Merrimack Repoert #3 May30, 2008
Merrimack River Fishing Report #3
May 30, 2008
The striper fishing over the Memorial Day weekend was not very good. There were lots of fish around but they were not feeding. I fished a couple days and we only caught a few stripers. There was a lot of boat traffic and that didn’t help. Also, the tides were not good with lows very early and incoming during the morning hours. In addition, the inshore water was pretty cold. That is how it was. Now let me tell you about this week beginning on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning it was quiet with little boat traffic. I didn’t have a charter and went out to have some “captain’s time fishing”. When I passed under the Gillis Route 1 Bridge I saw terns diving to the water surface with their excited calls. The harbor was full of breaking stripers. They weren’t big but they were hungry. I caught and released a dozen or so. As the action slowed I went over to the Salisbury shore where I picked up some bigger fish that didn’t show until a fly passed by. I caught and released a dozen or so before it slowed down. Then I tried the upper end of Joppa Flats where I got a lot of stripers up to the mid twenty inch range. It was a very enjoyable morning of fishing!!
As the week progressed the fishing continued to be very good. There were more and more larger stripers. A few keepers were caught on flies and soft baits. Wednesday the river was alive with breaking fish from the #13 to#15 buoys. Every morning that I was out we caught lots of stripers some just shy of keeper size. The fish are very strong an even a small schoolie gives a good fight on the fly or light spinning rods. One morning I used my 6 WT fly rod and after catching a couple mid-twenty inch stripers I decided I better go back to my 8 WT. I was concerned that my 6 WT might break on one of the larger stripers. I have seen it happen to one of my clients.
The fish have been showing up in different areas in the early morning. I think that the water temperature has been having an impact. The water can be 45 degrees on one side of the tide line and 58 degrees on the other. Stripers and their prey prefer the warmer water.
This morning one of my friends said he that he brought a very big striper to boat side but as he fumbled to get the Boga grip it broke his leader and got away. He wanted to weigh and measure it before releasing. Jim was fishing up river somewhere around the high tide.
This spring season has been more like the ones I recall from a few years ago, before the two exceptionally wet ones the last couple of years.
The cost of fuel is affecting all of us. I only raised my rate by $25 for a half day charter and hope I can hold it there for the seas
on. Gas on the water is over $5 per gallon!
May 30, 2008
The striper fishing over the Memorial Day weekend was not very good. There were lots of fish around but they were not feeding. I fished a couple days and we only caught a few stripers. There was a lot of boat traffic and that didn’t help. Also, the tides were not good with lows very early and incoming during the morning hours. In addition, the inshore water was pretty cold. That is how it was. Now let me tell you about this week beginning on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning it was quiet with little boat traffic. I didn’t have a charter and went out to have some “captain’s time fishing”. When I passed under the Gillis Route 1 Bridge I saw terns diving to the water surface with their excited calls. The harbor was full of breaking stripers. They weren’t big but they were hungry. I caught and released a dozen or so. As the action slowed I went over to the Salisbury shore where I picked up some bigger fish that didn’t show until a fly passed by. I caught and released a dozen or so before it slowed down. Then I tried the upper end of Joppa Flats where I got a lot of stripers up to the mid twenty inch range. It was a very enjoyable morning of fishing!!
As the week progressed the fishing continued to be very good. There were more and more larger stripers. A few keepers were caught on flies and soft baits. Wednesday the river was alive with breaking fish from the #13 to#15 buoys. Every morning that I was out we caught lots of stripers some just shy of keeper size. The fish are very strong an even a small schoolie gives a good fight on the fly or light spinning rods. One morning I used my 6 WT fly rod and after catching a couple mid-twenty inch stripers I decided I better go back to my 8 WT. I was concerned that my 6 WT might break on one of the larger stripers. I have seen it happen to one of my clients.
The fish have been showing up in different areas in the early morning. I think that the water temperature has been having an impact. The water can be 45 degrees on one side of the tide line and 58 degrees on the other. Stripers and their prey prefer the warmer water.
This morning one of my friends said he that he brought a very big striper to boat side but as he fumbled to get the Boga grip it broke his leader and got away. He wanted to weigh and measure it before releasing. Jim was fishing up river somewhere around the high tide.
This spring season has been more like the ones I recall from a few years ago, before the two exceptionally wet ones the last couple of years.
The cost of fuel is affecting all of us. I only raised my rate by $25 for a half day charter and hope I can hold it there for the seas
on. Gas on the water is over $5 per gallon!
