Fishing reports this week weren’t all that different from a picked-over turkey – pretty bare bones! Tog continue on a crab-crunching chew among inshore structure while a mixture of inshore groundfish have settled in just outside of Boston. Freshwater offers the most options with interest divided between bass, trout and panfiish.
Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report
If you’ve been aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister lately you may have heard Taps playing on the radio. After a marathon of a season which began with cod and.tog in April it’s only fitting that the captain ends it the same way. There were plenty of twists and turns along the way including a catch list which reads like a “who’s who” of what swims in the Bay State. As of Monday, Buzzards Bay blackfish and brown bombers get a stay of execution because the skipper is pulling his ride that day. Tautog will still be available until well into December and a relatively short ride from the Westport River should you have the means and the desire to go it on your own.
It has been quite a while since demand for grass shrimp outstripped supply, but that has been the case at Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy according to Lisa Dean. The hundred or so gills that were flash-frozen and put in the freezer at the shop were gone lickety-split. The worst of it is that the shop will close at least temporarily beginning Sunday. While grass shrimp to smelt is like an eel to a striper, they can be duped by a bare bones sabiki rig. I’ve had times when a plain old sabiki has kept up with a friend’s baited sabiki. Regardless, the bite remains good and the action widespread. In addition to the A Street Pier, the Hull Public Pier, the Hingham Harbor Pier and Hewits Cove there’s word of good action at Marina Bay as well as off the Black Falcon cruise ship dock. In addition to smelt, mackerel have been prevalent as has whiting.
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that Captain Riccardo Buzzanga has found an eclectic miix of fish in the Graves Light area. He’s been hauling in pollock to 24”, mud hake, whiting, sea perch and catch-and-release cod. Walden Pond has been producing some nice rainbows on Power Bait and bigger browns on crawlers. As for a Black Friday sale that even an angler could get excited about, there will be 50% off every lure in the shop from 10-2 this Friday!
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Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that anglers working sabiki rigs off most any North Shore pier from Fisherman’s Beach in Swampscott to the Commercial Street Pier in Marblehead to the Beverly Pier and out to Salem Willows stand a good chance of finding something willing to hit. While mackerel are the obvious choice, tommycod, sea herring, squid and whiting are possibilities. The flip side of that is prorbeagles and giant bluefin tuna which are on a tear on Stellwagen Bank right now.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
According to Eric from Lunkers in Ashland, bass have been the draw in Fairhaven Bay, Dug Pond, Lake Cochituate and South End Pond. As for trout, Power Bait has been the best choice for rainbows in Ashland Reservoir. Other than that things have been very quiet.
Rick from Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that brown trout from Big Alum Pond have been cooperating and rainbows continue to be caught in Pratt Pond. For bass anglers fishing the A-1 Site, Singletary Pond and Webster Lake have been having luck with lively shiners the surest way to catching them.
Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that the Quinapoxet River dam has been removed and water is now free-flowing from upstream areas which is drawing rainbow trout into the river. The salmon spawn is now over in the Stillwater making the Thomas Basin, the Causeway and out to the Power Lines prime spots to intercept famished landlocked salmon looking to feed. Wachusett Reservoir is exceptionally low making for great access to all of the shoreline. Some of the more productive shoreline for lakers and smallies has been off Gates 13, 19 and 22. Those Wachusett signature purplish-hued rainbows have been cruising at the edge of the drop-offs and are prone to being taken on Power Bait. There’s a bumper crop of yellow perch fry this year and where you find them you’ll find lake trout and smallmouth bass.
Joe from Granby’s Bait said that smallies are offering up good action at Ludlow Reservoir. As much as folks are eyeing the Thanksgiving dinner they are eyeing next week’s frosty forecast which should begin the process of skimming over higher elevation ponds in the Berkshires!
Shawn from Merrimack Sports said that Manning Lake across the border into New Hampshire has been hot for brown trout with small shiners accounting for good fish. The inlets/ponds/tributaries of the Merrimack have an uptick in bass and pike thanks to the recent rains. The shop is carrying just the right size shiners for those species.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
The bump in smelt numbers continues with a number of piers from Hull through South Boston all reportedly holding fish. What’s all the more remarkable is that most of these places are featuring a day bite for what has historically been a nighttime pastime. Ashland Reservoir still has a few rainbows swimming around as does Walden with the added benefit of brown trout. Brown trout have also been big news at Big Alum Pond and Manning Pond in New Hampshire. Recent rains seem to have also triggered a better black bass bite with the Ludlow Reservoir and Singletary Pond good places to consider. Have a great Thanksgiving folks!