Monday, June 25, 2007

Merrimack River Report #8 June 25, 2007







Merrimack River Report #7 June 25, 2007

Fishing in the Merrimack River and its estuary area remains very good. Last week there was some very difficult fishing days because of high winds from the North West. The weather people told us it was due to a stationary low front just south of Nova Scotia. Whatever the cause, we suffered some from the effects.

The charter week began for me on Tuesday when I guided for a father and his young teen age son. They were definitely novices, even with light spinning tackle. However after a little instruction on casting and the best way to work the lures they did pretty well. The fishing was slow but they each caught a few stripers. The fish were found near buoy 11 and down by the jetties.

Friday, after a slow beginning, my clients got into bluefish action just outside the mouth of the river. Having had little experience catching blues they surprised at the voracious hard fighting nature of the fish. Joe was all smiles as he landed a couple. I was busy using my Boga Grip to grab the fish next to the boat.

At the end of the week the wind finally began to subside to the point that it was calm this morning. Sunday was very bright on the water and it was difficult to get stripers out on Joppa. Sandy did nail a nice 27 inch fish that followed her Sluggo near to the boat before gulping it down. It was a close in fight between angler and fish but she won.

This morning there were lots of stripers out on Joppa but it was flat calm so they spooked easily. I had a couple of follows by big fish but no hits. I did see one angle get a striper (probably 25-27 inches) while using a surface plug. I spent some time over on the Parker River where I caught a half dozen blues using flies and soft baits. Needless to say, I used up a good number of lures!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Photos for report #7 June 18, 2007























Here are the photos from the past week.

Merrimack River Report # 7 June 18, 2007


Merrimack River Report #7 June 18, 2007


The weather over the middle of last week was miserable for fishing. There were strong winds from the Northeast and very cool temperatures for June. In spite of the weather conditions we did get some nice fish, including an 18 pound 38-inch striper that hit a large jig rigged Fin-S. There were 3 foot waves on Joppa Flats. Wednesday and Thursday and they were very difficult days to fish. Even the deep water charter boats stayed inside as the Coast Guard issued storm warnings with strong winds. Even schoolies were hard to find.

There are lots of bluefish around. My clients enjoyed battling 4 to 7 pound blues on light spinning tackle. Joppa, when we could get out there, produced some big striped bass. They hit large soft baits.

Following are some high lights of last weeks fishing trips.

Monday I took out a couple guys from south west new Hampshire. They met me at a show I participated in Keene last April. I remember the show well because of the 11 inches of snow that fell which resulted in very low attendance on that Saturday. Sunday was better and that is when I talked to Tom, who later booked a trip. They were interested in catching blue fish and last Monday they did. We found blues from 4 to 7 pounds on the Parker River. They brought home 6 o7 to cook in a smoker. Also that morning Tom caught and released a 26-inch striper on Joppa Flats. They also released some schoolies.

On Tuesday my clients Jay and his son Chris also enjoyed blue fish action plus some striper schoolies on Joppa. The next day the weather turned nasty. It was cloudy and cold with a very strong wind from the Northeast. Early in the morning I drove by to look at conditions on Joppa Flats there were white caps with two foot waves. Since fishing would be difficult at best, I decided to fish up river around the islands. I marked some fish in deep water near Eagle Island but they were reluctant hit lures. Finally, as we fished the up river side of the island, Ed had a solid hit on a jig head rigged Fin-S. It was obviously a large striper and Ed was into a good fight on the light spinning out that he was using. As we drifted with the incoming tide towards the Chain Bridge we landed the fish. It was a very nice striper (38 inches, 18 pounds).

Thursday the weather was better but still windy. There were large swells coming into the river past the jetties and over the sand bar at the north end of PI. My clients took hits by a couple of blue fish but lost them. Later as we fished Joppa one of them caught a keeper. It was just over 28 inches.

Friday morning the weather had cleared but it was still rough water by the jetties. We tried up river with little success but did catch some schoolies on fly and light tackle near the #11 Buoy.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Merrimack River report #6 June 10, 2007







Merrimack River Report #6 June 10, 2007

The striper fishing continues to be very good. In addition the bluefish have come onto local waters. My clients have caught several 3 or 4 pound very scrappy blues. They destroyed the soft baits that they were using, but the flies did hold up pretty well. The blues were caught near the north end of Plum Island just off the sandbar where we have been finding good striper action.

We have also caught a couple of shad as they moved down the river after spawning. My grandson caught his very first shad and was elated. He had wanted me to get him out shad fishing.

Some of my clients have been catching and releasing some fish that only measured an inch or two short. One day one of my clients had a tremendous hit while we fished out on Joppa. It hit the Sluggo very close to the boat. I heard the explosion but didn’t see the fish. He did, and was amazed at the size of the fish.

Saturday I took out Jim and Dave who brought their father who was visiting from Ohio. The weather was cool and wet with low overcast. We fished Joppa and the big stripers were there. Several were lost but Jim brought in a 32-inch keeper as well as a 27-inch fish.

Friday my clients from New Hampshire had some good fishing catching stripers up 26 inches as well as a couple of bluefish and one shad.


Earlier in the week I guided for Russ from Vermont and his friend Rich from Canada. Russ used the fly rod while Rich chose to use the light spinning rod. Both enjoyed catching and releasing lots of stripers near the jetties. They were fat and very scrappy 18 to 20 inch fish.


































Merrimack River Report #6 June 10, 2007

The striper fishing continues to be very good. In addition the bluefish have come onto local waters. My clients have caught several 3 or 4 pound very scrappy blues. They destroyed the soft baits that they were using, but the flies did hold up pretty well. The blues were caught near the north end of Plum Island just off the sandbar where we have been finding good striper action.

We have also caught a couple of shad as they moved down the river after spawning. My grandson caught his very first shad and was elated. He had wanted me to get him out shad fishing.

Some of my clients have been catching and releasing some fish that only measured an inch or two short. One day one of my clients had a tremendous hit while we fished out on Joppa. It hit the Sluggo very close to the boat. I heard the explosion but didn’t see the fish. He did, and was amazed at the size of the fish.















Saturday I took out Jim and Dave who brought their father who was visiting from Ohio. The weather was cool and wet with low overcast. We fished Joppa and the big stripers were there. Several were lost but Jim brought in a 32-inch keeper as well as a 27-inch fish.





















Friday my clients from New Hampshire had some good fishing catching stripers up 26 inches as well as a couple of bluefish and one shad.








Earlier in the week I guided for Russ from Vermont and his friend Rich from Canada. Russ used the fly rod while Rich chose to use the light spinning rod. Both enjoyed catching and releasing lots of stripers near the jetties. They were fat and very scrappy 18 to 20 inch fish.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Merrimack River Report #5 June 4,2007





Merrimack River Report #5 June 4, 2007

The Merrimack River is alive with striped bass and the bigger ones are beginning to show in numbers. Large bass have been caught on Joppa Flats, at the mouth of the river and along the Plum Island shoreline. There is abundant bait in the area, everything from mackerel off shore, to sand eels and silversides in the river. Schoolie stripers to mid-twenty inch range are have been chowing down around the morning low to high tide changes. Even a few shad have been caught as they return from their spawning up river. My grandson caught one using a small Sluggo rigged with a jig head.

My clients and I have seen busting stripers between the jetties and near the sandbar all week. The fishing action has been great using light spinning or fly tackle.

Smaller baits and flies are producing since the sand eels and minnows are small. Bait fishermen have not been doing well while the stripers are feeding on the small bait at or near the surface.

Our experience this week has been the enjoyment of fast action with schoolies and then occasionally getting a hit by a fish approaching keeper size, and only being an inch short a couple of times.

The weather has been great for fishing. There has been little wind making for good fly casting. So far, this June has the makings of an excellent striper catching month. It is a welcome change from the miserable weather and floods of last year.

I had an off day Sunday it was just as well since the weather turned after the violent thunder storms of Saturday evening. I was scheduled for a charter on Monday morning but because the forecast is for heavy rain and wind, I postponed the trip.

I stopped by Surfland on Plum Island (one of my favorite tackle and bait shops) to pick up some duo lock snaps and a few fly tying items. They told me that a 31 pound striper was caught off the beach near parking lot #1 on the reservation. I don’t know for shore but I think it was caught by a bait fisherman. There was also a 17 pound striper caught off the south jetty.

I’ll give a few comments on some of my charters over the past week with some photos.




Last Wednesday I took Charles and his dad who although up their in years still enjoys fishing. We fished at the end of the outgoing tide and first of the incoming. Most of the time we fished between the jetties or outside of the north jetty. When we first arrived we found breaking stripers all over. It was constant action on Fin-S rigged with jig heads or other soft body lures. Charles father caught a 27 inch striper. We tried the flats but there was no action.


Friday the fishing was equally good as my clients Gene and Mark enjoyed lots of action using spin and fly tackle. At one point I had them switch to an un-weighted medium size Fin-S. They had some great surface hits with stripers up to about 20 inches. They got two nice fish. One measured 26 inches the other 27 inches. It was another good morning of fishing.

I am looking forward to my next trip, hopefully Tuesday morning.

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