Spring Saltwater Fishing

This year I booked two Haddock fishing party boat trips in April to jumpstart the Spring saltwater season and bring home some fillets.  Also around this time the hunt for big Scup and the year’s first Striped Bass began in earnest. 

Striped Bass Caught in Westport

Good numbers of migratory “Schoolie” size Striped Bass always show about the middle of April.  This year they were on time and I did manage to catch a few small schoolies in Popponesset Bay the first week of May.  There were fewer bass in the bay this Spring  Also missing this year were the large schools of Menhaden that attract the Stripers (and Bluefish) into the bay. My first Stripers this year were caught  in Westport with Westport Point Fishing Charters. 

Haddock 

On April 22nd I went out Haddock fishing on one of the Captain John boats in Plymouth.  It was a slow ride going out to the fishing grounds on Stellwagen Bank due to an enforced speed limit with a purpose of preventing collisions with slow moving Right Whales.  The down side was that we had less time for fishing.  On the plus side the fishing trip provided some pretty decent whale watching. Got some views of Right Whales and Finback Whales.  The Rights are a highly endangered species that was nearly hunted to extinction before becoming a protected under international law. Unlike some of the other whales species, their population has never recovered. 

Sculpin

The Haddock fishing that day was even slower  than the whales. Only got one keeper.  The fishing was sure to pick up sooner than later, so the following week my son, Nate, and I went back out.   This time the fishing was much better and we brought home a cooler full of tasty fillets.  We also caught Sculpins and Cod.  The Cod however had to be released since the Gulf of Maine is closed to recreational Codfishing .

A Stringer Of Scup

Speaking of tasty fillets let’s not forget the other saltwater species that provides some fast paced fishing in early May.  This is my favorite time of the year to fish for Scup from a Kayak.  The fish are close to shore in less than 20 feet of water.  Also they tend to run large, averaging about 14 inches, and as big as 17 inches.  The shallow water makes it easy to target them with small jigs on a light spinning outfit.  This method also worked for the Black Sea Bass and Sea Robins that showed up soon after the Scup.  

My Go To Jig Rig - Bucktail Jig with Gulp Swimming Mullets

Right: Black Sea Bass   Left: Sea Robin  

Here’s two of my favorite fish recipes:

Parmesan Baked Haddock

Baked breaded Haddock is a classic dish.  This one was given to me by Capt, Jim Turner of Westport Point Fishing Charters.   It uses crushed Ritz crackers in place of bread crumbs. 

Ingredients: 

2 pounds of Haddock Fillets

one cup crushed Ritz Crackers

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cups slivered almonds

3 tablespoons of Butter

1 tablespoon of apricot preserves 

Lemon Slices

1. Pre-heat oven to 480 degrees
2. Mix together the crushed crackers, grated cheese, and almonds.
3. Lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish.
4. Place fillets in dish, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and cover with cracker mixture.
5. Melt butter mixed with apricot in a microwave oven.  Whip the mixture and pour evenly over the fish.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until fish begins to flake. 

Nemo In A Blanket

This is so easy and it works with any small, thin fish fillets (Scup, Cunner, Yellow Perch, White Perch, Black Crappie, and Winter Flounder).  All you do is dip the fillets in pancake batter and cook them like pancakes in a frying pan or on a griddle. Can be served sweet with real maple syrup or molasses.  If you prefer savory top with tarter sauce or cocktail sauce.

Ingredients:

6-8 pieces of fish (Cut larger fillets in half)

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Pancake Batter:

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup cornmeal 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1. Make batter thick enough to coat the fillets
2. Dip fillets in batter and cook in hot oil, flipping once.

Spring Freshwater Frenzy

On Cape Cod it’s a good strategy to try and pack in as much freshwater fishing as possible during the Spring season.  That’s simply because we’re surrounded by ocean and by the middle of May the saltwater bite is on strong for a wide variety of species.  This leaves little time to visit the Cape’s multitude of freshwater “kettle hole” ponds many of them generously stocked with trout.  

So with that strategy in mind I made over thirty visits to freshwater fishing sites this Spring.  Species hunting was the name of the game.  Overall I caught fourteen species (Listed below with photos).   

It was a slow start from March to mid April.  Cold temperatures and a few northeasters made fish and fishermen alike less active.  Once the Forsythias showed their yellow blossoms things started to pick up.  For warmwater species Santuit pond in Mashpee was the top producer.  John’s Pond was tops for Rainbow Trout while Mashpee-Wakeby Pond was good for Brown Trout.  Hathaway Pond in Barnstable yielded a Brook and a Tiger Trout.

Most of the trout were caught on metal lures.  Top lures were a bright yellow Thomas Buoyant and a Gold Kastmaster.   Bass and Pickerel were caught on floating Rapalas and live Killifish.  Other species were caught using earthworms or nightcrawlers. 

All species are listed by a common name followed by the scientific name.  The number indicates how many were caught during the period March 20 - May 17, 2018. 

American Eel, Anguilla rostrata (1) 

Location(s): Santuit Pond Maspee MA

Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus (2) 

Location(s): Beaver Pond Franklin MA

Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis  (1) IF, 

Location(s): Hathaway Pond Barnstable MA

Brown Bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus (2) 

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashie MA

Brown Trout, Salmo truth (22) 

Location(s): Pimlico Pond Sandwich MA, Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Mashpee MA, Hamblin Pond Barnstable MA

Chain Pickerel, Esox niger (13) 

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashpee, Long Pond Lakeville MA, Lake Nipennicket Bridgewatewr MA, Beaver Pond Franklin MA

Golden Shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas (10) 

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashie Ma

Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides (4) 

Location(s): Flax Pond Bourne MA, Scargo Lake Dennis MA

Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Lepomis gibbous (3)  

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashie MA

Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus my kiss (26) 

Location(s): Johns Pond Mashie MA, Long Pond Yarmouth MA, Hamblin Pond Barnstable MA

Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu (1) 

Location(s): Scargo Lake Dennis MA

Tiger Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis X Salmo trutta Hybrid (1) 

Location(s): Hathaway Pond Barnstable MA

White Sucker, Catostomus commersonii (9) 

Location(s): Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Mashie MA

Yellow Perch, Perca flavescent (23) 

Location(s): Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA, Santuit Pond Mashpee, Hathaway Pond Barnstable MA, Pimlico Pond Sandwich MA, Flax Pond Bourne MA, Little Cliff Pond Brewster MA

Ice Fishing On The Big Lake - Winnipesaukee

Landlocked Salmon

January 22-24, 2018

The fishable ice on Cape Cod didn’t last very long.  I decided it was time for a trip to New Hampshire’s big lake, Winnipesaukee.  Cynthia and I drove up to Meredith on Monday morning.  We stopped at AJ’s Bait and Tackle to get large smelt for Lake Trout and large shiners for Cusk.  The first day we fished a spot on the north shore where I had some luck last year catching Lake Trout.  We set two tip ups in shallow water on either side of some rocky, weedy structure.  In addition to attracting Lake Trout, this spot holds Yellow Perch, including a few jumbos over 12 inches.  Two more tip ups were placed out in deeper water.  The bait (large smelt) in the shallower spot was set about three feet off the bottom.  The other had the bait set 8 feet below the ice.  It didn’t take too long for a few perch to find the bait near the rocks. A little while later the flag popped up and this time the line was peeling off the spool so fast that I was certain it wasn’t a perch.  It ended up being our first Lake Trout of the year.  It was kind of small, only 17 inches and was promptly released after taking a photo.

Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush

Rainbow Smelt Used As Bait

Yellow Perch Perca flavescent with a large smelt

That night we stayed at the Oliver Lodge in Meredith.  We were there last year and liked it very much.  (See last year’s posting for more about the lodge.)  That night, before settling in, six Cusk devices were put out overnight in hopes of catching this tasty member of the Cod family. The next day was not a good day to go anywhere.  An ice storm made driving and fishing extremely difficult.  Checked the cusk lines out in front of the lodge but they were fishless.  We put out four tip ups which we periodically checked throughout the day. In New Hampshire lakes that are managed for Lake Trout and Landlocked Salmon, anglers are limited to using only two free-spool fishing devices per person.  In addition to the tip-ups or jigging rods, each angler may set out six Cusk devices. (NH Regulations For Cusk Devices are available at the NH Fish & Game website). 

Cusk Device

Despite our efforts, no fish were caught during the storm.  On our third day we drove back to my favorite spot on the northern shore.  Once there we realized that it was far too windy.  We went to a nearby spot that offered better shelter from the wind.  We set two tip-ups out with large smelt three feet off the bottom and two with the smelt swimming only eight feet below the ice.  It seems that the Lake Trout were chasing smelt just below the ice that day.  We each ended up with a nice Lake Trout, both of them hooked just below the ice.  I was surprised that we didn’t catch a Landlocked Salmon since they are commonly caught when fishing bait just below the ice.  Salmon are illegal to harvest during the winter in New Hampshire.  However I had hoped to catch and release one just for fun and add it to the 2018 Species List. 

My Lake Trout

Cynthia's Lake Trout

We stayed one more night at the lodge, then drove home in the morning. It was a good trip overall. Caught some nice lakers, and a jumbo Yellow Perch.  The area in front of the lodge produced Lake Trout for us last year.  I know for sure that the area is too rocky for Cusk.  Cusk prefer a sandy bottom at this time of year as they begin their spawning season.

January 28-30, 2018

I was determined to add Cusk and Landlocked Salmon to the 2018 Species List and that meant another trip to the big lake.  This time I would seek out some Cusk habitat.  On Sunday morning I drove north to Laconia to get my bait at Martell’s Bait and Sport Shop. This day I would be fishing close to a sandy beach on the southern shore of Winnipesaukee.   I arrived a little before noon and started setting out tip-ups and Cusk devices.  The six Cusk devices were arranged in an oval pattern in an area with about 20 feet of water, straight out in front of the beach.  The tip-ups were placed over deeper water with large smelt fished eight feet below the ice. The weather was great, sunny with balmy temperatures in the mid 40s. Since it was Sunday afternoon a lot of anglers were out on the ice with their families.  Only problem was nobody was catching fish, myself included.  I stayed on until after sunset.  Checked and re-baited the Cusk lines, and then called it a day.  This time I had a room booked at the Bear Tree Lodge in Meredith.  Nothing fancy, cheap but comfortable.  

A Cusk Device Set Up

The next day I went back to the beach to check the Cusk lines.  I was very pleased to discover that I had caught four Cusk overnight.  The smallest was released while the other three would be used for chowder.  The Cusk lines were reset for another night. Next I went back to my favorite spot on the north shore.  I fished one tip-up near the structure and one out in deeper water, again with the smelt 8 feet below the ice. This time the Yellow perch were inactive.  Finally a flag popped up on the tip-up in deeper water.  It was a 17 inch Lake Trout.  That was the only flag.  So I went back to my room at the lodge.  The room has a small a counter and kitchen sink, just right for cleaning my Cusk.

Cusk Lota lota

Tuesday was my last day of this excursion and the pressure was on to catch, photograph and release a Salmon.  Went back to the Cusk lines. This time there were no Cusk on the lines but most of the hooks were cleaned off.  The good news is that I learned something.  The day before I had hooked the shiners by the lips and caught four Cusk on six lines.  This time I had hooked the shiners under the dorsal fins and the bait was stolen. Eureka!  Lesson learned: always hook baitfish through the lips when Cusk fishing.  Since there were just a few more hours left before the return trip home, it made sense to stay and fish at this spot rather than waste time driving elsewhere. I placed my two tip-ups near a steep drop off.  The bait was lowered just about 6 feet below the ice to target the Salmon and Lakers chasing smelt in the top of the water column.  This strategy worked well.  Before noon I had caught, photographed and released two beautiful, silvery Landlocked Salmon, one 19 inches and the other 24 inches.  Mission accomplished it was time to go home.  

Landlocked Salmon  Salmo salar sebego  (24 inches)

2018 Species Wish List

I made a wish list last year that included 17 species.  By the end of the year eight of those targeted species had been caught.  They were: Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Tiger Trout, Black Crappie, Brown Bullhead, Winter Flounder, Grouper, and False Albacore. This year’s list is again separated into three categories.

Northern Pike

Species caught in 2016 that I shouldn’t have missed in 2017

Cusk (Saltwater)

Whiting

Northern Pike

European Perch

Blue Runner

The Plan - 1. Plan on more party boat trips out to Stellwagen Bank to provide a shot at catching saltwater Cusk and Whiting. 2) Another vacation to Europe, this time Ireland, will provide opportunities for European Perch and Northern Pike.  3. Targeting Pike during the ice fishing season is another option. 4. Blue Runner show up around the jetties on the south side of Cape Cod during late summer and early fall.  Just have to be there at the right time. 

New species to target 

Mahi

Ocean Pout

European Ling

Carp

Rudd

Roach

Tench

Bream

The Plan - 1. Could get lucky with Mahi this year on Brown’s Ledge during late Summer.  

2. Best chance for Ocean Pout is as a by-catch while fishing for Haddock on a party boat.  

3. There’s a chance of bagging a European Ling in Ireland.  4. The Blackstone River near the Rhode Island border is supposed to be a good place for Carp.  5. Rudd, Roach, Tench, and Bream are European fresh water species to target while in Ireland.

Redfish

Species that I haven’t caught in a while that will be targeted in 2017

Weakfish

Redfish

Lizardfish

Skate

Freshwater Cusk

The Plan - 1. On Cape Cod, Weakfish occasionally move into the estuaries during the Spring. I have a couple locations in mind to try this year.  2. Redfish are another Haddock fishing by-catch species.  3. Lizardfish show up in shallow water near beaches late summer and early fall.  Might try trolling for them in my kayak. 4. Fish at night off the Cape’s north side beaches for Skate  5. A couple ice fishing trips to Lake Winnipesaukee will give me a shot at a Freshwater Cusk.