| May 14, 2009 |
| The stripers are showing everywhere around Cape Ann and up the coast to the Essex and Merrimack River estuaries. We also have had reports of striper’s ocean side in Gloucester Harbor. We fished all week at the Candy House and took fish on both sides of high tide. The stripers were eager to take the fly (yellow/white Tricksters) but less willing to eat other artificial offerings. All of the stripers were fresh in from the ocean judging by the sea lice and I found the size range from 14 to 28 inches, but mostly 20+. Friday we made our first foray on the Merrimack and found solid numbers of stripers feasting on a large school of sand eels. They were eager to eat just about anything. We hit pretty good with flies and weighed soft plastics (tuff-core sea lance). As far as the Shad run goes.....it has picked up this past week with more fish being taken at various locations from Rocks Village on up to the Lawrence Dam. The run should improve significantly over the next week or so. Also, a large striper measuring in at 40 inches was taken just below the dam at Lawrence on a needle fish plug. So needless to say, the stripers are in and should get better throughout the remainder of the month. So if you get out there this weekend fish the estuaries from the shore or boat; flies and soft plastics will get you some hook ups.
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