The freshwater scene in New England gets going at ice-out for hardcore yakkers. Warm water lakes can be hit or miss early season, but both bass and pan fish are in pre-spawn mode, which can mean big schools of fish and some pretty fast fishing. By mid-May, these lakes will offer a steady bite as fish really work on fattening up for the spawn. Some of the biggest largemouth in New England are caught in April and May as they prepare for spawning.

Kayakers all over the Northeast are looking forward to the KFS tournament at Jamaica Bay. With over 200 yakkers this is a fun tournament and a great way to start the season. Last year’s tournament got blown out, but the two days before had some very good fishing with blues, stripers, and big weakfish in the mix.

In mid- to late April, small stripers will be filling in along Connecticut and Southern Massachusetts, with bigger fish arriving in increasing numbers in May. The focus in April will be fishing river mouths in rivers with herring runs. Small plastics like Fin-s and Zooms are very popular, but with these small fish, just about anything plastic will work. As the big fish arrive and start chasing herring, we will be upsizing our plastics to big Hogies and 10-inch Fin-s fish. Remember, Connecticut and Massachusetts have bans on using river herring for bait, but there are plenty of other effective methods.

Keep your eye out for other early season bites that pop up—big weakfish spawning around New Haven and big bluefish chasing spawning squid in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Every year offers something new to try, as the fish fill in throughout May and June. Try some new spots and meet up with other kayakers—the great thing about kayaking in New England is the camaraderie on the water.