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Pacific halibut sport fishery opens Thursday-Saturday
Sufficient poundage remains of the Pacific halibut spring quota in all-depth waters between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain for the fishery to be open Thursday through Saturday. Nearly 20,000 pounds remain available to the fishery.
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Harbor and south
"It's cod city," exclaimed Darrell Youngblood. The proprietor of Neponset Circle Fishing & Darts noted that if the striped bass were still a bit sluggish, the codfish seemed ready and willing to fill the void.
Mario Oliviera of Dorchester was bobbing around The Graves on Sunday and hauled in a nice 12-pound, 33-inch specimen. Clams did the trick. Cod also are being taken at Castle Island pier and Hough's Neck.
Pete Santini says much the same: right now, cod is king.
"Best codfishing since the Mayflower," was how the Fishin' FINatic put it from his Everett bait and tackle emporium.
Santini reports Lou Abate of Good Time charters was hooking fish up to 14 pounds off Deer Island. Even larger cod were being taken in the deeper waters out by the "B" buoy.
The party boats that have been heading out to Stellwagen have been hooking the big boys, up to 20 pounds. There's also been some haddock mixed in with those schools.
Herring have been making their way up the coastal rivers and runs, from the Amelia Earhart on the Mystic River down past the Fore and Back rivers on the South Shore to Cape Cod.
Flounder fishing (the season began Tuesday) is already starting to pick up, Santini noted.
On the freshwater side of the sport, the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife spring stocking program is well under way. Many local ponds and lakes are boasting big brookies, browns and rainbows.
North Shore
The fishing theme on the north side of the harbor is also cod, Pete Koutrakis reports from his Salem shop.
"Stellwagen has really been great," Koutrakis said. "From the northwest corner over to the Middle Bank and also up to Tilly's Ledge and Jeffries Ledge."
The Cape
Race Point at the tip of the Cape remains the center of early season action, says Ed Mettaville at Black Duck, with good numbers of cod and (a few) bass mixed in.
Buzzards Bay
Tautog have been patrolling the waters hereabouts, from Cape Cod canal down to West Island and Fair Haven.
The canal is usually striped bass territory, and a couple of bass of keeper size already have been picked up chasing the herring at the run, Dick Hopwood reported.
They're still waiting for the water to warm up a bit, Hopwood added from his Buzzards Bay shop.
The Islands
Squid and herring in the harbors have piqued the interest of early season stripers, says Nelson Sigelman, who boldly predicts, "bluefish by Mother's Day."
A word of warning about a few cold, hard facts: The early fishing season can be one of the most dangerous times to be on the water, because its temperature can be deceptively chilling.
These last few days have been record breakers for heat, more like midsummer than less than halfway through spring. But anyone falling into the water - fresh or salt - at this time of year would have to get out in a hurry to avoid potentially fatal hypothermia.
So be sure to wear a life jacket (kids always have to) and take extra care during the first fishing trips of the season. One's boating skills might be a bit rusty after the long winter layover, and it only takes a small mistake to pay a big price.
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