NumenOn the Water
Date: July 1-4, 2016
Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine
Boat: None; all fishing from a landing float
With: Generally alone, but joined by local neighbor DV and his son, MV, for a couple of sessions
Target: Atlantic Mackerel and Striped Bass
Time: Generally about 4:15 AM to about 8:15 AM, but with some additional effort in PM as available
Conditions: Generally at the bottom half of the tide. July 1 (PM) was gray, cool and windy, but otherwise conditions were very clear, calm and bright. Afternoons were windy. Water temps were about 71 degrees F upon arrival and recorded as low as 61 degrees F on the last morning.
Session 1: July 1, 2016 from about 3:30 PM to 8 PM. Low Tide was at 2:50 PM and High Tide was at 9:10 PM. Lots of wind and weeds; water temperatures dropped from about 71 to about 67. I was excited to be out there and went 3 for 4 with bass measuring about 15, 23 and 28 inches. The best action was between 4:45 and 5:30 PM (low + 2, or so). The two smaller fish ate sandworms; the largest of the day ate a live mackerel. (The miss also came on a live mack.) Mackerel were not thick, but they were abundant enough to keep at it. Usually the decreasing light of evening is good for the fishing, but in this situation, I was losing my most productive tide, and by 8 PM, I was very chilled. I wisely pulled the plug and saved my energy for the next morning. It was, after all, almost time to get up by the time I went to sleep.
Session 1: July 1, 2016 from about 3:30 PM to 8 PM. Low Tide was at 2:50 PM and High Tide was at 9:10 PM. Lots of wind and weeds; water temperatures dropped from about 71 to about 67. I was excited to be out there and went 3 for 4 with bass measuring about 15, 23 and 28 inches. The best action was between 4:45 and 5:30 PM (low + 2, or so). The two smaller fish ate sandworms; the largest of the day ate a live mackerel. (The miss also came on a live mack.) Mackerel were not thick, but they were abundant enough to keep at it. Usually the decreasing light of evening is good for the fishing, but in this situation, I was losing my most productive tide, and by 8 PM, I was very chilled. I wisely pulled the plug and saved my energy for the next morning. It was, after all, almost time to get up by the time I went to sleep.
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| The first striper of the trip was a micro-schoolie that ate a suspended sandworm. Size didn't matter to me; this meant there were fish here to be caught! |
Session 2: July 2, 2016 from about 4:15 AM until about 8 AM. Low Tide was at 3:38 AM, and conditions were clear and bright, with mild wind. Water temperatures were about 64-67 degrees F, and this was probably the most active fishing/catching session of the trip. Mackerel and peanut bunker were evident, and I even caught a nice bass on the small Kastmaster spoon I was throwing for macks. Local neighbor DV joined me a little after 5 AM and got in on the action; the first of the year for him. We each landed three bass to 29+ inches or so, and each of us had at least a couple of other chances. Three of the six landed bass were "keeper" size at 28 inches. Fresh heads on the bottom, suspended sandworms and live mackerel all caught fish; once again, the largest fish ate a head, but the true secret to success on this day was to present a live mackerel of the preferred size. Smaller mackerel did not last long!
 Session 2: This bonus goldie ate my Kastmaster spoon intended for mackerel and provided an awesome fight on pretty light tackle!  |
| Session 2: This bass plucked a fresh mackerel head off the bottom.
Session 3: July 2, 2016 from about 3 to 8 PM. Low Tide was at 3:38 PM, and this the slowest session of the trip. Water temps were firm at 67 degrees F, and a very strong wind developed. Virtually no mackerel were available, and no bunker were noted. I caught two mid-sized bass (one on a floated worm, one on a head on bottom), but the most notable occurrence was handing the rod to a local sunbather and watching her enjoy the battle of the biggest fish of her life. She was stunned when the bass came to hand! Recognizing that I had lost my tide and conceding to the slow conditions, I quit early, before my daylight ran out.
Session 4: July 3, 2016 from about 4:15 AM to about 8:15 AM. Low Tide was at 4:35 AM. Water temperatures continued to slide and ranged from 64 to 67 degrees F. The first fish came early; it was the tiniest striper I'd ever encountered; it ate a suspended sandworm. A second (on a live mackerel; thankfully they had returned!) came soon, and shortly thereafter I was joined by DV and his son, MV.
MV has embraced fishing, but had not yet caught his first striper of 2016. As the morning unfolded, we maintained and presented a steady supply of appropriately-sized macks, and I caught three more bass, with one being "keeper" sized. MV had a couple of chances, too, and was reasonably disappointed when his first chance came unbuttoned after a pretty long fight. Equipped with a slightly larger circle hook, he scored on his second chance, though, and all failures were forgotten. Sharing this moment of youthful success was a highlight of my fishing season!
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| MV put in a good effort and is rightfully proud of his catch. This bass ate a live mackerel suspended under a float, the weekend's most productive technique.
Session 5: July 4, 2016 from about 4:15 AM to about 8:15 AM. Low Tide was at 5:29 AM, and conditions were calm, clear and bright. Water temperatures were the coldest yet, ranging from 61 to 63 degrees F. Mackerel were modestly abundant; peanut bunker were thick. I had two bass before 5 AM; not a bad way to start any day. The first ate a head, the second a custom hair jig from my local tackle store of choice. This second fish was notable because it was my first bucktail striper; and the bucktail is probably The King of Striper Lures. It was also notable simply as a lure-caught striper, something that doesn't happen from The Landing all that often. Best of all, though, it smashed the bucktail at my feet, while I was watching and in very clear water. I got to see it all; and that just enhanced a very nice experience. My last bass of the trip (28 inches or so) came a couple of hours later, having eaten my last mackerel of an appropriate size. Overall for the morning, I was 3-for-4 chances, having also missed a fish on a too-large mack.
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| This is my first-ever bucktail bass. The bait is courtesy of The Tackle Shop, a favorite place of mine. |
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| She was fat and fresh from the sea. Check out the sea lice! These adorned |
What do I have to say about this?
This is a wonderful place, and I thrive on the simple approach to successful fishing I can employ here. The fishing was never hot and heavy like I've sometimes experienced in the past, but it was good enough to satisfy my current needs; and more than good enough to keep me out there! My records indicate that I caught 15 stripers; probably more than I've caught in the last couple of years combined. I also assisted on four others and shared good times with friends, family and neighbors. The fish were fat and healthy, I caught them on fine gear and with a variety of presentations. I didn't have a single fishing failure (broken line, frazzled knot, lost hooked fish, etc.), but I was particularly pleased to have shared this fishing and some actual catching success with a budding young fisherman. I remember being 14 or 15 pretty well, and I am blessed to have found this lifelong, giving activity by that age. I enjoy sharing what little I know with those who can appreciate it.
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| 4:30 AM EDT, and the day is wasting away! |
This is a wonderful place, and I thrive on the simple approach to successful fishing I can employ here. The fishing was never hot and heavy like I've sometimes experienced in the past, but it was good enough to satisfy my current needs; and more than good enough to keep me out there! My records indicate that I caught 15 stripers; probably more than I've caught in the last couple of years combined. I also assisted on four others and shared good times with friends, family and neighbors. The fish were fat and healthy, I caught them on fine gear and with a variety of presentations. I didn't have a single fishing failure (broken line, frazzled knot, lost hooked fish, etc.), but I was particularly pleased to have shared this fishing and some actual catching success with a budding young fisherman. I remember being 14 or 15 pretty well, and I am blessed to have found this lifelong, giving activity by that age. I enjoy sharing what little I know with those who can appreciate it.
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