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There’ll be plenty of action around New England

By Staff | May 23, 2020

There is a lot happening on all fishing fronts! Striped bass are being reported in good numbers along almost all of the New England coast, bass are beginning their spawning activities, salmon are still shallow, and trout are still being stocked.

With temps as warm as 80-degrees forecast for the weekend, there should be a drastic uptick in the numbers and activity of fish.

Our fishing department is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily and we are still offering contactless curbside pick up for your convenience.

MAINE

Greg at Jordan’s Store in Sebago reported a good week of fishing on Sebago. He says that his customers are reporting better catches of salmon. “They’re not catching huge fish, but the ones they’re catching are fat,” he said.

He told us of one customer who caught six salmon and four or five lake trout in one morning. Greg says pretty much all the reports he is getting are from anglers trolling live bait, wonderbread-colored spoons, and Flatfish. We no sooner hung up the phone when Greg sent over a photo of a lake trout he had just weighed.

The 19.95-pound togue measured 38-inches long and was caught by angler Paul Nappi. Greg expects the coming warm weather to get things moving even better.

Dave Garcia at Naples Bait and Tackle in Naples told us that things are getting better. “The bass have really started moving in and people are catching them on just about anything, jerk baits, senkos, you name it,” he said.

Dave says the evening salmon bite has been good on Sebago according to the reports he’s getting. He also reports that the splake fishing has been very good on Thomas Pond.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Full-time New Hampshire fishing guide Tim of Tim Moore Outdoors has been busy with gear work and a fishing trip of his own here and there, when the weather cooperates. “I’ve been busy rigging my new Sportsman Autopilot 136 kayak. It has an integrated 45-pound thrust (saltwater) trolling motor, with Spotlock,” he told us. He was excited to have it fully rigged, especially with the arrival of good numbers of striped bass along the New Hampshire coast. Speaking of striped bass, Tim has a virtual striped bass fishing seminar coming up this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on the Tim Moore Outdoors Facebook page. Tim says he still isn’t guiding yet, but says the NH Reopening Task Force is working on guidelines to incorporate fishing guides into phase two of the state’s reopening plan.

Alan Nute at A.J.’s Bait and Tackle was pleased to report some good fishing over the weekend, but says the water is still cold and seems to be holding things back a bit. He was optimistic that the coming warm weather would move things along. “We’re getting reports of nice fish here and there,” he said. Alan says Wonderbread and Rangeley seem to be the hot colors for spoons. He says the fish are still up in the top 20-feet. No consistent reports of white perch spawning activity yet, but he expects warm temps to kick that into high gear soon.

Chad at Dover Marine/Covered Bridge Sports in Dover reports excellent bass fishing lately.

“Tons and tons of schoolies have hit our shorelines,” he told us. Freshwater bass have moved in shallow. He says some onds are seeing bass on beds and others are not, depending on where you go, but they’re all hungry and feeding.

He says the coming warm weather should push the remainder of bass into spawning mode. Chad says the crappie fishing has taken off as those fish have moved into shallow spawning habitat pretty much everywhere.

George Taylor at Taylor’s Trading Post in Madbury told us he had a very busy and productive weekend. “A lot of people out there fishing, trying to get outdoors,” he said. He says he had favorable reports everywhere.

“All the small ponds, Barbados, Willand, Lucas, they’re all perking good,” George told us. He says that he has also had good reports from the Isinglass River access along Watson Road. George wanted to remind anglers that the catch and release season for bass has begun and runs through June 15 using artificial lures only.

MASSACHUSETTS

Martha at Surfland Bait and Tackle on Plum Island told us that the fishing has picked up in their neck of the woods, but the parking lots are all still closed. She says most people are getting dropped off or bicycling in. “They’re getting creative about how they get here, and also how they find places to fish,” she said. She told us that she’s even hearing of a few flounder.

Martha says they are starting to carry sea worms and they have clams, but no fresh mackerel yet.

Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett says the flounder are biting well.

“The flounder bite is off the charts on Zobo Flats and Lynn Harbor,” he said. He says the schoolie stripers have arrived in droves in the Charlestown and Mystic Rivers

He says he can’t keep Jumpin Minnows and small Al Gags in stock, because they’re catching so many stripers.

Pete told us that they’re still catching a lot of nice rainbow trout in most of the local ponds.

The Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts fishing report is courtesy of the Kittery Trading Post, located at 301 U.S. Route One in Kittery, Maine.

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