Massachusetts Fishing Report - November 9, 2017

Jack Frost brought with him more than just frigid temperatures as cold-water species now dominate the catching. Not all of those species hail from sweetwater however, as haddock as well as smelt are all possibilities.

Massachusetts Fishing Report

Due to high water, Patrick Barone of Early Rise Outfitters whiffed on the opportunity to fish for salmonids at Pulaski, NY yet still had an encounter with a 30-inch trout! Far from dream stuff, this big brown trout inhaled a white egg patterned fly in the Swift River and promptly broke his rod! To make matters worse, the fish is periodically making appearances as if to taunt Patrick and his guests from Gerber Gear. Too bad Gerber didn’t make Patrick’s rod–if it was built like their multitools it might have held up. Heart-breaking and rod-breaking brown trout aside, the West Bank of the Swift River is loaded with trophy brook trout as well as beautiful rainbows and they are not restricted to fly-fishing, catch and release areas only. Strap on your waders and explore and if you’re a fly fisher you can do a lot worse than offer those salmonids egg patterns.

Eddie of B&A in West Boylston said that high water has lured salmon into the the Stillwater River, in fact he recently ogled about a dozen mixed-sized sliver leapers (which are getting darker) coursing the current to upstream redds. Lack of water from the aqueduct into the Quinapoxet River has slowed things considerably in that river. Bigger lakers – 4- to 5-pounders – have invaded the shallows and are a treat for the eyes as they are sporting spawning hues. Gate 8, 30 and 35 have been hot. Smallies can still be found close but odds are not for long. Dave from Merrimack Sports said that herring in the Haverhill section of the Merrimack River are being massacred by smallmouth bass. Find the bait balls and twitch a small jerkbait such as the Yo-Zuri Pins Minnow and you are liable to come up with anything, even a striped bass!

Patrons of the shop who view November as an opportunity to catch stripers while enjoying solitude are still finding schoolies at the mouth of the Merrimack off the Salisbury Jetty. While the mighty Bite Me Parker CC is shrouded in white plastic for the offseason, the crew – Dave Panarello and Carl Vinning – are still striking fear in the hearts of local gamesters. They are floating shiners throughout Greater Boston Rivers and catching crappie, black bass, white perch and even the errant striper. Sometimes bait is tough to get this time of the year, but Dave said he has found an excellent source at Rounds Hardware in Stoneham, which is open seven days a week.

Anglers are beginning to transition to fresh water, according to Peter from Belsan’s, and cooperative trout in Little and Long Ponds in Plymouth are the enablers. Don’t down-size your presentation if you’d rather steer clear of stockies and have hopes of hooking a holdover trout. Catching a 3-pound or even bigger survivor often requires a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce spoon or even a bass-sized minnow imitator and now is the time when those wily old trout will be in close looking for baitfish.

“Micro” stripers are still willing to play with recent catches coming out of Plymouth’s Eel River, the South River, North River and Green Harbor. Some shop regulars have even been making the trip to the Hull area and finding schoolies there.

Smelt interest has been such that Lisa from Fore River has been slogging through sloughs in search of live shrimp. In addition to Hull and Hingham, there are encouraging reports coming in from the Summer Street Bridge. Don’t be surprised if you find something larger and more aggressive off the bridge, this is the time of the year when silver hake (whiting) come in close to prey on silversides as well as smaller smelt.

The Fore River Shop will be carrying shiners for the foreseeable future as will Belsan’s.

Within the last week there has still been schoolie surface feeds in Lynn Harbor! Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle also told me that mackerel are an easy catch off Salem Willows. Now that Salem is decidedly less spooky, access to the Pickering Wharf area is a lot easier should you decide to browse Tomo’s top-rated shop, the nearby Joe’s Fish Prints or even try your luck for a late season linesider or mackerel off the dockage.

If you fish for tuna then you’re well aware that this was one heck of a year, especially at northern environs, and according to Skip from Three Lantern Marine, Charlie is still kicking around – big time! The problem is that since the quota is full, anglers are required to catch and release those giants, which is a risky proposition and something that some consider unethical because of the sustained “war” a tryst with a giant tuna usually winds up being. It’s your call, the fish are there. What you can keep, however, is haddock, the season of which is open again after a month-long respite. Be prepared to make a haul out to Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge, where you’ll find plenty of pollock and just maybe haddock.

Fishing Forecast

For something special, check out the mixed bag of salmonids in the Swift and Stillwater Rivers. Match the “hatch”, which in this case is salmon eggs! Lake trout are not often considered colorful quarry, but the 4- to 5-pound forktails which are in close at Wachusett right now would make leap peepers envious. For never-say-die-salts, your choices are persistent schoolies in rivers, smelt near marinas and haddock for which you’ll have to point your ride to Jeffrey’s Ledge.