Hi NANFA,
I was just in NH last weekend fishing on the party boats for Haddock and Acadian Redfish. I'm going to visit MA and NH area again on May 20 and 21 for more haddock fishing.
However, in the afternoon or evening, I hope to try shore fishing a little more. Some of the species I hope to encounter (as a catch and release angler) are Grubby Sculpin, Ninespine Stickleback Longhorn Sculpin, Sea Raven, Yellowfin Flounder and Little Skate.
We did manage to find Little Skate off a point in MA. I'm hoping they will still be there late May. From what I read, the Little Skate will move shallower as the season progress. In April, they are spawning, and will spawn again in October.
When I was looking for these species in NH last weekend (Apr 15 and 16), we didn't even see any fish in the shallow coaster areas or in the salt marshes. There wasn't even any Mummichog and I found that very strange. My suspicion is the water was still too cold.
Would the water temperature be better in May? Do you have any suggestion where I can find my target species around NH or MA? Driving is no issue. I'll drive anywhere within NH and MA to find target species.
I am also interested to find Green Crab to use as bait. I know they are non-native species but have personally seen Shorthorn Sculpin swallowed a dollar size Green Crab whole. So instead of using native crab species, I propose that using the non-native crab species as bait would probably do the habitat a little good.
Failing to find crabs on my own, do the local bait shops in MA or NH sell Green Crab? I know that NY and NJ do sell Green Crab for bait since they are prime bait for Tautog anglers.
Thanks!
Ken
Edited by MuskieBait, 23 April 2017 - 09:29 AM.