Coastal New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report- July 6, 2023

It all comes down to bait and between pogy pods and schools of mackerel there is no shortage of forage for bass and bluefin! Offshore, the groundfish bite is challenging while tuna-on-a-tear are filling the void!

New Hampshire Fishing Report

From Captain Bob Weathersby of Seacoast NH Sportfishing came word that now that the storms have relented striped bass action has resumed. The hot spot for the magnum bass continues to be in the Isles of Shoals area where the cows are pushing mackerel. There are also tuna mixing it up with the bass or maybe more appropriately, and to the chagrin of the captain, bass mixing it up with the tuna! Packs of roving bass have even been observed in the deep water near Boone Island. On the offshore ledges bluefin are present but the large tides and hordes of sharks have made things interesting. With plenty of mackerel available some are trolling the along the coastlines of Salisbury and Seabrook. Another option to consider with macks is to toss dead or live specimens in tight to rockpiles off beaches. Anglers drifting throughout the Piscatqua River should also find the going productive with mackerel on the line. Two spots I’d consider are Little Bay and Pierce Island.

Southern Maine Fishing Report

Brandy from Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard told me of a blistering big bass bite that lasted 3 days near Bibb Rock which is off Moody Point. The frenzied 40” plus fish were pushing mackerel sometimes right onto the rocks! It was easy fishing with anglers dropping a sabiki, loading up on macks and then catching impressive striped bass! A similar occurrence happened off Drakes Island where in one instance a 40” bass beached itself. Fortunately for that fish there were two father/son good samaritans nearby who took the bass, rinsed the sand from it’s flanks, vented it properly and watched it swim away! Karma such as that will surely pay off for those two harbingers of good will! While no blues have been landed, there have been several bite-offs which is surely their handiwork. The tube-and-worm have been working in the Saco River and there are reports of a good bass bite off Kennebunk and Mothers Beach.

In the unusual category are reports of hickory shad and even scup and black sea bass – no kidding!

Captain Lou Tirado of Diamond Pass Outfitters said that in spite of the inclement weather, stripers have been cooperative in the rivers with topwater feeds and Zoom Super Flukes fishing well. While the fake stuff is working well at low light, it takes a herring or mack snack to dupe them during daylight. The Royal River has been rocking and there are even schools of pogies milling around with bass and occasionally bluefin busting on the bait!

Captain Paul Hood of Touch of Gray Fishing Charters said that he’s planning on focusing on Platt’s Ledge where he expects the haddock to be larger even if not as numerous as Jeffrey’s Ledge. The skipper also expects to catch cusk and pollock there as well. Captain Paul really shakes up his offerings to give the groundfish a different look including slow pitch jigs as well as gummy worm teasers. His mantra just could be “whatever it takes!”.

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New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast

Easy pickings mackerel acquisition in the Isles of Shoals, as well as by Boone Island, is making things a lot easier to find big bass and bluefin in the area. Other spots worth mentioning are Moody Point in Maine as well as Drakes Island where bass binging on bunker have even beached themselves. Bluefish have been responsible for occasional bite-offs but few if any have been caught. With water temperatures rising, anglers can continue to expect the unexpected such as hickory shad, black sea bass and – dare I say – scup!