Massachusetts Fishing Report – November 10, 2022

The offseason isn’t what it used to be! Years ago I recall catching a particularly nice striper at night in mid-November just after the Fishing Forecast was emailed out to the readers. That feat was especially timely since my column read like a dirge since I reluctantly had to report that I hadn’t heard of a single striped bass caught during the entire week. Pumped to the max after catching that drag-puller, I roused the editor and pleaded for a quick update to the report complete with the account of the fish and picture as I couldn’t wait to alert the community not to give up! Alas, I had proof that our beloved bass were still in residence! Nowadays however, when I hear of stripers being caught, I almost feel like shrugging my shoulders and letting out a “meh”. Yes indeed the offseason is not what it used to be!

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report

“Still going strong!”, was the comment from Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate when we spoke about the state of South Shore stripers! The balmy fall weather along with unseasonably warm water temperatures has been the impetus for more anglers to remain in the game than usual for November. In addition to suitable water temperatures small bait – river herring fry and peanut bunker – have put some stripers in a holding (and feeding) pattern. Estuaries and rivers that harbor herring runs remain the most reliable linesider locations thanks to fry that in some capacity will continue to migrate into the sea until December. Until the mercury dips considerably, bass will be reluctant to leave all that feed with some foregoing the migration completely: witness holdovers. Other forage keeping the bass in check is peanut bunker which are still migrating from points north. All this good stuff is due to change quickly with the first sustained cold snap. Meanwhile – enjoy! Sound plans always have a backup plan so for that Pete suggests crappie and largemouth bass from Lilly Pond in Cohasset and Scituate Reservoir. Aaron River Reservoir gets the nod for a possible hawg and for trout Long Pond for not only rainbows but a shot at a trophy brown. The smattering of cranberry bogs along the South Shore often hold impressive pickerel and the action that they bring is just the thing for a reacquaintance with sweetwater.
 

November seas in Buzzards Bay can be nasty and so was the disposition of the normally jocular Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters when we spoke on Thursday. After a banner blackfish day on Wednesday, the kicked-up swells on Thursday left the skipper battling to hover over what he knew was a hotspot for tautog, but to no avail. Six to eight-foot waves will do that to you every time! There’s no frustration quite like knowing where the fish are but you can’t hold the spot due to the washing machine. Once we get past the storm of this weekend expect the white chins to have the feedbag firmly in place! The crew has also been catching cod!

Greater Boston Fishing Report

I have news from a North Shore shop of anglers catching smelt at Crystal Cove in Winthrop! I did not get a handle on specifics, but if anywhere was to give up some smelt that would be the place since they eventually wind their way into the Belle Isle Marsh to spawn.

Dovetailing nicely with that is the news from Lisa of Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy that the shop is still carrying seaworms and is expected to continue to do so.

I also heard from Denise of Fishing FINatics in Everett and they are planning on keeping the whole range of bait in stock also.

Squid have made an unexpected fall foray into Quincy Bay/Boston Harbor with Hospital Shoals a hot spot. Beaches hold random blitzes, but for consistency, rivers and nearby water are the best bet. The Weir River/World’s End area has been good for schoolie to small slot stripers. That place sometimes holds far bigger. One frosty morning in November I was tossing eels from the rocky outer lip of World’s End when what looked to be a upper 30″ bass followed my eel in lazily but never took the bait. The bass meandered off, leaving me knowing that had it been dark I most likely would have hooked that fish.

Webb Park has been a winner and anglers driving around looking for bird shows are finding schoolie-on-peanut blitzes off area beaches. Regarding bass/beach activity, Steve DeVincent of Saugus had a “three-peat” weekend in the Revere through Winthrop area finding stripers up to 35” and didn’t get skunked once! He did stack the odds in his favor however by fishing at night and using Magic Swimmers and Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish!

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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me that the Commercial Street Pier in Marblehead Harbor is giving up a hat trick of species with schoolies, mackerel and squid all for the taking! With that combination of species, the predation must look like a page out of the Nat Geo channel. Nahant has schoolies, mackerel and harbor pollock in close to the crags. It wouldn’t hurt to try live lining one of those pollock for that errant cow which could be lagging behind the rest of the run. I’ve livelined pollock there and even caught a big cod surprise!

TJ from Three Lantern Marine told me that lobstermen, when making their rounds, are still seeing surface feeding stripers from Magnolia through Ipswich Bay and a few of the guys are taking Busman’s breaks and catching stripers in between hauling in their traps! Mackerel and harbor pollock are a common catch for anglers working Sabiki rigs off the Dogbar Breakwater. One of these weeks I’m hoping to hear of a few smelt but nothing so far.

Sadly I couldn’t reach the ladies at Surfland this week, such is the reality of November as increasingly shops limit hours of operation. With mid-50degree water temperatures and plenty of bait, I’d be surprised if there weren’t stripers swimming off the Plum Island surf.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

My buddy Steve Langton had a crappy day recently and boy was I glad to hear of it! It’s not that I wished any ill will on my friend but he was actually hoping to have a – crappie – day, and did he ever! The fry from the Charles and Mystic Rivers herring runs are still in abundance, and in both rivers where you find the fry, you’ll find crappie, white perch, largemouth bass and occasionally smallmouth bass. Be sure to search out the edge of weedbeds. As the weeds die back, all kinds of prey are exposed. Steve has his Hobie Outback equipped with Humminbird side scan sonar. He simply marks the fish and drops a small jighead/soft plastic over their heads which they can’t resist. Captain Carl “Carpo” Vinning covering much of that same water from the shore at dawn has been having his way with white perch some of which are absolute slabs! He’s using a bobber/light jig combo and it is deadly! His tip is to be on the water by first light and off once the area you are fishing is sun-drenched. You may find yourself distracted while fishing for these panfish with double-digit carp breaching and even the occasional striper belting blueback herring!

A few pals and I took a trip on Tuesday to the Chu’ on Tuesday, just as the high pressure and vicious northwest winds were setting up, – never an auspicious combination! As if the odds weren’t already stacked against us, the only bait Eddie of BB&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston had at the time was pike shiners, and the last I checked, there were no pike in the reservoir. In spite of my upsizing the hook size to 2/0 I couldn’t get the hook to gain purchase through that massive bait during the handful of runs we had. A word to the wise, buy your large shiners early! Should you do the Chu also make sure you’re wearing a dose of orange or other bright coloration since this year you’ll be sharing the woods with deer hunters. Regardless of what you catch or don’t catch at Wachusett, just gazing out at that place makes it all worthwhile! If that’s not enough, right now there is the rarified opportunity to catch smallmouth bass, white perch, salmon, rainbows and lake trout.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

For a striped bass best bet during the final leg of the run, focus on the mouth of river herring runs. Significant rain is expected which should sweep much of the young-of-the-year offspring from upstream areas to the sea and stripers will be waiting! Tailwater areas of herring runs, as well as other freshwater sections of the runs, should not be ignored as they are prime locations to find premier panfishing for everything from crappie, to white perch, to black bass. As November progresses, anglers are beginning to switch their endevors to sweetwater with trout the top target in Little Pond in Plymouth, Jamaica Pond as well as Walden and White Pond. There has been some whispering about Winthrop smelt, which I have an eye on. I’m expecting to give it a try next week! There are less than three weeks left to the season for Wachusett Reservoir with most everything in this blue ribbon cold water fishery cooperating from lakers to salmon to white perch to smallmouth bass!