Hampton Harbor Tide Charts & Fishing

Season: Spring and fall migrations; summer in New England (check regs)

Baits: Live or chunk bunker (menhaden), Clams, Live eels

Stripers feed where moving water pushes bait against structure: inlet mouths, jetty tips, bridge shadows, rips and points. Fish the stronger part of the tide, and dawn, dusk and night, especially in summer. Chunks or clams on the bottom from the beach, eels or swimbaits at night along rocks. Circle hooks on bait; release fish carefully, most of the catch goes back.

Season: Spring and fall runs along the beach; summer offshore

Baits: Cut menhaden, Metal spoons and jigs, Topwater plugs

When blues are blitzing bait in the surf you will see birds working and bait spraying; throw a metal or a popper into it. Wire or heavy mono leader, because they bite through everything else and through each other. Bleed and ice them immediately if you plan to eat them.

Season: Summer in the Gulf of Maine

Baits: Sabiki or mackerel tree rigs, Small diamond jigs, Small spoons

Schools move along the coast and into harbors in summer. A multi-hook mackerel rig with a small jig below, cast and retrieved or jigged from a wharf or rocks, often catches several at once. Look for birds and bait on the surface; the tide pushing into a harbor often brings them in.

Season: Early spring in the bays (check regs)

Baits: Sandworms, Bloodworms, Mussels

Small mouths, so small hooks. Fish muddy and sandy bottom in back bays and harbors, and use chum (crushed mussels or clams) to bring them in. Sun-warmed shallows on an afternoon incoming tide are the classic early-season spot.