From the Massachusetts border all the way to Cape Elisabeth, mackerel are still the driving force behind angling activity in coastal New Hampshire and Maine. Schoolie and slot-sized bass are readily available for daytime anglers around the river mouths, while nighttime surf fishermen have been scoring stripers to 40” along the Maine coastline.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Primarily, Captain Andy at Adventure and Catch Charters out of Newington NH has been focused on fish around the mouths of the Merrimack and the Piscataqua rivers on both sides of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border. He has found an excellent bite on the outgoing tides especially, with fish exiting the river systems eager to feed on mackerel. Most of the striped bass that Captain Andy and his clients have caught have been between 25” and 31” on live mackerel.
It is reasonable to assume that these river fish are also very accessible for the shore-based surfcaster; minnow-style swimmers and pencil poppers would be perfect plugs to cast to stripers on mackerel at first or last light. Boat-based anglers may be better off trolling diving swimmers, or livelining mackerel on circle hooks in front of feeding pods of fish.
Captain Andy has seen and heard of much larger fish, some as large as 50”, on pogie schools. These pogie schools have been difficult to find, especially when anglers must contend with boat traffic in the river channels and strong winds that hinder visibility. If the determined angler can find these schools of protein rich, oily menhaden, their availability should indicate the presence of big, hungry bass that far exceed the slot limit.
Andy also mentioned an amazing Haddock bite on the lower portion of Jefferies Ledge. These Haddock have been eager to scarf down chunked herring and mackerel, and they should be just as inclined to take hooks baited with squid as well. Tomorrow, Captain Andy will be headed offshore for tuna. He anticipates strong, consistent offshore tuna action that will kick off within the next few weeks, and looks forward to sharing how his trip went in next weeks’ report.
Seacoast NH Sportfishing has been consistently finding inshore striped bass into the low 40″ range, making it more difficult to hit the slot range on some trips. But the release photos are all smiles!
Mackerel seem to be everywhere, from the nearshore ledges to the Isles of Shoals to the offshore ledges. Large bass are blitzing the mackerel around the Shoals on some mornings, as are rec-sized bluefin.
On the ledges haddock are still solid, although not the trophy sized fish of a month ago. Cusk and jumbo whiting mixed in. Dogfish numbers are climbing steadily.
Bluefin on the ledges have not really turned on yet. Fish are being marked, but not a lot of bites so far. Enormous amounts of bait bode well.
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Brandy at Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard in Wells, Maine said that she and her customers had experienced a strong bite from the beaches in the past week. Much like in New Hampshire, Mackerel have been the predominant baitfish. She mentioned that finding structure in the surf has been less-important than finding bait. Chunk macs have been the offering of choice for surfcasters unwilling to toss artificials, however, chrome SP Minnows® and topwater walk-the-dog style plugs have produced for anglers willing to work lures. One young angler fishing from a dock behind their shop caught a keeper sized bass on a fresh tinker mackerel fished whole in the afternoon sun! Despite this unique daytime catch, Maine shore-based anglers have been catching fish to 40” and above well after dark, when stripers and anglers alike are able to avoid the scorching rays of the sun and seek their prey under the cover of darkness.
Due to inland storms affecting the major river systems such as the York and Saco rivers, Brandy recommended that anglers pass over their cloudy waters to fish the open beach front, or focus on smaller, less-stained rivers. Despite this, the flounder bite in and around the Ogunquit river has been strong for anglers focused on bottom species without stripes. Speaking of other species, Bluefin Tuna activity in Maine waters has been hit or miss, with Tuna activity being dependent on the movements and availability of mackerel.
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New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
With calm conditions forecasted up until Sunday evening, it looks as if coastal New Hampshire and Maine will be spared the strong wind that southern New England will experience over the course of the next week or so. This should give weekend boat anglers a good shot at any species they would like to target, from the ubiquitous striped bass along the shorelines, to offshore tuna, to haddock and flounder on the bottom.
Surf anglers should be geared up to go as well. The full moon on Thursday will bring about strong tides, and hopefully a strong push of striped bass willing to take chunk bait or artificial lures. It would be well-advised to pack one’s plug bag with an arsenal of minnow-style swimmers and topwater plugs that will tend to produce if you plan on arriving at the coastline prior to sunset, or staying through the night shift for a shot at sunrise action.