great bay

[rod daily]

i would appreciate information regarding best boat landing on
great bay as far as ease of entry etc. i have a 15" whaler
and had heard that some of the ramps were difficult with
tides etc. anyone fishing great bay with any success??
thank you
rod

[Skunk Buster]

Rod,
I suppose that depends on which "Great Bay" you're referring to. There is probably a few of them in Massachusetts alone. One that I'm familiar with is in Falmouth. Please let us know:)

[rod daily]

sorry - the great bay i am referring to is in new hampshire
formed by the bellamy, oyster, cocheco, and piscataque
rivers and empties into the atlantic @ portsmouth nh.

[shorefly]

There was just a long thread on GreatBay area boat ramps on flyfishsaltwater.com. You might want to check that out. As the name implies, I unfortunately only fish from shore, but from the discussion and a launch I did once with a lucky boater the Eliot, Me. boat ramp seems like a good one. Check out flyfishsaltwater though. There was a lot of discussion on ramps, tides, docks, parking, fees, etc. Good luck.
Shorefly

[T.Phillips]

The Eliot ramp is by far the best (it does cost $5, last I knew) I would check on the new regulations about boat trailers in Maine. I seem to remember some mention of having to pay some tax or fee even if it is only 5 min. over the boarder.
'Maine... the way life should be', Huh. They're beginning to compete with Taxachussets.

[swnoel]

The Eliot town ramp is by far the best on the river.It will cost you as a non resident $6 on weekends or holidays. Week days are free! Plenty of parking, low tide launchable with a great dock. I don't believe there is any fee from the State , I believe that has to do with in shore waters on lakes, rivers, and ponds. The fish are hungry and biting, caught some nice macks and stripers. Got bit in half by a blue....maybve we'll see them soon.. Good luck

[rod daily]

thank you tphillips and swnoel for your replies.
i will give the eliot ramp a try.
rod

[tmillerzzz]

You can also launch from Great Bay Marina, Newington NH, not sure on costs.

http://www.cruiseguides.com/iwfg/marinas/pages/060.html

Dover Pt./Hilton Park is OK as long as your on the high half of the tides, low tide is a pain. Then again, with a 15' boat youd probably be OK.

Fishing has been REAL good in the Pisqataqu in the middle of the outgoing tide when it occurs around daybreak, exactly wrong this weekend but should be PERFECT 26th-28th

on the 12th, hooked 5 fish, broke 2 off, pulled the hook out of one, boated a 29", a 34" and 1 schoolie. The warmer water seems to have put the bigger fish deep, think sinking lines and 4-5" grocery flies.

[rod daily]

thank you tim for your reply.
have been by dover point ramp and looks good as far as
parking etc.
my 15' whaler drafts very little water so not as big a
concern for depth as rough tides.
glad to hear fishing has been good - going over fri eve
should be able to catch middle of outgoing high before
dark.
i'll be running a teenie and large flies.
thank you again for the help
rod

[tbass]

I launch out of the Pierce Island Ramp every weekend. Just follow the signs to Strawberrybank. It costs 10 bucks. It is good at all tides. It is close to 2KR the bouy for bait if you need to get bait. I have had several middle of the week outings where you just get a few hundred yards into the river and see birds working, go over and start casting. Many days with over 10 fish. I agree with the statement the water is warming and the big ones are deep. If you find some shallows with some 30 plus feet next to it that is a good place to fly fish one the out going. The nice thing about the Great bay is you have the tide time difference of about two hours between the mouth and the inner most part of the bay. When the conditions are not optimal I move to the part of the river that is at a tide height that I like to fish. While drifting and moving from spot to spot watch the boat traffic and currents the combination can be knarly. Good luck, I'm going do to Scituate this Sunday to try it down there.:)