Striped bass are beginning to trickle into Massbay with the South Shore the first to be blessed by the Northeast’s favorite fish. The first mackerel reports are a harbinger of bigger bass yet to come while the flounder feeding window is ever-widening. The groundfish game has really taken off with redfish, haddock and cod part of the catch. Freshwater fishing remains a fantastic option with angler’s hooking trout and big bass not ready to abandon sweetwater just yet!
Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report
Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters first saltwater trips out of Westport were stellar outings with cooperative cod up to 28” and terrific tog fishing. He’s fishing a spot that he refers to as The Trench as it’s characteristics are that of a 110’ deep old riverbed furrowed into 80-90’ of adjacent bottom. What makes The Trench so special is that it is fraught with bait/fish-holding structure such as wrecks and rocks. Because of the blackfish and brown bomber potential the crew is employing a top and bottom rig with crab bait on the bottom for tog with a lump of clam on the top hook for cod. On a recent outing three guys boated 30 cod and 7 tautog. It’s a toss up as to who/what got the bigger workout – the guys hauling the fish in or their vacuum sealers once they got home!
Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that the first 18” seven-striped scouts have arrived with the Powder Point Bridge section of Sudbury and the South and North Rivers among the first to get the schoolies. Of course it’s moot where they are now because by the tide numbers and locations will swell. Rest assured next week I’ll be among you as I poke around for that first striper. First on my line this season will be the herring oil-infused Bill Hurley 5” Swim bait: it took but a few test casts in a pond of all things to convince me that this thing is a winner. There are a few flounder reports coming in from the Cunningham Bridge area of Cohasset and I suspect nearby Gunrock Beach as well. Herring-fed water bodies throughout the Plymouth area are still producing bass big enough to make a snack out of an adult alewife but look for that to wane soon as the breeders begin to bed-down. As for groundfish, all the good reports are coming from north of Stellwagen/Cape Cod Bay, however Captain Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters did say that the mackerel mob has just moved in within a mile of Scituate Harbor.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is ready to briefly bust a move from Boston to Buzzards Bay in order to get that first fresh striper over the gunwale of his Jones Brothers CC. That’s not to suggest he hasn’t caught any stripers yet, he’s been having his way with harbor holdovers for a while now! His tip as to where you can get your holdover fix is to follow the bait, which in this case is alewives in the Greater Boston rivers. While seaworms look nothing like a river herring, stripers of all sorts – migrant or resident – cannot resist them!
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that flounder are increasingly getting active as improving reports trickle in throughout Quincy Bay and Boston Harbor. Some of the better blackback bets have been Deer Island Flats, the backside of Long Island, Rainsford Island and Perry and Portuguese Coves. Her tip is to focus on sun-swept shallow water of less than 10’. Anglers are marking a lot of bait off Hull as well as the outer harbor with most believing the forage is herring,
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett in Everett said that those who have stuck with freshwater are being duly rewarded as Masswildlife just stocked the good stuff – as in tigers, brookies and browns in such ponds as Horn Pond in Woburn. Houghton Pond has gotten good reports as well. Big Boston Larrys can be found in watersheds which hold herring runs. Pete picked the Hormel Stadium section of the Mystic River as an example. Another good bass option he said is the 7 Acre Park on the Malden River. The countdown is underway for the Zobo Flounder tournament on May 18th; I leaned that the proceeds of which will be dedicated to the Barry Gibson Fund.
Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Marty from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that anglers are anticipating the imminent arrival of striped bass so they are stocking up with items which may be in short supply later such as Al Gag’s Whip-it-Fish, 247 Lures Mollys, choice colored XRaps and the full range of Nomad DTX trollers. Until those linesiders arrive anglers are keeping busy with flounder from Swampscott, Beverly, Manchester and Gloucester. Haddock can be found on Jeffrey’s Ledge with the area between Center Cove and The Prong being especially effective; some of the rocky areas there are holding good numbers of 15”-18” redfish.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newburyport said that the shad run in the Merrimack River is peaking with upstream/freshwater areas of the river most effective. Herring numbers in the Parker River continue to impress with at least one ancillary fishery benefiting from all that forage. Apparently a vestige population of sea run brown trout has survived from a long ago stocking and a few anglers are successfully targeting them upstream of the dam. Interest in white perch in both the Parker River and Essex River have waned which is a sure indication that most of the spawning is over, Customers looking for flounder are encouraged to look for them off Crane’s Beach as well as in Gloucester Harbor. As for groundfish, haddock, pollock and other bottom dwellers have been hitting well of Tillies Ledge and Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
When I asked how the bass fishing has been lately, Rick from Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that he’s not hearing as much from the normally effervescent Dan Southwick who perennially has had his finger on the pulse of all things Larry and Sally. Rick did say that his buddy has been a bit distracted lately as something else has been tugging on his heartstrings. Fortunately others are taking up the slack in the Metrowest area as Whitehall Reservoir, Hopkinton Reservoir and Louisa Lake all have anglers catching trout and bass. Rick told me of father and son team, Tony Ferreira and his dad Juliao, tag-teaming a 3-1 pound brown trout out of Hopkinton Reservoir with Juliao doing most of the heavy lifting. Wachusett Reservoir is ready to get a little less crowded which is what happens annually once striped bass arrive.
Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that the Chu is chugging along on all cylinders. In addition to lots of lakers, the smallmouth bass fishing is peaking as they’re shallow now and soon will be clearing beds. Salmon are still in close even though smelt have finished spawning and are now out a little deeper than they were a few weeks ago. There even has been more of a presence of largemouth bass and crappie, especially by the causeway. The recent rainbow trout stocking in the tributaries doesn’t hurt either.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
If there ever was a dynamic duo, tog and cod would be it and both can be found a short ride from shore on the South Coast. As for Gulf of Maine groundfish, drifting in 160’ of water on top of Southern Jeffrey’s Ledge is producing a nice haddock bite with many of the fish 20” keepers. Mackerel are beginning to move in closer along the South Shore and not far behind are their seven-striped pursuers. Holdover stripers have become more active thanks to their alewife snacks which are omnipresent in herring runs. For a best bet regarding shad, the North Andover section of the Merrimack River is the honey hole. With bass beginning to move onto their beds soon freshwater fishing is not to be ignored, especially with the imminent striper-mania ready to pull other angler’s over to the salty side.
Slots in the three bays and are on small profiles and smaller flys. “match the hatch.” Tight lines.