley Vermont and did he ever have me pumped to catch walleyes! To say that this place is big is like saying a pike’s choppers are kind of sharp. I’ve learned that while there are a few ‘eyes still in Big Otter River, the bulk of these fish are moving out to nearby reefs. You can still pick a few off with jigs/bait combinations but a better bet is to stick to those reefs with a stickbait or swimming minnow plug. For those most comfortable in a river all is not lost since the salmon are now filling the void created by the departing walleyes.
Zach Rabideau of the Fly Rod Shop in Stowe said that the trout season is in full swing in the rivers of Vermont. Consider tempting a rainbow from the Winooski River where the varied hatches make the possibility of everything from a nymph to a dry-fly an option. Lake Elmore and Lake Eden are good bets for post-spawn bass and just maybe something with some serious teeth. You don’t have to get too fancy for these warm water species, in fact often the same Clousers which work for stripers will dupe the pike and bass. Alternatives are bass poppers and Wooly Buggers.
Southern Maine Report
Brandy from Webhannet Bait & Tackle said that the groundfishing for haddock was quite good on Jeffreys Ledge, especially by the southern section of The Fingers. You can expect the haddock count verses cod to be about 10 to 1 with seaworms fishing best for both species. Mackerel have been picked up at random just off the Wells Harbor jetties with anticipation of more macks and more bass arriving with them. That’s not to imply that there is a shortage of stripers in the area now, quite the contrary as the Mousam River, Kennebunk River and York River all have fish feeding on the river-run species. River herring numbers are extremely healthy this year as is the case with other New England states.
Kenny from Saco Bay Tackle Company told me that bigger bass have arrived and the beaches have joined the rivers as productive spots. The dam at the Saco River still is one of the hottest stretches as bass ball up blueback herring against the structure. The shad are thick and many are regarding this season as one of the most successful shad runs in years. For stripers try bait or Fin-S-Fish, Savage Sand Eels or RonZs at Biddeford Pool, Higgins Beach, and Old Orchard Beach. The tip of the week from Ken is to go light on the jighead. Opt for 3/8- or ½-ounce heads as opposed to the more typical ¾-ounce plus. A lighter jighead makes the lure look more natural in the water. Great news from Tim Tower of the Bunny Clark out of Ogunquit as the boat has found a lode of nice cod among the haddock. And in this ear, a catch anywhere near double digits is something special!
Dillon from Dags in Auburn said that smallies are still on their beds, which is uncharacteristic for early June in the Auburn part of Maine. He suggests you target the beds with something large like a soft-plastic lizard, which may look like a predatory newt in the nest. For your best chance at a bronzeback try the Upper Range, Canton Lake and Lake Auburn. Often unexpectedly good bass fishing will take place in some high profile trout/salmon water bodies where bass are often ignored, thrive and grow large. A gem to consider is the Little Androscoggin River which received a slug of “trapped” salmon from the destruction of the Thompson Lake Dam. The living for these fish is far harder than in a smelt-swollen lake so they are less fussy and have become superb fighters from having to battle the current 24-7.
Fishing Forecast
With the east wind predicted to wane, expect more mackerel to come closer to the coast and in turn lure more striped bass to such areas as Wallis Sands Park, York Beach and Camp Ellis. Meanwhile a herring imitator fished at Lamprey River Dam or the Saco River dam is likely to be smashed by a hungry striper. Groundfishing remains good to great depending on the day with haddock the usual catch but a fair amount of cod coming in off the Bunny Clark where they are focusing on northern Jeffreys Ledge. For sweetwater from a place that looks as big as an ocean, consider the walleye and salmon fishing near Big Otter River in Vermont’s Lake Champlain.
Large Crappie are biting on Mousam lake. Caught 12 in 2 hours of fishing at night just after 9:30 on a small jig with red and white sleeve. So good eating.
Big “calicos” were the first fish that wowed me when I was a kid and will always have a special place in my heart, they were so much more exciting than the perch and sunnies which were my usual quarry. That Mousam watershed is so diverse from the lake which has both warm water and cold water species to where it meets up with the sea and has sea run brown trout and stripers, that Mousam has it all!