They’re back! May is kicking off in fine form as fresh striped bass have moved into northern New England. Groundfishing is a boom or bust depending on how far you are prepared to go, but if you’re set up over the right drift you’ll feel like you are in haddock heaven.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Captain Andy from Adventure and Catch Charters has found limits of haddock but it wasn’t easy to find them. Echoing what I’m hearing from others, should you desire fish for the cooler then you had better top off the tank and expect a far boat ride. How far? How about Platt’s Ledge far? As if finding the mother lode of these prized gadoids wasn’t enough Captain Andy was tied to a beast of a halibut which after a give-and-take tug of war pulled the hook. The skipper knows something about big flatfish as he has successfully landed Atlantic halibut to 166 pounds! That is not the only halibut reports that are trickling in from the deep either. Andy hooked his on a jig, but from what I’ve heard through the years, fresh mackerel can be the magic bullet.
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair in Nashua said that the Merrimack River is chock full of stripers up to slot size all the way up to the Lawrence Dam! That is not the first report I’ve heard this year regarding how hot that river is! As for freshwater, the Nashua had been fishing well on worms and jigs but with all the rainfall it’s best to wait it out a little longer for the current to subside!
Southern Maine Fishing Report
I’d like to welcome aboard Captain Paul Hood of Touch of Gray Fishing Charters to the weekly report. Seconds into our conversation I could tell that he was the real deal, and that’s before he sent my way impressive pictures. The skipper has been hauling in some huge haddock, redfish, cusk and pollock from Platt’s Ledge. Because he keeps his 43’ Torres in South Portland he is a shorter ride to Platt’s than others and all indications are that that is where the fish are! Additionally he is no stranger to halibut. You can expect these reports to bump up in intel now that Captain Paul is with us.
All is right in the heavens when Captain Lou Tirado weighs in on what’s cooking in the Diamond Pass area! Just prior to the monsoons, schoolies were slipping into upstream areas and while the skipper didn’t get into specifics, in the past the York River, Saco River, Mousam and Spurwink have been among the earliest to get fish. Due to high water volume and murky conditions Lou leans towards chartreuse Clousers and paddle tails.
It was a hoot to catch up with Brandy from Webhannet Bait and Tackle/Boatyard on Thursday and as usual she didn’t disappoint. The shop has changed hands but the good news is that for the foreseeable future, she will be overseeing things. Brandy told me that haddock limits have been achieved on Platt’s Ledge with Jeffrey’s productive for redfish, cusk and pollock. Pink as well as florescent yellow cod flies and Gulp Swim shads have been the ticket. The Saco River, Webhannet River and Wells Harbor look like tinder boxes ready to go off as cormorants and other shore birds are feverishly plucking up herring and silversides from the surface. With the bait here, can the bass be far behind?
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New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
The first wave of the spring striper run has swept into New Hampshire and Maine! In New Hampshire, I’d check out the Hampton River as well as Little Bay off the Piscataqua River. Farther north in Maine, the York, Saco, Mousam and Spurwink Rivers all deserve a look. Groundfishing is great for haddock as long as you set your sights on Platt’s Ledge. And if you do bring along a big cooler.