River mouths still hold stripers, but increasingly the beach bite is best. Once the sun begins to dominate, those same bass are more likely to lurk around the nearby ledge. Groundfishing still has game, but it is in a summer pattern, meaning that the ratio has tipped from haddock to pollock, cusk, and dogfish!
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Captain Bob Weathersby of Seacoast NH Sportfishing reports that striped bass are still solidly packing into the Piscataqua River as well as the Hampton River. There is still a night bite under the lights as stripers chase squid, but the fish are also taking down soft baits and mackerel. They’re crushing them along the coast as well, as anglers sticking tight to beachfronts with live bait are getting them. Later in the day, the fish transition to rocky points with live mackerel doing the trick. As for tuna, New Hampshire remains a sea of monsters with a number of fish between 100” and 110”. As for recreational size fish, there just aren’t a heck of a lot available, but what is around can be found around the huge biomass of baby bunker. If you’re looking for the bunker, just look for the humpback whales, which have found them along the 180’ contour line. As for groundfish, things are firmly in a summertime pattern, meaning there are now fewer and smaller haddock, lots of dogfish, and bigger and more numerous pollock and cusk. To avoid the dogs, pass on the bait and stick to jigs/fly combos.
Coastal Maine Fishing Report
Gavin from Saco Bay Tackle Company told me that the best striper fishing can be had at the mouths of rivers and off beaches. A few specifics are the Saco River, Mousam River, Higgins Beach, Biddeford Pool, Pine Point, and Camp Ellis. Anglers are catching macks from the latter and live-lining them for linesiders. Many are targeting haddock as close as Tantas Ledge.
Ben from Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard reported that the bass bite is really good, with beaches such as Moody Beach fishing well. Drakes Island has been productive, as has the mouth of the Mousam River. For many, the catching is as simplistic as tossing a sabiki rig from jetties and then live-lining the bait for a bass! A few other spots that are producing are Wells Harbor, York Beach, and Perkins Cove. In order to cover a lot of water, some are cranking up the X Raps with mackerel hues effective. Should you desire squid, you should not have a problem as lit piers, bridges, and docks are loaded with them.
Captain Lou Tirado of Diamond Pass Outfitters took a busman’s holiday and treated himself to a 47” striper on an Albie Snax XL. Area beaches have been featuring impressive surface feeds as bass blitz mackerel and pogies. As for best bet offerings, pearl and olive soft plastics in the 7” range are working well as are dragon tail flies. Blues are beginning to make noise south of Portland.
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
Beaches are the best bet at dark through the first few hours of daylight when the action shifts to close-to-shore ledge. Soft plastics are working well, as are flies with a long tail, but for can’t-miss action, nothing beats a live mackerel, and for many, they are but a cast away from the shore. While still good, groundfishing has shifted to less haddock and more dogs, pollock, and cusk. Use bait sparingly at best. As for tuna, you had better have the spool capacity to tackle the monsters that are swimming out there.