Massachusetts Fishing Report – April 14, 2022

Anglers fishing the rivers are raving about the range of species they are catching; in fact setting the hook continues to be a real “whodunit”! Those who were craving that sacred one cod bequeathed to them by the regulators found the going easy with even the kayak crowd joining in the fun. For those hankering for haddock it’s taking a haul up north to do it!

My goodness our rivers are something special! On Wednesday I was poking around in the Merrimack River for pike with my friend Billy “Bass” Eicher when I caught the wrong member of the Esox family. Instead of the intended species, I caught a really nice pickerel the likes of which I haven’t seen in years.

A few feet downstream of me and but a short while later Billy slid his very first Merrimack pike onto the riverbank, albeit a junior but a pike regardless. All this good stuff was taking place practically in the shadows of Route 93! Keeping with the close-to-the highway theme, we moved on and later Billy would stick another toothy within earshot of Route 495. Our outing was supposed to be one of three guys but our buddy Steve Langton showed up late but still managed to play the mop up role in our first spot catching a 19” bombastic bronzeback! The next day in the very same spot he would also catch a nice Larry! Meanwhile closer to the Hub, the Bite Me team, consisting of captains Dave Panarello and Carl Vinning, during two mornings put up numbers of stripers that would rival most accomplishments in season, let along mid-April!

So, have you fished any rivers lately?

Massachusetts Fishing Report

While only two weeks into it, so far the haddock season from the South Shore through Greater Boston has landed with a thud as opposed to the preferred tail flops in the cooler. Up north it’s a different story but you’ll have to haul towards Jeffrey’s with Old Scantum and New Scantum fishing the best. The most impressive reports that I’m hearing of are coming from Captain Andy of Adventure and Catch Charters, who keeps his boat just over the border in Great Bay. Andy’s finding plenty of haddock up to 32” as well as big redfish and pollock. However, sometimes it’s taking the captain a trip to Platt’s Ledge to accomplish this! Those who were snooping around for their one cod per person per trip had been having no problem among rocky bottom as soon as harbors are cleared. Kayakers from as far away as New Hampshire were making the annual pilgrimage to the Gloucester area and finding all kinds of cod as shallow as 50’ of water and as anyone who knows a thing or two about Cape Ann can attest – 50’ of water is but a stone skip away from the shoreline!

“Broodstock brown trout cometh” could be the theme among much of the Bay State as hatcheries emptied out the tanks of big breeder brown trout! Numerous 4 to 9-pound brown trout have been delighting anglers from the Southeast District to the Connecticut Valley Region and up through the North Shore! Some of the accounts are downright comical as Rodney Flagg of Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange had to tell me. In Lake Mattawa in Orange the hatchery truck dumped 18 very impressive broodstock brown trout the other day in front of several very appreciative anglers. Soon thereafter some of those anglers hurried through the door of the shop while clutching browns up to 9 pounds looking for a Masswildlife “pin”! Boy was that one short stint at freedom for those fish, I’m not judging, just saying!

• The Seekonk Lions Club’s Tenth Annual Doug Allan Memorial Fishing Tournament will be on Patriots Day Monday, April 18, 2022 at the Old Grist Mill Pond RT 114A in Seekonk 9:00am until 11:00am. Open for all children through high school in the area. Any questions or if you would like to help/donate or volunteer please email seekonkfishingtournament@yahoo.com.

For a shot at something a lot more wild, Quabbin Reservoir beckons you this weekend as the season kicks off on April 16th, this Saturday! Chances are that if you have your own Q’ ready boat you don’t need a refresher. For greenhorns Rodney Flagg best bets are to stick to the following shorelines: Gate 35 for lakers and salmon, Gate 43 for it’s extensive shoreline and smallmouth possibilities and Gate 22 which puts the angler at the mouth of Hop Brook. Smelt, which to salmon are like bees to honey, spawn in Hop Brook which makes this spot special for salmon. Of course there are always the boat rentals at Gates 8, 31 and 43 which in addition to providing boats offer some pretty good spring shore fishing.

Sure enough, the recent rains have water flowing from the Wachusett Reservoir tributaries into the main reservoir and that is attracting a whole lot of fish. According to Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston, the causeway has been hot and heavy for landlocked salmon which crave current. Small to medium shiners are resulting in multiple hook-ups of 22-24” salmon! An occasional laker will crash that party also, lures will work but keep them away from the bottom or you’ll be donating a lot of shiny wares. Gate 35 has been good for smallies with Gate 36 also working well at first light. No word on white perch yet but the white bucket brigade has been out in force by the Stone Church which says a lot! Rainbows have been stocked in the Stillwater and Quinapoxet Rivers.

With a major hatchery in Sandwich, you’d expect Plymouth to get it’s share of broodstock trout and you’d be correct. Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate knows of at least one 9-pound brown caught from Long Pond along with several other impressive fish! Some anglers are targeting magnum largemouth locally with swimbaits after dark. Pete’s pick for a pig is Aaron River Reservoir. The presence of ospreys is a sure indicator that the herring runs are on!

Here’s a nice one to wrap your mind around – odds are good that within two weeks fresh striped bass should be moving into the South Shore!

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that she’s planning on carrying seaworms by this Friday for flounder fanatics.

While aboard my friend Captain Colby’s Little Sister the earliest we ever caught flounder was April 13th and it was at Portuguese Cove on Peddock Island.

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett said that in addition to the usual baits, he’s planning on carrying bloodworms in his 24/7 bait dispenser. While it’s been awhile since I used those worms but when I have, I’ve found that they out-fished seaworms. Flounder will be the main focus as will the Santini tube-and-worm once the schoolies return. However, if you’re Captains Panarello and Vinning you’re already trolling up striped bass among Boston Rivers with the tube-and-worm!

Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts

Regarding captains, Captain Jason Colby as well as Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing are setting their sites up north for haddock as so far Stellwagen, the Dumping Ground, the Weather Buoy and the humps by the B Buoy are devoid of haddock! Cod have been no problem but unless you plan on catching and releasing that season is now on ice until mid-September.

David from Merrimack Sports said that the shop is selling seaworms at a brisk pace thanks to the hot white perch run in the Squamscott/Exeter River! There are also a few claiming they are catching them in the Parker River. Regarding rivers, brown trout have been stocked in the Pow Wow River as well as Meadow Brook. The shop is beginning to sell Flutter Spoons for those looking to target American shad in the Merrimack River. As for shad in the Merrimack, Martha from Surfland said that this Saturday is the 20th Annual Rocks Village Merrimack River cleanup organized by the “Shad Guy” Eric Roach. As karma would have it, the shad often cooperate when all is said and done for the cleanup crew! Timing is good, since word has it that the first shad of the season was just caught this week.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Rivers remain red hot options and are only getting better now that water temperatures have crested 50 degrees. Rivers are also contributing to stellar salmon fishing in the causeway section of Wachusett Reservoir. If it were possible for a water body to top the Chu’, the Q’ would be it. Quabbin Reservoir opens for fishing this Saturday and offers boat launch areas, boat rentals, loads of shoreline access, mesmerizing scenery and blue ribbon fishing for cold water species. If you didn’t manage to catch that one cod the regulators gave GOM anglers during the first two weeks of April, than you’ll have to set your sites on haddock which so far have aggregated up north.