Massachusetts Fishing Report-November 13, 2025

In the middle of tautog and trout euphoria, there’s a certain bottom-of-the-ninth seven-striped wunderkind that can never be counted out. Call them migrants, holdovers, or whatever, when a mid-November drag is screaming for mercy, you can mainly call them – fun! Of course, a double-digit tautog can give your tackle all it can handle, and with lighter gear, the supporting cast of freshwater gamesters remains a blast to catch.

When the quest is to catch that one last striper, the chill of a November night can make even the most masochistic of us reconsider our efforts. Regardless, there are a few hardcore anglers who, with every cast, hold hope that the next one will deliver that one last striper. Doubtless, the majority of the striper stock have departed to southern environs, but not all! If you can put the Power Bait aside for a bit, you just might be lucky enough to ward off the post-striper blues a while longer.

Massachusetts South Shore and South Coast Fishing Report

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that South Shore anglers are having the best tautog season that he can ever recall. In fact, the catch phrases they are using say it all – ten pounders and limits! While crabs are tog candy, the fish are aggressive now and will hit clams as well. Elsewhere, trout remain the top draw among those looking to stay busy with Plymouth through the Cape ponds, garnering the most attention. As weeds die off, increasingly big Larrys are in eat mode as they ambush sunfish, perch, and most anything else they can engulf with their huge mouths. If you’re looking to mix and match trout with bass, Myles Standish Reservation offers one-stop fishing.

Captain Jason Colby is not sure which will hold out longer – the tog season or his aching arms. The blackfish bite in the Westport side of Buzzards Bay remains in close with the Little Sister Charters jigmasters able to downsize to wares as light as one ounce. While always a hoot, when nothing but a light jig separates you from a big blackfish, they are especially fun. The captain’s plan is to pull his ride at the end of the month – but if the weather cooperates and fish can still be found, you never know!

Greater Boston Through North Shore Fishing Report

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy said that even in mid-November, there are all kinds of salty options available. As for stripers, a grandfather and grandson team continues to have their way with them in the Weymouth Back River. Anglers are also catching tautog with regularity around the Brewster Islands. A sabiki rig dropped off the A Street Pier, Hull Public Pier, or Pemberton Pier is very likely to come up with a smelt or two. Pemberton Pier îs also giving up mackerel. The shop is moving shiners for anglers targeting black bass in Great Pond in Weymouth. Several anglers are also catching bass and black crappie throughout the Charles River. Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said he has customers catching crappie in the Charles River, Malden River, and Mystic Lakes. A few stripers continue to be taken throughout the harbor’s Reserve Channel, with the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal a standout spot. You may also catch smelt from that dock, as is the case with the Summer Street Bridge. Trout from Horn Pond, Walden Pond, and Jamaica Pond are getting the most local love for those looking for rainbow trout. Some, however, are having no problem making the trip to Plymouth, where the rainbows are often joined by brown trout. Trolling streamers has been especially hot for both species.

Not surprisingly, there’s not a heck of a lot going on along the North Shore, according to Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem. The exception is mackerel, with Salem Willows among the most reliable. Other possibilities for mackerel are Marblehead Harbor as well as Gloucester Harbor. My buddy Dave Flaherty from Nahant in season is occasionally reduced to a stammering man of few words who can utter little more than “dude” when a feed is observed. That season does not usually extend this far into the fall, so I was surprised to hear of just such a dude report coming from Lynn Harbor. The sin was that the place was alive with a recent blitz but no-one was there to take advantage of it. I’m also getting reports of solo surfcasters working the crags of Cape Ann. As to how they are faring, those guys aren’t saying a word.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Wachusett Reservoir continues to be of interest to a lot of anglers, and with lake trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and salmon all in play, there’s little wonder. While the maxim is that landlocked salmon should be in the Stillwater River now, some still can be caught in open water. My buddy Billy Eicher took his pal Dave Dee out, and on the very first cast of his very first outing, he slammed into a 2.6-pound salmon! While most landlocked are taken on bait, Krocodiles or Kastmasters, this thing fell for a pink flutter spoon fresh from the salt.

Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that Scar Hill Road, the Causeway, and the Power Lines continue to be the big draws in the reservoir. He also said that increasingly, anglers are shaking things up and taking advantage of the rare opportunity to fish Quabbin until the end of the year. Good laker, trout, and bass reports have been coming in from Gate 35. Elsewhere, pike are on the prowl in the Connecticut, Sudbury, and Merrimack Rivers, with all three giving up solid black bass to shiners intended for the northerns.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

While the bugler is warming up, taps has not quite been called on the striper season. River systems remain a best bet for a last shot at a bass that might be having a hard time abandoning all those herring fry. Although the blackfish brigade will continue to do best in Buzzards Bay, for those not interested in the haul, the Minot and Brewsters Islands bite offers a closer alternative. Smelt remain a fixture for those looking for fun beyond small proportions with the piers off Hull among the hottest. The Connecticut, Charles, Sudbury, Mystic, and Merrimack Rivers are interesting options with pike, panfish, and black bass all in play. For some however, fall is best served up while casting to cold water species, with Wachusett and Quabbin Reservoirs being a couple of the Bay State’s best gems.