New to Mass

[Massfish]

Just moved to Mass in the middle of a pandemic!  Will be located in the Boston area and am familiar with inshore species.  Striped bass and blue.  When do fresh bass start arriving? Is April too early to start prospecting?  

[Wfmdfm1]

They start showing up in Buzzards Bay first of May. I am not sure when for Boston area.

[zak-striper]

Welcome to MA!

 

There are holdovers in Boston Harbor and the rivers that feed into it.

 

Personally, I don't start fishing for stripers and blues until smallmouth bass hit their spawning beds in mid-May.

 

Early May is when the herring runs start to peak in the rivers like the Charles River, Mystic River, etc.

Edited January 15 by zak-striper

[bob_G]

Fresh schoolies traditionally hit the south cape beaches the third week in April.   As for the canal, it's always a few days either side of Mother's Day.

[Angler #1]

Massfish , first welcome to SOL . Now that you will be in Boston for the start of the Striped bass season, you can look for some activity, late March early April if the weather continues in the direction it is now going. Past experiences also tell me that you best would be better to look around the various River systems you will find local to where you live. Then as April turns to May   concentrate on the local beaches around Southy.  You will find local pods of holdovers in the river systems and how you fish for them and when will determine when you get lucky. The blue fish will move in after they go through the canal  after late May and Early June once they get off the squid feed in Vineyard sound. Peace and prayers

[theshadow]

Warm water in the winter.They are there now.Low and slow.

[Massfish]

Any one fish open water all winter for freshwater species?  Not ice fishing. Or, best to just wait out the winter.

[mikez2]

1 hour ago, Massfish said:

Any one fish open water all winter for freshwater species?  Not ice fishing. Or, best to just wait out the winter.

Trout fishing can be good all winter in open water. Especially in these mild winters we've been having. Rivers and brooks if not too flooded. Ponds if there's open water.

[hydraman]

10 hours ago, Massfish said:

Just moved to Mass in the middle of a pandemic!  Will be located in the Boston area and am familiar with inshore species.  Striped bass and blue.  When do fresh bass start arriving? Is April too early to start prospecting?  

Bass are always fresh if your catching them. 

[heyblue34]

Welcome aboard. You can fish all year because many ponds are stocked with trout by the state. When you start seeing dandelions it’s time to hit the salt.

[JohnDe]

2 hours ago, heyblue34 said:

Welcome aboard. You can fish all year because many ponds are stocked with trout by the state. When you start seeing dandelions it’s time to hit the salt.

Took a walk yesterday in the upper Buzzards Bay area.  It was about 44 degrees out.  Saw lots of dandelions. I said to my wife that this used to be a sign that the shad are running in the Merrimack. The weeds were somewhat stunted but definitely blooming. Had me scratching my head.

 

Edited January 16 by JohnDe

[heyblue34]

1 min ago, JohnDe said:

Took a walk yesterday in the upper Buzzards Bay area.  It was about 44 degrees out.  Saw lots of dandelions. I said to my wife that this used to be a sign that the shad are running in the Merrimack. They weeds were somewhat stunted but definitely blooming. Had me scratching my head.

 

Get the fudge outta here...dandelions in January? NO F’ing way

[JTR]

Usually 1-2 week of May for the Boston area to see consistent bass action. I personally don’t start fishing for bass until around the 15th of May. I might do some prospective trips for mackerel and ground fish before that though.

 

All of that said, you can find bass now through the arrival of the migrants. Just need to know where to look.

[Massfish]

9 hours ago, JohnDe said:

Took a walk yesterday in the upper Buzzards Bay area.  It was about 44 degrees out.  Saw lots of dandelions. I said to my wife that this used to be a sign that the shad are running in the Merrimack. The weeds were somewhat stunted but definitely blooming. Had me scratching my head.

 

All very helpful.  Thanks.  maybe the dandelions are due to climate change and things are getting warmer? 

[Massfish]

11 hours ago, heyblue34 said:

Welcome aboard. You can fish all year because many ponds are stocked with trout by the state. When you start seeing dandelions it’s time to hit the salt.

Are the ponds that are stocked in the fall within days an hour of Boston-Cambridge fished out by this time?