New England - South Shore Massachusetts to Maine Fishing Reports

Captain Rich from Black Rose Fishing Charters told me the best part of the spring haddock fishing is that anglers aboard his boat get to use very light tackle and fish shallow water. The 2024 haddock fishery is now open with Buzzards Bay porgy fishing opening in early May. Captain Rich will be concentrating on the red- hot squid fishing sailing out of South Yarmouth on the Cape until the first week in May, or until the squid bite shuts off. Black Rose Fishing Charters has lots of options to offer their clients

Jackson from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle told me that fresh water, particularly trout fishing has been outstanding. Morton Pond and Long Pong in Plymouth have been extremely productive. Haddock season has started and the store has a good supply of gear and bait. The weather has been typical spring like and unsettled with rough seas. We had a few good days this week and the boats that fished for haddock did great. Stellwagen is always steady but Stone Ledge and other inside humps have also been productive. There were a few fishermen out trying their luck on flounder in Scituate Harbor but no one has reported good results yet. Water temperature was 46 degrees this weekend and needs to get closer to 50 for the bite to get serious. Belsan’s is open 7 days a week.

Martha from Surfland told me there have been a few reports of shad but further up the river on the freshwater side in North Andover where a freshwater license is required. There have been no reports from Rocks Village yet. She thinks it will be another week or two before some fresh sea run stripers move into the rivers. With big schools of alewives and shad in the Parker and Merrimack Rivers, it won’t be long before the stripers find them. Surfland is now open seven days a week.