We in the Upper Valley are surrounded by excellent fishing opportunities. Lakes, rivers, ponds and streams are all within a short drive.
But in the dog days of August, we sometimes forget that we are only two hours away from the Atlantic Ocean, where other fishing possibilities abound.
Even though the Granite State offers only 18 miles of coastline, there’s Maine to the north and Massachusetts to the south. There are plenty of beaches, inlets and bridges where an angler can set up in pursuit of saltwater species.
The big draw for New England anglers is the striped bass, which also is the official saltwater fish of New Hampshire. A hard fighter, the striper is one of the best-eating fish anywhere in the world. In fact, its popularity led to overfishing and threatened the survival of the species.
By 1982, there were about only five million stripers left on the East Coast. Conservation officials took notice, and the effort to save the fish began. Bag limits, size limits and slot limits were quickly introduced, and commercial fishing was dialed back.
If nature is left alone, it will eventually heal itself. By 2007, the stripers had rebounded to a healthy 56 million. But once again, the species was overharvested, leading to another round of rules and regulations. Although the numbers are still respectable, conservation is a work in process, and watchdog groups need to keep an eye on the striper — indeed all species — to make sure they thrive.
I was introduced to striped bass 20 years ago, when a friend took me to Ferry Beach in Maine. He had been pursuing stripers for most of his life and knew the ropes. We set up on the shore and started to rig our lines for some night fishing, which is the optimum time for fishing stripers.
The basic rig for beach angling consists of a large swivel attached to the main line. The prong of the open swivel is threaded through the metal eye of a two-ounce pyramid sinker, then through the loop of a 50-pound leader with a pre-tied hook. The swivel locks everything into place.
Several kinds of bait are considered good for stripers — clams, fiddler crabs, squid, mackerel, sea worms, live eels and small live pollock. (A special rig must be used with live eels because they tend to twist on the end of the leader.) I prefer mackerel, cut bait or whole tinkers. Sea worms are excellent, although they tend to attract smaller bass called schoolies.
That first night on the beach, we cut a 2-pound mackerel in half, using the tail and the head on different hooks. After a long cast, rod holders secured the poles in the sand. It wasn’t long before one of the rods bent double and the line began to strip out.
After landing my first striper, I became obsessed with catching more. On my days off, I was driving to the Seacoast, looking for a place to wet a line. I finally settled on a spot in Eliot, Maine.
Dead Duck is the local name for the Eliot boat launch on the Maine side of the Piscataqua River. A strip of beach stretches north from the launch for approximately a half-mile. At the end of the beach, there’s a shallow flat that drops off into deeper water.
Dead Duck proved to be a great spot. As long as the tide was moving either way, there were fish around. I even caught fish on low tide in a deep hole where the smaller fish congregated So far, my biggest catch from Dead Duck measured out at 31 inches, although stripers get a lot bigger.
The river is also a good spot if you have boat. One day, I watched an angler fishing the incoming tide. I’m pretty sure he was using live pollock for bait. Moving west, away from the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, he caught a striper on every drift.
When I tried the same technique from a friend’s boat, we had similar results.
Even if you don’t have a boat, there are public beaches, accessible bridges and several rivers that run into the ocean. If you are going to hit the big water in a boat, make sure the vessel is at least 20 feet long. The coast can be unforgiving, especially when the weather kicks up.
Also be aware of the laws for each state. New Hampshire and Maine have license requirements, so don’t wet a line until you’re sure you’re legal. Some beaches do not allow surf fishing during the day, but that could work out perfectly on a family outing to the shore.
Swim and sunbathe all day, and then stake out the rods after dark for an evening picnic on the shore.
Coleman Stokes can be reached at stokecoles@gmail.com.