Life is very different for most of us right now due to the corona virus. However, the cycles of nature continue undisturbed.
One event which many Cape Codders and New Englanders look forward to each spring is the arrival of river herring.
Yesterday morning as I was walking my dog, I could hear ospreys and hawks chirping from high above the trees for the first time this spring. This was a strong clue that river herring may have arrived.
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During the spring, hawks and ospreys (plus other birds of prey such as the great blue heron) gather near herring runs. It's a feast they don't want to miss out on.
After hearing the cries from the birds, my dog Rosie and I dropped what we were doing, and headed to a nearby herring run to check things out.
I scanned the shallow pools for signs of life, and sure enough just below one of the fish ladders was a beautiful school of herring.
River herring have always amazed me, and the adrenaline rush of seeing my first herring of the year never gets old.
If you watch the full video from yesterday, then you'll see how the schools of herring "sit" in the current beneath the fish ladder, "waiting" for the right moment to surge forward into the rushing water.
Exactly what inspires herring to make the jump up the ladder remains a mystery to me. I am not sure why they insist on spending so much time "wasting energy" in the incredibly swift current, but they do.
When I was 6 or 7 years old, my parents would take me to the herring run at the Cape Cod Canal and let me "catch and release" herring with my bare hands.
Of course grabbing herring from the river is now illegal activity, but back then it was a life changing moment for me.
Nowadays, instead of catching the herring, I prefer to photograph them underwater, and I'm learning some cool new things from the footage.
For example, if you look closely at the image below, then you might notice that one of the herring has what appears to be scratch marks on the top of its back.
I was thinking that this herring could be the survivor of an attack from an osprey or hawk. I can imagine, for example, an osprey swooping down from above and encircling its talons along the dorsal of this herring.
I am sure there was a struggle, which resulted in the herring breaking free and dropping back into the relative safety of the stream.
All I can say is I was fascinated by these fish as a kid, and I am still fascinated by them today.
Today I'm very happy to report that the herring have officially arrived, and that the striped bass and other saltwater fish which we love to catch are not far behind.
Have you seen any herring yet this year? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.
Tight lines! 
Angler Education: River Herring
Members of My Fishing Cape Cod can click below to watch a brand new "Angler Education" segment about river herring.
I walk my dog at the run that goes into Johns Pond several times a week and always check what is going on. While this is not a big run from time to time there is a fair number there . Over two weeks I ago I saw a couple of dozen every time I dropped by. The last three or four times not a single fish You just never know when the big numbers will arrive
Thanks for the report Bill. I have not been to that run before, but it sounds like a good one to check out. I appreciate the info!
Love reading about the herring runs!
Have watched it at the West Reservoir for years! Thanks again !
Thanks for the nice comment Ned! ?? I hope you have a great week!
OK people, I’ve never seen Herring in a stream, but one year many moons ago while flying in to a Silver Salmon hotspot in Alaska the pilot told me that the islands I was seeing were actually Herring, millions and millions of Herring! Of course that was back when you could keep and eat the Salmon you caught…..Butch
Great story Butch, thanks for sharing!
I live in Westerly R.I and we have had herring in the rivers
and brooks for about 10 days.Im sure the schoolies are
here as the earliest that I have caught them in the past is March 31st.Although they may have been hold overs.
A friend of mine once told me that he and his Dad used to
seine stripers through the ice on Narrow River in the dead of winter.
Look forward to catching them again.
Awesome story and info Ed. Thank you for commenting. I appreciate it! Good luck this week if you decide to try for some schoolies.
I even seen them being hunted by Hawks @ Snow Creek in front of my place in Hyannis…I’m waiting for first ? to show up!
The hawks and ospreys are definitely fun to watch as they hunt. Hope all is well Igor and it won’t be long now until the stripers, squid and sea bass show up!
I took the kids over to the Mashpee run and it was chock full. Also my 5 year old son got to see a osprey grab one from the mill pond and it blew his mind. Had to answer a lot of questions on the way home!
That’s terrific Eric! What a great experience for your son. I vividly remember my dad taking me to the herring run at the Cape Cod Canal when I was just a little kid. Those are some special memories for me and it makes me happy to know you are creating the same types of experiences for your son. Awesome job! ?
Thanks to the information shared here I went to the Mill River coming out of Prince Cove in Marstons Mills and was able to see the herring stacked up waiting for their moment to move to the next level. It’s amazing they can work their way up through the current.
It is amazing how they have no trouble at all swimming against that current. Last week I watched a school remain stationery in the raging current for nearly an hour. The school could of easily swam over to the side of the run (where there was a pool with little to no current) but for whatever reason they chose to remain dead center in the middle of the run, where the current was strongest. I find them to be very inspiration little fish, lol. Hope all is well Peter and say hi to the family for me. ??
Yea the herring run in Middleboro was full to the brim!!!!
That’s great to hear Kevin! It’s always exciting to see the runs jam packed with life.
Middleboro always seems to be the first one of the year. Not sure why.
21,000 came through the herring run at the West Reservoir in Harwich, yesterday alone. It won’t be long now!
I heard about that as well Jeff! Amazing. Do you know if that’s a record?
Last spring the total for the run was just over 1 million! There were some days when 30k+ swam through. Hoping for another great year?
That’s so good to hear. Thanks for the info Joe!
For a truly exciting scene this time of year, check out the Herring Run in Brewster. Squawking seagulls covering the mill house roof across the street from the creek as many others wait along the banks and rocks to pluck a herring from the rushing water. Very cool!
The creek is Stony Brook that runs from the Lower Mill Pond to Cape Cod Bay right next to Paines Creek Beach. Ryan, I’m sure you know this spot very well!
Yes I know the spot. Beautiful area with lots of history! Thanks for the tip Dex. From the sounds of what John just posted here in the forum, it appears a surge of herring has moved in over the last 48 hours. I haven’t checked Stony Brook yet but I’d imagine it probably has some herring right now. Say hi to Betsy for Lauren and I! ?