Massachusetts Fishing Report- May 2, 2024

Hopefully you got your freshwater fix in, because I have a hunch you’re going to be doing far less of it now! The striper tsunami has struck the Bay State with reports of fresh fish all the way into the North Shore. Tautog are terrorizing inshore crustaceans; there is talk of flounder limits and the haddock fishing up north is hot!

I’m just begging to be smacked down here but I’m going to try and draw a parallel between striped bass and grackles. Stripers, just like those pushy, noisy blackbirds do not subtly trickle into an area but rather they shove in with force and purpose and almost overnight it seems they are everywhere! As I talked to my friends and contacts from south to north it became pretty apparent that everyone had tales to tell of fresh striped bass. Heck I even heard to them in the Connecticut River miles upstream of the ocean!

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

While on a cod and tog trip aboard the Little Sister on Tuesday in Buzzards Bay we kept spotting terns wheeling, diving and plucking unforeseen prey off the surface of the water. We could’t help but wonder if small forage was being pushed by a school of striped bass! Further speculation came from the appearance of gulls also worked up into a frenzy. Could it be? Later I would realize that the same question was being asked from Manomet to Magnolia and for those who were targeting them the answer was – yes!

The outing was far from just a pondering session as we tallied tautog, cod, red hake and black sea bass. As appealing as the plethora of species which swim along the South Coast are, Captain Jason Colby will be taking a month-long break to target what he really has fun fishing for – flounder! The skipper said that he already has word of limits of “blackbacks” being achieved on fish of up to 3 pounds in Cape Cod Bay.

By next week, we’ll have a fresh flounder report as he sails out of Sesuit Harbor.

Pete Belsan said that the first wave of striped bass to hit the South Shore is a doozy with many of the fish very respectable slot-sized stripers. While random blitzes are popping up from the Three Bays into Cohasset, the rivers which hold herring runs have the most consistent action. The North River has been especially hot with white paddletails, bucktails and stickballs all working well. Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish out of Scituate also confirmed that the North River was loaded with good sized stripers. There’s even news of some tuna cruising in east of the bank.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing could use a clone: in rapid succession he sent me pics of Buzzards Bay slots and Boston slots. After the second shots I failed to notice the background while congratulating him on more of the “other guys” fish until he said, “Did you see where that fish was caught?”! Voila, I took another peak and realized it was in the good old Harbor – hooray they are here! He passed along an interesting observation that might help you choose the “right” surface feed. If given a choice pick a blitz where there are big birdies involved and your hook up ratio may be better. When those cute little terns are chirping away and dive-bombing bait the bass below often get so focused on small forage they’ll ignore larger wares. Should you spot gulls and cormorants involved in the melee then odds are that the bait is either river or sea herring at this point in the season. Not only is that “hatch” more easily matched but the behavior of the striped bass is different as the speedy, more evasive herring require more effort to dispatch! It’s simple logic but something worth paying attention to. The captain’s deploying Doc spooks, modified Jumpin’ Minnows, and several lures from Al Gag’s arsenal. Brian will be bouncing his Jones Brothers CC back and forth between BB and Boston depending on the bite and the wishes of the patrons: book him quickly, he’s running out of openings!

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy echoed what other’s are saying – striped bass are back! Herring runs will always be an early season draw so it’s no surprise that schoolie to slot-sized stripers have wound their way upstream of the Weymouth Back River with some fish even reported by the “Osprey Overlook” near Jackson Square. The first volley of stripers are good ones with the 2015 year class well represented. Surface feeds are increasingly becoming common with many being spotted from Hull through Quincy Bay and deeper into the harbor.

For generations, come May a “young” or young-at-heart angler’s fancy in these parts turned to – flounder! Regarding fatties, Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett reminded me that in little more than a week it will be once again “Zobo Time”, in that the annual Zobo Flounder Tournament will take place. The weigh in, award ceremony and buffet will happen at JJ Grimsby’s at One Lynn Fells Parkway in Stoneham. This event is the antithesis of a pressure-filled, high stakes tournament as everyone from a boat full of kids to tuna-taming sport fishers participate. As to the subject of all that attention, flounder are being caught with regularity off Deer Island Flats, Peddock Island, Rainsford Island and Lynn Harbor. Stripers have been blitzing throughout the harbor with the herring-rich Charles and Mystic Rivers hotspots.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem is just about done talking trout as anglers up there are training their sites on freshly arrived striped bass! Marblehead Harbor, Salem Sound and Beverly Harbor have fish and there’s even reports from as far north as Magnolia! While the warmer water/bait in estuaries and rivers will always be early season magnets never discount a shallow beach even this early. Back during the river herring hysteria days when we were allowed to live-line that striper snack we would find remarkably large fish in shallow beaches in the first week of May. Later I would meet folks who would tell me they would see us in the still chilly surf and think we were nuts to try it so early. Back then we were stealthy enough to hide our success.

As cool as it is for Cape Ann to have stripers now, the bigger news just might be the ground fishing. Jeffrey’s Ledge is jammed with big haddock with limits and 7+ pound fish talked about with regularity! With no dogs on the prowl, save a few porbeagles, clams are the bait of choice. A few cusk and an occasional pollock are rounding out the catch. As for stripers, some feeds are popping up in Manchester Harbor and Gloucester Harbor, while river watchers are reporting fish in the Essex, Annisquam and Little Rivers. There are no mackerel reports as of yet.

Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that a least one schooiie has been caught from the ocean front with landings from Plum Island Sound and the Merrimack River imminent. Circle the outgoing tide at the mouth of the Merrimack River as one of the north shore’s early season best bets for a banner morning. Shad insanity is in full swing with the action largely confined between the Lawrence dam and the Route 495 Bridge in North Andover.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

A striped bass report in the Freshwater segment of this report, huh? That is the case according to Josh from The Fishing Hole in South Hadley as both fresh stripers and shad have arrived in large numbers well upstream in the Connecticut River. What was more eye-opening to hear from a “freshwater” shop is that the fish are up to 40” long! The fish are energized from chasing herring and are even taking down plugs such as pencil poppers. For more expected quarry in the western part of the state, jerk baits are accounting for a sizzling hot river smallie bite in the Housatonic River.

According to Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston post-spawn smelt have now moved out from the shallows making the forktail find more challenging than a few weeks ago. Smallie action however has notched up a bit as they are in pre-spawn and feeding mode. You still can never dismiss the wonder of Wachusett Reservoir. My buddy. Rick Holbrook and I were out the other day and Rick put on a clinic as he found fish everywhere he went! What worked for him was a 1/2 ounce blue/chrome Kastmaster which he “double pumped” on the way in. The fish were far-out making a rod such as the GLoomis E6X Salmon/Steelhead #1025 a real advantage. I’ve been using the same rod for decades and while it’s not cheap, it is in my opinion the ultimate Wachusett weapon. Rick also landed a 24” salmon that put on a drag-pulling aerial display which reminded us why many consider the landlocked salmon the king of New England freshwater species.

Regarding those patrician fish, Gerry from Crack of Dawn Bait in Phillipston told me that salmon and lakers are robust this year owing to a healthy smelt forage base. While in some years shore anglers do especially well on lakers the fish seem to be more concentrated beyond casing range giving boaters a distinct edge. This might simply be because post-spawn smelt have moved away from the shoreline. The better reports continue to come in from Gate 31. Another option worth considering is walleye from the Barton Cove/Turner Falls area; there have been fish taken there big enough to impress Canadian anglers.

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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

The striper surge is on full display in the Three Bays as schoolie to slot specimens pick off sea herring, river herring and silversides. Herring runs such as the Town River and North River will hold bigger bass as the bait is larger and more ample. Surface feeds are now a factor closer to the Hub from Hull through Quincy Bay and out towards the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Shallow beaches, especially in late afternoon after a sunny day will be holding some of the bigger bass as they migrate northward. For some up north there is no reason to wait and fish have been found from Marblehead to Magnolia. Schoolies have also been taken by surfcasters working the suds of Plum Island. The alternative in Cape Ann is a quick shove off towards Jeffrey’s Ledge where the haddock fishing is hot! Another groundfishing option is flounder fishing which is picking up off of Sesuit and Boston Harbor. Should your home court be the western part of the state there is no need to be flummoxed from afar as some of the biggest bass of the young season have been caught well upstream in the Connecticut River. Of course you have no shortage of sweetwater options out west with Wachusett and Quabbin smallies, lakers and salmon taking center stage.