NumenOn the Water
Date: August 27 - September 2, 2016
Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine
Boat: none, shore*
With: generally alone, but sometimes in the company of various friends and neighbors
Target: Striped Bass (and mackerel for bait)
Time: Generally Dawn and/or dusk; but also taking advantage of certain tides
Conditions: Generally very nice, but much windier than usual. Water temperatures were as high as 70 degrees F early in the visit, and as low as 65 degrees F near the end.
Saturday, 8-27-16. The first stop on our way into Portland was at The Tackle Shop, where Dos Equis and Teach provided a couple of dozen sand worms and the advice that there were plenty of mackerel and bass to be caught. I was fishing by 5:30 PM in the surprisingly warm (70F) water and pleased to make bait in the first half dozen casts or so with a small Kastmaster spoon. I had a nice run on a live mackerel but missed the strike; meanwhile, my new friend Henry (a young neighborhood fisherman) scored twice on 24- and 26-inch stripers. The larger ate a live mackerel under a float, while the smaller ate a chunk just under our feet. There were fish to be caught, but with the tide rising (high tide at 7:47 PM) and the mosquitoes coming out strong, I chose to save some energy for the morning and called it quits by 7:30 PM or so.
Sunday, 8-28-16. High Tide at 8:31 AM; I chose to rise at 4:15 AM so as to catch at least a portion of the bottom half of the tide, which I believe to be generally more productive at my spot than higher tides. I fished from approximately 4:30 to 7:30 AM and caught two stripers measuring 16- and 22-inches or so. Both came between 5:30 and 6 AM, with the smaller fish on a float-suspended sand worm and the larger fish coming on a live mackerel. This became a theme for the week; worms produced action, mackerel (live and chunked) produced bigger fish. By 7:30 AM, the clear Maine skies were scorchingly bright and hot; much more so than I typically experience in Michigan. For whatever reason, 80 degrees in Maine is hot.
I fished the evening tide from about 5:30 to 7 PM (High Tide at 8:51 PM) and, along with Henry, fought the wind, weeds and a pile of long-dead pogies brought in with the tide. I attributed the weeds to the higher-than-average tides generated by the New Moon; I don't know about the pogies, but they were well-known and widespread. (The persistent wind may have been influenced by the formation and approach of Hurricane Hermine well to the south.) Henry outfished me again with a freshly dead mackerel under a float (catching a striper of 24 inches or so), while I struck out.
Monday, 8-29-16. Low Tide at 3:16 AM: I was confident that this would be a productive tide, especially with an approximate 6 AM sunrise. I fished from 4:30 AM to about 7:30 AM and landed six stripers. Water temps were down to about 66 degrees F at this time. One striper was about 24 inches, the others were 20- or less; three on sand worms and three on mackerel chunks on the bottom. Interestingly enough, the only chunks to get hit (this day or for the entire trip) were body chunks; heads never got touched (except by crabs.) The best action was between 5:30 and 6 AM (low + 2 hours), and sunrise was just after 6 AM; this is a potent combination for stripers at this location. There were also plenty of mackerel to be caught, I missed a couple of chances on livies beneath floats (this, too, became a recurring theme for the week; the relative size of the available mack to the biting bass was often just too large), and I even caught a squid. This catch confirmed the source of several strange runs on chunks that I'd experienced, as well as the origin of some gruesome bite marks/injuries on live mackerel that I'd deployed over the course of the previous 48 hours or so. The squid was deployed as bait, but it failed to induce a strike.
That afternoon, I fished from about 1 PM to 3:30 PM to catch the last half of the falling tide (Low Tide at about 3:30 PM.) Conditions were bright but very windy. There were apparently no mackerel to be had, but I did briefly connect with a couple of bass with the Kastmaster meant for mackerel. Neither stuck due to weak, bait-intended hooksets (the mackerels' mouths tear very easily), and a third bass showed itself as I reeled in a crab-covered chunk. At 2:30 PM, middle of the day in bright sunshine but also "Low minus one hour", I caught the largest bass of the trip. This 27-incher ate a mackerel body chunk resting on the bottom.
I went back to The Tackle Shop to replenish my worm supply and the proprietor reported that he'd not yet taken a 27-inch bass in Maine waters yet this season. I suspect he doesn't fish enough, but it also reminded me that you simply have to accept what is present; and that these were truly nice fish, even if they are "small" stripers.
Tuesday, 8-30-16. Low Tide at 4:11 AM; I arrived at 4:30 AM to a beautifully clear, quiet morning with just a bare sliver of a moon, a colorful sunrise and some fish! I caught five stripers out of eight or so chances, including a couple of hits before 5 AM, most of the catching before 6 AM, and the last strike at 7 AM. The two smallest were on worms, the largest (24 inches) was on a live mackerel and the middle fish were on chunks. The misses were on mismatched mackerel, but just having the chance to watch the baits and anticipate the hit is about as good as catching an additional striper. These were my first ever Birthday Stripers; it was a good morning!
My nice day continued at Ferry Beach at the mouth of the Nonesuch River estuary. I fished from about Noon to 1:30 PM, and felt pretty good about throwing swimbaits and hair jigs into the height of the rushing current, around rocks and into deep holes. I caught the middle of the falling tide, but the resulting rip went so far out into the sea that the bass and blues could certainly have been elsewhere; and they probably were, based on the number of boats working this rip just offshore.
The evening shift was just too crowded on the Landing's float to consider fishing. The stiff wind and the day's haul made it easy to decide to socialize and otherwise enjoy the rest of the day.
Wednesday, 8-31-16. Low Tide at 5:01 AM; I fished from 4:30 AM to about 7:30 AM, but other than another squid and a few mackerel, there was very little activity. A sea mammal passed by in the darkness (I could hear it exhaling), but I could not identify it in the darkness. I know these tides happen; I also know that if one tide fails, the next can make up for it.
As such, I was back in position at 4 PM and fished until 8 PM. Conditions were calm and slightly overcast, and water temps were 67-68 degrees F. Low Tide was at 5:14 PM, and I took three stripers between 4 and 5:30 PM. Things then went "dead" until 7 PM, but then I caught two more before 7:30 PM. Mackerel remained scarce. Three smaller fish ate worms, but the evening's better fish (24- and 26+ inches) fell to chunks. I was able to confirm the mammal siting as a seal; it was foraging just a bit farther out from the landing than during the morning.
Thursday, 9-1-16. Low Tide at 5:45 AM. I wisely slept in a bit but caught the first half of the rising tide, fishing from about 6 AM to 8:30 AM. I stayed later than usual based on the overcast conditions, but also because I was getting bitten on a pretty regular basis. (Hits came at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8:20 AM.) Water temps were down to 66 F, mackerel continued to be scarce, Sand worms under floats produced three schoolie bass less than 20 inches, but a livie produced the biggest strike. These were my first-ever September Stripers! It will kind of nice to be free of the Public School Calendar!
That evening* I had the pleasure of going out with friend and neighbor DV on his 22-foot Sea Hunt center console. We fished from 4 PM to 8 PM; Low Tide was 6 PM. I had prepared a couple of chum bags (one purchased menhaden chow from Bass Pro Shops, the other finely minced local mackerel), and we spent about an hour or so collecting a couple of dozen mackerel from near the Bell Buoy at the mouth of Casco Bay, in front of Portland Head Light. Water temperatures here were a cool 59-60 F. The mackerel were a bit slow finding our slick, but once things got going, the live well was filled with baits pretty quickly. Just the boat ride and the fun of making bait assured a satisfying evening; but we each got ripped a couple of times by casting live-lined mackerel to the outside edge of Cushing's Island. We also tried the fort on House Island with no success, but I finally converted a bite from the rocks at the southern point of Pomeroy Rock at about dead low tide into a hard-fighting, 24-inch striper. This was the first aboard this boat! (Water temps here were about 63 F.) We finished this beautiful evening near Cow Island, and although we were seeing fish on the screen and the tide was moving well by 7:30 PM or so, we had no additional bites here.
Friday, 9-2-16. Low Tide at 6:27 AM; I fished from 4:30 AM until about 8:30 AM and caught eight schoolies to about 20 inches, all on sand worms beneath floats and all between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM or so. Action was fast and furious during this period, including fish on five or six consecutive casts. Water temperatures were about 65 degrees F. I finished the morning with a lobster that decided to eat my chunk.
We were scheduled to leave the next morning, and I thought my fishing was done. But I was lovingly encouraged to fish again that evening, and with Low Tide at about 6:41 PM, I fished from 4:15 PM to 7:15 PM or so. I went for 4 for 5, all on worms. One fish went 20 inches, the rest were smaller schoolies. My last chance was on a live mack after the change in tide, but in a manner fitting this trip, I missed the strike and failed to hook up. Oh well, it was a cool top-water strike that will keep my thoughts positive until I can return to these fish again, hopefully some time in 2017.
Saturday, 8-27-16. The first stop on our way into Portland was at The Tackle Shop, where Dos Equis and Teach provided a couple of dozen sand worms and the advice that there were plenty of mackerel and bass to be caught. I was fishing by 5:30 PM in the surprisingly warm (70F) water and pleased to make bait in the first half dozen casts or so with a small Kastmaster spoon. I had a nice run on a live mackerel but missed the strike; meanwhile, my new friend Henry (a young neighborhood fisherman) scored twice on 24- and 26-inch stripers. The larger ate a live mackerel under a float, while the smaller ate a chunk just under our feet. There were fish to be caught, but with the tide rising (high tide at 7:47 PM) and the mosquitoes coming out strong, I chose to save some energy for the morning and called it quits by 7:30 PM or so.
Sunday, 8-28-16. High Tide at 8:31 AM; I chose to rise at 4:15 AM so as to catch at least a portion of the bottom half of the tide, which I believe to be generally more productive at my spot than higher tides. I fished from approximately 4:30 to 7:30 AM and caught two stripers measuring 16- and 22-inches or so. Both came between 5:30 and 6 AM, with the smaller fish on a float-suspended sand worm and the larger fish coming on a live mackerel. This became a theme for the week; worms produced action, mackerel (live and chunked) produced bigger fish. By 7:30 AM, the clear Maine skies were scorchingly bright and hot; much more so than I typically experience in Michigan. For whatever reason, 80 degrees in Maine is hot.
I fished the evening tide from about 5:30 to 7 PM (High Tide at 8:51 PM) and, along with Henry, fought the wind, weeds and a pile of long-dead pogies brought in with the tide. I attributed the weeds to the higher-than-average tides generated by the New Moon; I don't know about the pogies, but they were well-known and widespread. (The persistent wind may have been influenced by the formation and approach of Hurricane Hermine well to the south.) Henry outfished me again with a freshly dead mackerel under a float (catching a striper of 24 inches or so), while I struck out.
Monday, 8-29-16. Low Tide at 3:16 AM: I was confident that this would be a productive tide, especially with an approximate 6 AM sunrise. I fished from 4:30 AM to about 7:30 AM and landed six stripers. Water temps were down to about 66 degrees F at this time. One striper was about 24 inches, the others were 20- or less; three on sand worms and three on mackerel chunks on the bottom. Interestingly enough, the only chunks to get hit (this day or for the entire trip) were body chunks; heads never got touched (except by crabs.) The best action was between 5:30 and 6 AM (low + 2 hours), and sunrise was just after 6 AM; this is a potent combination for stripers at this location. There were also plenty of mackerel to be caught, I missed a couple of chances on livies beneath floats (this, too, became a recurring theme for the week; the relative size of the available mack to the biting bass was often just too large), and I even caught a squid. This catch confirmed the source of several strange runs on chunks that I'd experienced, as well as the origin of some gruesome bite marks/injuries on live mackerel that I'd deployed over the course of the previous 48 hours or so. The squid was deployed as bait, but it failed to induce a strike.
That afternoon, I fished from about 1 PM to 3:30 PM to catch the last half of the falling tide (Low Tide at about 3:30 PM.) Conditions were bright but very windy. There were apparently no mackerel to be had, but I did briefly connect with a couple of bass with the Kastmaster meant for mackerel. Neither stuck due to weak, bait-intended hooksets (the mackerels' mouths tear very easily), and a third bass showed itself as I reeled in a crab-covered chunk. At 2:30 PM, middle of the day in bright sunshine but also "Low minus one hour", I caught the largest bass of the trip. This 27-incher ate a mackerel body chunk resting on the bottom.
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| This was just about the biggest Striper of the trip; I'll fish for these all day! |
I went back to The Tackle Shop to replenish my worm supply and the proprietor reported that he'd not yet taken a 27-inch bass in Maine waters yet this season. I suspect he doesn't fish enough, but it also reminded me that you simply have to accept what is present; and that these were truly nice fish, even if they are "small" stripers.
Tuesday, 8-30-16. Low Tide at 4:11 AM; I arrived at 4:30 AM to a beautifully clear, quiet morning with just a bare sliver of a moon, a colorful sunrise and some fish! I caught five stripers out of eight or so chances, including a couple of hits before 5 AM, most of the catching before 6 AM, and the last strike at 7 AM. The two smallest were on worms, the largest (24 inches) was on a live mackerel and the middle fish were on chunks. The misses were on mismatched mackerel, but just having the chance to watch the baits and anticipate the hit is about as good as catching an additional striper. These were my first ever Birthday Stripers; it was a good morning!
My nice day continued at Ferry Beach at the mouth of the Nonesuch River estuary. I fished from about Noon to 1:30 PM, and felt pretty good about throwing swimbaits and hair jigs into the height of the rushing current, around rocks and into deep holes. I caught the middle of the falling tide, but the resulting rip went so far out into the sea that the bass and blues could certainly have been elsewhere; and they probably were, based on the number of boats working this rip just offshore.
The evening shift was just too crowded on the Landing's float to consider fishing. The stiff wind and the day's haul made it easy to decide to socialize and otherwise enjoy the rest of the day.
Wednesday, 8-31-16. Low Tide at 5:01 AM; I fished from 4:30 AM to about 7:30 AM, but other than another squid and a few mackerel, there was very little activity. A sea mammal passed by in the darkness (I could hear it exhaling), but I could not identify it in the darkness. I know these tides happen; I also know that if one tide fails, the next can make up for it.
As such, I was back in position at 4 PM and fished until 8 PM. Conditions were calm and slightly overcast, and water temps were 67-68 degrees F. Low Tide was at 5:14 PM, and I took three stripers between 4 and 5:30 PM. Things then went "dead" until 7 PM, but then I caught two more before 7:30 PM. Mackerel remained scarce. Three smaller fish ate worms, but the evening's better fish (24- and 26+ inches) fell to chunks. I was able to confirm the mammal siting as a seal; it was foraging just a bit farther out from the landing than during the morning.
Thursday, 9-1-16. Low Tide at 5:45 AM. I wisely slept in a bit but caught the first half of the rising tide, fishing from about 6 AM to 8:30 AM. I stayed later than usual based on the overcast conditions, but also because I was getting bitten on a pretty regular basis. (Hits came at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8:20 AM.) Water temps were down to 66 F, mackerel continued to be scarce, Sand worms under floats produced three schoolie bass less than 20 inches, but a livie produced the biggest strike. These were my first-ever September Stripers! It will kind of nice to be free of the Public School Calendar!
That evening* I had the pleasure of going out with friend and neighbor DV on his 22-foot Sea Hunt center console. We fished from 4 PM to 8 PM; Low Tide was 6 PM. I had prepared a couple of chum bags (one purchased menhaden chow from Bass Pro Shops, the other finely minced local mackerel), and we spent about an hour or so collecting a couple of dozen mackerel from near the Bell Buoy at the mouth of Casco Bay, in front of Portland Head Light. Water temperatures here were a cool 59-60 F. The mackerel were a bit slow finding our slick, but once things got going, the live well was filled with baits pretty quickly. Just the boat ride and the fun of making bait assured a satisfying evening; but we each got ripped a couple of times by casting live-lined mackerel to the outside edge of Cushing's Island. We also tried the fort on House Island with no success, but I finally converted a bite from the rocks at the southern point of Pomeroy Rock at about dead low tide into a hard-fighting, 24-inch striper. This was the first aboard this boat! (Water temps here were about 63 F.) We finished this beautiful evening near Cow Island, and although we were seeing fish on the screen and the tide was moving well by 7:30 PM or so, we had no additional bites here.
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| Ready to go! Finally, my rods have found a (temporary) home in a proper Rocket Launcher. |
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| This 24-incher plucked my live-lined mackerel from a rock pile on the edge of Pomeroy Rock. |
Friday, 9-2-16. Low Tide at 6:27 AM; I fished from 4:30 AM until about 8:30 AM and caught eight schoolies to about 20 inches, all on sand worms beneath floats and all between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM or so. Action was fast and furious during this period, including fish on five or six consecutive casts. Water temperatures were about 65 degrees F. I finished the morning with a lobster that decided to eat my chunk.
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| Crabs were a dime for a dozen on chunks, but this was the lone lobster of the trip. |
We were scheduled to leave the next morning, and I thought my fishing was done. But I was lovingly encouraged to fish again that evening, and with Low Tide at about 6:41 PM, I fished from 4:15 PM to 7:15 PM or so. I went for 4 for 5, all on worms. One fish went 20 inches, the rest were smaller schoolies. My last chance was on a live mack after the change in tide, but in a manner fitting this trip, I missed the strike and failed to hook up. Oh well, it was a cool top-water strike that will keep my thoughts positive until I can return to these fish again, hopefully some time in 2017.
*This trip was the exception to the shore-fishing rule.
What do I have to say about this?
The trip ended appropriately with that missed fish on a live mackerel. I landed about 35 stripers for my stay, but I had quite a few more chances. It became routine for me to miss strikes on mackerel; most were just a bit too large for the available bass. Even from the boat on the outer islands, we were plagued by missed strikes. Chunks and worms picked up the slack, and while I'm sure that about 2/3 of the fish were 20 inches or less, these fish are fun on the proper tackle. The larger fish were more of a test for the tackle and knots, and more than once I was surprised at the relatively small size of a particularly hard-fighting fish.
While I failed in my mission to catch six more bass over 28 inches in my allotted time in order to maximize my Striper Cup Catch and Release competitiveness, I can't really say this was a failure. Combined with our July trip, I landed over 50 stripers this season; by far the most action I've had from these fish in recent years. I also got to share some time with new fishing companions, christened a new boat with bass slime and mackerel blood, and got a chance to think about future possibilities. I hope I always choose to forgo a little sleep for such opportunities!
The trip ended appropriately with that missed fish on a live mackerel. I landed about 35 stripers for my stay, but I had quite a few more chances. It became routine for me to miss strikes on mackerel; most were just a bit too large for the available bass. Even from the boat on the outer islands, we were plagued by missed strikes. Chunks and worms picked up the slack, and while I'm sure that about 2/3 of the fish were 20 inches or less, these fish are fun on the proper tackle. The larger fish were more of a test for the tackle and knots, and more than once I was surprised at the relatively small size of a particularly hard-fighting fish.
While I failed in my mission to catch six more bass over 28 inches in my allotted time in order to maximize my Striper Cup Catch and Release competitiveness, I can't really say this was a failure. Combined with our July trip, I landed over 50 stripers this season; by far the most action I've had from these fish in recent years. I also got to share some time with new fishing companions, christened a new boat with bass slime and mackerel blood, and got a chance to think about future possibilities. I hope I always choose to forgo a little sleep for such opportunities!
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| This section of House Island fishes better on a higher tide (picture taken near dead low), and it's easy to see why. Every spot fishes best at a particular tide stage, and this is good to know! |
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