Pictured above: Freshly stocked trout are on the way!
Now that was an interesting winter wasn’t it? Technically it is obviously still winter and on the eve of a nor’easter that may be a bizarre statement but for ice fishermen who have lost their hardwater, the winter is over!
The good news is if the second warmest February on record furthers the warmer-than-usual trend than a lot of things are going to be happening earlier than usual. I took a peak at the Masswildlife website for stocking information and found it interesting. Usually the stocking allotment is over 500,000, this year it’s slightly less. Throw in the stat that over 40% of the trout are supposed to be over 14 inches and that points to the probability that warmer hatchery water has led to an increased growth rate for the fish. In the past, biologists have told me that that’s often how it shakes out during sustained warm spells, so the ratio of rainbows, browns, brookies and tigers this year may be tilted slightly towards quality over quantity – I’d say that’s a winning formula. And there’s more good news – it looks as if the hatchery trucks begin rolling forward among the Southeast District beginning next week!
There’s been another bounce thanks to the spring-like winter, two friends of mine topped 100 stripers during the month of February! During most years because of ice, those guys are lucky to even fish in February! Additionally, they saw the first volley of river herring returning home to breed again. It looks as if the wait is over.
It’s also possible that flounder will begin feeding earlier than usual. Some of those fish are already “here”. Winter flounder move inshore in February through March to spawn. However, the combination of their “preoccupation” and low 40 degree water temperatures does not lead to a heck of a lot of feeding. During warm years such as this, the flounder “king” Captain Jason Colby has launched his Little Sister out of Quincy Bay in Mid-April to find 46 degree water temperatures and feeding flounder off Portuguese Cove! Not a lot of feeding flounder but sooner or later those fish must feed! Incidentally Captain Colby has a slick new catamaran ride he’s about to unload on unsuspecting fish populations. When we fished for Castle Island cod beginning in late February/early March we would occasionally catch a flounder, in spite of the 6/0 O’Shaugnessey hooks. I wonder how well we would have done with more flounder-friendly hooks. Those who focused more on flounder this time of the year devoted more of their time towards the nearby Sugar Bowl. Outgoing tides during a sunny afternoon usually produced best.
During this month anglers will be catching flounder off the pier of The Fisherman’s Beach in Swampscott! Lynn Pier along with the shoreline through Lynn Heritage Park is another potential productive early season spot. The same could be said for the Salem Willows Pier. Regarding the possibility of plucking a cod off a local pier, the odds just may be better than in quite a while. Almost to a person, anglers targeting haddock in federal waters, where keeping cod is prohibited, complained about how many “brown bombers” they were catching. Currently state regulations allow the keeping of one cod of a minimum of 19”. The few who targeted them last year in Massbay from Graves Light through the BG Buoy and out to the B Buoy caught some impressive white-bellied cod (migratory)! The photos were enough to make you hopeful.
The issue for fishing for cod or flounder is fresh bait. Shops used to have a stable of diggers who would keep seaworm supplies up in home quarters during the winter months. The only one left in the Bay State is Bridge Street Sports in Salem. Noel Leslie, the owner, has had diggers out recently who found the North Shore flats rich with select seaworms. Demand however is not there yet but if patronage is promised (and delivered) the shop will keep seaworms on hand. In addition to the previously mentioned Castle Island Pier other historical harbor spots to catch a March cod are Nut Island and Deer Island. Some enterprising anglers through the years have found niches which border the Reserve Channel and caught cod there.
The other pre-spring saltwater possibility is the white perch runs. The Assonet River in Freetown was always one of the best. The Parker River on the North Shore has been showing some signs of life in recent years. A river run which has been hot is the effluence where the Shawsheen joins the Merrimack River. And a short distance into New Hampshire there is the Exeter/Squamscott River run of Great Bay. Because this stretch is tidal, your Massachusetts Saltwater License covers fishing there. White perch followers preach that the runs don’t really gather steam until the trees are blooming and the dandelions are showing in our lawns, but it’s never to early to be hopeful!
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
While saltwater options lean heavily on a wing-and-a-prayer, stocked trout possibilities are much more of a sure thing! Pay close attention to the Masswildlife trout stocking reports over the next few weeks. Here are two guarantees which are bound to put a spring in your step – spring is but a few weeks away and before then freshly stocked trout will be swimming in a pond or lake not far from you!
I know the Salem Willows pier was damaged over the winter from storms and may not be open to the public for awhile. You may want to confirm before trekking out there.