Massachusetts Fishing Report – April 6, 2023

The opening day salvo has been shot and many anglers hit their target! Foremost on that list have been haddock, cod, lake trout and the always unexpected quarry. As for a certain seven-striped favorite, we’ll have to wait a few more weeks – or do we?

Massachusetts South Shore/South Coast Fishing Report

It could be asked, “if no one is fishing for them are there any groundfish out there?” April 1st may have been the opening day for cod and haddock but timing is hardly fortuitous for the small boat angler. The weather this time of the year is notoriously fickle and almost no-one dumps in their ride this early. While it’s a nice gesture of the regulators to give recreational anglers an opportunity to fish for/keep a cod in spring, couldn’t they have decided on a more sensible two weeks than the first couple in April? I’d like to have seen them advance the period by a month and make the first two in May an open period for cod. The advantages of this would be two fold: many more anglers would have their boats available to take advantage of the opportunity and it would take significant heat off the first wave of schoolies which arrive around then. Fishery managers grapple with how to reduce recreational mortality of striped bass and with cod so close, I bet many would focus on cod and give those young bass a break! Fortunately there is better intel on groundfish out of Boston and the North Shore which will be covered in a bit.

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me that anglers are loving the continually stocked trout from Hull through Plymouth. If you’re finding Long and LIttle a little overcrowded consider moving a bit further onto the Cape. A buddy of mine who lives down there has told me that despite the diversity, volume and size of some of the trout that are being stocked in cape ponds he’s seeing very few other anglers! Pete’s picks for local brook trout is the Indian Head River while for rainbows Parson’s Pond, Tack Factory Pond and Norris Reservation Pond.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is back in the bass game! As April wanes the question of whether the fish are harbor holdovers or migrants becomes increasingly fuzzy, but as long as you’re catching striped bass, who really cares? It always comes down to bait, and with burgeoning herring runs in many rivers, a segment of the striper biomass will not leave. While Captain Brian only managed schoolies he did have a large fish come unbuttoned. The skipper told me that he marked incoming river herring where the harbor splits between the Charles and Mystic Rivers. He also marked much larger fish shadowing the alewife schools which in all probability were a harbor holdover welcoming committee! As for groundfish he’s hearing of a few haddock north of Stellwagen while cod up to 20 pounds are no problem at Southern Jeffrey’s.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy did have a hardcore haddock/cod guy head outside of the harbor and he did manage a few small cod, some very attractive sculpins, a whiting but no haddock. He stuck to within 4 miles of the B Buoy and he did say that the draggers were at it big time.

According to Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett anglers aboard the American Classic out of Lynn fared better with word of cod, haddock, redfish and cusk being caught.

Freshwater anglers breaking out the big shiners and Kelly worms have been catching pre-spawn largemouth at Breakheart Reservation and Spy Pond. With the latter there is always the ever-present possibility of hooking a pike or a tiger muskie. Holdover stripers are stirring with the section of the Charles River between the Longfellow Bridge and the Hotel Sonesta hot. Storm Wildeye Shads have been effective. The list for trout is long with the Ipswich River, Jamaica Pond, Walden and White among the more promising with Power Eggs among the most effective offerings. If you’re looking for an additional bait source and increasingly having trouble with so few shops left in the game, Rounds Hardware in Stoneham is carrying small/medium/large shiners as well as worms/grubs. I spoke to Bruce Round and he’s enthusiastic about expanding the store’s fishing footprint.

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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Finally there is some encouraging inshore news on groundfish! Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that small boat anglers and even a few daring kayakers have been finding keeper cod not far from shore on the North Shore. Dread Ledge may be a spot to consider as well as off Castle Rock, Kettle Island and Magnolia. Folly Cove in Rockport is worth a try as well.

Matt from Three Lantern Marine said that anglers are warming up for the salt by taking in a little trout action at Stiles, Baldpate, Pleasant Pond and Sluice Pond. The combination of a season in its infancy, along with less than accommodating weather, has limited reports with the exception of anglers aboard the Yankee Fleet enjoying themselves with a mixture of groundfish.

The folks at Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport tell me that while the wait is on for stripers more imminent are river run species such as shad and white perch! Shad of course migrate up the Merrimack River while the Parker River is the pick locally for perch. If you don’t mind a farther ride, the Essex and Squamscott Rivers in Great Bay harbor offer a more prolific white perch run than most anything the Bay State has to offer. Seaworms along with grass shrimp and mummichogs are premier baits for the white perch with worms now being carried at Surfland for the season.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

While the intent on my hour-long drive along with a pre-dawn mile and a half dash through the woods of Wachusett was not an 18” Larry, I gladly accepted the surprise on Tuesday! The more expected species weren’t as cooperative as I had several hits and spits but did manage a 4 or 5-pound laker, which came unbuttoned a rod’s length away. What was neat was the shoal of smelt that I heard before I saw in still dark conditions. The bubbling sound from the tightly packed school tipped me off what they were. Once it was lighter I could see that the smelt set up just to the right of me and before long attracted some unforeseen gamesters which began pushing them to the surface. I did manage a handful of casts with an Acme green/chartreuse KO Spoon, the same lure I caught the Larry with, right in the middle of the ruckus but failed to get a rise. Later a DCR Ranger stopped by and his impromptu creel surveys showed that the bite was spread out evenly throughout the reservoir with no hotspot to speak of. While we were on the subject of Larrys and other warm water species in such a noted cold water fishery he mentioned the burgeoning black crappie fishery in the Chu’. All the more interesting was when the ranger spread out his hands to indicate that the crappie were real slabs. The Causeway out through Thomas Basin is where you can find those crappie. Typical of big fish, they are fussy but probably less so if anglers downsize to 4-pound fluorocarbon, tie on a TTI Blakemore Road Runner and stick to dusk and dawn. Crappie are nocturnal hunters and even more so when slab-sized. More good news from the ranger was that finally, authorities are moving forward with the removal of the Quinapoxet Dam. Part of the project will include two fishways to allow upstream movement for spawning salmon and trout. Regarding those trout, breeder rainbow trout have been observed attempting to navigate the dam upstream to spawn! The 30 miles of increased breeding habitat that this overture will free up, will be a huge shot in the arm for this blue ribbon cold water fishery.

Rodney Flagg of Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange told me that anglers who are willing to downsize their flies to as tiny as a size 30 emerger pattern are having their way with nice rainbow trout in the Y Pool of the Swift River. While the Miller River is still too high to fish anglers fishing the Connecticut River are doing fine with catfish. It’s not unusual to catch dozens of 15/16” cats in an outing with deep holes near bridges fishing best with the French King Bridge tops.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

At least one of the opening days lived up to expectations with smelt-fueled lakers and rainbows cooperating throughout the Chu’. Unexpected quarry such as slab crappie as well as impressive bass round out this place as something truly special. The Swift River reports are favorable for rainbows but the fish are pressured which rewards those willing to downsize to micro patterns. The polar opposite of that just might be the cats that prowl the Connecticut River and are fond of feeding on chicken entrails among other “interesting” baits. Saltwater results remain a work in progress but with Harbor holdovers beginning to cooperate and cod cruising just offshore of the North Shore, it’s only going to get better!