Massachusetts Fishing Report - May 4, 2017

Pictured above: Captain Tom Ciulla made quite a nice haul of haddock off Stellwagen Bank

Well, the stripers are here! But considering the inhospitable combination of incessant rains and cold temperatures, they haven’t been in a very cooperative mood. If the schoolies don’t do it for you, there are tremors of far bigger days away from our shores… Early season flounder returns are encouraging, and it looks as if there are more in our midst than in previous years. While rainy, raw conditions may be a bite killer for some species, for those who chase trout and salmon it is a godsend!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

When asked if the shoreline-lapping water level of Wachusett had receded much, Eddie of B&A in West Boylston said, “Yeah, about a foot!” Regardless, laker activity, especially for spoon-smashing “fun-sized” 3 to 4 pounders between gates 30 and 35, has improved. The accessible causeway continues to be a magnet for salmon, lakers and even largemouth bass. While the ‘Chu is never going to make a Bay State top ten for hawg hunters, like most everything that swims there, largemouths grow big! The Quinapoxet and Stillwater Rivers have been freshly stocked with rainbow and brown trout for those seeking a moving-water experience.

Rodney of Flagg’s in Orange said that the Quabbin best bet is to troll the Gate 8 side of the reservoir with Quabbin Sunrise streamers for salmon. Odds are you’ll catch bigger lake trout there than from the Gate 31 side, while that area may reward with slab smallies, rainbows and numbers of lake trout. If you can pull yourself away from all things Quabbin, an attractive option is the catch-and-release section of the Miller River, which has just been reloaded with some solid brown trout! Think big, regarding presentation, such as a Wooly Bugger. and you may have your way with some of those out-sized brown trout.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

A gill-netter who is friendly with Pete Belsan has been telling (and showing) the Scituate shop owner that there are more flounder out there than he has seen in years! He’s also finding migrating fluke and tautog! Haddock on the bank remains a shallow-water, easy-limits affair as the fun is taking place between 80 and 100 feet. Mr. Belsan has a hunch that haddock just might be sniffing around as close as Stone Ledge and because that is in state waters, anglers can even target cod while fishing for haddock. From the mouth of the North River out to Stellwagen, every drop of a Sabiki rig is likely to come up with sea herring. I’m hearing of improving numbers of this very valuable forage from the South Shore to the North Shore, so it looks like a good year for them. Anglers are also scoring a few scout mackerel intermittently. If sea herring don’t get your blood boiling, then maybe news from the North River of their more athletic cousins – shad – will! Providing you target the North and Indian Head Rivers under low light conditions and work the lower half of the water column, you should have no problem catching these leaping gamesters. What you also may see is pogies! Maybe you are surprised, but some are in Boston already as well which, believe it or not, happens this early most years.

The first wave of micro stripers has invaded South Shore rivers and estuaries and they can even be found off beaches. One customer of the shop caught consistent 16-inch on-average fish from Egypt Beach through Sand Hills. Flounder fortunes can be directly tied to the weather. Should we ever get tranquil sunny conditions consistently, look for them to go on a tear from Brown’s Bank through Green Harbor as well as Scituate Harbor and Cohasset Harbor. It never ceases to amaze how quickly flatties will turn-on minutes after the sun pops out on a cloudy day.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

In spite of water temperatures seemingly stuck in the upper 40 degrees, Captain Jason Colby’s gut is telling him that there’s more flounder around this year than in years! When the mercury pushes past 50 degrees, watch out! He has been finding weather-dependent willing winter flounder off Peddock Island, Rainsford Island and Deer Island. Lisa from Fore River in Quincy said that anglers are catching some squid as well as sea herring off Nut Island and Pemberton Pier. They are also catching schoolie stripers there. Despite attempts, there are no confirmed catches of mackerel in the harbor yet, but they have been found on both the South Shore and North Shore.

According to Darlene from Bob’s in Winthrop, not only are the flats off Deer Island producing flounder but so are the beaches. Constitution, Winthrop and Short Beaches are all potential flounder holes. Many are pumped about the pier that the DMF/MWRA are supposed to be building and finishing on the harbor side of Deer Island this season. I’ve heard from an authority at the DMF that the pier will be lit and have on-site parking! Russ from Monahan Marine, while aboard Captain Rob Green’s Elizabeth Marie along with 4 other folks, limited out on haddock in just one drift on the SW Corner of Stellwagen. Some of the haddock were steakers of about 8 pounds! Clams and jigs did the damage, but the biggest fish fell for jigs. While you can catch those haddock now, I also received a report from Russ that you can file away for later. Three different canal customers of Russ’ jigged the heck out of keeper-sized stripers on the West End of the ditch! The belief is that the bass are feeding on squid, and a Spro bucktail/pork rind bounced off the bottom is a dead ringer for a squid! Get ready, better bass are on the way!

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Noel from Bridge Street Sports in Salem said that patrons are randomly finding mackerel off the Salem Willows Pier. What is more consistent is sea herring, which seems to be the case along most of the Bay State coast. For those with tuna on the brain, news of big numbers of greenbacks is music to their ears since deep water herring bait balls concentrates Charlie. A few flounder make the trip to Lynn, Swampscott and Salem worth it for customers buying up seaworms from the shop, but the numbers aren’t there as of yet.

Schoolies are being taken in Salem Harbor as well as in the Danvers River. Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle’s in Salem said that he has seen pictures of low to mid 20-inch fish taken from the Saugus River and Salem Harbor. The “it” bait this early in the season is the Al Gag’s Whip it Fish. Some say it’s a dead ringer for the ubiquitous sea herring. Sea herring, mackerel and flounder continue to be found off the piers of Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem and Beverly.

The tables were turned in a recent conversation I had with Kay Moulton from Surfland where she asked me for a report! Her reasoning was because traditionally when she gets wind of fresh fish in the Saugus River, they are usually in the Merrimack as well. No sooner did she enquire about that then she got news of fresh Plum Island arrivals on the outgoing tide from the headboats out to the mouth. Schoolies have also been caught off the front beach and in the Parker River from the Route One Bridge upstream. There also catching “cousins” of the striper – white perch – closer to the Governor Dummer Academy. For flounder, try off Crane’s Beach where reports have come in of some catching.

Tina of Three Lantern Marine told me that an increase in weed life in Gloucester Harbor is making for an interesting food chain. She’s observed mackerel coralline bait into balls and massacring them! At night big squid, even if not a lot yet, have been encountered under the lights. Haddock on Jeffrey’s Ledge has been hot with the only caveat being the cod many are catching which must be released!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Don’t be dismayed by the dreary weather; the march of the striped bass continues and by the end of next week we should have bass on hand which will put a nice bend in your rod and just maybe pull drag! Look for that first keeper to be caught at the mouth of Plymouth’s Eel River or maybe between Saquish Rip and the Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury Bay. The South River and Rexhame Beach deserve a nod also. Point Allerton is a good place to intercept that first serious striped bass as is the case with Black Creek off Wollaston Beach. Don’t discount the stretch between the Shraffts Complex to the Amelia Earhart Dam as bass follow the river herring scent trail. Farther up north take it to the rivers such as the Danvers River, the Essex, Annisquam and Little Rivers. And it must might be time to start sniffing upstream of the Merrimack where big bass will soon have bad intentions towards blueback herring and alewives.