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November 13 Charles River Fishing Report: Chilly Temps, Low Flows, and an Alligator Sighting!
Published 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure coming to you with your November 13th, 2025 Charles River fishing report, straight from the banks in Boston.
This morning’s air has a strong November feel—crisp, with temps in the mid-40s at dawn and a high only in the low 50s later, under mostly cloudy skies. Winds have been light, with a gentle westerly breeze pushing across the water. Those heading out early caught a misty sunrise at 6:29 AM, with sunset coming up quick at 4:26 PM, so make those daylight hours count.
Tidewatchers noted a high at the Charles River Dam right around 9:15 AM, hitting just under 11 feet, and low tide will bottom out around 3:43 PM, so plan for the fish to be moving in the transition hours. With the recent string of high highs and low lows, the river’s interacting with the Harbor’s brackish edge a bit more—especially near the dam and mouth—so don’t rule out a mixed bag near the salt line.
Charles River flows are unseasonably low—Snoflo’s latest river gauge reads just 16% of normal, a real sign of drought, with most of the flow coming in under 60 cfs. That means fishing is best where there’s some current: focus on bottlenecks, tailouts, and anything that stirs up bait near bridges, outfalls, and bends.
Now, for the fishing round-up: The regulars working Magazine Beach, the Esplanade around the Lagoon, and below the Longfellow Bridge have been scoring most consistently. Bass catches have slowed a tick with the water cooling, but there are still pockets of aggressive largemouth, and the occasional smallmouth showing up. A couple of days ago, one sharpie landed a near-four-pound largemouth right off the boat dock at Community Boating using a suspending jerkbait in silver—mimicking the dying shiners that school up on these chilly mornings.
Pickerel activity has picked up, especially on the Cambridge side near Riverbend Park, where weedlines are still green. Folks dragging soft plastics—white swimbaits, flukes on weighted hooks, and even good ol’ live shiners—are drawing strikes from those toothy critters and the occasional feisty crappie.
If you’re angling for panfish, the Back Bay Fens and the Muddy River confluence remain hotspots. Bluegill and pumpkinseed are still hitting live worms, and a few nice yellow perch have been caught midday on small inline spinners in gold.
Strategy-wise, the best action has been at the mid-morning high tide and again as the tide starts to drop in the afternoon—especially during the major lunar fishing windows. This afternoon from 2:45 to 4:45 PM is rated excellent, so if you can sneak out, you might find the bite turning on right before dark.
Best lures right now are:
- Suspending jerkbaits in silver or perch colors.
- Smaller swimbaits and soft plastic shads for bass and pickerel.
- Inline spinners and small spoons for panfish and perch.
- For bait, live shiners and nightcrawlers are outperforming artificials, especially on a slow drift near drop-offs.
A couple of noteworthy mentions: keep your eyes open on the Esplanade—there’s been a bona fide alligator sighting making news, captured on video last weekend and confirmed by CBS News and local authorities. It’s a baby, likely a dumped pet, but all the same, watch your step on the banks!
For your best shot at fish today:
- Magazine Beach (active current and deep edges).
- The Esplanade Lagoon area (structure, variable current, access).
That’s your Charles River fishing lowdown for November 13th. Tight lines to everyone venturing out before sunset! Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for all the latest from Artificial Lure.
This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with
This morning’s air has a strong November feel—crisp, with temps in the mid-40s at dawn and a high only in the low 50s later, under mostly cloudy skies. Winds have been light, with a gentle westerly breeze pushing across the water. Those heading out early caught a misty sunrise at 6:29 AM, with sunset coming up quick at 4:26 PM, so make those daylight hours count.
Tidewatchers noted a high at the Charles River Dam right around 9:15 AM, hitting just under 11 feet, and low tide will bottom out around 3:43 PM, so plan for the fish to be moving in the transition hours. With the recent string of high highs and low lows, the river’s interacting with the Harbor’s brackish edge a bit more—especially near the dam and mouth—so don’t rule out a mixed bag near the salt line.
Charles River flows are unseasonably low—Snoflo’s latest river gauge reads just 16% of normal, a real sign of drought, with most of the flow coming in under 60 cfs. That means fishing is best where there’s some current: focus on bottlenecks, tailouts, and anything that stirs up bait near bridges, outfalls, and bends.
Now, for the fishing round-up: The regulars working Magazine Beach, the Esplanade around the Lagoon, and below the Longfellow Bridge have been scoring most consistently. Bass catches have slowed a tick with the water cooling, but there are still pockets of aggressive largemouth, and the occasional smallmouth showing up. A couple of days ago, one sharpie landed a near-four-pound largemouth right off the boat dock at Community Boating using a suspending jerkbait in silver—mimicking the dying shiners that school up on these chilly mornings.
Pickerel activity has picked up, especially on the Cambridge side near Riverbend Park, where weedlines are still green. Folks dragging soft plastics—white swimbaits, flukes on weighted hooks, and even good ol’ live shiners—are drawing strikes from those toothy critters and the occasional feisty crappie.
If you’re angling for panfish, the Back Bay Fens and the Muddy River confluence remain hotspots. Bluegill and pumpkinseed are still hitting live worms, and a few nice yellow perch have been caught midday on small inline spinners in gold.
Strategy-wise, the best action has been at the mid-morning high tide and again as the tide starts to drop in the afternoon—especially during the major lunar fishing windows. This afternoon from 2:45 to 4:45 PM is rated excellent, so if you can sneak out, you might find the bite turning on right before dark.
Best lures right now are:
- Suspending jerkbaits in silver or perch colors.
- Smaller swimbaits and soft plastic shads for bass and pickerel.
- Inline spinners and small spoons for panfish and perch.
- For bait, live shiners and nightcrawlers are outperforming artificials, especially on a slow drift near drop-offs.
A couple of noteworthy mentions: keep your eyes open on the Esplanade—there’s been a bona fide alligator sighting making news, captured on video last weekend and confirmed by CBS News and local authorities. It’s a baby, likely a dumped pet, but all the same, watch your step on the banks!
For your best shot at fish today:
- Magazine Beach (active current and deep edges).
- The Esplanade Lagoon area (structure, variable current, access).
That’s your Charles River fishing lowdown for November 13th. Tight lines to everyone venturing out before sunset! Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for all the latest from Artificial Lure.
This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with