| June 12, 2009 |
| The shad fishing last week at the Great Stone Dam in Lawrence picked up quite nicely. I got up there for a few hours on Tuesday and Thursday to fish with John L. and Capt Al. We all had success with several shad each, with a few of them topping 6 pounds. On each day, the fishing was very slow until the dam released water for power generation. Within a ˝ hour the river current and water level rose and the shad “turned on”. All of our success was on spinning tackle from the bank. Very long casts were a must to reach the shad that were transiting along a seam some 100+ feet from shore. Light action rods and reels spooled with thin diameter braid did the trick. We were using gold willow leaf lures with a ˝ ounce egg sinker up the leader about 2 feet. The shad run should continue for at least a few more weeks, so if you haven’t yet experienced shad fishing now is the time. Oh yeah, there are some huge stripers being caught there almost every morning and evening on top water plugs.
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| Overall the striper fishing on the Merrimack flats last week was slow with regard to numbers of stripers hooked up; however, the quality was very good as evidenced by the two stripers below. A good number of stripers that entered the river system a few weeks ago remain well upriver feasting on herring. Those stripers should drop back before the end of the month when the food runs out or high water temps force them downriver. Most of the anglers using light tackle methods are working long and hard to boat 8 or 10 fish a day. But on the other hand, the anglers using live macks during the daytime or eels at night are being rewarded with a few real nice 40+ inch fish. Last weeks persistent on-shore breeze produced some big swells at the rivers mouth making it a bit gnarly to fish out there, although there are tons of stripers feasting on sandeels along the south-side sandbars. So if you venture out there, be super aware of the danger presented by the big seas. Reports from down to the south are positive so expect good striper action through the end of the month.
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| Despite a cold northeast breeze, and a nasty swell, the crew of the "HUNTER III" set out last Saturday in hopes of landing the first tuna of the season. After reaching the NW corner of Stellwagon bank, we soon discovered a large group of Gannets and gulls feeding on sand eels. As we deployed our gear, near the first of several bait balls, it became obvious from the birds and marks on the fish finder that there was a large concentration of life in the area. Stripers were crashing bait everywhere, but were there tuna? Twenty minutes later we had our answer, when one of our flat lines got bit by a very large and very strong fish. We stood for a moment dumbfounded, as the stout 50/80 rod doubled over and line screamed off the reel. Composing ourselves, and began clearing lines, as the fish continued to run, never slowing despite considerable drag pressure. When the line on the reel had reached about the halfway point, and just as we had finally cleared the other rods, the leader parted, and the fish was gone. We resumed trolling, but by now the stripers were in a frenzy. Trolling the birds became impossible, as every pass the Stripers ravaged our squid bars and Slugg'os. Again and again we cranked in 30+ inch bass on fifty outfits, discarding them as by catch. It is funny how yesterdays target, can be today's nuisance, but big Tuna will do that to you. In the afternoon, we had a false tuna alarm, when a forty six inch cow Striper, hit one of our lines. After a good run, she surprised us all, when surfacing boat side. Whenever possible, I always try to remove the hooks from a striper I am going to release, with the fish in the water, and let it swim off. However, this was such a nice fish, I couldn't resist taking a couple of pictures, before releasing her. All in all, it had not been the day we had hoped it would be, but it had been exciting never the less. To go out on Stellwagon, and see so many nice stripers and bait was worth the trip in itself. As for the Tuna, I don't think any of us will soon forget the sound of the line screaming off the reel, or the bend in that rod. Judging from the reports on the radio, the boats on the South West corner of Stellwagon where having good action, so more fish should be on the North West corner soon.
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