New Hampshire & Maine Fishing Report - July 30, 2015

As water temperatures soar, angling fortune normally runs counter. The remedy for those catching stripers is to find cooler water. One fish that is bringing on the heat are bluefish, which are increasingly making their presence felt. For sheer numbers and arguably the best table fare out there, check out the spectacular squid fishing.

New Hampshire Fishing Report

It may be repetitive, but the catching remains the same: find the mackerel and then go catch the bass. Those macks are still hanging in there at the usual haunts such as Hampton Shoal Ledge with anglers occasionally getting bitten off by presumably blues as they try to find what is lurking below the bait. It might be time to troll with Rapala CD 18s or X Raps to see if you can turn the tables on those toothies that are severing leaders.

Roland of Suds ‘N Soda has been guiding clients to good action for stripers in Hampton Harbor, as well as the Piscataqua River near Newcastle and Odiorne Point. The Route 95 Bridge section has been good also. Squid are swarming nearly everywhere from Hampton Harbor to Newcastle to Kittery. Anglers hoping to find black sea bass may consider filling out a missing fish report, since the black sea bass have disappeared. In recent times, August has literally been the hot month so hopefully we’ll see a reemergence of those fish.

The fluctuation in water temperatures along the New Hampshire coast is astounding, according to Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors. A recent check revealed 78 degrees in Great Bay, 74 degrees at Dover Point in Little Bay and 64 degrees at New Castle. So where do you think the best striper fishing is? Tim continues to find fish in rips, reefs, and other types of interesting bottom in 40’ to 50’ of water. Vertical jigging marked fish has been the most effective although low light surface feeds still prevail making casting towards diving birds effective. Squid are practically child’s play and can be found at nearly every bridge, pier or dock in the Piscatagua provided that there is a light source. Tim’s hearing reports from the boat charter guys that blues are beginning to show.

Southern Maine Fishing Report

Mitchell from Saco Bay said that a lobsterman who patronizes the shop reported seeing pogies in Saco Bay! That might explain the appearance of some big blues. Sand Eels are the main staple in resident stripers’ diets so soft plastics such as Al Gag’s Whip its, Bill Hurley’s Cape Cod Sand Eels and RonZs have been among the better artificials for stripers. The top tip from the shop is to target the mouths of the river and inlets such as at Hills Beach, Biddeford Pool and the Mousam. The bait there is plentiful making the fishing among the most reliable. For topwater thrills one of the better lures in the shop is the Lonely Angler Zipster. Shark hunters are encountering porbeagles and makos by The Fingers and off Tantas. Tuna have been recently spotted by lobstermen as close as 5 miles from shore! The most consistent catching has been on squid bars.

Brandy from Webhannet said that those who are harvesting stripers are finding that they have a taste for lobsters which are shedding their shells snow. Five were found recently in a 39” fish! For forage you can actually use, try the ubiquitous harbor pollock which swarm islands and bubbleweed -covered rocky outcroppings. Some of the better bass have been caught on pollock, or mackerel or even with a tube and worm at the mouth of the Mousam River, Saco River as well as Moody Beach. Mackerel can be seen most mornings pushing silverside schools close to shore and by jetties. For matching the slim-profiled hatch Brandy recommends Slug-Gos as well as 1 ¼ ounce Williamson Jigs.

Fishing Forecast

As long as mackerel stay put, jigging up a mess by the Hampton Shoal Ledge and pounding the New Castle area is one of your best bets for bass. If artificials are more to your liking than vertically jig rip lines with jigging spoons or soft plastics as close to the Route 95 section of the Piscataqua River as you can get. In Maine they are doing well trolling mackerel or pollock at the mouths of the Saco and Mousam Rivers as well as inlets at Biddeford Pool and Hills Beach.