While the weather has not been fisher-friendly it sure hasn’t stopped the ongoing migration of our beloved striper as reports of fresh fish trickle in from the South Shore through the North Shore. Haddock remain the hot ticket for deeper water adventurers with the haul not necessarily as far from port as you may think. With the focus so totally now on linesiders, you may find freshwater honey holes now lacking company.
Massachusetts South/Boston Fishing Report
Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that schoolie bass up to the mid-20” range are beginning to swarm the Three Bays, Scituate Harbor, the North River and all the way into Cohasset. The new Bill Hurley ABB stick bait has been one of the more consistent catchers for these fresh fish. Divers are reporting tautog moving upstream into estuaries and bays as they prepare to spawn. The hottest haddock bite seems to be north of Stellwagen and out to the B Buoy. In spite of the peak of the season, almost no one is fishing for shad in the North River/Indian Head River area.
The stay of execution for gamesters on the South Shore will soon be over as charter captains extraordinaire Rich Antonio of Black Rose Charters and Mark Rowell of Legit Fish Charters are ready to get fishing! Rich said finding catch and release cod just off Scituate has been easy while haddock is hotter in 200’ of water on Stellwagen. While Captain Mark Rowell anxiously awaits the arrival of his new Albermarle Legit Fish from Florida, he does have intel of fresh stripers in Scituate Harbor and plenty of haddock in 180’ of water just off the South Shore.
Greater Boston Fishing Report
Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing is embarking on his annual runs to Buzzards Bay where he’s been hearing of a nice slug of stripers and he’ll soon be scouting around for black sea bass, the season of which begins on May 18th. The striper thing will be tailored to light tackle and fly fishing in shallow water. What the skipper is most pumped about is targeting knothead sea bass which he fishes for with jigs and soft plastics. Black sea bass is the one fish universally loved by almost everyone as they are fun to catch and a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.
May aboard Little Sister Charters means one thing – flounder! Captain Jason Colby is segueing from haddock to flatfish as warming water temperatures are triggering feeding. That feeding will have a dramatic impact on the appearance of the fish as the month progresses and they pack on heft.
Speaking of flounder, Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said that shore fishermen are even getting in on the flatfish action! Antoine Scott has been getting them from the shore of Lynn Harbor. Nearby Swampscott Harbor is bound to have them as well. In preparation of worm demand for the tube-and-worm crowd as well as flounder fans the shop will now carry lugworms as well as sea worms. Feeding stripers have been observed just off of the Five Sisters in Winthrop. If you can hit the pause button on striper-mania, Captain Santini said that the diversity of trout which are swimming in Horn Pond is impressive and some of the tiger trout have been 18” specimens!
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Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report
Sam from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem did one better this week than merely provide a report – he went out and got one! Just about every inshore river, marsh and bay from Lynn to Ipswich seems to have striped bass! Considering the barrage of texts he’s receiving from excited anglers, he’s not alone! While most fish are teen-sized, there are enough mid-20” fish out there to make things interesting. Paddletail soft plastics of all sorts are deadly with the Al Gag’s Whip-It Fish taking the lead. The Danvers River watershed has been especially productive. There are small schools of pogies around too. A few flounder have been caught from the Beverly area but most have been undersized.
Noel Leslie from Bridge Street Sports in Salem said that he has a patron who picks up a few dozen seaworms every morning and is catching numerous stripers up to the mid-20”, in an unspecified location in Marblehead. The Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly has been holding some keeper flounder. For numbers of fish, it’s hard to top the Little River in Gloucester where there has been plenty of action.
Skip from Three Lantern Marine told me that pogies are in Gloucester Harbor! There is not much to speak of regarding mackerel however. Flounder can be found from sandy/muddy patches of bottom throughout Manchester Harbor and Gloucester Harbor. He has also been hearing of schoolies in the Little River.
Martha from Surfland Bait and Tackle said that the shad bite in the Merrimack River is still going strong with upstream spots fishing best. The river also has stripers up to the mid-20s with the outgoing tide by the Captains Fishing Charters docks one of the prime spots. When asked about mackerel, she did say that there have been reports of some washing up along the oceanfront shoreline.
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Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
Now that the stripers are here, crowded spots among some of the better freshwater spots may be a thing of the past. My friend Steve Langton and I experienced just such a phenomenon recently at the Chu’. Determined to claim my preferred spot, I nudged my friend into accompanying me on a ridiculously early arrival at the reservoir. Despite a favorable weather forecast, our pre-dawn recon proved unnecessary as there wasn’t a soul around, save loons, eagles and willing lake trout!
Eddie from B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston is echoing that story and it’s a shame because the Chu’s salmon and slab white perch bite seem to be peaking.
Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange said that pressure at Quabbin is running inverse of luck as less anglers are catching more salmon, rainbows, lakers and smallies from Gates 16, 31 and 35. According to Captain Patrick Barone of Charter The Berkshires the floodgates have opened making river systems temporarily unfishable with all that rain. Once things clear, the walleye, smallie and trout bite should return among the Connecticut, Westfield and Deerfield Rivers. He’s also mixing in schoolie striper action now that they are cooperating.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
You should have no problem finding fresh striped bass among the Three Bays, Scituate Harbor, Green Harbor as well as the smattering of rivers on the South Shore. With the arrival of pogies from Boston through the North Shore, it might be possible to hook something a lot more substantial. Flounder are finally on the feed with shallow flats near Deer Island, Lynn, Beverly and Gloucester fishing best. News of the arrival of stripers has pulled much of the pressure away from premium sweetwater spots such as the Chu and the Q and with action peaking, those are mighty fine alternatives!
Schools open! Fly and LT enthusiast will have a good time in the three bays! Sea lice covered line ~sider’s stacking in pinch areas, rips, drop offs and channels. Tight lines.