Download Fishing Early Season North Shore Stripers

Early Season North Shore Stripers
All the best fisherman that I know are not very patient. I don’t know who started that whole thing
about anglers needing to be patient, or if you are a fisherman you must be patient, but with few
exceptions, it just isn’t so.
I am not very good at waiting, especially waiting for the Stripers to show up. So I have a few
choices;
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I can run south and fish, I will try, but its hard to find the time.
I can wait, we covered that option, or
I can fish for the ones that have hung out all winter and the early
arrivals.
I do wait for things to heat up a bit and let the fish get a little active. I can’t bring myself to catch
some poor schooly that decided to stay and freeze its fins off! Sitting all winter on the bottom
saying "whose idea to stay was this anyway?" I am not that impatient!
Most of the places I mention below will have fish showing up soon. I have always started
Guiding for Stripers May 15th. That gives me a couple weeks of fishing for myself before I am
out straight guiding, so I always looking forward to the first fish of the year!
Luckily for us, there are some good early season spots on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Going South to North here are some of the places to fish.
Lead Mills, Marblehead #1
The Lead Mills, in Marblehead on RT. 114 is one of the earliest spots to give up fish. It is a low
tide spot that with a muddy bottom (look for rocks to stand on), wade out with the last couple
hours of the out going tide. Using white Bucktail Jigs, on spinning gear and chartreuse Clousers
Minnows, on the fly rod and that should clear up any lingering winter blues that you have! Most
of us who ponder things like, where do these early fish come from?" are sure that these are fish
that held over at the Salem Power Plant warm water discharge. There is angler access at the
plant, but I like to wait until the fish start moving out of the shadow of the plant. You can also
put a boat in at Winter Island and fish the same waters.
Danvers River, Danvers #2
Danvers River, in Danvers may also be Power Plant fish but, I think that some hold over in the
river. A great spot for the small boat, you can put in at Popes Landing on Liberty street and fish
down river. Schoolies can be had at any point in the river, you just have to hunt them down.
Some of my best luck is around the Kernwood golf course at low tide. That shore can be
accessed from Kernwood Bridge, parking is a problem. Also you my have to duck now and then
when an errant golf ball comes your way, sent by someone who doesn’t know how to fish!
Besides the standard Jigs and Clousers, often the fish are not hugging the bottom so hard that
they will hit a swimmer. I like Bommers, they seem to track the best at all speeds. As the season
progresses, the outside of the Danvers river is a favorite hot spot of mine!
Little River, Gloucester #3
The Little River, In Gloucester right off RT. 128, is another nice early season spot. Fished on a
falling tide, you wade out from the bank, the mud is not too bad. The fish hold in the channel and
near the bottom , but often come up with low light. Do not park in the candy store’s parking lot.
Park across from their lot and walk though it to get to the river. Little river is best waded or
fished from a small boat like a canoe or kayak.
Castle Neck River, Ipswich #4
Castle Neck River, is not one of the earliest spots to hold fish, but it is one of the nicer spots to
fish. Fished mostly on an out going tide, it runs along the back side of Crane Beach between
Castle Neck and Hog Island. It is the Northeast end of Essex Bay, with a lot of the water washing
right by the bank that is there. Parking can be a problem but if you fish before 7:00 AM and after
7:00 PM you can pick up a parking permit at Ipswich Town Hall (in past years $5.00) to park out
side the Crane Beach parking lot. You will get a ticket if you don’t have the Permit!
Plum Island, Newburyport #5
Plum Island Sound, Has its share of early season fish. Most holding at the river mouths that feed
into it. The Rowley, Parker and Eagle all having good days, but with the Parker getting the nod
for the most fish. Probably the Parker is holding over fish in the winter with some of its deep
holes for them to congregate in. Plum Island Sound is better fished from a boat with the best
ramp being in Ipswich, at the town Landing. Definitely take some casts on your way out of the
river, you never know were the fish might be hiding. A couple years ago I would have sent you
to the railroad bridge that goes over the Parker. From Hay St. in Newbury you could drive the
mile and half down the old railroad bed to the bridge, but then they put the Newburyport to
Boston train back in service. Now it would be a long walk, but I bet the fish are still there. Plum
Island Sound is always a great place to watch for busting fish and birds, so keep your eyes open
and your hooks sharp.
Merrimack River, Newburyport #6
The Merrimack River, deserves a book to be written about the fishing in it. I did an article in the
January issue of On The Water on the lower Merrimack, so you may need to do a little digging to
find all the spots that I like on the lower river. Some of the high lights for early season fish
being; Black Rock Creek by Salisbury State Park, Town Creek across for Cashman Park Boat
ramp, and Woodbrigde Island on the Plum Island side. All fish well from a boat, even a small
boat, but you can fish Black Rock well wading. Just fish around the boat ramp both up and down
current and you should get into fish. Stripers are caught all along the Merrimack, but a lot of the
bigger fish are coming from below the Lawrence dam. They feed heavily on the herring that are
spawning in the river. Best fished from a boat, its poor access, prop eating rocks, and hit or miss
nature make it not for the faint of heart.
As much as I like Trout fishing and guiding for Trout, I am always ready for the Stripers. This is
the time of year that I like to fish the 5wt fly rod and the light spinning gear for the schoolies.
There is little chance of hooking a really big fish and having to over play it. Often when you find
a school of fish it’s one every cast. Fish barbless hooks, if you drop one you often hook up again
before you get your line in. Please, this is not a good time to fish bait. Schoolies take it so deep
so fast that even with circle hook, the mortality rate is not good. Besides you will have a faster
turn over of fish without having to rebait your hook. Always look for the fish. Don’t sit and wait
for them to come to you. The name of the game is finding the school, not waiting for it to find
you! One of the things that is so great about early season fishing is that the fish hit so
aggressively after their winter fasting or long journeys. Have a great season and tight lines!