New England's 2004 Fishing Calendar
Here's a sampling of 36 great fishing trips for New England's anglers to consider as they begin making their 2004 angling vacation plans.
| 2004 FISHING CALENDAR
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The calendar is in PDF format. The Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free here.
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By Bob Humphrey
It's time for another year's worth of fishing "dream trips," and things are looking good all around the six-state New England region. Biologists in the northern states are working hard to preserve native trout fisheries and bolster supplemental stocking. Salmon are struggling in some waters, but lake trout are thriving nearly everywhere they occur. Meanwhile, the southern New England states are stocking ready-to-catch trout, including some brood-stock fish that are already in the trophy class.
On the warmwater scene, a few states are implementing special regulations to bolster their bass fisheries, while most see no need to enhance or improve things because the bass are doing just fine on their own. Pike seem to be increasing in range and size throughout the region.
Last, but not least, panfish still need no management (there are few seasons or bag limits on such species as bluegills, perch, bullheads and the like), yet they provide plenty of action for young and old anglers alike.
On the ocean front, ground fish and sportfish numbers should continue the upward trends we've seen in recent years, providing plenty of opportunities for saltwater anglers from serious sportfishermen to summer vacationers. In a word, New England's year-round angling outlook is excellent. What follows is just a sampling of some of the best opportunities for Northeast anglers to consider in 2004.
Photo by Ron Sinfelt
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JANUARY
Trout
Wallum Lake, R.I./Mass. Located within Buck Hill Wildlife Management Area, in Burrillville, this water sits astride the Rhode Island-Massachusetts border. It receives a generous allotment of mostly brown trout from both states. Salmon eggs or live shiners on tip-ups or jigging work well.
Rhode Island access is available through Douglas State Forest or Buck Hill WMA. In Massachusetts, take Wallum Lake Park Road south from Route 100 in Douglas. The lake can be fished using a valid license from either state.
Brown Trout
Beach Pond, Conn./R.I. Another good border trout water is Beach Pond. A healthy alewife population helps fatten the rainbows and browns that are stocked by both states. The pond can be easily accessed through Acadia State Forest and license holders from either state may fish here.
FEBRUARY
Lake Trout
Sebago Lake, Maine This one's pretty much an annual frontrunner in our fishing forecast and with good reason. Despite increased daily creel limits and decreased length limits, southern Maine's largest lake continues to produce togue fishing that is nearly unrivaled in the region.
The most popular method for taking big Sebago Lake togue in February is jigging baited lures off the bottom in places like Jordan Bay, Lower Bay and around the Dingley islands. Access points occur off most major routes encircling southern Maine's largest lake.
Largemouth Bass
Lake Bomoseen, Vt. Actually, in addition to both largemouths and smallmouths, anglers can catch large specimens of most game fish on this 2,360-acre lake including pike, brown, brook and rainbow trout, pickerel, crappies and yellow perch. Methods vary by the intended quarry, but a live shiner is tough to beat for most species.
Accommodations are available in nearby Rutland, and access is available at several locations along Route 30.
MARCH
Landlocked Salmon
Thompson Lake, Maine The landlocked salmon fishing is so good on Thompson Lake that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife won't let anglers start to catch them through the ice until March 1. The lake's salmon population is healthy, with plenty of fat fish. Jig small leadhead soft baits (artificials only), spoons or smelt imitations 5 to 6 feet beneath the ice.
After you've got your salmon, drop down to the bottom and jig for togue.
Northern Pike
Lake Champlain, Vt. Lake Champlain is second to none in New England for pike. Ice-out is when the big water wolves come into the shallows to spawn. This prompts an annual migration of anglers to the "Sixth Great Lake."
Look for big pike in the lake's shallow, weedy bays. One of the best places to start is at the lake's north end, especially around Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge.
Anything big and flashy will work, but drifting live or dead suckers - a natural food for pike at this time of year - is an effective tactic.
Pike spearing and shooting (with guns!) are also legal in Vermont and require a hunting or combination license.
APRIL
Rainbow Trout
Winooski River, Vt. Every year, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department staff stock super-sized rainbow and brown trout, many over 20 inches long, in the Waterbury section of the Winooski. There is no minimum length requirement and there is a daily limit of two trout. Early in the month, water is often cold and deep, but the action rises with the water temperature and mid- to late-April fishing can be outstanding.
Trout
Quabbin Reservoir, Maine Massachusetts anglers seeking the rite and ceremony of an opening day outing, not to mention some great fishing, head to Quabbin Reservoir, which opens its gates the third weekend in April. Largest of the Bay State's waters, this 25,000-acre reservoir holds some impressive brown, rainbow and lake trout. Cold water brings fish into the shallows. Trolling hardware along the perimeter or the dropoffs works best.
Boat launches can be accessed from routes 202, 122 or 32A. Access is limited and special regulations apply.
For more information, contact the Metropolitan District Commission at (413) 323-6921.
MAY
American Shad
Connecticut River, Maine Shadbush got its name because it usually blooms around the same time the big shad runs hit the Connecticut River - usually in early May. Locals and long-distance anglers alike wait for word that "the fish are in" to make their annual pilgrimage to the Holyoke Dam, which spans the river from Holyoke to South Hadley. Bank and boat fishermen will have their best luck casting shad darts crossways into the swift current. Most hits will occur just as the line straightens out.
Landlocked Salmon
Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H. Fishing action warms up in time with the big lake's waters this month. Try surface trolling smelts and smelt imitations early and late in the day, and then drop down to deeper water when the sun is up.
Hotspots occur all around the lake and include Alton, Wolfeboro and Moultonborough bays and the waters off Governor's and Rattlesnake islands.
JUNE
Stripers
Kennebec River, Maine Linesiders will remain in the Kennebec all summer or until the bluefish show up, but the hottest action on Maine's top striper river typically occurs during the last two weeks of June. Fishing is catch-and-release, artificials only until July 1. Spot-and-stalk action is usually best early in the day before the boat traffic picks up. After that, try drifting over structure or casting to the shoreline with flies, surface plugs or shallow-diving lures.
Brook Trout
Wood River, R.I. The Wood River in Exeter and Hopkinton just may be the Ocean State's top all-around trout stream. Lower sections receive a generous allotment of stocked fish, which hold over well and offer excellent angling throughout the season. The upper reaches within Arcadia Wildlife Management Area support one of Rhode Island's few native brook trout populations. Much of this clear, gravel-bottomed river is wadeable or canoeable and is easily accessed from Route 165.
JULY
Stripers
Piscataqua River, N.H. Great action can be had from the General Sullivan Bridge at the mouth of Great Bay all the way down to Portsmouth Harbor. For schoolies, cast flies and surface lures to breaking fish. Bigger fish are often found deeper. Try trolling a tube and worm rig in the channels or drifting live eels over structure.
Lake Trout
Lake Willoughby, Vt. Last year, Lake Willoughby yielded a 35-pound, 2-ounce state-record laker, topping the previous state record, a 34-pound fish also taken from Lake Willoughby. Even more surprising, this fish was caught in July. The best tactics for these behemoth bottom dwellers is slow-trolling lead-core line with a large spoon or flatfish-type lure.
AUGUST
Stripers
Cape Cod, Mass. In terms of fishing opportunities and access, Cape Cod is New England's premier surfcasting destination. The cape contains over 300 miles of shoreline, much of it within the Cape Cod National Seashore. Flyfishermen should cast Clousers and Deceivers where the surf breaks. Also popular among surfcasters are sandworms, clams, tins and a variety of surface and diving plugs.
Local hotspots include Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown and Nauset Beach in Orleans. For local information, try Nelson's Bait and Tackle at (508) 487-0034 or Goose Hummock at (508) 255-0455.
Fluke
Newport, R.I. For a laid-back saltwater angling experience, try drifting for doormats along the coast of the Ocean State. Fluke are relatively easy to catch and make great table fare. Use leadhead bucktail jigs with a strip of squid. Drift in flat-bottomed areas with moderate current in depths from 40 and 60 feet.
SEPTEMBER
Bluefin Tuna
Gulf of Maine For the past couple of years, the New England coastline from southern Maine to Cape Cod has experienced a September bluefin blitz of schoolie tuna from 50 to 150 pounds. This phenomenon may not last forever, so take advantage of it while you can. The best part is you don't need to charter a boat. A 21- to 25-foot boat should get you close enough to near-shore schools where you can use heavy, slightly modified spinning gear.
Largemouth Bass
Johns Pond, Mass. As the water cools in fall, predatory bass begin to come out of their summer lethargy and move back into the shallows to feed before winter's freeze. Now's the time to fish Johns Pond, one of the finest bass waters in the region. The best area to look for largemouths is the pond's southern end, which has dense aquatic vegetation in the coves and docks and overhanging vegetation along much of the shoreline.
OCTOBER
Largemouth Bass
Connecticut River, Conn. The summer recreational traffic is gone now, leaving one of Connecticut's best bass waters in the custody of serious anglers. Both bass species occur, with largemouths dominating the lower river from Hartford south, and smallmouths holding sway over the upper end from Enfield to the Massachusetts border.
Boaters experience the best fishing, and launch sites exist in Enfield, Hartford, Haddam and East Haddam. With cooler water, switch to spring tactics for the best catches.
Salmon/Trout
Presumpscot River, Maine Special regulations on the Presumpscot River in North Windham offer year-round open-water fly-fishing-only action for landlocks, brook trout and brown trout. There is a one-trout limit and all salmon must be released.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife continues to stock some beautiful fish in this stretch of the river, including an occasional brood-stock brown from the local hatchery. The best area to get started is off Route 35. Check local regulations for last-minute changes.
NOVEMBER
Stripers
Block Island, R.I. The fishing here and now can be nothing short of spectacular as stripers make their annual migration from Cape Cod across to Montauk Point. Surf-fishing is best at night with eels, pogies or worms. Boaters can target the 12-plus miles of shoals around the island, particularly off the island's north reef. The island can be reached by a state launch and ferry service in Point Judith.
Cod
Newburyport, Mass. With cooler water temps, cod will be moving toward inshore waters, offering a rare opportunity for landlocked surfcasters. Both the Plum Island and Salisbury jetties on either side of the Merrimack River mouth are good places to cast sea worms or clams on surf rigs.
DECEMBER
Tautog
Sakonnet Point, R.I. Fishing is generally slow at this time of year. One notable exception is the blackfish or tautog, a year-end tradition in Rhode Island. December is when large "white-chins" weighing 10 to 12 pounds come close to shore to fatten up for the winter. Peak fishing opportunities are in early December.
The best method is to fish close to the bottom on top of ledges 10 to 30 feet deep with green crabs or sea worms.
Atlantic Salmon
Naugatuck River, Conn. You don't need ice to fish this month. The Naugatuck River is one of several rivers that has benefited from fall stocking of brood-stock Atlantic salmon, refugees from the Salmon Restoration Project.
Fish generally run between 2 and 12 pounds. Flyfishermen may keep one fish per day, while angling is allowed under catch-and-release-only regulations for fishermen using other artificial lures.
Good fishing can be found from the Union City Dam off Exit 28 of Route 8 down to Ansonia. The Campfield Exit off Route 118 leads anglers to another more serene setting in Litchfield and Thomaston.
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