New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report - May 4, 2018

The roles were a bit flipped this week when I asked my shop friends what was hitting. Almost to a person, they all wanted info from me – they wanted to know how far up the Massachusetts coast the stripers had migrated! Soon enough swarms of schoolies will be cruising your coast, but in the meantime salmon, lakers and pike make for one heck of a warm up!

New Hampshire Fishing Report

Jon Trega of Sea Run Charters is now on board to give us invaluable information as to most everything which swims from Great Bay out through the Gulf of Maine. He has a gull’s eye view from his home of the Piscataqua River and has been witness to a steady stream of alewives making the voyage upstream to spawn. He has his finger on the pulse of one of the Granite States most exciting fishing opportunities, namely stripers slamming river herring at the mouth of the Great Bay tributaries such as the Lamprey River and Oyster River. I fished there a few times and was floored that 20-pound-plus stripers could be caught in water that “small” and tranquil. Throw in the pine tree aesthetics and you’re faced with one inescapable conclusion: this place is unique! When river herring are plentiful it’s hard to fool fish into hitting a fake, but John’s favorite lure for these herring-eating stripers is a Kopper’s Live Target blueback herring.  And being a fly guy, he’s partial to the Hollow Semper Fleye.

The real deal does make a difference in Lake Winnipesaukee as live or sewn smelt are accounting for some pretty impressive salmon and laker outings. Chad from Dover Marine told me that it’s a simple case of marking or spotting the clouds of smelt which are in close and the fish will be in tow. Paugus Bay has been productive as has Alton Bay and Winter Harbor. With water this clear, a long fluorocarbon leader of as thin a diameter as you dare will result in more strikes. A few flounder have been cooperating at Wentworth Harbor as well as off Seabrook. I’d expect Hampton, Rye and Pepperell Cove to also be productive. The offshore groundfish option is haddock and the fishing for them is best on top of Jeffreys Ledge. Tillies Basin and Stellwagen Bank has also been good.

Southern Maine Fishing Report

Brandy from Webhannet Bait and Tackle told me that she has patrons beginning to search for some inshore sport but thus far there are no reports. It’s not often that cormorants are viewed favorably but there just might be an exception. These fish-eating machines have been spotted working stretches of the Saco River. It’s surmised that they are chasing river herring. Soon shad should start surging up the Saco River as well. Haddock fishing has been good on Jeffreys Ledge with shallow areas producing better than deeper. Pink teasers, cod flies and “squids” have been hot.

Scotty from Dag’s knocked the heck out of pike recently from the northern, timber-laden side of Sabbattus. Most of the fish were small except one which turned him around in his canoe before shaking free. Big swimbaits are a go-to favorite for fish which are fond of a big meal. Lake Auburn is now free of ice and initial reports suggest that salmon numbers are healthier than in recent years. This appears to be a direct result of biologists’ efforts to reduce the number of yellow perch. Sebago lakers are hitting well on the northern side of the lake where smelt are present. For black bass it’s hard to top the Androscoggin River which is beginning to settle down from the raging river it was post ice-melt. Crawl a tube along the bottom for the smallmouth which are responding to warmer water temperatures.

Fishing Forecast

Salmon on the troll whether it is from Winnipesaukee, Lake Auburn or Sebago is at its peak now since the fish are close to the surface and shadowing schools of smelt. Warm water winners such as pike in Sabattus as well as smallies from the Andro are getting active. In the GOM haddock are king while inshore you know that things are slow when even cormorants are getting love!