By Will Courtney
PLUM ISLAND — Each day, Mike Hosker takes a break from re-stringing reels and selling tackle at Surfland Bait and Tackle, and zips a lure into the surf on Plum Island.
Hosker didn't catch anything yesterday, but today could be different. The signs of the striped bass' arrival are all there.
Surf birds called gannets are diving for bait offshore. In the Parker River, small herring are jumping out of the water. Four-inch sand eels are on the beach. Some shad are being caught at the Rocks Village bridge in Merrimac. Herring are reportedly reaching the Lawrence dam.
All that makes local waters very attractive to the striped bass.
"There's bait around, but the fish aren't here yet," Hosker said. "The bait is probably always here. There are probably some holdover bass around, but I haven't heard any stories of people taking any."
Not far away in Gloucester and Rockport — a much shorter trip by water than car — reports are coming in of some small "schoolie" fish being caught as early as two weeks ago. On Cape Cod, stripers are being caught in the Bass River.
The bass annually migrate from the mid-Atlantic regions around Delaware and Maryland, thousands of them veering for a trip up the Merrimack with its abundance of food and warmer water, before heading up to Maine.
In his 35 years fishing locally, Hosker has caught a striped bass as early as April 15. The latest he's ever caught one is May 12.
For those hoping to beat him to the punch, Hosker suggests walking the beach.
"This time of year, if you're going to get your first fish, during good weather, hit the beachfront on the incoming tide," he said. "In stormy weather, when the waves are big, fish the river to begin with."
The best time of day is the afternoon, he said, when the water has a chance to warm.
Hosker said Surfland has been selling some bait, even yesterday on a cold and wet day. Sales of tackle have been slower than normal, but that will soon change. The first rumor of a fish being caught, "and it will be crazy in here," Hosker said.
He suggests early season fishermen use lures like small spoons and jigs; one of the more popular models is a Charlie Graves, which has been in use for decades.
To keep a striped bass, it must measure 28 inches in length, and fish of that size won't be here for a few more weeks. The smaller "schoolies" will take a shiny lure and won't swallow it. The catch-and-release mandate for smaller fish has played a large role in the revival of the striped bass in local waters.
"You catch it in the mouth and release it to fight another day," Hosker said.
His other advice: keep casting.
"You can't catch a fish if you don't make a cast," he said.
