New Hampshire Fishing Report
Good friend of mine and skilled fisherman Peter Margraff took some time to sit down with me and give OTW a solid report on the areas he has fished in the last week or so. Pete spends most of his time fishing the Piscataqua River. The word from Pete is that the action in the Piscataqua is HOT. The river is loaded with bait, especially silversides, but mackerel, bunker, and squid have also filled in nicely. Pete has been having some banner days, with multiple triple and double-ups daily, and multiple days with catch totals eclipsing the 20-fish mark rather quickly. One of the most unique fisheries in the region, the Piscataqua River can be tough to crack at times. Pete’s been doing well fishing in and around the mouth of the river, concentrating on pinch points and current funnels that are pushing bait right into some hungry stripers, who have been setting up to strap on the feed bag. Fish have also been taking in the deep water in front of the naval yard, and casting toward structures like docks and rock piles has been worthwhile as well. The incoming tide has been the most productive so far for Peter—the oxygenated ocean currents have been pushing life up into the river, and the bass have been enjoying a nice conveyor belt of bait. White Albie Snax, small paddle tails, and smaller eel plastics are super effective, as have stickbaits and topwater. Never shy with the fly rod, the mass of silversides has led Pete to stick some nice fish on the wand, casting out any silverside-imitating fly toward typical striper haunts. With so many types of fishing possible in the Piscataqua, Pete recommends bouncing around to find the bite.
Out front, it’s been a bit slower. This time of year, Pete usually makes his living following the feeds of striped bass from the mouth of the river, chasing the bite out to the 3-mile line toward the Isles of Shoals. Peter credits the sheer amount of bait being funneled into the river as the reason that the bite has slowed—the bass just have no reason to leave. The warmer water in recent years has brought the bunker closer to the shore, so if you’re set on fishing out front, look for bait around the structure and focus on a good cast if you stumble into a feed.
A staunch lure and gear junkie, Peter doesn’t typically reach for the chunk setup, but on the beaches of southern Maine, he has had solid success chunking squid and bunker from the sand, pulling a few fish over the 35-inch mark in recent outings. Slow-rolling larger baits at night has also led to some quality bites. Pete has poked around offshore scouting for tuna, but it seems as though that hasn’t quite set up yet, despite seeing some bait and fishy conditions.
Coastal Maine Fishing Report
Up north in Saco, Maine, the crew from Saco Bay Tackle Company had a nice, well-rounded report for us this week. Lots of mackerel and schools of bunkers have started to show up, cruising across the beaches and into river mouths. Cruising around to find bait and then working to pick off fish has been effective. Anywhere with solid current or depth changes has been holding bait and usually stripers. Don’t forget the heavy leader—there have been some bluefish patrolling around the river mouths and inlets as well, from cocktail size up to some larger bulls.
Stripers have also been up tight to the beaches, giving both surf anglers and boaters a shot at sticking a nice fish. The colder water up north seems to have the fish a bit more fired up to feed than they are down south.
Jeffreys Ledge has been hot for the bottom fishermen. Solid haddock, cod, and pollock action has kept coolers full for most anglers who make the trip. That action has been steady for a while now, and it seems like the pollock bite is getting hotter. A few fishermen have been pulling up some respectable cusk as well. If you want some fish to fill the freezer, go out to Jeffreys.
No real tuna action yet, but with lots of bait and activity, Mainers are hopeful the Buck Moon may kick things off in the tuna department.
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
The coastwide surge of mackerel seems to be trickling up north, and there is already a plethora of bait inshore and around river mouths. With so much bait around, stripers have strapped on the feed bag, and the blues have started to take notice. It will be interesting to see how the Buck Moon on Wednesday night affects the fishery. With reports of whiting around offshore, it shouldn’t be long until the tuna show up. The ground fishing shows no sign of slowing down, and the Isles of Shoals bite is bound to pop off at some point. Summer is in full swing in northern New England, and it’s a great time to get out on the water and wet some lines.