MA fishing in april.. not lookin good? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 11:34 AM

while RI's water temp is a bit higher than projected, anywhere north is about 5 degrees below the projected.. and since that magical 50 wasnt projected till first half of may, i'm losing hopes for april fishing. all this snow has kept the waters cooler than expected all winter.

i dont have tooo much experience following actual water temp patterns. so any one on here who has a bunch of experience with it. what do you think? will the temps normal out and hit high 40s before may? or are we going to be sitting around till the second half of may waiting for that?

dont get me wrong i will be getting my line wet. but would be nice to have some what proper water temps. could be making a lot of RI trips.

Rappin Mikey · 03-07-2008, 11:39 AM

They always show up around the same time with a standard deviation of about 10 days.

Saltheart · 03-07-2008, 11:39 AM

To me it seems like smaller fish don't care all that much about water temp. Maybe (maybe) 50 is some magic number for the big fish but every year fish even to 30 or so inches are taken in early april when the water is still pretty cold. Now this happens in very select locations so maybe the water there is a little warmer than general ocean temps.

Anyway , there will be fish around in march for sure and by April there should be some that are a little bigger here and there. We'll get a week of warm days with favorable winds and all of a sudden the places taht are lagging in ntemp will shoot up in a couple of days back to normal.

Flaptail · 03-07-2008, 11:44 AM

It doesn't really matter. They show consistently within a 10 day span each year in April on Cape Cod, lots of snow, no snow, cold or warm. The only thing that keeps the bite off is water temp and then they usually seek bays and estuaries that warm up faster than the open water as the bait is active in those places with warm shallow waters.

The Dad Fisherman · 03-07-2008, 11:46 AM

Who says fishing in April has to be from the Salt.....trout ponds are melting and getting stocked in March. The Largemouth are starting to do there dance of love in April and getting ready to start spawning....That works for me until the Striped ones get here in May

BigFish · 03-07-2008, 11:47 AM

Chris....you think TOO much. Its fishing...enjoy it for what it is and your experience will be all the better.

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 11:59 AM

i enjoy it larry. actually i don't. like with every thing else in life i enjoy that hunt. (or the problem that needs to be solved) it's like women.. if they ignore me i love them.. trying to figure out everything they do and why and what turns them on.

the second i figure it out.. i lose interest. which is why i think fishing has stuck with me for so long. just when ya figure it out... it changes. season to season. heck day to day.
and theres ALWAYS a bigger fish to catch!

so in short thinking and trying new stuff is my favorite part. on that note, fish dont like slim jims too spicy i guess.

fishbones · 03-07-2008, 12:11 PM

I agree that the smaller fish show up most years within a few days regardless of the water temps. I believe that it has more to do with the suns position in the sky and the length of the day. The water temps seem to have more effect on the big fish's arrival in certain spots on the Cape, but they are also usually pretty consistent within a week or two.

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saltheart

To me it seems like smaller fish don't care all that much about water temp. Maybe (maybe) 50 is some magic number for the big fish but every year fish even to 30 or so inches are taken in early april when the water is still pretty cold. Now this happens in very select locations so maybe the water there is a little warmer than general ocean temps.

Anyway , there will be fish around in march for sure and by April there should be some that are a little bigger here and there. We'll get a week of warm days with favorable winds and all of a sudden the places taht are lagging in ntemp will shoot up in a couple of days back to normal.

i hear ya.. but i've been watching ocean temps all winter. cause they were supposed to hit 40something in january and thats when i was gonna try for some hold overs. sadly they stayed down at 32.5 - 34 all winter.
either way.. if fish are around that early. try LOTS of topwater plugs during the day. the fish should be holding at the surface soaking in the heat from the sun. 50 is the low end of the striper comfort zone. so if the water is below some slow movers up top could be what the doctor ordered.

any of you guys with hold over spots.. i hope you keep fishing those into may.. i would. thats where the water would be most comfy for them.

flyben24 · 03-07-2008, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GonnaCatchABig1

if fish are around that early. try LOTS of topwater plugs during the day.

IMO thats exactly what I don't want to be fishing that early in the year. The fish are slower and more lazy with the colder water temps... so I prefer slow moving sub surface soft baits

Gunpowder · 03-07-2008, 03:59 PM

chris, about the whole water temp situation.... that can change in a few weeks with a nice warm spell. also, i would much rather have the water on the cooler side than on the warmer side -----> bass will stay in town longer

fine by me

whats up bennny!!!!

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyben24

IMO thats exactly what I don't want to be fishing that early in the year. The fish are slower and more lazy with the colder water temps... so I prefer slow moving sub surface soft baits

same thing... slow and up top. fish wont be hanging around deep water with those temps.. too cold.. and the ones that are down there would be almost comatose. any active fish would be near the top of water column soaking in the warmth of the sun. i'm thinking (now that i've got one) a surface danny nice and slow.

but i'm one of those people who has never been able to figure out suspended fish. so for me in that cold water.. goin any deeper would spell disaster. and im sure theres a biggun just laying downthere behind a boulder waiting for it to warm up a bit.

gone fishin · 03-07-2008, 04:29 PM

They show up when the herring show - temp or not!

ShipWrecked · 03-07-2008, 04:41 PM

Bubba weather or no weather, hot or cold you arent catching anything so do worry about it

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShipWrecked

Bubba weather or no weather, hot or cold you arent catching anything so do worry about it

says the only guy who i've never seen hook a fish...

EarnedStripes44 · 03-07-2008, 04:53 PM

Don't forget about April Cod. They are still inshore until the water jumps out of the 40's.

ShipWrecked · 03-07-2008, 04:56 PM

Coming from the guy I dont have money to buy gear but I'll drop 3k on a computer to play online games. Like I said you wont have time to fish as you will playing online.

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 05:01 PM

i already told you in another thread.. i am using wally world specials this year to out fish you and yer hundreds of dollars worth of lamis and penns.. already got a $15 rod... just need to find a $20 reel... i'm not even gonna use power pro this year.. to expensive.. gonna go with some no name mono.. ya know the kind, the 20lb stuff is the diameter of coaxle cable.

ShipWrecked · 03-07-2008, 05:09 PM

heck you might as well fish online. It the only keeper you are going to get.

tattoobob · 03-07-2008, 05:11 PM

I never start until mid May, I don't really like catching 12 inch schoolies. Schoolie smuley

GonnaCatchABig1 · 03-07-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShipWrecked

heck you might as well fish online. It the only keeper you are going to get.

if they had a fishing MMORPG i definately would be. but they dont so i hafta stick to my offline fishing games to get me by..

but yeah back to the water temps... guess i will try and pretend like they dont matter. instead of sitting here checking them every day till june. easier said then done. >.<

stripermagnet · 03-07-2008, 05:35 PM

what about holdover? any of those spots hot right now?

joe the plumber · 03-07-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tattoobob

I never start until mid May, I don't really like catching 12 inch schoolies. Schoolie smuley

Yeah! What he said!

plankton · 03-07-2008, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunpowder

chris, about the whole water temp situation.... that can change in a few weeks with a nice warm spell. also, i would much rather have the water on the cooler side than on the warmer side -----> bass will stay in town longer

fine by me

whats up bennny!!!!

Exactly, a week with a good southwest blow in mid April and we're all set as far as water temp, unless you're up on the North Shore like me, then it's usually mid May before water temps hit 50.

Monty · 03-07-2008, 06:15 PM

There's always flounder.

plankton · 03-07-2008, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monty

There's always flounder.

The heck with doormats, that's an area rug!

Monty · 03-07-2008, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plankton

The heck with doormats, that's an area rug!

Thanks Plankton, it's been getting better every year, the harbor is getting cleaner and the bait fish hatches have been plentiful. I live on an estuary and the flounder fishing is getting closer to the point it was back in the 70s.

freebie · 03-07-2008, 10:36 PM

Jim, no need to be mean...and since I outfished both of you last year I think you should both bow down lol...I was catching at the ave on storm shads last ear in April Bubba, I got some other good spots too, and as stated above we can always go bag some freshwater or some flounder in the boat

bart · 03-07-2008, 11:10 PM

i think the 50 degree mark has more to do with the fall than the spring. it seems like once it gets below 50 in the fall the fishing is pretty much done, except for the rats that hang around all year. on the other hand, in the early spring the water can still be in the forties but you might have a string of warm weather days and that will gets the schoolies more active, even out front. of course thats just MHO

Green Light · 03-07-2008, 11:14 PM

How about carp fishing in March or April?
I have not done carp fishing in years. But, I have come to know some stripah fanatics who fish carp pre-stripah season.

Now where is that book on carp fishing....?

-Fish360.