Pictured above: Striper sizes in the Piscatagua River vary but Tim Moore is finding bigger 60′ down with mackerel!
Opinion on which striper bait, mackerel or pogies, is the premier bass candy, varies. But few can argue that’s it not better to have both. Some are filling their live wells with both types of forage and the results are impressive.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
They say timing is everything, and according to Tim Moore of TimMooreOutdoors, that certainly applies to striped bass in the Piscataqua River. It seems that depending on the day or even the tide, what you’re likely to find there is a roll-of-the-dice. One day the residents are all mid-30-inch fish, and the next they seem to drop down by about 10 inches! Regardless of what’s at hand, you’ll know quickly provided you have mackerel on the line. Just be prepared to fish deep; Tim has been sending the macks down for the attack in 60 feet of water! And those macks are readily available near the 2KR Can.
If you’d like to fish deeper still, there’s the laker in Winnipesaukee option. Those fish are still staging at about 100’ and very willing to take something wiggled in front of them.
Zach from Suds ‘N Soda in Greenland advises patrons to pass on the macks and instead opt for the pogies if they have big bass in their sights. Of course, there is the enviable possibility of topping off the livewell with both. The fortunate who find each premier bait readily available have a one-two lethal punch at the ready. Tease up those big bass with a pogy and if they aren’t ready to commit, hit ‘em in the snout with a mackerel.
This version of the old bait and switch technique is among the more deadly we have for reluctant striped bass of all sizes.
Blues have been encountered of Wallis Sands Beach as well as Hampton Beach. Chunkers are catching nice bass in the same areas under low light. Surging water temperatures are attracting a few squid throughout the Piscataqua River watershed and as proof the shops are now moving jigs. Just maybe some black sea bass will follow suit.
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Thomas from Saco Bay Tackle said that pogies are so numerous between Goose Rocks Beach and Higgins Beach that you could “walk on them”! Not surprisingly, anglers are snagging pogies and finding 40” to 50” bass with them, especially on the edges of the bait schools. Some are tag-teaming the stripers with a live pogy/mackerel combination and doing exceedingly well. The method is to send out a pogy and if bass give chase but won’t hit it, toss a mackerel into the melee and just hold on!
Kayak anglers are eeling nightime outgoing tides at the Mousam, Kennebunk and Yarmouth rivers and doing very well with stripers. For proof of how prolific Platts Ledge is for pelagics, one need look no further than the recent results of the Bluefin Blowout derby. The winning boats and the wannabes from most of New England were all bunched together there and dropping their baits in 250 feet of water! Locals had the edge because they were able to procure live sea herring, which is what the giants were keying in on.
Jake from Webhannet said schoolies are a slam dunk in the rivers provided that there’s a sandworm on the hook. For bigger he suggests bigger bait and thanks to the numerous pogies and mackerel there is no shortage of that. Some have even been snagging or jigging up both from the jetty of Wells Harbor. The nightime brigade is eeling and doing fine at the mouths of the rivers and inlets with Parsons Inlet getting the special nod. The shop regularly has fresh mackerel and it’s hard to top that when the talk turns to trophies.
New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Forecast
Deep is good, whether you’re tooling around in the Piscataqua River for bass with a live mackerel or jigging up lakers while admiring the scenery at Lake Winnipesaukee! Of course, there’s nothing tranquil about a big bass turning on the after-burner while in pursuit of a pogy off Goose Rocks Beach. If you’re looking for a big bass to bump your line (and synapses) in the middle of the night, then eels on an outgoing tide at the mouths of the Mousam River, Kennebunkport River and Yarmouth River are for you!