May 15, 2012“There’s no doubt that live or fresh caught mackerel can be one of the best baits for catching striped bass, as well as bluefish, bluefin tuna and other saltwater gamefish. And, mackerel fishing can be very easy on some days and incredibly frustrating on other days,” according to Seth Legere at Kittery Trading Post’s fishing department.
“First, don’t let anyone tell you that chumming does not increase your success at catching both live mackerel and pollock. Both of these species respond to chumming as well as any other saltwater species. Ground chum is often sold at bait shops, but that isn’t a given. So many anglers save up whatever scraps of fish they dress out, and any of their dead bait, and freeze it for grinding up at a later date. And some anglers will grind up freshly caught mackerel as they catch them to keep a chumline going, but that is a lot of work and takes one angler out of the actual bait fishing by doing the grinding. A steady stream of chum is what brings the fish to your boat. It doesn’t have to be a heavy drip. In fact, the amount of frozen chum that leaks out of a net chum bag is all it takes. Make sure the mesh of the chum bag is large enough for all of the ground chum to escape. Once in a while, a couple of quick jerks will let out a larger release that can start things going.”
“Most people prefer medium weight spinning gear for catching the mackerel. If using a multi-hooked rig, such as a Sabiki Rig, it’s important that your rod, reel and line is strong enough to heft five or six mackerel out of the water, as multiple hook-ups are common.”
“We like the use of Sabiki Rigs, but there are times when mackerel will refuse them. At those times, a single or double rig of mackerel jigs will often turn the trick. But at other times, when the mackerel are under stress from being pressured by stripers or bluefish, they are exceedingly hard to catch. In those cases, a small hunk of cut bait hooked on a small hook and just floated in the chum line can bring you some hits, but you’re going to have to be patient.”
“At times when mackerel are not available or not hitting, a lot of people will target bait-sized pollock. The schools of these small pollock will usually be found on or right near structure, such as sunken ledges or in the back eddies of a point or other current shears. Pollock seem to run deeper than the mackerel and mark well on your fish finder. Use the same chumming and catching methods as you do for the mackerel, but often you’ll find a school of small pollock that will take a Sabiki Rig or mackerel jigs with abandon, with no chum needed.”
Seth noted that because pollock are considered groundfish they are regulated under those rules and there are special exceptions for the catching and possession, but you’d better be familiar as they change from state to state and are subject to change.
He had one last tip. “If you run out of live baitfish you should know that freshly caught, but dead, mackerel and pollock will work well when hooked through the lips and trolled at a slow speed. Also, drift jigging over striper structure with a fresh dead mackerel or pollock will bring hits. The key here is to keep finding bottom with your sinker and lifting the bait to make it look lifelike.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE: “We seem to be right into the sweet-spot of the early season with a lot of nice stripers being caught, not only at the head of tide dams on the rivers running into Great Bay but also in Great and Little Bays and the Piscataqua River and it’s bays and back channels,” according to Jason MacKenzie at Suds-n-Soda Sports in Greenland.
“And we’re not talking small fish here! Almost all of the stripers we’ve heard of have been over the 28-inch limit and up to close to 40 inches. The Lamprey river dam in Newmarket has passed thousands and thousands of alewives, which are what the stripers are feeding on. The same for most of the rest of the rivers including kind of a newcomer to the striper fishing list, the upper Oyster River in Durham, off the Town Landing. The Cocheco River, right in the heart of Dover, has a huge alewife run and a lot of stripers being taken off Henry Law Park, and the Salmon Falls River that has the Maine and New Hampshire border running up the center also has a lot of both alewives and stripers. If you are fishing on the Rollinsford, NH side you have to obey the New Hampshire regulations that are different from that on the South Berwick, Maine side, so beware. Also, a lot of people are not aware that you can not take alewives for any purpose in New Hampshire on Wednesdays, which allows the fish to make their spawning run without being harassed at least one day a week.”
“If you are not able to catch alewives for bait, we’ve had a bunch of our customers reporting really good luck by casting 7-inch Cotton Cordell’s Smokey Joe swim lure, the one with the silver sides and black back. Ed Carlton, one of our regulars, has caught stripers of 34 and 35 inches and one weighed 17.5- pounds, a big fish for this early in the season.”
“Another very good sign this last week was the amount of flounder being caught, especially in the Newcastle’s Back Channel and Little Harbor, where historically there was great flounder fishing but hardly any the last few years. Flounder are also hitting at Rye Harbor, both in and outside the harbor itself.”
“As far as trout fishing locally is concerned, more and more people are finding out that the nearby Winnicut River, without the dam and with the new fish ladder, can still produce some decent fishing as fish move downstream towards Great Bay. And the Exeter Reservoir’s trout fishing has been very steady with some real trophy fish.”
“Out on Jeffreys Ledge, we were catching cusk after cusk but were after haddock,” noted Captain Jamie Savage at Savage Charters (603-828-8098). We were after haddock, and where we had been catching plenty in the past there were just not any, but good cusk fishing. Responding to our client’s request for haddock, we kept moving and making our drifts into deeper and deeper water until we caught two undersized haddock and then a keeper. The next drift we were into the haddock, in great shape, and had three or four fish coming up over the side most of the time. We ended up with a total catch of 65 keeper haddock, as well as the mix of other groundfish, one great day!”
Jamie said that the surprise of the day was not the haddock, as they had been having some great luck the last few trips. It was a big school of bluefin tuna in the sixty to seventy pound range that blew up around their boat, feeding on herring and keeping all on board very amused and excited. “It’s pretty early for them to show up here and we are all tuna addicts. With the water temperatures at 58 degrees, it looks like we maybe should be breaking out the tuna tackle soon, but this great haddock fishing will be hard to leave.”
Captain Lester Eastman Jr., at Eastman's Fishing Docks in Seabrook Harbor, filed these reports of the last three days of last week. “We had all seven boats out today. I'm only going to give my fish report (I ran the Lady Merrilee Ann III), because I think most were the same. BEAUTIFUL day, lots of whales, flat calm and the fishing was pretty good. BUT, really depended on who you were. I had guys in the bow and in the stern with 10–12 really nice fish, cod/haddock/pollock. A few people on the sides didn't catch a keeper, but I'll give the average about 5–6 per-person. Lots of bigger fish. One note is that Capt. Garrett on the Lady Courtney Alexa ran the 1st half-day trip and banged the mackerel both trips. Even a few cod and flounder to go with all those Macks. Our marathon is sold out in the morning, but we have plenty of room on the all-day and half-day boats. The other four boats are chartered.
Previous day: “Not even close to yesterday. Only one of the three six-pack boats did well, which is very rare. The two charters on the Lady Courtney Alexa and the Lady Tracy Ann II split, one did well and one did poorly. The Lady Audry Mae reports slow fishing and a lot of the problem was the weather. Pretty choppy morning, which made it tough for the large crowd on the LAM and the six packs. The Lady Merrilee Ann 111 marathon did well, nothing like yesterday, but an average of 10–15 haddock per-person, which I call tremendous. But that group of guys are pros at catching fish. They fish up and down the coast, and a lot. Any fish around, they'll catch them. Thanks, Marc, for the back-to-back trips. Tomorrow should be a better day all around, the wind has already let go. Office opens at 4 am in the morning, the restaurant will be open.”
“I guess we made a mistake yesterday by canceling trips, but hind sight is 20/20. Tuesday afternoon the seas by late afternoon were ROUGH, the forecast was for more of the same, combine that with rain, fog and an extreme astronomical low tide and the wise choice was wait until today. Our apologies to the Wyatt and Stanton gangs, as well as the walk on people who wanted to go. Today we were back at it, five of the seven boats out, all reporting good to VERY good fishing, mix of cod, haddock and even a few pollock thrown in. Weather was fine and looks to be that way for quite a stretch. We have also lost the moon tide.”
In the Lakes Region, Alan Nute at AJ’s Bait and Tackle in Meredith reports that the big news this week has been the white perch run, as well as the continued great salmon and rainbow trout fishing. “Squam Lake has been producing some huge salmon and big rainbow trout with many of the salmon running over five pounds. And here on Winnipesaukee, the salmon and rainbow trout fishing has held up, and with the rain and the rivers and brooks filling up salmon and rainbows have even entered some of the smaller streams, even right here in Meredith Bay at the Mills Falls Brook.”
“Streamer flies have been doing well with our Fire Smelt pattern and red gray ghosts as well as lures in bright colors—white, orange and yellow taking plenty of fish. Both salmon and trout can still be caught not far from the surface.”
“Other big news is the white perch run is on and there’s plenty of action in some of the coves, especially where there is moving water coming in. Over at Winnisquam Lake where Martel’s Bait Shop is, the Winnipesaukee River is providing some good white perch fishing, as well as an occasional rainbow trout.”
“Even though the bass fishing season will be closed tomorrow for the spawning season, catch and release fishing is allowed and the smallmouths are on their beds, and it looks like there are plenty of them. Not a good idea to try to catch the same fish more than once. If pressured too much they will often abandon their nest.”
Andrew Schafermeyer, Fisheries Biologist in the northcountry reports: “Even though they rarely exceed four inches in length, rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are so important to New Hampshire’s anglers that biologists study them in great detail. They serve as forage for some of our most popular game fish, such as salmon and trout. Because smelt population dynamics are both cyclical and sensitive, they must be monitored very closely. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department operates a boat that uses hydroacoustics to evaluate smelt populations on large lakes. When these fish spawn in the spring, they utilize tributaries to lay their eggs and occupy them so densely that it becomes difficult to see the bottom. This presents another opportunity for study, as collecting a large sample of fish can be accomplished with one swift swing of a net.”
“You may be wondering how understanding smelt translates into successful fishing opportunities, and the connection is simple. If you know where the smelt are, you can be sure that bigger fish will be there to eat them. New Hampshire’s spring landlocked salmon fishery is the direct result of congregating smelt. Anglers use live smelt and smelt imitations to trick salmon into biting. Any large fish can be caught at this time of year. Huge rainbows, lake trout, and even smallmouth bass are on a feeding frenzy.” “The Connecticut lakes follow a typical pattern, and right now anglers are taking full advantage. The river systems that connect Lake Francis and First and Second Connecticut are presenting great opportunities, as large fish enter them in pursuit of smelt. It should be obvious that casting smelt patterned flies, such as Black Ghosts and Silver Doctors, is a great method. Tailwater fisheries, such as the one below Murphy Dam in Pittsburg, provide good spots to dead drift these patterns. This is a short-lived opportunity, and the time to take advantage is now,” he urges.
MAINE: Master Maine Guide Stu Bristol from Lyman is a busy person this time of year. Right now he’s guiding turkey hunters in the morning, and offering a blast-and-cast opportunity by taking his clients out for a fishing afternoon, seeing the turkey hunt closes each day at noontime.
“Right now my favorite water to fish an afternoon, the Saco River stretch from Biddeford to the Skelton Dam, is a bit too high and colored-up, but that stretch of water can provide a mixed-bag of fishing that is often overlooked and under-fished.”
“Our two most popular target fish when out on the Saco are smallmouth bass and brown trout, both great for fly fishing or light tackle spinning. This is the stretch of river that we also take our fly fishing lesson-people out on because of the amount of opportunity to hook fish.”
“There is one very unusual opportunity that always thrills me and anyone we have on our boat, and that’s when a huge Atlantic salmon jumps near us, or a even larger Atlantic sturgeon shows itself. That is somewhat scary if it is a huge fish, and they can come very large—and hundreds of years old!”
Here’s the May 2012 Striper Report from Saco Bay Bait and Tackle: “Stripers have been reported in the Saco River. A few were caught this week using a Yozuri 7" Crystal Minnow as well as a Sebile fast sinking swimbait one-hour before low tide. Now is the time to start trying a sea worm on a sandy bottom or a chunk clam on the outgoing tide at Camp Ellis or Hills Beach.”
“Lots of alewives are being caught in the river with a small Sabiki rig. If you can catch one, the best way to fish for stripers with live bait is to live-line them. With stripers just coming in the Saco they should be a little more active in the Kennebunk and the Mousam Rivers. With the weather starting to warm up, the water will as well. Good luck, and remember the first fish caught over 40" gets a new St. Croix rod.”
“Ever wonder if you can catch fish on the coldest open water days? You know, the ones that are preceded by the three nicest days of spring for which you were busy completing spring projects around the house—always hearing people say, ‘man, should’ve came out yesterday when it was sunny and sixty!’”
“Well, as a guide you have no choice on if you are going out or not. When a client is willing to get in the boat, you go, and with it you are put to the test. Over the years, I have developed some techniques that will land fish no matter what the conditions. They include small adjustments, covering water, slowing down and using the right baits for the conditions.”
“The white perch fishing at the Songo Locks is big news this week,” according to Dave Garcia at Naples Bait and Tackle at Long Lake in the Sebago Region.
“They are really nice fish averaging from a pound to over a pound-and-a-half. We’ve found the best rig to catch them on is by using a frozen smelt on a three-way swivel rig with a drop sinker. There are also a few nice brookies caught right there using that same rig.”
“The Sebago Lake’s togue (lake trout) fishing is still on fire with multiple catches being the norm, but we have quite a few anglers that are disgusted with the new slot limit regulations. You cannot keep a fish that is between 23 and 33 inches, and some of these fish run into well over ten pounds. A big group of avid togue fishermen from the Berlin, NH area have quit coming because of this new rule and it’s really impacted my business!”
“It’s not because there are not a lot of fish. There are tons of smaller ones and you are allowed to keep an unlimited amount under the 23-inch size, but only one over 33 inches.”
“Our local brook trout ponds have been excellent—Trickey, Thomas, Coldrain and Little Bear Ponds. We’re pleased with our hatchery people for the great work they’ve been doing with the brook trout,” Dave ended.
“You can still catch lake trout from the surface as well as from the depths,” noted Greg Cutting at Jordan’s Store in East Sebago. “We had one party last weekend catch seven nice salmon and two lakers while fishing with streamer flies right on top. Streamer flies have always been a deadly lure for lakers. The numbers of lake trout caught lately have been down a bit, but quite a few of our anglers have been taking advantage of the crappie spawn with great success, so that may attribute the slow-down in the lake trout catches.”
According to several sources, the Rangeley Lakes are producing some world-class fishing for both salmon and brook trout—some of the best in years. “We didn’t see it but know that a 29-inch salmon was taken from Rangeley Lake and it had to have been at least an eight pounder,” Jerry at River’s Edge Sports told us.
“It’s not just here on Rangeley Lake that the fishing has been exciting. Mooselookmeguntic has been producing some incredible fishing for both salmon and brook trout, and Aziscohos Lake also has been very active. The rivers are running full and that has really started things up. We’ve had great reports from Upper Dam from a person that had to reach there by boat because of the high water. Fishing a Mickey Finn bucktail streamer fly, this guy caught and released over 20 brook trout from the swift water there, with one being a four-and-a-half pounder. Along with all those great brookies he managed to land two nice landlocks!”
Because of the inherent time restrictions of gathering fresh, up-to-date information, editing and producing this report in a timely manner, occasional errors or marginal information may slip by us. We try our hardest to provide accurate information. We urge readers to use this report as a tool to increase their fishing pleasure and not to rely on as their sole resource. First or second hand information is offered by fishing guides, commercial fishing charters or party boats, bait and tackle dealers, well known successful anglers and state and federal fisheries and natural resource law enforcement officials. We also welcome and use reports forwarded to us by fishermen that use this report. Thank you, Dick Pinney, Kittery Trading Post Fishing Report Editor.
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