It’s a lot easier to pass on the salt when there’s something sweet on the menu. Anglers are increasingly turning towards sweetwater relief, which is helping take the sting out of saltwater withdrawal. The exception remains tautog, which Bay Staters are going bonkers over.
Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report
With limits – 5 fish at a minimum of 16”, with one over 21” – child’s play, the crew of Little Sister Charters has been targeting trophy tautog, and they’ve been catching fish up to 24”. Captain Jason Colby told me that he’s finding fish along the South Coast in places he never found them before. Considering his encyclopedic list of waypoints, that says a lot. All arrows point to a healthy Buzzards Bay blackfish biomass, which might be spilling over towards points north. Captain Jason Colby told me that in spite of Mother Nature whipping up incessant winds, he usually has a few lucky lee spots in his repertoire. Fifty feet of water has been most productive, with moving current mattering greatly. Like most fisheries, a moving tide is often the trigger towards a better bite. Cod, which must be released, are increasingly figuring in the catch, with Pat McEachen catching and releasing a solid 28” fish.
When asked if South Shore tog were holding up, Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that it was hard to tell since fanatics are hauling down to the South Coast where the feed is on fire. Sadly, stripers are few and far between along the South Shore now, with the only success Pete has heard of at Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. The top saltwater news has to be tuna fishing on Stellwagen Bank, which by any measure is superb! The folks heading out there are hardcore anglers who are fishing at night while staggering live squid at various depths. Mackerel are omnipresent on the bank with a much smaller presence inshore.
However, for most along the South Shore it’s trout time! Plymouth has been the epicenter with the full spectrum of trout species swimming in either Fearing Pond, Little Pond, or Long Pond.
According to Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy, not all anglers have given up on striped bass in the Greater Boston area. While now a low percentage endeavor, a few have timed it just right and experienced surface feeds between Quincy Bay and the Weymouth Back River. The shop’s patrons are hardly immune to tog fever as they poke around the jungle of pilings which line the harbor in search of tautog. One notable area where they’re having luck is Long Wharf. Mackerel have uncharacteristically pushed into Nut Island Pier, Hewits Cove, and Castle Island, which might explain why smelt do not seem to be as numerous.
Somehow Fishing FINatics in Everett has managed to be a stench-free shop in spite of crabs being part of the inventory. The key to keep the “aroma” at bay is to pack them in seaworm flat boxes with the lid firmly in place! Leave it to Pete to figure out how to make stocking crabs more tolerable. There are good reasons to put up with the crab complications, as patrons are catching up to 15 tog and from no less! The shop has a litany of lucky spots with public parks and piers located in South Boston, Charlestown, Chelsea, and East Boston, all serving up fish. Some striped bass are resisting the migratory pull and are sticking around for the herring fry in the Charles and Mystic Rivers.
Pete also weighed in on the spectacular bluefin bite on Stellwagen, with some crews tallying up to 5 tuna on a trip!
Late October notwithstanding, Nick from Surfland Bait and Tackle in Newbury still managed to dig up a striper report from Plum Island. A few hardy anglers who are fishing lot 6 in the Parker River Wildlife Refuge are managing to pluck out a few mid-20” stragglers still. While tooling around in his boat off the oceanfront, Nick marked schoolie-sized stripers which proved reluctant to hit. With water temperature hovering in the mid-50s and reports of striped bass still being caught on chunk off Hampton Beach, anglers stand a casters’ chance of still connecting with striped bass.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Having been a Wachusett loony for well over 30 years, I sometimes forget how intimidating and frustrating the massive reservoir can be for neophytes. After all, there are nearly 37 miles of shoreline the likes of which can be daunting. One way to simplify your search and eliminate unproductive water is to find seams where deep water abuts the shallows. Two that come to mind feature a drop-off to 35’ on one side while the bottom rises to about 15’ on the other, with shoal water on the skinny side extending for hundreds of yards. From spring through curtain call for the season, these locations deliver the goods because the diversity of habitat serves up a buffet of prey species. There are times when lake trout, salmon, or rainbows will drive smelt up against the shallow water edge, while during other times of the year smallmouth bass will prowl the shallows looking for crayfish, killifish, or perch fry. Both sides of the depth breaks can be hot at any given time. If I had to pick one lure above all that is effective in most every circumstance you’re likely to find, it would be a gold 5/8 ounce Krocodile. While most anglers are firmly in the Kastmaster fan club – which I am too – the Krocodile is more versatile and will pluck fish from the depths, yet is a far better choice when the bite is shallow.
Rick from Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that shiners are accounting for solid largemouth bass in North Pond. The shop’s signature bait “cocoon” has been working well at Lake Louisa and Pratt Pond. That “cocoon” is an interesting concoction of a mealworm wrapped in Power Bait, which, according to Rick, more often than not catches trout better than most anything. That bait combo has also been working well right off the boat launch on South Pond.
Dave from Ben’s Bait in Leicester said that Comet Pond has been productive for a variety of trout species, with gold Colorado spoons noteworthy. Browning Pond has been good for trout also. Pike picks are the Oxbow, Quabog Pond, and especially Indian Lake, where the “drawdown” has concentrated the bait and the toothies by the Bancroft School side. A few bass guys working the Route 290 side of Lake Quinsigamond are catching pike as well as largemouth. The water between Quinsigamond and Flint Pond has also been good for both species. Dave’s pick for smallmouth bass and jumbo white perch is Lake Singletary, where jigging over marked fish has been effective. Gerry from Crack of Dawn Bait in Phillipston listed Lake Mattawa and Comet Pond as the two top trout waterbodies his customers are fishing.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts
Shawn from Nukes Bait in Merrimack said that stirring Merrimack River pike continue to be the big news locally, with Kimball Island, Ward Hill and the area between the Spicket and Shawsheen Rivers hot. Some big bass have been taken from Artichoke Reservoir and Beaver Lake in New Hampshire. In addition to bait, Wooly Buggers and Joe Fly spinners are in demand by those fishing for trout in Stiles Pond, Round Pond and Plugs Pond. The Exeter River white perch run is in full swing with worms, shad darts and small spinners/spoons catching those salters.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Tautog remain the most consistent salty catch in the Bay State, with the South Coast tops and the wooden jungles of Boston Harbor a surprising runner-up. While most of the striper stock has moved onto southern environs, a few feeds are surfacing with just enough regularity to keep anglers in the game. November spots which have been kind to me in the past are Yirrell Beach. Nantasket Beach, World’s End, Cedar Point and Ellisville Harbor. The mackerel mob has moved onto Nut Island Pier, Hewitts Cove and Castle Island, momentarily moving smelt out of the picture, but look for that to change once water temperatures dip further.
Jamaica Pond, Walden Pond, White’s Pond and Horn Pond remain the hottest trout options within reach of Greater Boston. Alternatives up north are Forest, Stiles, Plugs and Round. Wachusett remains the state’s smallmouth and cold-water species Mecca, with edges separating the shallows from deep water likely to hold everything from smallies to lake trout to rainbow trout. Those looking for brown trout should consider Lake Mattawa, Comet Pond, and especially South Pond. The timing for the brown trout option couldn’t be better, as historically, now is the time trophies are taken.