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2019 Fishing Thread
- Thread starter bigpick
- Start date
Spent a week chasing after stripers on the beach in Maine. Very slow start, as the ocean temps were still in the low 50s. Caught a bunch on the fly, but only up to 24". Threw some larger plugs hoping for larger fish, but nope.
I need some help from you trout guys. I’m brand new to fly fishing. I have only fished for bass. So I want to try to get a trout. My knowledge is slim on that subject. I will attach a picture of what I have for flys I have small enough for trout. I’m mainly looking for where to go. I live in Marlborough. I’m looking for something relatively close by. I have tried that small area in Northborough the Yellick conversation area 3 times but nothing but a couple creek chub. Not sure if there are still trout in there or I just suck. If anyone could DM me some spots and stuff that would be great. I’m a catch and release guy.
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Sparkey
NES Member
Any of those flies will work depending on conditions. Also grab an olive Woolley bugger when you can.
What time of day are you fishing ? Are you wading ?
Take a ride out to the swift river you will see lots of trout you may not catch one but you will see some.
This time of year is hard to catch trout as any stocked ones are most likely cleaned out by now
What time of day are you fishing ? Are you wading ?
Take a ride out to the swift river you will see lots of trout you may not catch one but you will see some.
This time of year is hard to catch trout as any stocked ones are most likely cleaned out by now
I did plan on trying to hit the swift river. I have tried a few different times of day. This one in northborough you don’t really need to wade. I just walk through it in Sandles. It’s not that deep
Sparkey
NES Member
Ok that’s what I meant by wading you are in the water. Look for deep holes trout will hold in they like the cold water. Evening and early am will be your best bet.
Ok cool I may try tomorrow morning early
JDL
NES Member
Bead Head Prince also a Marabou Muddler in brown, black or white. Give me a call I can help you out and answer your questions. Also have you tried fishing a nymph under an indicator? On that water in your photo I would try fishing the banks and cuts that are in the shade.
45collector
NES Member
My free time is limited lately but last weekend I took some time off to go fishing. Raked my own sand eels and threw them on double rigs the same evening. I hadn’t touched any fishing gear at all since last summer. Caught some schoolies but no keepers. A great night nonetheless.
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Hey guys,
I really like this new forum. Thought I share my experience with you. After a lot of work and tries at the Cape Cod Canal I caught my very first Striper a few weeks ago! Since I will be moving to MA soon I hope I can go fish there a lot more often now. Any Canal fishers around here?
I really like this new forum. Thought I share my experience with you. After a lot of work and tries at the Cape Cod Canal I caught my very first Striper a few weeks ago! Since I will be moving to MA soon I hope I can go fish there a lot more often now. Any Canal fishers around here?
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45collector
NES Member
That’s awesome! Is that the first Striper you’ve ever caught? Or did you mean it’s just the first one you’ve pulled out of the canal?
I live just a few minutes drive from the canal but I never put in the time to learn to fish it successfully. Or rather, I haven’t bought all the gear to fish it properly. I grew up in the mid Cape area so I’m more accustomed to fishing Barnstable harbor and south side beaches. The farthest out on Cape I’ve fished from shore is Race Point, but with no luck.
I would like to spend more time learning to fish the ditch but my free time is so limited right now. Once my kids are older though, I want to start taking them fishing.
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Just got back from a fly in to Manatoba (0200 today) Weather was not the best but managed to get a couple nice pike and a bunch of walleye. Saw moose,bear and lots of eagles Great trips but the getting there getting home sucks...
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It was my first Striper ever and I kept it. I had 5 more that same morning and of course released them all, since the daily limit is one above 28in, but I'm sure you know that. I tried the canal 2 times for a week each last year without any luck. I was there in May which was too early in the season and then again in October which was a little late. I saw 2 people though that caught a striper.
The thing I finally learned is that you have to go in the VERY early morning. I got up at 3AM and was at the water around 3:30AM. The parking spots were FULL, thats how crazy it gets. People go before work. Then around day break the fish start feeding and almost everybody is hooked up. Everyone around me caught fish until around 7AM when the action was over. No more bites at all. Its crazy. I always snuck in between people where they left a large enough gap and tried to stay in casting order, then there are no problems. The first good morning I met some really nice people and the second morning was ok too. Usually people try to help if you stay in order and just be friendly like "hey good morning, how is fishing so far? what are you throwing?" .
I only caught on jig heads since there wasnt much top water action. It also makes sense if everyone else uses jigs to not get lines tangeld up. I would recommend at least 4oc maybe even 5oc. White soft plastic paddle tails work, but soft plastic makrel worked too. If they bite they bite almost anything. I use 50lb braid with 40lb fluo leader. Learned a lot the last few times and once you catch one there is nothing better
The thing I finally learned is that you have to go in the VERY early morning. I got up at 3AM and was at the water around 3:30AM. The parking spots were FULL, thats how crazy it gets. People go before work. Then around day break the fish start feeding and almost everybody is hooked up. Everyone around me caught fish until around 7AM when the action was over. No more bites at all. Its crazy. I always snuck in between people where they left a large enough gap and tried to stay in casting order, then there are no problems. The first good morning I met some really nice people and the second morning was ok too. Usually people try to help if you stay in order and just be friendly like "hey good morning, how is fishing so far? what are you throwing?" .
I only caught on jig heads since there wasnt much top water action. It also makes sense if everyone else uses jigs to not get lines tangeld up. I would recommend at least 4oc maybe even 5oc. White soft plastic paddle tails work, but soft plastic makrel worked too. If they bite they bite almost anything. I use 50lb braid with 40lb fluo leader. Learned a lot the last few times and once you catch one there is nothing better
Went stripper fishing in Maine over the weekend and got skunked.
While getting skunked I nearly shit my pants witnessing a 30" or better fat boy clear the water which I never knew they could.... additional top water hits looked promising. Everything I tried ..top water plugs, swimming plastics etc. Not one hit.
Question is....what bait fish or action has strippers banging the top?
I didn't see any fly activity and can't imagine a stripper would bother.
...
Wondering if a fly rig would have produced better results. (Is a9wt glass rod adequate for the job?)
Thanks for any input.
What a sight!
While getting skunked I nearly shit my pants witnessing a 30" or better fat boy clear the water which I never knew they could.... additional top water hits looked promising. Everything I tried ..top water plugs, swimming plastics etc. Not one hit.
Question is....what bait fish or action has strippers banging the top?
I didn't see any fly activity and can't imagine a stripper would bother.
...
Wondering if a fly rig would have produced better results. (Is a9wt glass rod adequate for the job?)
Thanks for any input.
What a sight!
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I don't have much experience with top water, but I know that "magic swimmers" are great bait when top water is cooking. You just can't cast them as far. Every "pro" I have seen at the canal was throwing plugs and they had this "walk the dog" action, I think that is what you call it. They usually reel in and constantly give little twitches with the rod at the same time. I have no idea about fly fishing for stripers.
A glass 9wt is fine if you're not confronted with too much wind. On the beach, often it takes some serious line speed to beat any stiff onshore winds
While I was up there action was very slow. But in once instance, I was catching fish while those around me were not -- using a size 2, white over grey, Half and Half.
smokey-seven
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Yes it is. Mine was a 40". My buddy got those the last day fishing 41", 42". I think he just knows how to hold them better than I do for pictures that's why his look so much bigger...
Finally got some free time and was able to get the wife & kids out on the boat to do some fishing. This particular spot (Big Alum) was about quantity vs quality of fish. More action keeps the kids attention. Lots of sub one pound bass. Kids lasted about two hours before getting restless. Fun day.
Next trip out will be just the wife & I - hopefully to get into bass with some size. Maybe Quaboag or Walker pond.
Next trip out will be just the wife & I - hopefully to get into bass with some size. Maybe Quaboag or Walker pond.
peterk123
NES Member
Don't have any pics to share but the wife and I went out at dusk last night and hit the local pond for crappie. Fifteen fish later we came home and filleted them. Fish fry tonight
Bmcl322
NES Member
Mark from MA
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We went out and livelined mackeral for Stripers this week out of Wells, ME. Fish were smaller 20-26 inches. Started slow, then we boated about 10 in one hour. One big one got off...but mostly smaller fish. This is the second year that happened, I might wait til August next year. Pogies and bait mackeral were also all over the place , so that didn't help.
One year around this time we had a blitz on the beach of 36-46 inch fish and we had all four of us on almost for 3 hours, with huge fish as we followed them up and down the beach. Four of us must have boated 25, 36+ inch fish that day......we only kept one for the grill, as usual.
One year around this time we had a blitz on the beach of 36-46 inch fish and we had all four of us on almost for 3 hours, with huge fish as we followed them up and down the beach. Four of us must have boated 25, 36+ inch fish that day......we only kept one for the grill, as usual.
Dennis in MA
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Finally caught some fish today. 5am. Worked a whopper plopper at the edge of the lily pad fields. 8 total fish, 2 misses. 3 Larry’s. 5 white bass too stupid to not get caught.
