Fishing Report August 18, 2025

Striper fishing reports have slowed. Many blame weather, rough seas, and large amounts of seaweed along the shorelines. Most seem to be covering a lot of water trolling or fishing with live eels at night. Trolling for salmon on Sebago and Winnipesaukee remains steady and consistent, with a recent increase in fish activity. Stocked trout fishing reports are the usual slow summer situation, with deeper cool water ponds and rivers that still have good flows still producing. We also had good reports of bass, panfish, and hornpout.

Maine:
Greg Cutting at Jordan’s Store in Sebago reported excellent fishing on Sebago Lake. “They’re catching some really nice salmon. Some guys are doing well around Frye Island and some are doing well near Outer Island. Some of these salmon are 5, 6, and 7-pound fish. They’re catching salmon and lake trout out on top of the Shoals too. As far as I know they’re still catching fish off of Long Point toward Frye. Some guys are catching salmon right on top over deep water,” he said.

Nick at Saco Bay Tackle in Saco says that there isn’t much going on around the Saco in terms of striper catching, but suggested a few spots to include Camp Ellis, Pine Point, and Higgins Beach. Nick thinks the weather has slowed things down and hopes cooler consistent weather will heat things back up.

New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors/Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee says that while things had slowed down for several days last week, when it turned around, it turned around in a big way. “The fishing lit up Sunday morning. Saturday afternoon we were working for every salmon, covering a ton of water, and Sunday morning we couldn’t do anything wrong. We have also been finding pockets of fish rather than one here and one there, which is nice. Orange BB Gun and Top Gun spoons have been hot, but the Blood and Guts, AJ’s Firesmelt, and the white perch streamer flies have been good too. We are getting most fish down 20 feet,” he said.

Lon Berry at Berry’s Bait in Alton Bay reported excellent action on the local ponds for bass, panfish, and hornpout, until yesterday, Winnipesaukee has been slow for salmon and lake trout. “A lot of people are complaining about the size of the lake trout in Winnipesaukee now. It sounds like almost everyone is catching 15-inch lake trout now. Salmon fishing was slow, but I heard it picked up on Sunday. Streamers and spoons down 30 feet has been good from what I’m hearing,” she said.

Jason Brewster at Brewster’s Bait and Tackle in Portsmouth furnished the following report: “Hot and cold weekend again on the Piscataqua River. Stripers are present and responding when they feel like it. Lots of flounder rigs are going out the door and stories of squid still pepper the weekend shop talk. Clams were the big seller this week with mackerel a close second.”

Massachusetts:
Martha at Surfland Bait and Tackle on Plum Island reported a slight uptick in striper fishing, but she was happy to report that she had the blues. “There have been a few fish, but the ocean has been a little smelly lately and a little weedy. There have been some bluefish caught off the beach between the jetties. Just after the tide starts to come in is typically when the bluefish will enter the river. It’s been a little tough for some of the boat guys to get out of the river and some of the surf guys are complaining about seaweed. Tube and worm still seem to be fairly productive. I am still hearing of some guys picking up some flounder from both boats and the surf,” she said.

Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett furnished the following report: “There is good bluefish action along Revere and Winthrop Beaches. They’re smashing topwater. Trolling Rapala X Raps and chunking mackerel is working good too. There are bass below the blues feasting on pieces of bait that the blues are destroying. Santini Tubes are killing big bass from the casino to Charlestown piers, as well as George's, Long, Spectacle, and Castle islands. They’re getting fluke at Point of Pines on squid tipped jigs or gulp on fluke rigs. There are a few seabass off Hull Gut. Tuna, whales, and sharks on big pogy schools 10 miles east of Boston Light. Freshwater: bass fishing is great in Spot Pond in Stoneham on hula poppers just before dark. Trout are 30 feet down on Walden Pond with streamers and small Rapalas,” he said.