The fish are here! The fish are here! In case you haven’t heard the Striped Bass have arrived in our rivers and marshes. Unlike years of the past we are seeing an influx of smaller fish. Anglers (myself included) have been having success in… the tidal marshes. Small plastics in the 3-5″ range have been doing very well. Lures like Wildeye Shad, and the new Savage Sand Eels fished slow and near the bottom are producing double digit fish days. Anglers who choose to fly fish should be using a shooting head line, somewhere in the range of 200-400 grains depending on your rod of choice. Top flies this time of year are Clouser Minnows, Lefty Deceivers, and Small Sand Eel patterns. Anglers who opt to fish with bait will have the best luck using either Sand or Blood Worms, remember to use an in-line circle hook as it is these now. We are starting to see fish in the river as well. We are also seeing more and more alewives each day. Anglers who are shad fishing are reporting seeing bass chasing alewives.
Speaking of Shad fishing. This year is shaping up to be one of the best on recent memory. Not only are the numbers high, but the quality of fish is there too. Heavy shad darts are the key to keeping your offering under the surface. If you do not have any heavy darts I recommend picking some up at the shop, or at the very least putting a few split shot sinkers above your dart or spoon.
The ground fishing is still hot, guys are catching their limit each trip. I am getting reports from Captains stating that they are seeing a lot of haddock. Top offerings are jigs with a teaser above it either tipped with shrimp or a strip of clam.
I anticipate the mackerel showing up within the next week or two. Good luck out there and get after them!
Saco Bay Tackle
SacoBayTackle.com
Can’t wait to get out fishing can you add me to the report???