I f it’s one of the items on your bucket list, this year may be as good a time as any to visit the famed fisheries of the New England coast. Bait, bluefish and giant stripers are beginning to show up now.
One of the largest run of herring I have ever seen or heard of is in the Piscataqua River. Hundreds of thousands of herring are cruising the Eastern shoreline on the incoming tides, and theyâre being chased by stripers.
I guess I could say stripers and sardines have come home to the bay, and to you fishermen, itâs time to play.
This year’s saltwater season will probably rank as one of the all time best if the weather continues to hold and the sardines can stay out of the can (sorry about that). Letâs hope this run of herring can continue throughout the summer and bring a few 50- and 60-pound fish with them.
Right now the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth is full of small schoolie stripers, but with weather and the supply of baitfish we will have bigger fish showing up by the time you read this column.
I havenât heard of any bluefish in the immediate area, but they should be here soon and are most likely sitting offshore where there is plenty of baitfish. They donât need to move inshore as yet. Watch for mackerel on the incoming tides and any activity of seagulls diving in the vicinity, as that should spell blues.
Haddock fishermen have been busy, as there are plenty to go around. Every time you drop your line overboard there will be at least 12 fish trying to grab your bait. Many are undersized, but there are hawgs down there that can grace your plate.
The same goes for cod. It has been a fishermanâs dream so far this year on this heavy fighter.
In the southern Maine/New Hampshire area, there are hundreds of fishermen who love to go surfcasting for stripers and just as many who would rather night-fish for these linesiders. The reasons being there are fewer people on the beach, it is a lot quieter and the bigger fish feed at night after all the boaters have called it a day.
For those fishermen who just want to fun fish, pollock, Atlantic mackerel, cunner, white perch, sea-run brown trout, Atlantic salmon and four species of flounder will keep you busy. There are also 20 more species of fish that roam these waters that are very seldom fished for as they are too scary or arenât very tasty.