Massachusetts Fishing Report – April 21, 2022

Now that cod are off-limits, naturally, anglers can’t keep them off their lines! Haddock remain an alarming no-show in the usual southern haunts while anglers up north are wondering just what the fuss is all about! The Chu’ and the Q’ are offering unique cold-water species fishing and big black bass continue to cooperate!

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

I may be preaching to the choir but I’d say you swimbait guys are onto something! I have a hunch Steve Evans Fitchburg would agree after besting a 20-pound, 6-ounce lake trout at Wachusett Reservoir on a River2Sea S-Waver! Wow is that an impressive fish, in fact, unless I’m mistaken there has only officially been one bigger ever taken there and that was a 24-pounder caught by the late Mike Sienkiewicz! Obviously, there is something to the “big bait, big fish” theory! According to Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston the massive laker was caught off Gate 22. If you’ve never been to that spot in the Chu’ you really ought to check it out. The area is very unique with a rocky peninsula and a couple of gravelly coves. While I’ve only fished it a few times I’ve always caught well there! Lakers and salmon are coming up full of smelt and there has even been brown trout up to 5 pounds from the main reservoir. When they could catch a break from the wind, anglers fishing Quabbin Reservoir during its opening week landed salmon up to 6 pounds! Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange said that Fire Smelt streamers have been the hot offering: Rod ties those sought-after flies in the shop and they are nothing if not fish-catchers! As the name belies, the streamers are gaudy with plenty of orange in the mix. Anglers are catching rainbows by the launching areas and for shore guys looking for lakers Gate 35 has been good for fish between 2 and 5 pounds on shiners.

Fortunately, fantastic freshwater fishing is not the sole province of pristine environments such as our reservoirs. Rodney from Arlington Bait & Tackle told me of big largemouth up to 7 pounds which have been caught from Spy Pond along with the Mystic Lakes. When asked how anglers fishing for tiger muskie in the former faired over the winter, he said that fish up to 44” were caught! Some were worried that the established pike in that pond would make short work of the tiger fingerlings when they were stocked a few years ago but thankfully that was not the case!

Anglers fishing the Merrimack River continue to enjoy what is practically an embarrassment of riches! And with the appearance of shad and smallies stirring, if it is at all possible – it just might be getting even better! David from Merrimac Sports said that he’s been seeing pictures of shad up to 6 pounds with the best bite between the “dance studio” in North Andover and the Lawrence Dam. The shop has the red-hot flutter spoons which are standard issue for shad sleuths.

Shad are not the only “leapers” you’re likely to encounter in the Merrimack from as far upstream as you can imagine all the way to West Newbury this river is loaded with smallies, including some real slabs! Like other area rivers such as the Mystic and the Charles, the smallies here are dark and lack the vibrant barring of their kin in clearer water but they are no less impressive looking and full of fight! Pike remain a fixture and are also getting more active as water temperatures increase. As if such diversity isn’t enough in this amazing river, soon there will be a striped addition making the Merrimack one of the first spots on the north shore to catch a quality striped bass!

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

Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report

In the salt, the clock is ticking as to when the first wave of schoolies will arrive! According to Hunter Thayer who posted in last weeks column, fresh schoolies have already swam into the Three Bays! Pete Belsan, from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate, believes Scituate Harbor, Cohasset Harbor as well as the rivers from the South River up to the Weir River will be among the first! Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy has a hunch it’ll be the Weymouth Back River, Wollaston Beach by the Black Creek area as well as the mouth of the Neponset River. From Fishing FINatics in Everett came Pete’s picks, namely anywhere from Nantasket Roads through President Roads and into mouths of the Charles and Mystic Rivers. When esteemed charter captains Jason Colby and his Little Sister Charters along with Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing, cannot find Boston haddock than you know that they simply aren’t there. All is not lost however because both these aces have noses for groundfish and they are setting their sites up north from Tillies Ledge through Jeffrey’s Ledge. However, I did hear something interesting from Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle. She said that one regular of the shop reported that on a recent trip he finally found haddock moving closer to shore! Meanwhile, the million-dollar question is when will “they” arrive? Before things get hot and heavy Martha recommends that anglers embark on a little preemptive recon mission to the beach, especially the northern side. Winter storms have changed the face of the oceanfront dramatically! Check the place out on lower tides and you’ll see cuts, bars, depressions and other striper-holding structure which should you commit to memory will pay dividends on some new moon night this summer!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

The salt will soon go from near zero to one hundred once our striped crush returns with the “when?” guessing game in full swing! Meanwhile, our best brine bet is haddock from Tillies Ledge through Jeffrey’s Ledge. Trout stocking has peaked with tigers, brookies and browns joining the previously stocked rainbow trout in every section of our state! The report of the 20-pound 6-ounce laker caught out of Wachusett is just another reason why so many view this reservoir as the pinnacle of freshwater fishing in Massachusetts. Of course those who swoon over the Quabbin would disagree amid reports of 6-pound salmon and a hot shore-bound laker bite. And then there’s the Charles, Mystic and Merrimack River options which offer a dizzying array of gamesters to choose from. Soon there will be a seven-striped player to add to the mix and for many, it can’t come soon enough!