Anglers in northern Maine have been mesmerized by footage taken from the air above massive schools of striped bass wound up as tightly as a bait ball. Not surprisingly, fishermen are also reporting an uptick in catches in those areas, and many are thanking the New Moon for their good fortune.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Unfortunately, my New Hampshire report trail has gone cold, but it’s a safe bet to assume that as Massachusetts and Maine go, so does the Granite State. After all, New Hampshire is sandwiched between their southern and northern neighbors, and the fishing is pretty good in both! If Salisbury Beach is convenient, consider trolling X-Raps or mackerel along the beach, or consider taking the turn into the Merrimack River, where Joppa Flats fishing has heated up considerably, especially during a flooding tide. Other beaches such as Wallis Sands and Rye are worth a look for pogy schools/sand eels. Just be prepared to offer those stripers something of similar shape to what they’re feeding on. Go big when bunker are on the menu and slim and small when sand eels are the prey.
The Piscataqua River should be prime now, and if the blueprint for other rivers applies, then the cooler water on the incoming tide should fish best. Mackerel should still be available by the 2KR Buoy as well as Hampton Shoals Ledge.
Offshore bunker, along with bass and bluefin, have been a summer-long phenomenon all through New England, making the Isles of Shoals and beyond a solid option for striper fishing. If you’re considering ground fishing, you may want to follow Eastman’s Fleet out of Seabrook, who have found flounder just outside of the Essex River in Ipswich Bay.
Southern and Coastal Maine Fishing Report
With a considerable mass of stripers in Maine, I wasn’t surprised to hear Ben from Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard talk of improved fishing. Old Orchard Beach, Moody Beach, Ogunquit Beach and Fortunes Rocks are earning high marks. Paying attention to what they are feeding on has been determining the success rate of anglers. Striped bass shadowing pogy schools will hit large-profile lures, from glide baits to big spooks to flutter spoons. However, the bass can be picky when the prey is sand eels; something which is often belied by the presence of terns. Those sticking with slim-profiled offerings such as Slug-Gos, Albie Snax, Deadly Dicks and Epoxy Jigs will far out fish those deploying other baits.
Of course, a livewell full of mackerel simplifies the whole process, according to Weston of Saco Bay Tackle Company. The Boone Island area has been holding macks as has Richmond Island. Surf fishers are catching stripers on chunk mackerel off Old Ferry Beach and Higgins Beach. Much like Massachusetts, Maine has squid numbers the likes of which have not been seen in years. Anglers jigging mackerel are coming up with squid wrapped around their sabiki rigs. Even if you’re not one to crave calamari, don’t fret, as a squid cast in the midst of a pogy school is sure to get whacked by any nearby striper.
According to Captain Lou of Diamond Pass Outfitters, the New Moon has made finding striped bass a lot easier! The beaches are where the best bite is, with the epicenter the area between Cape Elizabeth and Wells. With ubiquitous sand eels, the fish can be fussy, with anglers matching the approximate shape and look of a sand eel doing best. If nothing’s doing close in and the seas are favorable, check farther out, as the deep-water pogy – and striper – presence is still there.
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
Cooler, oxygenated water courtesy of the big New Moon tides seems to have lit a fuse on striper fishing. Plentiful pogy schools across area beaches as well as offshore ledges are holding big bass. Sand eels are also popular striper prey off beaches such as Old Orchard, Ogunquit, and Higgins, with terns tipping off anglers to the small forage, and those matching it having the most luck.