Maine 2017 Part 2

NumenOn the Water

Date:  August 22 through August 25, 2017

Body of Water:  Casco Bay, Maine

Boat:  None, shore fishing from our dock/float

With:  Generally alone, but sometimes joined by friend or family

Target:  Striped Bass

Time:  Various, but generally dawn and dusk, with a couple of other attempts during favorable mid-day conditions

Conditions:  Variable, but generally very nice weather.  Periods of fog and strong wind contributed to fishing success. These were the few days following the New Moon and tidal range was high.  Timing of the trip allowed most fishing during "Quadrant II" of the tidal cycle; see below, but this is favorable.  Water temps generally 64-68 degrees F, cool (and favorable) for August.  Mackerel were conspicuously and nearly completely absent.

Recall that I'd spent a week in Maine earlier in the summer, and that I'd caught quite a few stripers then.  Details are available here and I hoped to build on the success of that trip during these few days described here.

I arrived at The Tackle Shop in Portland, Maine to reports of lots of fish still present, but with only a few bigger fish mixed in.  The reported "keeper" (i.e., stripers of at least 28 inches) catch rate was only "one in a hundred." Mackerel were again reported as AWOL.  I quickly picked up some frozen mackerel and a couple of dozen sand-worms for bait.

I was gifted this cart for my fishing gear, and it made it's debut during this trip.  It made lugging five rods, a net, bait, tackle essentials, tackle non-essentials, cameras and coffee up and down the hill much easier.  Plus, I became the envy of all who beheld it's beauty and utility!

Again, for these reports, please consider a 12-hour Tide Clock, with each High Tide at 12 o'clock, and each Low Tide at 6 o'clock.  This will divide each complete cycle into four quadrants, with mid-tides at 3 and 9 o'clock.  Let's call Quadrant I the period from High Tide to mid-ebbing tide; Quadrant II from mid-ebbing tide to Low Tide; Quadrant III as predicted Low-Tide to mid-flooding tide; and Quadrant IV from mid-flood to predicted High Tide.  From past experience, I know that the best fishing at my spot on the landing is during the lower portions of the tide, i.e., in Quadrants II and III, with the very best action usually occurring about 1.5 hours before or after the predicted Low Tide.  Quadrant IV is better than Quadrant I; but a worthwhile fish can happen at any time or tide, especially if bait (usually in the form of mackerel) is available for the fish.

Here is a link to a pretty comprehensive site for Portland, Maine tidal information.

***

Tuesday, 8/22/17
1:30 - 2:30 PM
High Tide at 12:15 PM; Quadrant I
Water Temperature = 66 degrees F
0 for 0

Conditions were clear and bright with tons of weeds in the water.  (It was the day after the New Moon and tides were rather extreme.  Plus, there was a steady and unusually strong wind from the south.)  The tide was unfavorable, too, but I decided to give it a shot.  Alas, after a lifeless hour, I decided my time was better spent resting for more favorable conditions.



Tuesday, 8/22/17
4 - 7 PM
Low Tide at 6:16 PM; predominantly Quadrant II
Water Temperature = 68 degrees F
6 for 8

I could tell that conditions were much more favorable upon my arrival at the float (less bright, less weeds and a favorite tide), and I caught two stripers almost immediately on sand-worms.  They weren't too big (just 16 and 20 inches), but there's not too much I can do about that; I was just happy to cross paths with some stripers again!  As the tide progressed, I enjoyed fairly steady action.  While most fish seemed to prefer worms (4 for 6 chances), I went 2 for 2 on small mackerel chunks presented on the bottom.  While this bite was slower, the biggest fish of the session (21 inches) ate a chunk.  This pattern (all too familiar) pretty much held up throughout the trip, although it's always worth experimenting.  For instance, these chunks were silent until I switched from my favored heads to tail sections; and smaller chunks fished better than larger ones.  Meanwhile, I knew I wasn't missing out on a spoon or swim-bait bite, because I received only a couple of half-hearted taps on a GT360.

The trip's first striper was tiny, but welcome!  It ate a sand-worm suspended under a slip float.

I ended the session when I landed my sixth striper.  This was my 100th Striper of 2017!  I'd reached the Century Mark!

Striper No. 100 for the season deserved a selfie.  

***
Wednesday, 8/23/17
5 - 8:20 AM
Low Tide at 6:49 AM; Quadrants II and III
Water Temperature = 64 degrees F
19 for 21

Thunderstorms rolled through overnight, but were done by 4:45 AM.  I was greeted by some lingering fog and a persistent southerly wind.

The action started fast with nine stripers landed before 6 AM.  After a decent lull corresponding to dead low tide, the action picked up and offered a steady pick of fish until 8 AM.  I ended at 19 for 21 with everything on suspended worms, with the exception of 1 for 2 chances on chunks.  These included a 26-incher and a good one lost.  Worm fish included  21-, 24- and a 26-incher, with the rest ranging from "micro" (possibly less than 16 inches) to just "small" (less than 20 inches.)

The only bait encountered was small peanut bunker, and I didn't even try for mackerel; I didn't have much time for that, anyway, with all the bass action.  All the bigger fish came earlier, in the lower light/dark, and the current was still substantial, but less powerful than the previous day.

The largest worm fish really challenged the reel on my worm rod; as noted during the previous trip, the stem on this old but trusty Pfleuger President appears to flex during a fight with bigger fish.  This complicates reeling/fighting the fish under load.  After the session, this reel was retired from striper fishing and replaced with a Shimano bait-runner OC6000.



Wednesday, 8/23/17
4:30 - 7:45 PM
Low Tide at 7:06 PM; predominantly Quadrant II
Water Temperature = 64 degrees F
7 for 12

The cool water provided a dozen opportunities to catch a bass.  I landed seven, pulling two hooks and enduring a few short runs and drops.  Two nicer fish (23.5 and 26 inches) again fell to chunks, but more fish preferred to eat worms.  Swim-baits again produced only a couple of bumps.  All of the catching took place in Quadrant II, and the action slowed noticeably at and after dead low tide.

The day was filled with fish like this, plus a few bigger ones.

After an action-packed, 26-fish day, I had to recalibrate my goal for the season; 150 Stripers for the season now seemed attainable in the limited time left.

Other highlights of the evening included a seal swimming nearby, and a strange fish hovering in the current, virtually at my feet.  I thought is looked like a tiny cod, and while I can't be totally certain about that, it is certainly a gadiform (in the order of fishes including the cod.)  Regardless, this little guy was lost or otherwise in dire straights:

***

Thursday, 8/24/17
5 - 8 AM
Low Tide at 7:35 AM; Quadrants II and III
Water Temperature = 64 degrees F
9 for 13

Conditions were now clear and calm (becoming bright), a sand-worms produced all the action, except for a single, very cool, dockside smashing hit (and miss) on the GT360 swim-bait.  All fish were less than 20 inches.  I'd probably landed six fish before sunrise at 6:05 AM, with a slow, petering pick thereafter.  The current continued to decrease in intensity, and it's left-to-right direction had me initially concerned, but the bass were still there and biting!   I also observed, for the first time, a cormorant harvesting an eel from the grass submerged nearby, so eels as bait might be a viable alternative, here.



Thursday, 8/24/17
4:30 - 7:50 PM
Low Tide at 7:54 PM; predominantly Quadrant II
Water Temperature = apparently not recorded
10 for 12

This session offered another intense bite, and I went 10 for 12, all on worms.  The best action was at 5:30 PM or so (two hours before low tide), but there was another flurry in the last half hour or so as darkness set in.  The biggest fish of the night (26 inches and pictured below) hit during this time frame.

Perfect conditions and a nice, 26-incher!

The certain highlight of the night came when I was visited by "Jack", the 5-year-old (or thereabouts) son of a daughter of a local home-owner.  He just happened to be  coming down onto the float when the bait-runner announce a hit.  After I wound tight to this fish (I could already tell it was a nice one), I asked him if he wanted to catch a fish.  He did, so I handed him the rod and talked him through the next few minutes.  He needed a little help to keep the fish away from the dock, but he did pretty well for himself.  Jack and his mother were both stunned when a bright and fat, 25-incher hit the deck.  He didn't want to touch or hold the fish, and my camera failed; so I didn't get a record of this.  He was pretty excited about things, and he might turn into a fisherman, given the opportunity!

I also re-introduced the "lighted float" during this session.  This sure helped me keep track of the float-and-worm during low- and flat-light conditions for the rest of the trip, and I know that it added a few fish to my total by keeping the action in front of me.

At this point, I'd caught 144 stripers for the season; once again, I just need to catch six more to reach my goal!



***
Friday, 8/25/17
5 - 8 AM
Low Tide at 8:20 AM; Quadrant II
Water Temperature = 64 degrees F
13 for 15

This day broke with a mild NW wind and a bit more cloud cover; conditions were not as bright.  The lighted float payed off immediately, with five fish landed on worms before 6 AM. At about that time, the casting rod with a fresh, cut mackerel chunk on the bottom announced a take.  After a spirited fight, Striper No. 150 for my season came aboard the float.  At 28.75 inches, this fish was the lone "keeper" of the trip (although it was immediately released), and also the largest striper of my season.

Striper No. 150 picked a chunk of mackerel off the bottom and provided an excellent fight.

Striper No. 150 turned out to be the largest of my season, measuring 28.75 inches.

K joined me shortly thereafter, and we ended the session (and the season) with a solid 12 for 14 performance.  Only one bite came on chunks, but it was the right one!  The stripers that kept us so busy on worms ranged from about 16 to 21 inches.

Other than K's company and No. 150, additional highlights included the appearance of quite a lot of bunker just outside of casting range, and the continued presence of my new friend, the seal.

What do I have to say about this?

I'd never have predicted 157 stripers for my season, and I won't predict that it will happen again, at least while I am based in Michigan.  And while these are smaller stripers than I'd like to fish for all the time, they are well-matched to this setting and my tackle.  Plus, bigger fish can just happen at any time, and I also know from past experience that I am not likely to land the truly larger fish that I might encounter.  From my landlocked position, these fish can just reach too many obstacles, and they inevitably seem to escape.

So this isn't about the size of the fish that are available, but rather just enjoying the opportunity to be in their presence.  This is a slice of life in Maine, and as they say, it's the way life should be.  In fact, it's the way my life will be; indeed, it's the way my life is.  I am glad to acknowledge that.

Access to the ocean, low tide and a beautiful evening; I should be fishing!  Holy Crap!, I am!  That's me, down on the float, enjoying my limited time in Maine for 2017.  Nice pic, M, thanks for sharing!