Fall run reloads after the nor'easter, with bass and blues on the move

What's biting

What's next

Water should keep clearing over the next few days. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) expects most spots to need a few more days, so the cleanest water is likely later this week rather than right after the blow.

Bass and blues should hold in sheltered water while the sunny, chilly weather lasts. J&B Tackle hopes the storm pushed more bait and fish into their area, and the calm after it is the window to watch.

Booked Off Charters and Tartan II are both targeting tautog and sea bass this fall, so bottom fishing is the steady option on settled days. Dave Anderson reports peanut bunker inshore with slot stripers in the harbors, and that bait is the one to watch.

Context

Early October is the back half of the fall run on the Gulf of Maine, and this is on schedule. Stripers and blues typically follow bait south along the shore as water cools, and tautog move onto inshore structure. Shoreline activity on the Gulf of Maine tends to lag southern New England by a week or two, so the push reported farther south is likely to reach the NH coast later in the month. Check state regs before harvesting, as tautog and bass limits and seasons change.