Trout in freshwater and tautog in the salt remain the top targets. Striped bass remain a plausibility even as numbers wane with the priority for many simply connecting with a linesider into the eleventh month.
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that mackerel are increasingly taking on the role of impostor. Blitzes that give hope and trigger anglers to reign casts towards the disturbance increasingly are the work of mackerel and not stripers. The macks on the attack are pounding peanut bunker and silversides. That the feeds are not the handiwork of linesiders does not seem to have much of an impact on kids who are having a blast catching them up in Scituate Harbor. With most boats out of action, anglers trailering their ride around are finding a few schools of feeding bass off South Shore beaches with 26-30” fish most prevalent. When I used to chase stripers in the November surf from the North Shore through the South Shore I often caught them as they seemed to stopover in Shifting Lots Preserve in Plymouth. Most South Shore angling attention however is focused on freshwater with effort evenly divided between stocked ponds and lakes and bass spots. While it’s no secret where trout have been stocked, some of the better bass bets are not so obvious. Among Pete’s picks are Parson’s Pond in Marshfield and Oldham Pond in Pembroke.
Two of the Bay State’s top charter captains are still at it as they chase tautog. Another similarity they share is both have adopted the practice of releasing females, especially the bigger breeders. Female tog can usually be spotted by their molted coloration and sloped head. Captain Brain Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is gift-wrapping an incredible season for a variety of species this week with a final few trips for tautog. Narragansett Bay had been his honey hole for the past few weeks but now the fish are transitioning to deeper water – 30-50’. While the venue has shifted the results remain the same – easy limits of fish up to 23”!
Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters has been targeting the same depths for tautog out of Westport. On a trip last Friday aboard the skipper’s contender I stuck with a 1 1/2 ounce Tidal Tails Jig’z the entire time and could’t count how many tog I caught including many “get the net” whitechins! There’s no quit with the captain as he intends on keeping his boat at the ready until the end of November! While we were focusing on tog there was a keeper cod taken aboard; a feat which is still allowed in Southern New England.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that sabiki rigs are selling briskly and more than just mackerel is the reason why. Some are swearing that they are catching snapper blues off the Nut Island Pier! That may seem incredulous but I distinctly remember Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem getting into a swarm of those pint-sized toothies in October last year. Anglers are also catching smelt and mackerel in Hewitts Cove. While fishing with my friend Captain Jason Colby aboard the Little Sister, I had the pleasure to fish/chat with four of the DMF staff, one of which was biologist Matt Ayer. What I was most interested in was his take on smelt populations. I referenced the Weymouth Fore River last March when thousands of smelt were jammed at an upstream dam looking to gain access to spawning habitat. Matt said that river is our last shining jewel for the species. Almost every other river has suffered and no longer has the environmental conditions necessary to support a healthy smelt spawn. Some of that is due to a denigration of the river substrate which has been silted over, but additional blame lies with communities which are increasingly draining from the water table. The lack of good old winters with snow that results in a gradual snow melt is a factor as well. The staggered thaw which comes with snow, as opposed to torrents from rainstorms, produces more sutiable ph levels resulting in higher recruitment for all anadromous species including smelt. That phenomenon is not all that different than what’s happening with striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay which has resulted in poor breeding levels for the sixth year in a row. As for stripers, a shop steady has been catching consistently with clams from the shore of Wessagusset Beach. There are a few linesider loonies out there who are excited about the new moon and looking to toss some eels. Many tides ago I spent Halloween evening catching stripers from the surf of Point Allerton. While the kiddies were trick or treating behind me I was beaching schoolies with a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil. As I walked past them in my waders clutching a spinning rod they must have wondered who the nut was with the weird costume!
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that Johnny “Plankton” Hoffman has been dragging Tuscano Santini tubes around Castle island and picking off stripers. A few fish can still be found at the mouths of the Charles and Mystic Rivers where they are reluctant to leave as herring fry (and shad in the Charles) continue to migrate into the harbor. Trout are the big deal in freshwater circles with anglers catching rainbows and occasionally browns in Horn Pond, Walden Pond, White Pond and Jamaica Pond. Timing is perfect if you’re looking for something to tempt a trout as Fishing FINatics is having a half-off sale on Power Bait paste! Don’t delay while the shop has a big selection.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me that one of his staff has been catching stripers right behind the shop on his lunch break; now that’s a job perk! There are still peanut bunker around along with mackerel moving in on the bait. However some of the bait schools are holding bass with anglers fishing the structure side of the bait balls finding the stripers while the mackerel are more likely encountered in open water. Salem Harbor through Salem Sound has some fish as does the Danvers River. Three inch paddletails have been the most productive.
TJ from Three Lantern Marine and Fishing told me that most of the remaining striper action is happening in harbors/rivers. As for Gloucester Harbor, he emphasized inside the breakwater. Anglers working clams from the shore are still finding fish by the Gloucester High School. The most reliable bite at the moment is mackerel inshore and pollock off Tillies Ledge and Jeffrey’s Ledge. When the pollock are found they are coming in hot and heavy! Getting into a steady big pollock bite has to be one of New England’s deep water treasures.
On Wednesday I had that conversation with the ladies of Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport that I dread each year – the one about “offseason hours”! We are at that juncture when a lack of fish and effort necessitates a reduced schedule. That reduced schedule applies to not only the shop but the refuge as well. Beginning November 3rd, the shop will be open on Saturday 8-5 and Sunday 8-3. Also beginning in November is the end of nighttime access to the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. A few fish have still been found off the surf as well as Plum Island Sound but increasingly efforts are resulting in diminishing returns. Perhaps the one bright spot has to do with the Parker River where there has been some buzz about salter white perch. At least one of the shop’s regulars has been catching them regularly. Shad darts, small jigs/soft plastics and of course bait – grass shrimp, seaworms and killifish – will all catch them.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Shawn from Merrimack Sports said that pike bait will be part of the order this week which is a sure indicator that the pike bite is picking up on the Merrimack River. Historically some of the more popular pike spots have been the Ward Hill section, Kimball Island, Stanley Island as well as where the Shawsheen and Spicket Rivers enter. There are however an infinite number of sloughs and small ponds which adjoin the main river and those spots are pike magnets, and with a little homework you should find a number of them. The Rocks Village area by the bridge is known for its shad run in the spring but that spot also holds some impressive largemouth bass as well as pike. Upstream areas of rivers which hold river herring/shad should be on your list as the diversity of life you’ll find there is truly unique. During a recent trip aboard my kayak in a Greater Boston River, I found a pile of fry and with them slab crappie, big sunnies and solid white perch. With an ultralight outfit spooled up with 4 pound line, this stuff is a hoot! A small jig/soft plastic worked slowly through the bait will catch most everything which is prowling there.
Rick from Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that Pratt’s Pond continues to give up solid trout action with both trollers and the shore guys getting in on the action. Wester Lake has been a winner for those who focus on the sunken islands for smallmouth bass. Jerk baits have been getting it done there. For largemouth bass, the Blackstone River is among the local best bets.
Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston said that salmon have moved into both the Quinapoxet and Stillwater Rivers. There have also been solid rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout catches in the tributaries. Smallmtouth bass are still a factor in close at Wachusett Reservoir while there are some signs that the lakers are transitioning from breeding to binging.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Never-say-die addicts for all things striper can still find them feeding on peanut bunker from the South Shore through the North Shore. While not tackle-testers something can be said for still catching bass as we enter November. When I used to chase late-inning linesiders, I commonly caught them off Shifting Lots Preserve, Cedar Point, Point Allerton, Yirrell Beach and Revere Beach. I’d play it simple with a few choice lures: a Magic Swimmer, Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil, an SP Minnow and maybe a loud popper such as a Shimano Orca popper. Some shops are still hanging onto eels as a few long for a New Moon night bite. Should you have a boat at the ready the tautog bite in Buzzards Bay is a Bay State best bet for the salt. Those wrenching in hard-pulling pollock from offshore ledges may differ however. Trout are tops for most pursuing freshwater species, although for those picking up pike bait, stocked trout could be considered baitfish!