Local Waters
Plum Island
Newbury / Newburyport, MA · about 45 min from Portsmouth (typical, off-peak)
The classic North Shore fly beach when it is open. Worth the drive from town.
Salt River / stream Lake / pond Shop (desk) Guide only Parking Stay State access Private — ask first
- Season
- Harvest is year-round on paper (28" to under 31", one fish). Schoolies are the usual fly fish here in season. Confirm current DMF rules. Official rule
- License
- Massachusetts saltwater permit
- Park
- Parker River NWR lots and town lots. Refuge lots have their own hours and closures.
- Walk in
- 5–20 minutes depending on lot and dune path.
- Wading
- Beach and inlet. Current at the mouth is no joke.
- Usual window
- Moving water, especially around the inlet. Check refuge access first.
- Friday conditions
-
Weather is not in yet.
- Sky
- ☀️ fair
- Sun and moon
- Rise 5:55 · 🌔 Waxing gibbous · Set 7:38
- Tide
- Low 12:26 am (1.5 ft) · High 6:40 am (8.0 ft) · Low 12:34 pm (2.3 ft) · High 6:53 pm (9.1 ft) Best moving water is the three hours into 6:40 am high. · Confirm local Newburyport/Merrimack tide; Boston is a rough stand-in
- A setup that belongs here
- 8- or 9-wt, sand-eel patterns, Clousers.
- Notes
- Parker River National Wildlife Refuge has seasonal beach closures for nesting birds. Read the refuge board before you walk.
Refuge rules are a fourth rulebook. If the lot or beach is closed, leave.
Log this trip
Stays on this phone only. Nobody else sees it.
Shops
Guides
Shop desks, plus a few independents who fish public water. We do not take a cut. Call them.
Concord Outfitters — book a day
Concord, MA · wade / shore · Half or full day — ask the shop
Good for: MetroWest rivers and ponds, first local trout day
Shop desk, not a scraped independent. Call them; they put you with someone they trust.
Bear's Den — salt and South Shore
Taunton, MA · shore / wade · Half or full day — ask the shop
Good for: First striper from the beach or Canal, South Shore
Book through the shop. We do not take the money.