With mackerel in close now and with the appearance of pogies, you’d expect bigger bass and – you’d be right! That’s not to discount upstream areas especially those which hold river herring where you’ll find the bait and the bass!
New Hampshire Fishing Report
According to Captain Andy of Adventure and Catch Charters limits off haddock are available in the northern part of Jeffrey’s Ledge. The sweet spot seems to be 165’ of water with The Fingers area among the most consistent. So far, so good on the dogfish front so you can stick with bait with little fear. Regarding bait, mackerel have moved into York Ledge in a major way. There are also pogies in deep water by Boone Island. Coupled with herring by the Mudhole and The Flag and it’s a safe bet that when Charlie comes to town things are bound to be explosive. Regarding the “other” herring, river herring are still present in solid numbers in the tributaries of Great Bay and there are plenty of mid-30” bass which in low light will hit all manner of plugs.
From Captain Bob Weathersby of Seacoast NH Sportfishing came news that slot and over fish are heavy in the Piscataqua River, with fish in the Hampton River as well. Larger fish that followed the spawning herring up into Great Bay are dropping back, triggering some nice bites near the Navy yard. Stripers along the coast have turned on in recent days when the easterly wind warmed up the beach water.A huge school of mackerel has hung near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, making for a short livewell run. A colleague of the captain released a 47” bass taken on a spreader bar while tuna prospecting east of the Isles of Shoals.
Groundfishing is still stellar for haddock on Jeffreys. Bait is still the best option; water temps in the mid 50’s seem to be keeping dogfish numbers down, and blue sharks away. Bluefin are scattered but what’s encouraging is that there are mixed sizes of fish as opposed to the Jurassic Park stuff they saw last year.
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Cullen from Saco Bay Tackle Company said that right now there’s a little bit of everything for striped bass anglers with rivers as well as beaches producing. Drop-back river herring in the Saco River are resulting in some big fish closer to the mouth of the river. Beaches are fishing well with Scarborough Marsh, Higgins and Old Orchard among the highlights. For lures, the Albie Snax are among the more consistent while clams along the beaches are working well.
Captain Lou Tirado of Diamond Pass Outfitters said that there was a definite uptick in the bite in the Casco Bay areal last weekend over the previous week. With rivers still full of alewives they remain an inshore best bet for a quality bass. Brit herring are gathering at the mouths of many rivers making watersheds hot from nearly the tailwater to the mouth. Lou’s lucky lures have been the 7” Albie Snax and the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil. As for flies, the standbys are 5-7” hollow/baitish patterns tied with dumbbell eyes and guitar minnows. Conditions look ideal for a banner week ahead!
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New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
Whether good or bad, striper fishing always comes down to bait and if you find it you’ll find the fish. With river herring runs beginning to wane, fallback or dropback alewives/bluebacks are siting ducks at the mouths of the Oyster, Lamprey Rivers in Great Bay as well as by the Navy Yard at the mouth of the Piscatagua. With the inshore arrival of mackerel and a push of pogies into New Hampshire look for cow stripers which could be but a tide away. Meanwhile offshore haddock fishing remains good with bait still the best option.
Probably not the first to say this, but can these reports STOP listing specific beaches/locations? I mean isn’t that a golden rule of fishing? List a region, town, river, but leave out details. Let people learn on their own. My particular spot has been overrun (not to mention with very poor fish handling) since being mentioned twice this spring. I support reporting what bait is around and what lures are working… but you are ruining some true havens in your writings. Be better.