merrimack river/plum island
 

hello
New to area & lookin to get on the river saturday morning.Any tips on where to try would be appreciated.Is the outgoing tide the way to go on this river?How is the trolling along salisbury & plum island.
Any help on makin it a good day will be appreciated.

Basshunter,
I never fished the area, but you're in luck this time of year, the fish should be easily visible busting bait on top (approach them slowly or better yet figure out how to drift into them or them to you from afar) they may not be huge, but they should be ample. Just stop in at a local shop and ask what/where they're hitting.For casting small poppers/tins/storms should do the trick.
Good luck

:) Try the mouth of the Merrimack or any river an hr. or so before low tide till a couple of hrs. after low tide!!!

there still are some big stripers feeding as the tide is going out!!!!

and you might want to try eels during the day!!!;) :cool:

eels on joppa flats after dark:humpty:
durring the day? probably worth a shot also??

be carefull fishin the mouth, gonna be a madhouse on the weekends.

ive had good luck there in my boat. drifting near the rips casting jigs, swimmers and clams bounced on the bottom. we would just motor near the rip and drift along it, then start over.

I'll be out on the Merrimack and around Plum Island Saturday AM too. The river has been very slow lately, the fall migration does not seem to have really started yet north of Cape Ann.

You will have lots of company on the river on a Saturday, however, they pulled the docks from the Salisbury Beach State Park boat ramp this week so that will keep a few people away. You'll probably want to launch at Cashman Park in Newburyport.

Drift either side of the river on the outgoing tide and you may have some luck, clams or jigs along the bottom will probably work best. You'll want at least 2 ounces of weight on the line.

Good luck!

Check the fishing forcast on On The Waters website about Mass Coastal North. I believe people have been doing well just offshore of Plum Island trolling. Try the Tube'n'Worm or deep diving swimmers.