Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports

On a Sea of Grass...

...and wheat stubble and standing barley and cut lentil fields. The North Dakota prairie is an amazing expanse every bit as impessive as the ocean. The light and the sky early and late in the day makes me feel right at home in such a different place. Absolutely stunning.

Of course a significant part of the attraction is that some of the best bird hunting in all of north America is right here.

September Striper Fishing and a North Wind

Our fall striped bass fishing in Maine changes day to day, tide to tide. We go from catching lots of fish to working very hard for a few in an instant. This persistent north wind hasn't helped to really turn on the bass but there is some good news from the Kennebec River.

There are fish holding consistently over deep structure where the herring are still plentiful. Some trips we've seen individual fish pop to the surface to chase a 6 to 8 inch herring or a 3 to 4 inch alewife right out of the water. Most of this visible activity has happened early in the morning or in the evening. Still no signs of blitzing fish, but with all the bait that is coming down the river that too could change quickly.

There are still stripers prowling the flats and they are much less fussy than they were back in late July and August. One of my experienced fly anglers this week was very surprised to hear my stories of fishing 13 foot leaders of 8 pound test fluorocarbon and changing flies every fifteen minutes to see what small crab or shrimp pattern the skinny water bass would eat.

Most of these bright days have come with a healthy breeze. The fish that like to cruise just under the surface when the light is low should feel more safe when the overhead visibility is limited...right? So why don't I see them exhibiting this behavior when the leaves are rustling at 5:00 AM? Is it tied to the effects of the weather associated with the north wind? Does their prey change behavior when the water isn't still?

I've been jotting down notes about tips for sight-casting on windy days. I'll add a post devoted to this topic shortly. September is a great month to fish in Maine. The water is warmer than in June but cool enough to remind the fish about the coming migration and winter. We see lots of bright and dry days and can "sleep in" and still get on the water before dawn. The downside is the north and northwest wind that is so common.

Remember the bit about change. Cover the water. Move and move, again and again. If you fished yesterday and it was slow, don't wait to go back out until sometime next week. You could miss the day that keeps you dreaming of spring during the coming winter months.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

What It's All About

The forecast for Saturday looked to be fishy, with the first cloudy morning that we've had in a while. My anglers were called to work so I headed out with the hopes of scouting some flats that I haven't explored in a while. The wind was up early, straight out of the north, making the surface of the water very tough to read. After poling around for an hour and only bumping two small groups of fish I ran to find some moving water.

There were a few stripers holding in the current lines right tight to shore and willing to eat on the surface. I then went to check on a number of places that had been so productive earlier in the week. First drift I hooked (and promptly lost) a fish, but that wasn't a repeatable event. A couple more drifts produced nothing.

My good friend Capt. Dan Wolotsky of Sweet Action Charters was alone in his boat, doing the same thing, getting his fix and finding fish for his Sunday clients. We were sharing findings when we decided that we should fish together. I put the Maverick on a mooring and hopped into Dan's boat. We fished six places that all held good numbers of bass recently but only hooked one fish.

We decided to run upriver and check a couple of ledges that had good current flow over them and started at a spot that both of us knew but hadn't fished well for either of us. We spent the next hour there catching fish on almost every drift. So much for our exploring mission. We got caught up in the fun of fishing and had a blast.

After a busy summer for both of us, Dan and I had plenty of stories to share. What I took away from our conversation was the importance of the "fun" element of a fishing charter. Nobody works harder for his clients than Dan. He's really good at putting his guests on fish and he's driven to find success but he always remembers that it's not just about the catching. Good fishing day or tough fishing day, Dan's always committed to making sure that everyone on his boat has a blast, and that's a gift.

Check out Dan's Blog and you'll see what I mean.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

Fast Start, Slow Finish...More Saltwater Fly Fishing News From Maine

After a couple straight days of catching lots of fish I had high hopes for yesterday's charter. With two very talented and experienced anglers on the boat I knew that we'd make the most of our opportunities.

We started at 5:30 AM with a chilly run in the dark to the first flat that we'd examine. With just enough light to read the surface of the water and zero wind I shut down the motor and hopped up on the poling platform expecting to see the enticing signs of stripers working the shallow water ebbing off the flat. After explaining the game to Jeff and Curtis and offering some thoughts on strategy and tactics I was beginning to wonder where the fish were. I had seen one swirl in the distance up at the head of a cove and that was it. I was about to offer the suggestion that we move to another flat when we all saw the distinct v-wake of a bass cruising just below the water's surface. I started poling to intercept that fish when she vanished in the three feet of water. Two minutes later we were seeing multiple wakes and quiet swirls of a number of striper bass zig-zaging in the shallowest water, grubbing off the bottom and getting us pumped.

Our first couple of shots weren't ideal - a single fish tracking away from us, then one that kept changing course every time the fly would touch down. Jeff was on the bow with the Sage Z-Axis 8 weight rigged with a 9 weight floating line, a very long leader (~13 feet ending with 12 lb fluorocarbon tippet) and a Hollow Fleye (dark olive saddles with light olive bucktail). He is a saltwater fly fishing guide [Solis On The Salt] based out of San Diego and former owner of The San Diego Fly Shop. He's chased an amazing array of saltwater gamefish around the world. He spends a lot of time guiding anglers in Baja, both inshore from the beach, nearshore out of Pangas and offshore for billfish, tuna and other big game. Getting the picture here...? Jeff could see the fish, calculate where he wanted to cast and put the fly on target (both far out and in close) in a very short period of time. If you're thinking "I want to be able to do that, consistently," all you need to do is spend hundreds and hundreds of days of sightfishing with a fly rod.

It wasn't long before we were presented with a fine opportunity. The fish was cruising slowly right towards our port bow, pausing every fifteen feet to swirl as she looked to pick something off the bottom. Jeff saw the fish instantly, had the presence of mind to hold off on his cast until just before the fish came into range, made two false casts, boomed the fly right out to the last spot were the fish swirled, had the fly turn over perfectly and started long and hard strips right after touchdown. He hadn't stripped more than six feet of line when we saw the bulge of water, another swirl and the line come tight. The whole event was supremely satisfying for all three of us. The bass was a nice 24 inch slot fish, nothing huge, but really rewarding.

We were into active fish for a little while with lots of good opportunities and a few more scenes of success and some perfectly played presentations when the eat came in the pause between strips or the fish just didn't cooperate. Jeff's good friend and angling buddy Curtis was very generous, insisting that Jeff stay up on the bow of the boat. Curtis has spent a lot of time catching a lot of stripers on and around the Kennebec River. He kept a boat at Morse Cove for years and knew the waters well. He was impressed with how shallow we spent much of our time and it was nice to have him experience a different way to fish in areas that he can call homewaters.

The flat we were on got quiet earlier in the tide than usual. We checked some moving water close to the edge of the shallows and had follows, attempts to eat but no hook ups. We moved over to another expansive flat that has held a lot of fish during this period of fairly stable weather. The wind was already up on that more exposed water and after poling around for fifteen minutes we just weren't seeing anything. We zoomed back to our original location, played around with some fish that we could just reach with the Maverick without grounding out and decided it was time for a big change.

After a run that seemed 30 degrees warmer than first thing in the morning we swapped out the 8 weight and floating line for the 9 with a 400 grain line and a big herring pattern. We stowed the rod with the spook and grabbed the very light but ultra sensitive St. Croix Legend Elite with a 1/2 ounce RonZ jig. First drift, bingo, fish eats the RonZ. Let's do that again. Second drift, Curtis does it again with the jig. I'm thinking "here we go, should be like this for the next three hours of the tide." Third drift, nada. Fourth drift, no luck. Fifth drift, time to move.

We picked up one other really chunky striper on the RonZ as we passed over another submerged ledge. Jeff put the fly into every sliver of moving water along the rocky shoreline and sunk a heavy Clouser to the bottom in 15 to 20 feet of water (there is skill involved in being able to do that) again and again, all in 15 knots of wind that was never in the right direction. His water haul was impressively consistent. Curtis was putting the jig right where it needed to be. We just weren't being rewarded.

We ran around for a while, fishing spots quickly, looking to locate fish. The wind was ripping and kept us from working the shallow water right at the start of the flood tide. We finally found some shelter in a spot that required an "act of faith run" (all 150 horse running flat out, motor trimmed up as much as possible, following the ribbon of dark water, knowing that we couldn't stop or slow down) over a flat that Curtis knew held very little water. He was impressed. The sun was high and bright as we poled up the edge of a creek that borders a flat and we had one lone fish that Jeff saw before I did. The fish was in close and closing fast. Jeff quickly put the Borski Swimming Shrimp right on target. We watched the fish react and start tracking the fly, and he followed and followed and followed until the fly leader was almost to the tip top and then he just veered and lazily swam away. We were disappointed but the whole event was very cool to watch.

Sarah will testify that I was cranky when I got home. I just expected more from the day and had hoped to keep two great guys into fish throughout the morning. How often do we have a bright and dry day with a strong east wind? An email from another guide who was on the Kennebec yesterday confirmed our findings as he lamented the change in fish cooperation compared to recent days. That helped a bit, but I was still pissed. The act of recalling the details of our early morning fun and writing them here does help to dull the sting. The only real elixir is getting back out there to do it all again.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

what's in your backyard?

If you ever needed proof that devoted fisherrmen are wacky...for the next month or so I'll be cutting and splitting this little pile into firewood to heat my house for 2010. Twenty tons of fun.

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

Proportions

If this gent stands 6 foot 4 inches tall, then how big is that fish?

Peter offers the theory that the recent uptick in numbers of stripers in the River is prompted by the arrival of migrating beauties from the Maritime Provinces.  They are feeding on big herring and/or alewives and are very aggressive.  Barbless hooks are a thoughtful gesture.

I was reminded again that super sharp hooks, fresh leader material and heavy lures make all the diference. Thank you, Master Fallon.

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

The Tug Is The Drug, Part 2

Right back at it this morning. Gordon and I started at 5:30 and have spent the entire morning catching nice chubby fish. You can see the RonZ jig body has put up with lots of abuse and it keeps getting shorter and shorter but keeps working and working. Just after 11:00 now and we've just about lost the tide. No fish for twenty minutes now. Hmmmmm... Should we call it or should we wait for the current to turn...? Capt. Peter Fallon

The Tug Is The Drug, Part 1

I just can't get enough. Day off today, lot's of tasks that I've put off too long. After 14 hours on the water on Labor Day I was ready to devote the day to my "to do list": send a spinning rod back to St. Croix for replacement...order another 1500 yard spool of Fireline...tie up more flats muddlers...tear down a Stradic reel that spent ten minutes in the water on Sunday (that's a story for an other post)...swap out a livewell pump...organize tuna tackle...rig two new Sage reels...send photos to anglers from this past week...find a job for the months when the stripers leave New England. I didn't set my alarm this morning, but had no luck sleeping in. Tossing and turning got old so I got up to get to work but I just could resist the draw towards the water.

Okay, I caved. By 6:45 I was admitting defeat. Watching the tide ebb from my kitchen window I couldn't resist the temptation to go catch some more fish. Grabbed my mug of coffee and a leftover muffin, loaded the dog in the truck and splashed the Maverick. First cast...BAM...okay, all that stuff can wait. I'm good with this decision. Next cast...HELLO....who cares what the lawn looks like. Third cast...okay, I didn't catch anything on my third cast, but I was back in the game soon after that.

Here are a couple of observations from the past three outings:

1. Fall is pushing in. The fish are more active in a typical September way. The young of the year alewives are moving down river, the blueback herring are heading back to the ocean and the stripers are taking note.

2. The RonZ jigs are killer. Check out their website and test them out yourself.

3. I've spent a lot of time trying to convince people that spending money on top of the line spinning rods is worth it. If you were with me today you could have experienced the advantages of fishing a fast action spinning rod with braided line. I was on aggressive fish but I also didn't miss hits. If the bass ate the jig or the swimbait, I felt it, in time to set the hook.

4. It can be too easy to think that the fish just aren't going to bite on a particular day. Stick it out, keep searching, change tactics, wait for the next tide, have faith, toss the 5 hour energy drink into the cooler.

5. Being responsible is overrated. Go fishing. I hauled out by 10:30 this morning and planned to spend the rest of the day taking care of business. Guess what...I was back in the water by 5:15 PM, catching fish right off the bat and really glad to be on the water. Before we know it the sun will be setting at 4:21 and we'll be chipping ice in the driveway.

6. Hebie The Dog prefers a reel with an audible drag. As soon as here hears the the zing of the reel he goes from full alert to over stimulated.

Tonight was close to being a replay of this morning. I didn't catch as many bigger fish this evening, but a few over the slot and one 31" bass kept me happy. Plus, I spent a lot of time searching and working to pattern the fish. Instead of staying in one spot to catch striper after striper, I did a lot of running around, searching and exploring.

I have a second day off tomorrow for the first time in a while. I can't wait to go fish. I do have a problem, but I accepted that a long time ago.

Capt. Peter Fallon

Good weather & good fishing

Just waiting to pick up Fritz this morning and head to Morse Cove ramp for another day forecast to be bright and calm. We've tried to take advantage of lots of perfect sightfishing conditions this week. As usual there are some days when the fish make us work to lay down the perfect presentation and other times when they say "that's okay" to a less than stellar cast. Two evenings right around the full moon were decidedly slower. Funny how often that seems to happen. Lots of good stories from another busy week. More later today...

Update: Real Time

Scouting for tomorrow's trip. Spook does it again.

Can you score higher than 800?

By this time in the season this striper has learned alot.  Top-water lures have been presented again and again by some very talented anglers. These fish get to nice sizes by using their senses, instincts and lessons learned.  But today, this fish more than met her match.

All the way from Cambridge, England this fisher had two follows, later on two slaps and then still later landed the catch of the day.  Brains and beauty...nice job, Alexandra!

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

SAT's Redux

Your examination has been scheduled. You will report to the Adkin's Bay Gymnasium at 5am. You do not need to bring a No. 2 pencil, nor photo ID as all of the tools you will use will be provided by the examination staff and we already know who you are.

If this is your first examination, then this year's exam consists of only one question and there is only one correct response.

You will be presented with the question just moments after first light, when the water is perfectly calm.  Your examiner will have provided you with one light to medium action spinning rod loaded with braided line to which has been attached a mono leader and a top-water lure. You will be given a one sentence instruction, similar to: "Eleven o'clock, 60 feet, coming this way." You will have less than 10 seconds to calculate where the striped bass will be in 10 seconds, whether it will meet the oncoming train from St. Louis, and then you will cast your top-water lure to land just in front of the moving fish. But the cast is not the entire question.

If this is your first examination session, then the correct response will result in your not catching the fish.  When the striper lunges and slaps the lure you will respond instictively and jerk the rod tip upward and take the lure out of range of the fish.  Again, this is the correct response.  The score that will be forwarded to colleges of your choice will indicate, "This applicant has appropriately responded to the first apptitude test. He/She is not a golfer."

For those taking the exam for the second time, well, let's just say more is expected.

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

Weather On My Mind

My morning anglers had to return to New York early, so I was left without a charter to start the day. Seemed very odd not to be on the water but it was so dry and cool and different, finally, that I stayed home to mow the grass, clean the shed and attend to a couple of other tasks that I kept putting off when it was just too hot and muggy to motivate.

Headed out with Fritz at 6 PM and found fish right away. We were a bit early in the tide for the spot where we started but there were enough stripers around to keep us there as we waited for the water movement to pick up. As Fritz commented, "it's much better to be early rather than late." Isn't that the truth.

The wind wouldn't quit, so we decided to keep the fly rods in the rack and work the Lonely Angler  Zipster spook along the marsh banks, across the tidal creeks and over the flats. As the tide gained strength the bass became more aggressive, switching from the "one and done"pattern of hits to smacking the top water plug again and again. We saw a few fish breaking the surface to feed for a couple of minutes but never saw their target. From the nature of their splash I'm guessing that it was herring or alewives.

The wind didn't die with the sunset, so we stayed with the spinning gear, knowing that the morning would bring calm conditions on the flats and a more friendly fly casting environment. Once it was fully dark we lost the fish. Hunted across an edge with good moving water then worked a couple of ledges that intersect the outgoing current. Only one swirl to show for our perseverance. Never heard a bass feed after 8:00. Hauled out by 9:30 PM with a plan to meet back at the ramp by 4:30 AM.

It was chilly running up the river to Morse Cove. I need to dig out my wool hat for the morning (I'm not kidding - there are frost warnings tonight up north) and I just might launch the Maverick with my boots on for the first time since early June.

We plan to fish tomorrow morning and evening. The forecast for a bright day and light and variable winds would be ideal for sightcasting through the mid-day hours if the water clarity were better. We'll see what happens tomorrow. We hope to finish up with another outing Saturday morning. Will Danny let us get out? Could be some really good fishing or could be a complete bust, but we won't know until we go.

Capt. Peter Fallon
www.MaineStripers.com

No News...

...can be good news. Not much different to report from this morning, which is just fine with me. Fishing was good for the first couple hours of the day and then slacked off by 9:00, at least in the shallow water. I spent a lot of time working what I call "pocket flats", spots that are really small and adjacent to drop offs and fast moving water. Very different from the big mud and sand flats that can capture my attention for hours when the fish are on them. Most of the places I worked today are much smaller than my yard; edges that I can pole across in ten minutes, unless there are fish on them.

I didn't tie any fourteen foot leaders or break out the 8 pound tippet. Big herring flies, both traditional groceries and hollow fleyes, seemed to do the trick. Poppers tied "Faulkingham Style " were also getting chowed. Nothing big to report, but a nice mix of fish over and in the slot limit had me smiling all morning.

I did wear a vest until almost 9:00 AM, which is the first time I've added a layer (other than in the rain) in a couple of weeks. The wind was up early, blowing in off the cooler waters that Bill brought to shore. I see that we're due for low temps in the mid 40's for tomorrow night. How long has it been?

Another sign of the times is the decrease in boat traffic on the river. I've really noticed a drop off over the past week. There were a decent number of boats out on the water by 9:00, but it has been quiet at the ramp around sunrise and almost lonely in the evenings.

The surf from the Bill has the oceanside flats stirred up. Sighting fish down river has been really tough since this past weekend. We also have runoff from the river that is staining the water. Hopefully we'll see some improvement in clarity by this weekend. I'm not fond of these weaker tides but they do limit the amount of additional sediment added to the water.

I keep getting good news from other guides fishing the Kennebec, New Meadows, Casco Bay and south of Portland. Seems like were all finding August to be better than July and the end of this month pointing towards a fun time for the fall. Get out and fish, for before we know it we'll all be donning a lot more than a vest when we head out in the morning.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

Company Outing & Spousal Therapy

Some how Gordon and I ended up with no trips for today. It wasn't until after dinner, dessert and then drinks on the porch at the North Bath wildlife preserve that we realized we could fish together. At 11:45 PM we promptly hatched a plan to hold a Gillies & Fallon meeting well before sunrise at the Morse Cove ramp.

Here's Gordon attending to the first item on our adgenda:

The wind was down and the fish were up. We spent a couple of hours poling around the flats casting to fish only when they showed themselves. The bright morning made a very noticable difference in the fish behavior compared to the prior morning. We noticed far fewer fish cruising in the one to two feet of water after 7:00. The moving water around the ledges still fished well, but even these fish were sometimes reluctant participants.

Here's Gordon at the conclusion of adgenda item number two: 

We were back to the launch ramp, business completed by 10:00 AM. Now what to do? The yard is looking like good pasture but I'd promised Sarah a day in the boat before she starts another very busy stretch of work. Decisions, decisions. Now what to do? Haul boat, fuel up, dash home, pick up Sarah and Hebie, swing by the Center Store, relaunch by 11:00 and run down river to the mouth of the Kennebec. We toured around for a while then ran and swam the dog on the sand flats before anchoring up to read, lounge and nap.

Coming back up river in the evening I noticed that the tide was perfect to check out a spot that was right on the way home. First cast result: 

Third cast result (Sarah commented that I failed to catch a fish on my second cast): 

Now the camera is ready. Here's the sequence of what happened on the fifth cast, starting with the first couple of swirls and swats at the spook followed by the final, dramatic eat:

 

 

Sarah and I both smiled the whole way back up river. Hebie just kept looking at us like he couldn't figure out why we weren't catching him more fish.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

Here's One Pattern That's Producing

Snake Fly.

Very cooperative fish in the shallow water again this morning. Maybe not as many on the flats as last Friday, but still happy to eat what we put in front of them. The north wind was just enough to influence how and where we cast but not so pesky that we were cursing it.

I notice that my box of Snake Flies is almost empty. Yikes! I've been going through them for the past four weeks at a good clip. I fish a lot of smaller (size 2) ones on the flats and will choose tiny (sizes 6 and 4) when the fish are finicky. If the stripers are in the mood to chase I go bigger. Olive is my first choice on the mud flats, but I also tie them in black, in purple and in white. The tiny ones look a lot like a Muddler Minnow.

Check out some of the other pattern instructions that  Capt. Jeff Smith has on his website. He's a great guide and innovative tier who fishes the waters around Cape Cod.

I might have seen bass popping young of the year alwives at the end of the dropping tide this morning. As Homer Simpson would say, "Hmmmmmm...alwives."

Capt. Peter Fallon
www.MaineStripers.com

Quick Notes

The stripers continue to be active in the shallow water early in the morning and again in the evening. Don't overlook water that seems too shallow to hold a 28 inch bass. We ended up wading at one point yesterday morning because I couldn't pole the flats boat over the bars where the fish were feeding.

No great bluefish news from the Kennebec. There are a few around but we haven't seen nor heard of any blitzes. Better bluefish reports come from Casco Bay and the Saco. Although they usually make a solid showing here by now, I'm reversing my previous prediction to say that it is not too late for a little mayhem.

Hurricane Bill will stir up the oceanside flats as the combination of big surf and strong tides will make sighting fish more challenging next week. Rain predicted for today and tomorrow will keep the River running high. I don't expect any significant changes to our fishing pattern to come from this weather event as it is far offshore but keep your eyes on the tropical forecast. My notes show that in many years the first distinct transition from summer to fall fishing occurs as the remnants of a hurricane pass through our waters.

Speaking of transitions...we're poised and ready for the young of the year alewives to start dropping down river in force. I spoke with a biologist doing haul seining sampling upriver and he isn't seeing large numbers of these key baitfish moving towards the salt water...yet.

The high tides have moved more junk into the Kennebec and New Meadows. Keep your eyes peeled for logs and limbs if you're getting an early start or finishing late.

The decrease in length of daylight is now significant. A 5:00 AM departure from the dock happens in the dark. If we leave by 4:30 we've got lots of time to stalk the fish in the shallow water before the light puts them off. Getting an early start continues to be key. By mid-morning the fish show themselves much less frequently and become much harder to tempt with a fly or lure.

The greenheads are almost gone. I'm back to wearing my sandals without socks. I pulled out of the boat my dry bag of warm layers that hasn't been used in a couple of weeks now [quite a stretch of weather for Maine] to wash everything before that first chilly morning that should be here soon.

I'm off the water for today and tomorrow [seems very odd], teaching a saltwater fly fishing class. Enjoy the weekend and watch out for the thunderstorms.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

Sightfishing and a southwest flow

This hot and humid weather pattern has finally brought us fishing that seems typical for mid-summer. I'm a big fan a cool, dry, crisp days when its bird season but not when I'm chasing stripers ( or just about any other fish). I'll take the mid-day heat and afternoon thunderstorms to get the calm mornings on the flats with happy fish making telltale wakes across the surface of the glassy water. Fishing has been challenging after the morning flurry, which can be anywhere from 7 to 9 AM. The bright light has offered some good sightcasting opportunities when the wind has laid low but this is very demanding fishing. LONG and LIGHT leaders coupled with good fish vision and accurate casts are a must and still don't guarantee an eat. For the guides I know fishing live bait, some tides have produced consistent action right through the middle of the day. So by "typical summer pattern" I mean fish on the flats in very little water and fish on deep structure in good current that are suckers for a live herring drifted overhead.

There is still day to day variability in action when each day seems a carbon copy of the day before. Last Wednesday and Thursday offer an example.

On Wednesday morning we found fairly aggressive fish on the flats from first light to about 8 AM. Put your offering reasonably close to the fish and most times they would at least look at it. Many times the same fish would swirl and swipe and eat again and again until the hook was firmly lodged in its jaw. Accurate casts were well rewarded. Although the tides were almost anemic, ebbing current produced fairly consistent action through out the morning, becoming more sporadic by 11:30 or so. 

Thursday morning was similar in environmental conditions - same southwest flow, similar cloud cover, rising barometer, weak tide - but different in terms of fish response. We found far fewer fish showing themselves between 5 and 7 AM. The few eats that we had on the flats came blind casting to flooded grassbeds. We covered a fair amount of water to finally find a small group of fish that were not on weight watchers. Those bass were, thankfully, very aggressive. In other places with decent water flow we got no hint of fish or a "one and done" response with a single striper making a single attempt to eat. We fished the same time period, from 5 AM to 1 PM, some of the same areas and used mostly similar techniques with noticeably different results.

Now maybe we should have altered our approach even more significantly but my conversations with four other guides confirmed our findings for that day. I spoke with two charter captains who were fishing live bait, one focused on drifting the edges of the flats and shallow water structure and the other who directed his efforts around the deeper ledges and stronger currents. I spoke with a guide who worked soft plastics in shallower water and jigs in deeper water in the Kennebec and I spoke with a fourth guide who took the same approach but covered water out past the mouth of the river, along the beaches and ledges and islands. All said the same thing: much tougher day than the day before. Hmmmmmm...?

Why?

I don't know the answer to that question and it drives me nuts. I want to know why things happen and I have complete faith that they happen for a reason. The fishing on Friday was decent from 5 to 7 AM but then seemed to shut right off for the rest of the morning (again confirmed by others working in the same general area) but I have an explanation for that result that fits my pattern of experience: the weather changed to a glad-to-be-alive glorious day of cool, dry, north wind, bright sky. I don't have an explanation for the difference between Wednesday and Thursday. Was there just more bait moving down river on Wednesday? Was it the pending shift in the weather? Was the dropping tide that much weaker? The list of possible explanations goes on.

I draw three lessons from this experience (which has repeated itself time and time again):

1. I try to recognize a change in pattern and not spend all day fishing yesterday's bite. 
2. I go fishing. A slow day does not always portend another slow day to follow. We're all looking for trends on the water. Sometimes a trend lasts for days, sometimes it seems to change after only an hour.
3. I have a lot to learn.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.mainestripers.com

Back In Gear

After a very busy stretch of family time chasing fish, tying flies with my niece, boating all over the midcoast, swimming with my nephew and the dogs for hours on end it was back to work this morning. I always feel out of sorts the night before a charter if I've been out of my routine for more than one day. Do I think that I'm going to forget how to chase stripers or that I won't have just the fly right at my finger tips or that I'll leave the house at 4:15 AM without the thermos of coffee that goes with me everytime? Well, I guess the answer is yes.

We were on fish right from the start this morning and did I have the guests to take advantage of our opportunities. I fish with the Murphy family every year. They are all fabulous anglers who appreciate their surroundings and love to catch stripers. We found bass in skinny water from 5:00 until 8:00 and then shifted to pulling fish out of moving water for the next two hours. The last two hours of our trip was much slower as we worked for a few fish on the edges of some large flats right around low water. More about these highliners after our second trip tomorrow morning.

The fishing has improved. The water is clearer and the stripers are cruising the flats. Some days I'm seeing a lot of fish but only catching a few during the brighter middle of the day. Crab flies are still the ticket in sightcasting situations although some days the fish have been agressive, slamming the Lonely Angler Spook and Shadalicious without hesitation, at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM under bright sun and little wind.

Blues are around (2 to 8 lbs.) but I haven't found any schools of them busting bait. That could change any day but I fear that if it doesn't happen within the next week, we really won't see them here in the midcoast at all this summer.

I'm off to launch for my eveing charter. I'm hoping for a replay of this morning. Life is good, very good, when were catching fish.

Capt. Peter Fallon

Carpe Diem...tomorrow

If you could possibly care, here is the plan for the lull this week........

When I canoe the shallows in front of my house, I always spook big fish that are feeding in the grass and on the mud flats.  I'm not positive of this, because the water is murky, but they are probably CARP.

And I want to catch one.

I will chum with canned corn.  I will rig my fly rod with a circle hook loaded with more kernels.  I will cast so that the "fly" settles to the bottom right where the chum line ends.  I will anchor. And I will wait, all the while reading "Elegance of the Hedgehog." This is by no means a gentleman's sport, but at least I can bring a bit of Eastern preppy tone.

Judging by the size of these beasts I startle, if I hook into one and am taken on a Nantucket Hayride, my next post might come to this site from somewhere far away.

The point was made earlier by Peter...boredom busting doesn't require that we travel far. 

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

Under Cover of Darkness

Without the benefit of a Miranda warning (you have the right to remain silent, etc), I have a confession to make which, as a former assistant district attorney, might be ill-advised.  For the past few weeks I have been sneaking through town enroute the launch ramp, taking the route where there are no early morning doughnut shops, thus avoiding the seemingly ubiquitous police officers, deputies and troopers.  

And all because I hesitated to pull the trigger, figuratively, and buy a new trailer with the correct load limit and working brake lights.

Two thoughts occur, now that I have the new rig:

the stress of working with inferior gear might not always be a wise use of nervous energy, and

I am stoked to fish before dawn because Peter is correct...that's the very best time.

If you are fishing with crappy gear, then get rid of it.  Amortized over a lifetime, the cost is probably pretty cheap.

If you want to fish pre-dawn then hire a guide that knows the water, is flexible as to start time, and hauls a trailer with working lights.  Or, if you have your own rig, then ask the guide to call you at 4am to bost you out of bed with a pep talk.  And, finally, tie on the darkest lure or fly in your box.

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

Making me think

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a full, fabulous day on the water guiding Kirk Deeter and his wife (she's a wicked good angler). Kirk is an editor-at-large at Field & Stream, editor of Angling Trade, author of a number of excellent fly fishing books and a guide on waters near his home in Colorado. I'll add a post in the near future about our day together and what I learned from Kirk but for right now I thought I'd post my comment to his current blog post about guiding on Field & Stream's Fly Talk:

Kirk - I really appreciate your thoughts on guiding and a guide’s responsibilities because it makes me reflect on my work, my mission, my weaknesses and my strengths.

In the last two weeks I’ve had two clients come back to fish with me, carrying new rods and reels that they had purchased after their experience in my boat. They were ecstatic about their new set-ups. I found myself thinking “that’s they way it’s supposed to work” in reference to the relationship between tackle manufacturers, guides and consumers: guide chooses gear based on personal preference and experience (not based on best discount)…manufacturer helps get that gear into guides hands by offering discounts…consumer tries gear with guide then goes out and buys what they liked.

Well, as you so clearly pointed out, that’s not what it’s all about. The ultimate goal from the industry prospective shouldn’t be just to sell one more rod but to add one more dedicated, passionate participant to the sport (or a segment of the sport new to that angler.) If a guide succeeds in that mission than all of us reading this blog know how many rods that angler will buy over a lifetime of fishing. More importantly, that angler may teach their kids to fish, join a conservation organization, write a letter to state rep, buy out of state licenses and find fulfillment in being on the water.

I know I’m staying tuned to hear more about what you think about higher standards, higher expectations for the guiding industry.

Check out Kirk's blog. Lots of good thought provoking posts. If you read Gordon's recent post "Clearing the Line..." you'll enjoy this earlier post, Reel Dumb Advice, on Fly Talk that Kirk wrote after our day  together chasing stripers. When you can tear yourself away from the computer remember to get out and go fishing. This stretch of mostly stable, south-southwesterly weather flow has really turned on the flats fishing. The fish have been agressive and not very selective EARLY in the morning. Figure out how early you can drag your butt out of bed, set your alarm clock then reset the alarm for at least an hour earlier. You'll be glad you did so once you're on the water.

Capt. Peter Fallon

www.MaineStripers.com

Clearing the line...unclear rules

Today a good fly casting client presented me with one of those situations for which I was glad I had  prepared.

The client was casting from the bow, using a 9wt rod rigged with a floating line, an 8 foot leader and a big-eyed blue-over-white popper. We were working a Kennebec River flat, the wind was down and the sun was just at the top of the trees. In a normal year there would be birds working nearby and we'd see splashes and wakes.  Today he was fan casting, prospecting, trying to draw some attention. Please, someone out there, pay attention!

I'm projecting here, but I bet he was just beginning to drift into that lala land.  He was casting, but his mind was wandering. In any case, the strike caught him by surprise.  He responded perfectly. The hit was strong enough that he did not have to set the hook. The popper disappeared, the line went taut and the rod arched. No slack anywhere. (This guy is my new favorite client...he had to sit down and take a break when it was all over.)

It was early in the fight when the client yelled at me, his voice rising from bass through alto to tenor, "Do I put him on the reel?"

Because this has happened before to me and to clients, I had a reply at the ready.  "No! He wont run very far and you might lose him in the transition."  This was a big striped bass.

Maybe it's the shallow water, but the fight took place entirely within 60 feet of the boat.  Hand over hand worked perfectly and it was a photo finish. 

In every other circumstance the advice might be different. I'm only professing clarity in shallow water situations. So much of my life is murkiness, give me this little tidbit.

Capt. Gordon M. Gillies

Tools of the Trade - Weather Info

I've been checking the radar images on my computer since 3:00 this morning, watching patches of green turn yellow and sometimes red as they move from northeast Massachusetts through coastal New Hampshire right towards Phippsburg, Maine. A 4:30 phone call with my anglers based over in Sebasco allowed us to delay our departure while we waited for the last cell to pass to our north and east.

I'll gladly fish in any weather that's safe. Twenty years ago I was a bit more brazen about going out in thunderstorms. After all, I had never been on a boat struck by lightning and had been through enough squalls to feel confidant that I could find quick shelter from sudden, strong winds. I don't know if I'm just older or actually smarter, but my attitude towards thunderstorms has changed.

When Gordon and I led trips for Hebron Academy we would reflect on our enormous responsibility; parents and school trusting us with the care and well being of teenagers a days paddle or snowshoe from a place to call for assistance. We weren't control freaks, nervous Nellie's, or fraidy cats but we were always assessing risks (it helps to have an attorney along with you when you're contemplating risk). I was always clear with myself that I would do everything possible to be sure that my group wouldn't end up in a situation that would land us on the front page of the Lewiston Sun or in a teaser for the channel six evening news. We knew that experiencing the out of doors, fully, and with adolescents, involved risks and that despite all of the training, preparation, gear and best judgment accidents do happen. We just wanted to know that we had done everything possible to avoid mishap and that if (god forbid) we ever ended up having to call a parent with news of an injury or answer questions on the stand we could say with certainty that we played to the highest standards.

LL Bean is a very careful company in both product and policy (which is why my wife will wear Bean's Gore-tex jackets but not their sweaters or dress slacks and it's why the company survives the lean times in the retail market). I continue to be amazed at the thoroughness of their risk assessment and I only see a tiny sliver of it as it relates to classes and trips that we lead in the Outdoor Discovery School. Teaching fly casting on a Freeport lawn with a piece of yarn tethered to tippet is about as safe an outdoor activity that you can find. Our safety protocols are significant and exceed the standards ( 30/30 Rule) set forth by NOAA and other government agencies.  At the first sign of thunder (not lightning) we immediately head indoors and remain there for thirty minutes after the last sign of thunder (not lightning).

According to the National Weather Service Lightning Safety page, lightning kills more people in the U.S. every year than tornadoes and hurricanes combined. It is highly unpredictable and more people are struck before and after the peak of the thunderstorm.

A forecast calling for a chance of thunderstorms doesn't keep me off the water. If I used that standard I'd miss out on a third of July and August and be sitting home on perfectly safe days. I rely on reading the doppler radar images available online, listening to NOAA weather radio on the VHF and watching the sky to stay in touch with whats happening around us and what's headed our way. For many seasons I would call in to Sarah to get updates on the radar images. She's become very skilled at reading the screen...

"Okay, there's a large cell tracking northeast of Sebago Lake that looks like it will pass north of Augusta within 30 minutes and then the next group is along a northwest to southeast line that stretches from Keene, NH to Southeastern MA. It is mostly yellow on the leading edge but there are areas blossoming into red as it tracks our way. Watching the loop, I'm guessing that it will be here in three hours at the soonest. Nothing preceding it right now. All green just behind the front, so if you hole up at the Kennebec Tavern around noon and go in for lunch you should be able to fish in the drizzle after it passes but check back with me in a bit for an update"

Now I almost never say (or think, Dear) that "I've trained my wife to...", but I will brag about her ability to read the radar images and load the boat into the trailer. These days I can access the images directly on my iphone, so the calls are a fond memory.

Last cell has almost reached us. Time to hop in the truck, wait at the ramp, check the radar on the phone and then go fish.

Capt. Peter Fallon
www.MaineStripers.com

Shallow Water Striper Fishing

The last three days have been a lot of fun. Either the fish that have been hiding out in or off the river are becoming more active or we've had a push of new bass move into our waters. I suspect that it the latter, but until I get my acoustical tags I'll have to keep on guessing.

  We were lines in by 4:15 Monday morning. Despite our early start we didn't find any stripers until the water just started to rise at 5:00. We were perfectly positioned to have single and double waking fish pass by us as they cruised in a foot of water, up a bar and turned the corner to move onto the flat. We only took one fish just over the slot in that spot but had lots of fun for about 45 minutes. With no wind the water was glassy calm and we could see these bulges of water pushing towards us from a hundred yards away.

We prospected on a couple of other flats with no sign of fish and then moved out to cast into the surf that was rolling up on the island off the mouth of the river. Nothing but mackerel out there that we could find. About half tide we were back on fish in shallow water with just enough sunlight and water clarity to see them fairly close to the boat and get an idea of what they were up to. The water was too deep to expect wakes and we saw no swirls or splashes but could watch the stripers grubbing on the bottom in an area rich with crabs and shrimp. We couldn't spot fish way off and plot our cast, but we could get an idea of where the fish were milling and cruising and make some quick, short casts. The crab flies were the ticket. Didn't try any shrimp imitations so can't report on their effectiveness.

We finished our 12 hour marathon by working the deeper ledges on the bottom of the tide as we headed back upriver, finding fish willing to eat at every stop. The water is still amazingly muddy in the Kennebec at this stage of the tide but the bass could find what we were tossing. This wasn't fly water so we went to the  1 oz. Lunker City Pro Jig with 5 3/4 inch Fin-S-Fish. This is my stand by jig choice, versatile and effective - sinks readily, great action, quality hook, catches fish.

Tuesday was in many ways similar to Monday, without the light later in the morning. We didn't see as many waking fish. Maybe it was the tide being an hour later, maybe it was the guy who kept trolling back and forth close off our bow right in the travel lane for the fish, maybe it was just a different day. We had a number of shots but just couldn't put it together. Fishing with Roger and John is always a blast. These guys can cast, tie gorgeous and effective flies and know how to catch fish.

We messed around chasing a big lone fish on another mud flat before moving to find the crab patrol bass. They were cooperative and it was fun to see them act just as I expected. I told Roger and John to "think nymphing", that the takes would be subtle and come when the fly was right on the bottom and the bass would spit more than they could imagine. After a few minutes Roger kept exclaiming "it's just like nymphing, it's just like nymphing...that hit was nothing like a classic striper take." Roger was dialed in and took a number of fish. We haven't had many stripers in Maine that are under 20 inches and we all rejoiced at finding some schoolies. The best fish of the day spit the hook on Roger after five minutes through no fault of his. Played perfectly it was one of those fishing moments where you toss up your hands and have no thoughts of what you could have done differently.

When we lost the water movement we made a big move. Roger and John made a quick trip back to the Gun Club to check in and announce that there were more fish still to be caught. I hauled out at Morse Cove, relaunched in the New Meadows and picked up John and Roger to fish the top of the dropping tide under perfect cloudy skies. It took us some exploring to find the flat that the fish were favoring but there was no mistaking where they were when one of Roger's casts caused thirty fish to swirl and bolt. They didn't go far and four casts later the Gurgler was harassed and finally inhaled by a nice fish. We caught a few more and then...they were gone. We then found actively feeding fish under diving birds for the first time in weeks. The stripers were spread out and coming up as singles, but once again the Gurgler was the perfect call on Roger's part. Can you guess what I was tying last night after another 12 hour day (I had to do some prospecting on my own after Roger and John headed home to stay married) while sipping a Bud, listening to the Sox and trying to stay awake until 9:00?

Capt. Peter Fallon
www.MaineStripers.com