no stripers in Great Bay - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

kilgoretrout · 05-09-2011, 03:34 PM

all last summer borrowed a kayak and fished around
great bay lat/lon 43.12405, -70.85487
i just bought a trident 15 and was out early and fished 2 mi up then 2 miles down from 43.03907, -70.92668 not one strike lots of birds
using 6'' swim shad with alewives all around nothing... i will pay for advice really i need halp

blondterror · 05-09-2011, 03:42 PM

Might be a little early in great bay for stripers... has the water topped 50 degrees yet?

The Dad Fisherman · 05-09-2011, 08:21 PM

Definitely a little early for up there

Rockfish9 · 05-10-2011, 08:20 AM

dont rule it out... we have had bass in the Merrimack for a week now...the last few days more fish have arrived...

kilgoretrout · 05-10-2011, 01:35 PM

i was just trying to start early and often to catch a fish; last summer i spent almost 100hr on the yak with no fish...ive been kayaking the great bay for a while and figured it was a good place to start fishing...does anyone have experience with the bay

gregory2327 · 05-13-2011, 09:15 AM

I've been out on the river just south of Great Bay last year with very limited success. I am a newbie for sure, but I hope to hit this area up much more as it is the closest salt to me (Strafford, NH). I'll share what ever information I find out if you are willing to do the same.

Question for those that have fished the Piscat. River form a yak. Is it just me, but I am scared to death of the tide in the middle of the river. I always stay near shore and fish one side of the river. Am I right to fear the current in the center of the river or am i just exposing how much of a wuss I really am?

The Dad Fisherman · 05-13-2011, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregory2327

Question for those that have fished the Piscat. River form a yak. Is it just me, but I am scared to death of the tide in the middle of the river. I always stay near shore and fish one side of the river. Am I right to fear the current in the center of the river or am i just exposing how much of a wuss I really am?

You are absolutely justified....you'd have to be borderline insane to take a Yak out on the Piscataqua......

The Meaning of Piscataqua - -SeacoastNH.com

"The Piscataqua River that divides New Hampshire and Maine is the third fastest-flowing navigable river in the world. "

Rockport24 · 05-13-2011, 10:34 AM

yah it is a really BAD idea, kind of like trying to yak around the mouth of the merrimack, well, that would just be a death sentence.

gregory2327 · 05-13-2011, 12:23 PM

Glad I have good instincts then. It looks tempting at slack tide, but as soon as you get a little closer to the current in the middle, it just feels 'wrong'. Third swiftest current huh? Nile and Mississippi must be 1 and 2?

Thanks for confirming my suspicions regarding the Piscat!

kilgoretrout · 05-14-2011, 09:50 AM

oh come on guys ive been there its a little work out but you can do it ive even been anchored under the gen sullivan bridge at peak flow and i lived ... no fish though. on a different note ive got info that there is fish where the oyster river discharges into the great bay imma try it out sunday morn

gregory2327 · 05-14-2011, 06:22 PM

The fish are/ will be there. I've only caught schoolies there but there are larger fish too. What have you been throwing?

As far as anchoring under the GS Bridge - that is seriously asking for trouble. Anchoring in any decent current (fresh water included) is dicey game. Anchory around the GS as a death wish. I went under the bridge during incoming I was heading out, and a 50hp motors barley got me through the current and past the bridge. I would strongly recommend re-thinking that strategy.

falkners · 05-14-2011, 08:58 PM

There is a great article about fishing The Great Bay and surrounding waters in the Sep. 09 issue of Fly Fisherman called "Granite State Stripers" by Dave Shirley. See if you can find an issue. It goes into great detail about the spring estuary fishing and herring run as well as spots in and around Portsmouth and the shoreline to Hampton. By the way if you have 100 hrs in and haven't had success I suggest you learn the Tube & Worm technique. It will change your luck in a hurry. Also, don't ever anchor in a strong current. It is a recipe for disaster. Good luck and be careful the water is pretty cold up there.

kilgoretrout · 05-15-2011, 04:39 PM

no luck fished the outlet of oyster river area with swim shad and rebel amazing minnow from mid tide to low tide no luck but evidence of bait fish ... about five cormorants and a couple packs of returning diving terns

yes dave shirley's article was great ran into it a while ago and have been trying the spots here is a link if someone else wants to read

http://www.flyfisherman.com/content/...#axzz1MSZJvMyM

gregory2327 · 05-16-2011, 09:05 AM

Beautiful - thanks for the link. And thanks for the recommendation Falkners

peakhunter · 05-29-2011, 07:21 AM

One of the more popular spots in Great Bay is in front of the dam at the mouth of the Cocheco River (NH). The alewife are in, the cormorants are active and the report yesterday, May 28, 2011 was that two nice keeps were caught this week. (Perhaps more - that's just one report.)

No boat is necessary. This site can be easily driven to in downtown dover just under and below the bridge and mill.