For much of last season, anglers who were dialed into the northern New England big bass bite were the envy of their southern counterparts. As we approach July, it’s increasingly looking as if history may be repeated. What’s also in rotation is the superb haddock bite, where big fish are almost no big deal.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Captain Bob Weathersby of Seacoast NH Sportfishing is bullish that there will be another prolonged big bass bite along the New Hampshire coastline this season. Plentiful mackerel, along with pogies kept the cows in check last summer, with the Isles of Shoals the epicenter of the epochal bite. While not there yet, big bass are assembling just below the border in the Merrimack River where they are holding fast to ample forage and ideal water temperatures. Once that changes, they could very well seek out the cooler temperatures and plentiful prey just northward. Already, mackerel are proving easier to get, and there is a pogy presence. Until those particulars line up, the lower Piscataqua River is probably your best shot at a 48” fish with drifting mackerel, the means to catch them. Wallis Sands Beach went off the other day, making that a viable option. If the captain had to circle one area, it would be by the Memorial Bridge. Offshore groundfishing continues to be excellent, with haddock size and numbers unusually strong for mid-June. The catch is leaning towards more pollock and less redfish. What’s raising eyebrows is the spike in sand eels, numbers of which have not been seen in years. That plentiful bait is making for well-fed haddock – and whales! Sea herring have also moved in, in strong numbers. As for tuna, the inkling is that it’s ready to happen once water temperatures normalize.
Coastal Maine Fishing Report
Ben from Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard told me that with mackerel more readily available, inshore beaches and rocky shorelines are producing big bass. Fish of 45”+ have been taken off Ogunuquit Beach and Wells Beach. Eels by night and macks by day are producing, but so are Cotton Cordell Pencils and Yo-Zuri Mag Poppers. Offshore humps/eddies are holding mackerel especially by islands. Flounder can be found in the York River. As for groundfish, Jeffrey’s Ledge and Platt’s Ledge are tops.
After a blistering bass bite last week, the Casco Bay Area cooled down a bit, according to Captain Lou of Diamond Pass Outfitters. Transition periods are normal for this time of the year, with the feeling that mackerel have to become more regular for a more consistent bite. Regardless, persistence continues to pay off with no substitute for spending time on the water. The prevalent pattern seems to be rivers where fallback-spawned out herring are limping back to the sea, with live herring a cinch, as are white 10” Hogys and Zinger Flukes. Nights and low light have been the best times. Those who are catching when it’s bright are live-lining herring in river drop-offs.
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
Herring, spent from spewing, are making natal watersheds among the most effective to fish. Two examples of that are the Piscatqua and Saco Rivers. Beaches are beginning to hold their own with Wallis Sands and Ogunquit solid options. The hope is that bait and bass just south of the border will push northward and repeat the incredible fishing of last year by the Isles of Shoals especially. Haddock fishing remans superb with the addition of pollock a nice addition to the action.