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SEACOAST FISHING FORECAST - 2007
Haddock Abound!
By Kevin Sullivan, Marine Biologist, Region 3/Durham
The 2007 fishing season has already begun on New Hampshire's salty
seacoast! As always, the first sport-fishermen to brave the Atlantic
as its mood calms from the winter months are those aboard the offshore
party and charter boats targeting groundfish. Many boats began
making their daily trips to Jeffrey's Ledge this past weekend (March
30) and will continue through the summer.
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| Fish and Game Biological Aide Josh Borgeson weighs
one of the plentiful haddock caught during a party-boat fishing
trip last May. Fish and Game biologists ride along on several
party-boat trips a year to gather valuable biological information
on New Hampshire's recreational fisheries as part of the Marine
Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey. |
The spring months
(April through early June) are often when Atlantic cod and especially
haddock are most plentiful for anglers. The
best part about hiring the services of one of these boats is that
the price includes tackle, bait, and a level of experience that
is priceless. Haddock catches last year were the highest in recent
history, and we could see large catches again this year. Remember,
the size limit has dropped from 23" just a few years ago to
only 19" now! If size is what you're after, then landing a
large "white-belly" cod -- generally 6-12 lbs. but sometimes
caught over 60 lbs. -- won't disappoint either.
For charter/party boat listings, visit:
You might not know it,
but the winter flounder fishing season is also in full stride.
It seems that today's anglers
may have
become a bit spoiled, because "old-timers" tell stories
of fishermen sitting on snow-covered bridges along the Piscataqua
River in Portsmouth or near Pierce Island fishing for winter flounder
as early as March, but these days we wait for warmer weather before
trying our luck. To give credit to all of us anglers who take pride
in our willingness to fish in any conditions at any time, the lowered
levels of winter flounder in the past decade haven't provided much
incentive, but last year's reports of anglers (including party
boats) directing effort towards flounder and having considerable
success should spark some enthusiasm.
Winter flounder come into the shallows
in the spring to spawn and hang around until summer before moving
back to deeper waters.
When fishing for winter flounder, the correct tackle is a must;
try using a "spreader rig" with two long-shanked hooks.
Bait one with clams and the other with seaworms; then, if one bait
is consistently getting the fish, switch both to that bait. Spots
to try are off the bridge to Pierce Island near the Portsmouth
Fishermen's Co-Op, the piers near the Yankee Fishermen's Co-Op
in Seabrook, and the Scammel Bridge between Durham and Dover.
Stripers are a favorite target of shoreline
anglers, because they're found near the coast as well as in tidal
rivers and estuaries.
Striped bass fishing usually starts in earnest by the end of May,
when large numbers of "schoolie" stripers begin to show
up, followed by the larger "cows" in June. While catches
tend to slow up a bit during the heat of the summer, the fishing
picks up again in September as stripers start heading south for
the winter. Striped bass are one of the great success stories of
fisheries management and the proof can be seen in the dramatic
increases in New Hampshire's catch of striped bass, which have
risen to their highest levels in nearly 30 years. With the increased
number of fish, new fishing techniques have appeared. One method
that is quickly gaining popularity is known as "yakin'." This
involves trolling a light tackle fishing rig behind a kayak as
you paddle around the historic seacoast and up into the coastal
rivers. (Watch those tides!)
During the lull of striped bass activity
in the mid-summer, don't let your surfcasters collect dust in
the garage. Instead, tie a
steel leader on the end and see if you can land one of the hardest-fighting
fish pound for pound you will ever experience, bluefish! This is
exciting fishing, especially if you try trolling near gatherings
of birds along the coast. In this technique, there is usually no
downtime. Find the birds, get within a few hundred yards quickly,
then troll your lure (8" shadrap-style lures with a swim depth
of 6 to 12 feet) about 150' off the back of the boat just on the
edges of the feeding frenzy. On good days, you will have no problem
hooking up two or more fish at the same time, only problem is getting
them in. Bluefish fight hard and have a full complement of teeth
to challenge the angler. Let your drag do the work and be patient.
If you don't have access to a boat or just prefer fishing from
shore, try ballooning out live or cut mackerel -- this works for
blues as well as stripers.
Whatever your preferred method of fishing is, don't wait or before
you know it the summer will have passed you by. Make the most of
the opportunities available to New Hampshire anglers and we'll
see you on the Atlantic.
P.S. Striped Bass Anglers Wanted!: The New Hampshire Fish and
Game Department is looking for striped bass anglers of all skill
levels and experience to participate in our annual Striped Bass
Volunteer Angler Survey. Logbooks as well as measuring tapes are
sent to interested anglers, who in return supply individual trip
and length information through the mail or electronically. If you
would like to help us monitor New Hampshire's top saltwater sportfish,
and keep its story a success then please contact Kevin Sullivan
at the Marine Division office, (603) 868-1095 or at ksullivan@nhfgd.org.
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