It's been a long cold winter in Maine

[spc06]

Been striking out ice fishing. Fortunately April 1st Haddock opens again, no pollock found in the gulf of maine this year on the party boats. Very odd. But plenty of Haddock.

When do the stripers show up in NJ? I have to wait until about memorial day up here. Do you have any thing that shows up in April in the surf?

I made a "Best of" video as I have not had anything to report lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_bs16mpRa4

[Gerry Zagorski]

Every year is different but typically the beginning of April in the back bays. The old school theory is once you see the Forsythia bushes start to bloom.

[bulletbob]

Been striking out ice fishing. Fortunately April 1st Haddock opens again, no pollock found in the gulf of maine this year on the party boats. Very odd. But plenty of Haddock.

When do the stripers show up in NJ? I have to wait until about memorial day up here. Do you have any thing that shows up in April in the surf?

I made a "Best of" video as I have not had anything to report lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_bs16mpRa4

NJ surf in April??? You might get a skate or two early on, even a windowpane or two... Later on towards the end of the month, you might see the very first blackfish near the rock piles, a small bass here and there and the first sightings of Bluefish moving north. May is really when the fish start becoming more active.. a LOT depends on water temperature.. Fishing could be quite good in early May some years in the surf, and other years dead until June.... bob

[spc06]

Maine things are changing. We haven't caught blues in about 15 years. Flounder we catch one or two every other year, depending on the rain. I've seen 2 sea bass caught in 20 years. Stripers are still in strong, but not until after Memorial Day, and they usually leave first two weeks in October. Mackerel are still strong, and harbor pollock as well. Last year multiple people reported catching false albies, if that's true, that's very new for these waters, and quite exciting as well.

[bulletbob]

I am no expert, not even close,but its my understanding that winter flounder were never all that abundant in Maine.. I have ready that the flounder population drops off quickly once you get much to the north of Cape Cod.. We don't see many flounder here in ny/nj these days either....


Blues and seabass have always been "fringe" species in Maine... Thats pretty far north for them. Blues are down in numbers substantially throughout their range, so it makes sense you won't see many that far north anymore...

[Capt. Debbie]

In Maine isn't winter September thru May? LOL

[bulletbob]

I was in Maine one summer, and they have ice water in the ocean, bays and rivers, compared to what we see in the NY Bight.

Really cold in the surf... We saw no one swimming there mid summer, in the few ocean areas that actually had sand.. Many of the beaches we saw were mostly rock.... bob