My Friends at “On the Water” sent along this report:
“We’re still catching stripers in Greater Boston and points north folks, and the outings are not micro-marathons but jousts with fish that will pull drag! When not preoccupied with linesider longing, we’re finding jack smelt big enough to rival a stocked trout. And for sweet water pursuits, there’s fine fishing for salmon and rainbows in Wachusett Reservoir and its tributaries until November 30 . The Stillwater River is loaded with salmon right now.
“This is a year for the books. Striper fever kicked in earlier than in memory with blitzes taking place in Boston Harbor in April, and in some capacity cow cravings shows no signs of relenting. With herring, smelt, silversides and swarms of grass shrimp, there is no reason for pockets of bass not to remain. While striped bass prefer water temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees, we know that they can survive far chillier environs provided that there is a reliable forage base and there is no shortage of bait out and about.
“As always, whether you’re fishing July or January, you will fare better fishing for stripers from sun down to sun up – that’s just the nature of the beast. Target rivers, estuaries and marshes where languid-by-day linesiders will become active once the sun sets, and opt for slim-profiled offerings that more closely mimic what the fish are eating. My go-to lure has been a Kalin jighead shorn with a root beer or new penny 7-inch Gulp! Jerk
Shad. At first glance this stiff bait certainly fills the bill of a stick bait, but at night you want something that tracks straight and is easy for the bass to get a bead on before it hits.
“It’s hard to top sticking a striper in November, especially one that you can measure in pounds as opposed to inches–and they are still here.”
Now a bit of the upland game world.
The pheasant season ends next Saturday and stocking pheasants will end by Thursday. The vendor who the state buys birds from had a personal family issue and had to stop delivering for a couple days but all birds will be released by this Thursday. So there should be a few extra pheasants for those who have not reached their six-bird limits…
The following Monday is the opening of the Massachusetts shotgun deer season. Remember your hunter orange, all 500 square inches of it, and share the woods with those who do not hunt. We don’t need another situation like last year when a person was shot while walking her dog on a trail. Everyone needs to take heed and everyone should have some orange on them. Just makes good sense to me…
I do have several deer to tell you about but room does not do them all justice. Keep them coming and drop me a line here. Your name and hometown, what you shot, the weight and where you got it and it will get you into the “Deer Pole”.
My last shout out is to my daughter Brooke who is a wonderful 7 years old. Happy Birthday!
Bill Biswanger’s email is bboutdoor1@aol.com