Massachusetts Fishing Report - April 20, 2017

Pictured above: Max of Belsan’s caught this South Shore hawg on a shiner!

The “wow-factor” that is Wachusett Reservoir now has a cold-water species rival as sterling salmon reports trickle in from Quabbin. As we near the end of April, however, talk is increasingly turning to haddock, flounder and stripers – the latter of which may not be all holdovers!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Bill Martell of Gate 8 Bait in Pelham as expected had one busy week with Quabbin Reservoir opening last Saturday. Also as expected, the salmon bite has been best on top with some impressive rainbows figuring into the mix on the Gate 8 side of the reservoir. Some of the salmon have been impressive 5-pound silver leapers! One couple did especially well for two consecutive days in a row with Flagg’s Fire Smelt streamers. Just make sure you employ a long leader and if you have the occasion to pick up some BioEdge Smelt Wand to smudge the hackle with, be sure you do so. Water levels are a staggering 11 feet down so there is plenty of shoreline access for those who prefer booting to boating.

"It's a whale of a tale and it's all true" Always a great time to go fishing #fishing #fish #fishingday #angler #setemandnetem #tightlines #bass #lure #outdoors #nature #hooked #natgeo #shimano #largemouthbass

A post shared by merrimack anglers (@setemandnetem) on Apr 17, 2017 at 7:05pm PDT

If ever there was a tale of two reservoirs, Quabbin and Wachusett are it. While the Q’ is low, the ‘Chu is so high that in some places it is lapping the shoreline. However, the most consistent spot – the causeway – is readily accessible and 2-pound-plus salmon as well as lakers are cooperating. Eddie of B&A told me an innovative patron has been “live-lining” shiners from the shoreline and killing them! Joe Maple has bagged one of the biggest bronzebacks of the season so far, a 5-5 taken on a yellow perch from the Route 110 side of the reservoir. No word on the white perch run throughout the Thomas Basin, but it should be imminent. An old timer told me that once the apple blossoms have sprouted, you can expect the white perch spawning run to be underway and many times that proved right for me. Watch out for those apple trees!

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Finally a flounder report from Belsan’s Bait in Scituate! Keeper flatties have been caught in Green Harbor and if they are there, then one would expect them to be in Scituate and Cohasset harbors. The GOM charter/party boat haddock season kicked off over the weekend and reports of 15 fish limits were commonplace in only 100′ of water on Stellwagen Bank! Bigger largemouth bass are feeding more aggressively throughout ponds and lakes. Max of Belsan’s nailed a 5-pounder on a shiner. The pond at Widows Walk Golf Course has potential as does Old Oaken Bucket Pond. And then there’s the no-name cranberry bogs which can be sleepers for bass and pickerel.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Nut Islanders are starting to see ink stains on the pier according to Lisa from Fore River in Quincy. You don’t have to be adept at Rorschach Tests to figure out that those ink blots mean one thing – squid! While this may seem a bit early, there’s also some evidence squid are around on the North Shore! While certainly it is too premature to call this a “run”, the bigger squid are often active earlier than the younger ones so this might be a case of quality over quantity. Larger waves of river herring are awakening larger holdover stripers throughout the river systems. Dave Panarello and Carl Vinning of Bite Me 2 fame are increasingly finding that yesterday’s schoolies are being supplanted by keepers!

First fish of the year! Little holdover striped bass in the Bluefish River. They aren't in like crazy yet, but in a few weeks the water will be hopping! ???

A post shared by Ben Caliendo (@bencaliendo) on Apr 17, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

Last year the first migrants into these parts made an earlier than usual late-April appearance. There are some signals that that just might be the case this year! As one of the only shops to carry seaworms this early, Fore River is attracting anglers who are claiming they are catching schoolies off the Lynn shoreline. One group even are Red Rock regulars! Just like many rivers, there are holdovers in the nearby Pines and Saugus rivers, but it makes little sense for them to vacate those inshore, warm water buffets for the relatively austere and cold seas off of Lynn. Could this be the first striper wave of 2017? Stay tuned! Oh, and by the way flounder reports are increasingly slowly but surely. The latest catching has taken place at the mouth of the Weymouth Back River. The world of the flounder is ready to get rocked as Captain Jason Colby is readying the Little Sister for its dump-in next Tuesday. I hope to be having anecdotal evidence of feeding flounder soon.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

It was only one tentacle, albeit an impressive one, but it’s impact was significant as told to me by Noel of Bridge Street in Salem. A steady customer of the shop who knows his stuff briefly had something on off the Salem Willows Pier when he came up with one large tentacle impaled to his hook! While that’s hardly a reason to beat the squid drum, obviously some are around. The shop is moving seaworms for anglers catching flounder in Lynn, Swampscott and stripers off Winter Island and Red Rock. Whether they are holdovers or fresh fish is probably irrelevant to the lucky anglers catching stripers this early. Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle’s in Salem has similar promising news as patrons are snapping up seaworms for flounder from the piers of Beverly, Salem, Swampscott and Lynn.

Skip from Three Lantern Marine told me of some impressive haddock catches for so early in the season. High spots on Jeffreys and Stellwagen is where the action is allowing anglers to downsize their gear and upsize their fun. It’s still quiet on the flounder front, but it’s probably more due to lack of effort than anything else. In my world all is well in April when Liz from Surfland in Newburyport enthusiastically answers the phone. What’s even better is when the shop has reports of an increase in herring numbers in the Parker River. The trickle-down effect of this is immense and it has more to do with the herring fry than the fish. The Parker River was once noted for its unique and coveted sea-run brown trout fishery. The trout are still stocked in the Parker River but without an abundance of forage they will not thrive; herring fry just might be the catalyst to resuscitate a once remarkable fishery, and it won’t hurt the sea-run white perch run either. The Surfland folks informed me that the nearby Captain’s Fishing Charters fleet has been wailing the haddock on their trips.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Unlike oil and water, salty and sweet do mix – especially as it applies to April fishing as freshwater and saltwater opportunities increase. Set your sites on the spectacular surface salmon bite along the Gate 8 side of Quabbin Reservoir. Troll along a streamer and you may catch a big rainbow as well. Salmon are slamming free-swimming shiners along the causeway side of the ‘Chu. If you have yellow perch fry handy, they are the ticket to trophies from smallies to lakers. Flounder are finally putting on the feedbag in Green Harbor as well as the North Shore. Striped bass reports are increasing at the mouth of the Charles River, Red Rock and Winter Island. The jury’s out whether the fish are all holdovers or sprinkled with fresh migrants, which you have to admit makes this time of the year magical!