Charles River Fishing Report: Stripers, Bass, and Panfish Biting in Spring

Hey there, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Charles River fishing report for March 15, 2025. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, and the fish are biting! Let's start with the tides. We've got a high tide at 12:59 PM, reaching 9.88 feet, and a low tide at 7:05 PM, dropping to 0.36 feet. The sun rose at 6:56 AM and will set at 6:51 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work with. Weather-wise, it's a crisp spring day with temperatures in the mid-50s. There's a light breeze from the northeast, perfect for casting without too much interference. Now, onto the good stuff - the fish! Striped bass have been making their way up the river, following the herring run. Anglers have been having luck with soft plastic swimbaits and topwater lures in the early morning and late evening. A few folks have reported catching stripers in the 24-30 inch range near the Museum of Science. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are also active, especially around structure. Jigs and plastic worms have been producing well. One angler landed a hefty 5-pounder near the BU Bridge using a green pumpkin Senko. For you panfish enthusiasts, yellow perch and crappie are biting on small jigs tipped with live bait. The lagoons near the Esplanade have been particularly productive. As for hot spots, I'd recommend trying the area around the Watertown Dam for some nice smallmouth action. The deep holes near the Harvard Bridge have also been producing some quality largemouth. Bait-wise, live shiners are always a good bet this time of year. If you're going artificial, I'd suggest having some white bucktail jigs, silver spoons, and chartreuse crankbaits in your tackle box. Remember, folks, the river's still a bit chilly, so slow down your retrieves and fish those deeper holes. And as always, practice catch and release to keep our fishery healthy for years to come. That's all for now, anglers. This is Artificial Lure, signing off. Tight lines and see you on the water!