Massachusetts Fishing Report – May 7, 2020

For many, fishing is proving to be a panacea for the pandemic, with the focus now shifting from sweetwater to the salt. Even better you can now reasonably expect to find fresh schoolies from Plymouth to Plum Island! Regarding the haddock bite, it purportedly is as good as it’s been in years with the ratio of keeper to short fish very favorable.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

In spite of being unable to take patrons out, being a fisherman to the core Captain Mark Petitt of Fire Escape Charters is still managing to shove out from his Plymouth port and has been finding feeding bass throughout the Three Bays. Five year old, mid-20” “ice-breaker” bass are plentiful and with backups on the way from Buzzards Bay, things are only going to get better. The skipper did say that he has been finding plenty of haddock within a couple of miles of port. Mark’s catching with sand eel colored vertical jigs along with a teaser tipped with a Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet. If you’re not taking a few packs of those Gulp mullets with you on your Groundfish trips, you’re fishing with a handicap. You may even want to snoop around as close as Bug Light where a few haddock were found earlier in the season.
 
According to Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters, tinker mackerel have moved in right on time for their annual Mother’s Day appearance. He’s finding them right outside of Scituate Harbor and not far from there he’s been on the haddock. For a tip, Captain Rowell suggests that anglers find inshore ledge or rockpiles with bait marks, odds are that the haddock will not be far away.

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that both schoolies and sea herring have been blitzing and pushing silversides up against are beaches. Those sea herring had better not let their guard down with mid-20-inch stripers now showing up. Pete did hear of a few keepers taken on SP Minnows and clams from the Green Harbor jetty and Peggotty Beach. The North River shad run is just gaining steam with smaller males still the bulk of the catch.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

While still scratching his Buzzards Bay bass itch, Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing discovered some good news down there that he bets will pay off locally soon – namely acres of mid-20” stripers feeding on the surface! As typical of the first good wave of fish, these schoolies are fussy and while willing to swirl on topwater lures are best caught with a well-placed Clouser. Captain Coombs is expecting those fish to move into the harbor by early next week!

Shackled with the fore-hire suspension, Captain Jason Colby still managed to cruise the Little Sister out to the haddock grounds and found easy limits of good-sized haddock just east of the B Buoy. The average size of the fish apparently is remarkably good with the vast majority keepers! The skipper’s secret is to drop a sack full of clam chum down to the bottom.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that the flounder fishing has been good off Peddock Island, Rainsford Island and Deer Island. Stripers up to mid-20” size have invaded the Weymouth Back River as well as Wollaston Beach by Black Creek. Some specific spots to consider are Bare Cove Park, Great Esker Park and Osprey Overlook Park.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said that the Charles River is money from the locks all the way up to the Watertown Dam. Keeper plus fish are falling for Outkast Danny plugs as well as broken back swimmers. Big brown trout are still cooperating at Walden Pond.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me of a harbinger of positive things to come, namely – pogies! When numbers are healthy, some schools of pogies spin off from the biomass down south and fill into Bay State bays earlier than most realize. In fact, in some years I’ve spotted them as early as late April! Some pogies can already be found in Salem Harbor but naturally there are no fish on them yet.

For a chance at a fresh striper, take it to the rivers, namely the Danvers, Bass, North and Little Rivers. The stripers are running between 12” and 26” and aren’t fussy. Flounder are feeding among mudflats of Lynn Harbor and are being caught right from the shore!

Skip from Three Lantern Marine had more news of flounder with the shop’s own Tina getting a few. While she played the “where” part close to the vest, Skip suspects it was either the beach off Beauport Hotel, Ten Pound Island or inside the Dogbar Breakwater.

Haddock reports are favorable with most coming from Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge but some much closer. The biggest fish in the report this week by far came courtesy of Liz of Surfland in Newburyport as encounters of leaping sturgeon throughout Joppa Flats are causing quite the stir. Regarding intended species, stripers can now be caught in the Parker River, the Merrimack River and there has also been catches off the beachfront! The quandary in the Plum Island area as with many places is where to park since it has been restricted significantly on the island. Some are taken to dusting off their “canal” bikes and peddling to fish the Plum Island surf. The combination of “shads and Schwinns” looks as if it’s here to stay for awhile.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Seemingly by the tide, ever-increasing schools of stripers are livening up rivers, estuaries as well as beaches. Indications are that the haddock fishing is as good as it has been in years with the action accommodatingly close to shore. A good chum slick of clams will surely shorten your efforts to reach limits. If you can resist the temptation to be all in on the salt, Wachusett Reservoir is rewarding with slab smallies and some impressive lake trout!