Massachusetts Fishing Report – December 3, 2020

To some the prospects of catching a striped bass in December are akin to spotting a unicorn – dreamscape stuff! But some are far less incredulous because they are still catching into the 12th month. Most however are celebrating the season and for them it has less to do with a mall Santa and more to do with trout and salmon.

Massachusetts Fishing Report

Leave it to the “Steves”! The other day I watched with a combination of appreciation and a twinge of envy my friend Steve Langton whipping a slot-striper in the pre-dawn chill in a Greater Boston estuary. Six miles away and six hours prior Steven DeVincent from Saugus was having his way with some impressive fish of his own – and to think it was December! With water temperatures still relatively warm, these are strange days indeed. As more evidence, just yesterday I saw a blackback gull making short work of an adult pogy! We still have mixed sizes of herring upstream in natal nurseries and with a pod or two of pogies still in residence, is it any wonder that stripers are still here?

Some erudite anglers who have shown many of us the way regarding fishing/catching stripers from November through April are convinced that we have a spawning population of Boston bass. Those gentleman I refer to are Captain Carl Vinning and Captain Dave Panarello of the mighty Bite Me and Baxter fame. Exhibit number one regarding that theory is the volume of white perch-size stripers we often catch locally, even in the darkest days of winter. If I had a Magic Swimmer or SP Minnow for every time I’ve seen those two skippers hold up a 9” to 11” striper, I’d never have to buy a plug again! While the linesider line between “holdover” and migrant can get fuzzy it becomes academic when your lure is stoped mid-retrieve by a striped bass!

As fascinating as a late inning striper is, there’s a critter swimming out west which is arguably even more so. Captain Patrick Barone of Charter The Berkshires told me that he is spending most mornings walking the banks of the Swift River and fly fishing for a variety of impressive salmonoids. Above all, he is a steward of this remarkable resource and not only strongly urges anglers to catch and release (even where no such restrictions exist) but to keep these patrician fish wet while snapping a quick shot before release. Because of the summer long drought there was little if any upstream migration for salmon intending to breed in the tributaries of Quabbin Reservoir. Fresh rains have changed all that – big time! During a recent look-see, Patrick counted 30 landlocked salmon! Obviously since these fish are there to breed they are of impressive size. You can also find spawning brook trout with rainbows tailing them in the hopes of picking off a few eggs. Brown trout round out the blue-ribbon opportunities which exist in this special place. I know that Patrick is preparing to take charters on ice fishing excursions in his home waters of the Berkshires, but he just might be talked into guiding among some of the salmon runs he knows intimately. You can reach him on facebook.

Not unlike the coast, stripers in the South Hadley section of the Connecticut River are stirring thanks to a late push of fry finally making it from upstream locations. Thanks to the recent rains, stranded shad fry are being continually flushed to the sea and striped bass, pike and walleye are waiting. Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange said that the storms have given the Miller River a badly needed shot in the arm and it is finally flowing nicely. This place was stocked liberally and because of the drought saw little pressure. It just might be a golden opportunity to take advantage of a waterbody which anglers overlooked. Lake Mattawa has been given up rainbow trout to 20” and some big smallmouth bass. Trolling streamers has been working as has shiners. A regular or Rod’s snaps up shiners and floats them right off the boat ramp at Lake Rohunta, which is behind the shop, and this guy’s getting all kinds of largemouth love!

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Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate still has a few hardcore striper sharpies shorn in waders traipsing through the front door (apologetically) and picking up striper essentials such as Bill Hurley Stick Baits as well as the aforementioned Daiwa Salt Pro Minnows and Sebile Magic Swimmers. Even though it’s December, there are a contingent of Charlie chasers on Stellwagen Bank who capitalized on a brief opening of the quota. There are giants still out there should they open the quota again. Meanwhile haddock are among the humps, bumps and clumps 10 miles east of Scituate. For local largemouth and other warm water species, Pete recommends Accord Pond in Hingham, Jacobs Pond in Norwell and the Scituate Reservoir. The feeling is that there are a few 10 pound hawgs lurking among these places and a shiner soaked at the edge of dieback weed beds at this time of the year is a great way to try for one.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said that those looking to scratch the saltwater itch are tooling around for smelt among the Reserve Channel or having a go at resident striped bass. Odds are that where you see/hear swooping/squabbling gulls and cormorants among rivers and estuaries there are herring and striped bass! Should your boat not be mothballed, odds are that there are plenty of haddock as close as the B Buoy. Horn Pond continues to give up herring fry-stuffed rainbow trout!

David from Merrimack Sports said that pike fishing along the Merrimack River is the big draw right now. The volume of spots where you can catch them is dizzying too! Some are perfect to launch a kayak. Upstream of the Lawrence Dam has been good. The two mile walking path stretch that cuts behind the Elks Club and boat club holds big pike. He mentioned the Methuen rest stop area on Route 110 as an ideal spot to launch a kayak and reach prime pike water which is but a few yards away. Where the river joins with the Spicket and Shawsheen are also hot spots for pike. Having a long-term relationship with bait distributors allows the shop to keep in stock prime pike baits. If you’d rather tackle a trout than a toothy, consider Plugs Pond in Haverhill which was recently stocked with tiger trout!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

A remarkable, novel opportunity exists for landlocked salmon and trout throughout the Swift River right now! Anglers not afraid to brave the chill are still finding striped bass among watersheds which harbor herring fry and shad fry. Those same fry are responsible for a burgeoning pike population in the Merrimack River where access is about as plentiful as the pike!