New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report – June 17, 2021

Bigger bass are now in residence with slobs up to 47” smacking bait for surf fishers. Schoolies throughout the Piscataqua River are of much better size than last year. Groundfishing remains an attractive alternative for haddock and occasionally something much bigger!

New Hampshire Fishing Report

A buddy of mine, Doc Feldman, jumped aboard one of the Eastman’s Fleet boats and not only did the crew limit out on haddock but one of the anglers – Fred Gardiner of Bridgewater Mass – hauled in a 42” halibut! That prompted me to contact Captain Andy of Adventure and Catch Charters to enquire about prospects for halibut this year. His response was an optimistic one as he has already caught two sub-legal, 36” specimens. While a real crap shoot, your odds increase of catching the king of all flatfishes when you have a chunk or sliver of mackerel or sea herring on the line. For a more likely catch, haddock fishing at the “Fingers” has been really good lately. The rub is that the dogs have shown up, so be ready to move if you start hooking up to these pests.

Tim Moore of Tim Moore Outdoors tipped me off when we spoke of a pre-cold front stellar striped bass bite throughout the Piscataqua River and especially Little Bay. Now that that front is in our rear view mirror look for those 24-26” schoolies to strap on the feedbag once again. The fish have been falling for paddletail, shad baits. Tim’s also doing better with Winnipesaukee salmonoids. It’s been a case of finding the thermocline and finding salmon, rainbows and lake trout. The salmon are not as numerous as previous years but when one is caught it’s often a humdinger! Some of the bows are pretty special as well with a charter recently catching a 3 1/2 pounder. Spoons and streamers are doing the job.

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for New Hampshire

Southern Maine Fishing Report

There is something really neat going on at river mouths in Maine as increasing numbers of sea trout as well as maybe the occasional Atlantic salmon are being caught! Brandy from Webhannet Bait and Tackle on a weekly basis is reporting beautiful fish such as this being caught. The latest which looked in all probability like a genuine Atlantic salmon was a 24” Saco Bay specimen that gulped down a mackerel! Most however can be found with sand eels, making slim-profiled lures/fly patterns a good choice!

Regarding striped bass, a surf angler caught a 47” recently from Nubble Light on a pollock! Wells Harbor has been alive with schoolie surface feeds at sunup and good reports are trickling in from Moody Beach, the Mousam and Kennebunk.

For groundfish, haddock have been hitting on Jeffrey’s Ledge in about 220’ of water. Just beware, the dog pack is prowling. Kennebunkport Sportfishing and Charters‘s Captain Greg Metcalf has been finding black sea bass outside of Kennebunk; during years when the stock is healthy, such as this year, and we have an early bump in water temperatures, black sea bass will push northward. Flounder can be found in Wells Harbor and at the mouth of the Mousam and York Rivers.

Sean from Saco Bay Tackle Company reported the first bluefish encounter on Wednesday off Pine Point! There have been good random schoolie surface feeds reported from Saco through Portland and out to Harpswell. Mackerel are the key and to give yourself an edge, add chum to your repertoire. Peter from Saco Bay Tackle is noted as a star among chum-churning circles and you’ll find his concoction in the shop. Drakes Island has been among the most consistent by boot and by boat.

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Maine!

New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast

Now that we’ve kicked the high pressure front to the curb, you can expect those 24-26” schoolies to return to form in the Piscatagua River. Surface feeds are par for the course in the Portland area with mackerel and pollock the preferred choice for bigger bass by Nubble Light. It’s not all stripers or bust however with groundfish a go on Jeffrey’s and a pretty impressive trout/salmon bite on Lake Winnipesaukee!