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Date: June 21, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 11:30 AM - 2:45 PM Tide: High at 12:17 PM Moon Phase: Full Moon Conditions: Cloudy, spitting rain, 65 degrees; decreasing southerly breeze to calm. Water temperatures 58 - 62 degrees F (+/-) After another full week, wormless, and off to a late start (despite the June Full Moon tides), I looked to simply fit in a short trip between weather events. I wanted to go find more pogies and catch some big bass (of course), but assessing the skies, decided to play it close to home. The east end of Clapboard seemingly held no bait (none found in a 20-minute troll) and so I hit the channel markers off the west end, finally connecting with a couple of single mackerel. The first was deployed off Clapboard's west end and reef, and survived two passes without a touch. It was returned to the well, and I replicated this effort and result off Clapboard's west end with the second bait. I ran to Sturdivant and bump-trolled the length of the island's southern face, moving with the gathering ebb current. As I approached the most complex and favored portion of this stretch (it offers everything, including an inside turn, changes in depth, and rock and weed cover), my bait re-activated, got chased down, and got overtaken in about 8 feet of water after several crashing attempts on top. Having landed and released this prime 28-incher, I continued my search with the other (final) bait. It went untouched through the rest of the stretch and so I returned to the scene of the original crime. Soon enough, the struggling mack caught the attention of another bass. This particular bass fought well above its weight class with several long runs; I was surprised when it taped out at only 26 inches. What a way to end a quick and pleasant session! Two baits, two bites, two bass; it was enough for the day! What do I have to say about this? I almost missed the June Full Moon period! Fortunately, Wednesday's holiday and this quick session got me out there (I would be weathered out the next day) and I was able to connect with some nice bass. Both strikes occurred about 2 - 2.25 hours after predicted high tide. I usually fish here at lower tidal conditions, so it was nice to connect here under other circumstances. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: June 19, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 and float With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 4:30 AM - 11:30 AM Tide: Low tide at 3:52 AM; High Tide at 10:03 AM (fished float at Quad III ) Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon, Full Moon minus two days Conditions: Hazy, hot, and humid; Generally bright and still; 65 - 85 degrees. Water temperatures 60 - 65 degrees F (+/-). Given a mid-week holiday in June, I am going fishing! The fact that the holiday coincided with the approaching Strawberry Full Moon and associated favorable tides was a bonus, as was the fact that it saved me from a commute to Boston for the week! With truly hot, hazy and humid conditions forecasted, I got off to an early start. I figured I'd search for bait after playing with a few bass on worms from the landing float. I was surprised by the slow start, as I spent the first half hour without a sign of a bite. Conditions were slick, greasy calm, and eerily quiet. But just as the sun emerged over Cousins Island a few minutes after 5 AM, my float dipped for the first time; and I soon christened the new landing net with a fat and spunky 27-inch striper. What a nice fish on light wormin' tackle and what a nice start to a Wednesday! My float plunged twice more in the next 15 or 20 minutes, and I captured two additional bass between approximately 24 and 26 inches. But then the calm returned, and I went 30 minutes or so without any further action. Having gotten the local best out of this tide, I was aboard amybaby22 and on my way to Broad Cove by 6 AM. A couple of other boats were poking around the shallows, and I slow-trolled right up the gut with a tube-and-worm. I seemed to be marking bait on the sonar, but nothing responded. When I'd exhausted the deeper water, I fan-casted a few pinch-points in the shallows with a top-water dog-walker, but neither moved nor saw any sign of bass. Once again (for me, this season), Broad Cove was dead, so I was soon on my way! In search of a better bait situation, I decided to try something a little different, i.e., the channel between Littlejohn and Chebeague Islands. Even before I could deploy a Sabiki, I saw the pogies milling on the surface over 30 feet of water or so. As efficiently as possible (but not as much as I'd like), I deposited a half dozen or so healthy pogies in the well. My first drift was over my biggest-striper-ever waypoint (with big bait, why not?), but my bait went unharassed. I continued working the shoreline without a response and inched towards another waypoint, where the shoreline flat breaks into deeper (25+ feet at low tide) water. Almost directly over this waypoint, and having just noticed some mid-depth activity on the sonar, my bait awakened and was suddenly and confidently engulfed. Soon enough, I was holding my first-ever Maine Pogie Bass, a solid 30-incher! Buoyed by this success, I continued working this break and expanded my area of interest to the west, as I had a couple of baits variously chased, smacked, crashed, and plucked. This was more in-line with my Maine experience with pogies, but it was still fun (while frustrating) to watch so many predatory attempts. During one such flurry, I casted a top-water and then a fluke in the area of my bait (thinking "bait-and-switch"), but that was to no avail. The one solid take I did experience ended with the hook turned and buried into the bait, another familiar outcome on my behalf when fishing with pogies. It was time to move on as the tide continued to flood. I decided to try the eastern end of Chebeague, which has coughed up a couple of big fish for me. Despite covering a lot of water in an hour or so there, I raised nothing and in fact, never even had an overly nervous bait. I thought to go to Clapboard to catch the rocky points at high tide; but since I'd located a group of fish off Littlejohn, I thought it wise to at least check in there again, before I left the area. Good call! I was about to turn a nice, "good" day into an "excellent" day. Within minutes of predicted slack high tide, I encountered the first of what would be five solid stripers for the next hour, all on pogies. All were solid, and a couple were well above average, so this was a very good hour of fishing; especially so in the late-morning, hot and bright sunshine. All were associated with this particular break from the shoreline flat into deep (now 30+ feet) water. A couple of the bites were on top, but a couple were in the depths as the free-lined pogies went where they felt safest (or at least, where they could try to feel safe). In sequence, these fish were 27, 35, 33 and 30 inches. (The fifth was lost to a plucked bait and then a turned hook). It was a relief to see a "small" (27-inch) bass be able to take one of these baits, and the larger fish were able to take the pogies without hesitation or fanfare. These bass could choose to just slurp them down, when they so choose. A special highlight of this hour were the consecutive 35 and 33-inchers; not only did these eat decisively and fight hard, the 33-incher ate in about 35 feet of water, down deep. It was not necessary to pull the bass to the surface with these baits, they were not safe anywhere! That's encouraging for future outings. Hot and sweaty with the live-well now empty, I decided to return to the float for some hydration and rest. It had been an Excellent Wednesday! What do I have to say about this? Finally! Pogies paid off, locally! These particular bass were all fat and well-conditioned, and with the dominant 2015 year class, perhaps the local bass population has aged into a vulnerability to bunker. Regardless, all were lightly hooked and swam away, healthy. It was great to succeed with a new tactic, and now when macks are scarce but the menhaden obvious, I will not hesitate to snag a few and use them with increased confidence. I'll probably pick up another 6000-class Shimano bait-runner for use with these big baits. I've got friends and family to entertain, and while there might be some longer periods without action, when a bass decides to eat one of these big baits, it is exciting regardless of whether the bass can engulf it, or not! The visual nature and ferocity of the strikes is a bit amped, and the bass themselves should be a step up from the norm. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 16, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone, but briefly joined by A for lunch Target: Stripers Time: 8:45 AM - 2:30 PM Tide: High at 7:29 AM and Low at 1:30 PM Moon Phase: Waxing quarter moon Conditions: Generally clear to bright; strong southerly wind developing at about 1 PM; 60 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures 56 - 60 degrees F (+/-) After the previous day's beating from the wind, it was nice to simply relax and enjoy a day on the water. I intended to check new areas for the season and to monitor bait and bass progress as Summer approaches. It just doesn't make sense to motor past the east end of Clapboard without checking for mackerel; I found enough here (six in 20 minutes or so, and all as singles) to keep me bass fishing for a while. My first stop for bass was indeed the east end of Clapboard; after an uneventful pass, I continued out to Hussey Sound. I should have tried the waters between Clapboard and Hussey for bait, because I saw several active seals here, while Hussey was very quiet, despite the beginnings of a strong outgoing current. When my first pass along the deep current seam off College Island surprisingly produced no sign of macks, I returned to the shoreline of Long Island and deployed a fresh livie. I was drifting along and approaching the bar connecting Long and College Islands, sharing telephonic Fathers' Day well-wishes with my brother, F, when a bass smacked my bait on top. I let him know that we might get interrupted and we continued our conversation. A few moments later, the bait got eaten and I tightened up. I switched to FaceTime and telecast the fight and landing; it was just a modest fish of 23 or 24 inches, but still fun to share as we discussed our upcoming joint vacation. After exploring some new Long Island shoreline without action, I tried for macks, but again without success. I then explored the juicy and occasionally productive rip between College and Long with a fluke, to no avail. (It sure looked like it should have worked!) Next, I set up another drift beside my favored stretch of Long Island and quickly connected with a feisty 26-incher from about 12 feet of water. But a repeated drift, extended along the north shore of College, produced nothing, and I returned to the Landing to pick up A for some lunch. We decided to grab some more Clapboard mackerel before hitting Sturdivant at yesterday's productive tide. With another half dozen in the well, I got distracted by a small school of pogies. I managed to snag one with the Sabiki before it was time to move on. The strong south wind was developing now, and it was pounding into Sturdivant. I went "large" and swam the pogie through my best water before we agreed that it was too windy and exposed to be fun, and so we returned to the dock. A relaxed on the float while I deployed a few live mackerel from the mooring. The tide was right, after all, as Quadrant III was just starting. I scored a bonus bass of about 25 inches to complete my day. What do I have to say about this? I am not exactly crushing the stripers, but it sure was a beautiful Maine day! And it was nice to be reminded by loved ones, including both daughters, that my paternal efforts have paid off! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 15, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 10:45 AM - 3:15 PM Tide: Low Tide at 12:45 PM Moon Phase: Waxing quarter moon Conditions: Clear, bright and windy (15+ mph N/NE); 70 degrees. Water temperatures 58 - 60 degrees F (+/-); water still clear. Off to a late start after a very full week, my only real plan was to find some bait and search for bass. A promising start (I must have dropped the Sabiki directly on the head of the single mackerel near the Sturdivant Island marker) fizzled to a slow pick, but after a half hour of effort, I had a half dozen live macks in the well. With the tide continuing to drop, I visited the wind-protected southwest shoreline of Sturdivant for the first time in 2024. I power-drifted through my best water without a touch, but extended the drift through some new (good-looking!) water. Finally, my mack woke up and ran scared; shortly thereafter, it was taken with a confident surface hit over about 12 feet of water. I landed the 29-incher in short enough order and moved up-tide to complete another pass. I tossed the mack between two obvious boulders and got smacked right away! This fish stretched to just over 30 inches. Now, I had a little confidence in a potential pattern, and I focused right on the boulder edges in about six feet of water. I ground through the next couple of hours for three more bass between 25 and 27 inches. I ended 5-for-5 and had extended my confidence zone along this shoreline in multiple directions. Despite the incessant wind, I had manufactured a good day under bright skies and with clear water. Plus, I'd saved some energy for the next day! What do I have to say about this? Summer is approaching, and both bass and bait are settling in. I might have missed out on other, low-tide possibilities (Broad Cove, Royal River, Presumpscot River, etc.), but I think I managed the day's conditions pretty well. At the very least, my Striper Cup Limit for the week is secured and anchored by a pair of slot fish. Not bad, given the distractions and demands of the week. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 8, 2024 Body of Water: Falmouth, Maine Boat: None, shore fishing from Landing float With: A Target: Stripers Time: 5 PM - 7:30 PM Tide: Low at 7:15 PM; Quadrant II Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon, New plus two days Conditions: Mixed sun and clouds with scattered showers in area; breeze from all directions and about 70 degrees. Water temperatures 58 - 60 degrees F (+/); water still very clear. The morning was invested in a casual search for mackerel. Seals and dolphins were doing the same (although perhaps more urgently), and I found a few Macs along current seams in Hussey Sound, but not enough to install the live-well and change my fishing approach (yet). Plus, it was so weedy in my usual nearby haunts that it was not the least enjoyable to target stripers in this manner. So I called it quits and luckily just barely beat a torrential downpour back to the truck. I decided some worms and a nap were in order. Having secured both, A and I returned to the landing's float at about 5 PM for what turned out to be a super pleasant evening. We were a little early, and I declared that anything before 5:30 PM was a bonus. Suspended sand-worms enticed two bonus bass of about 23 inches before the bite picked up. By 7 PM, we had landed ten bass to 27 inches and still had a couple of worms left. Expecting a slower bite during slack low, but hoping for a big one, we were able to convert our last worms into two more fish, ending the session at 12 bass-for-12 worms. We'd been efficient and nearly flawless (for a change of pace!) What do I have to say about this? What a beautiful, fun and relaxing evening! Low tide and worms are my security blankets for getting bites, but this session offered so much more; A's relaxed companionship, a steady pace of action, plenty of pulled drags, a celebratory beer, and simple fun after an over-full work week. I am a lucky guy to have access to all this! And, circle hooks continue to do their work; 11 of the 12 bass landed were hooked in the roof or corner of their mouths. As for the last, the line was snipped as close to the hook as possible, and she swam off strong, too. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 2, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 With: N and J Target: Striped Bass Time: 9 AM - 3:30 PM Tide: High at about 8 AM, Low at about 2 PM Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon, New minus four days Conditions: Beautiful! Bright and generally calm with a mild southerly breeze; 50 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures 55 - 60 degrees F (+/-). I was joined by new friend N and his wife J for a day on the water in search of striped bass. They were undeterred by the reports of my recent trips and were very patient with my small, crowded boat! We faced some tough conditions, including a cold night, a mid-day low tide, and super bright, clear conditions. Still, we ended up having a great day! Our first stop was Prince Point. We each casted a swim-bait, fluke, or popper. I was hoping to either see or move a fish, but despite things looking good, that did not happen, so we made the big move to the Presumpscot. I had intended to push as far upstream as possible, but my little skiff was unable to get up on plane and so we were limited to just 10 mph. That made the long trip upriver impractical and so we focused on the flats outside the river's mouth. Tide and wind were opposing, making boat control difficult. We settled into simply covering water, whether it was over the 20-foot channel or in just a couple of feet on the adjacent flats. N just missed a boat side swiping fish I about three feet of water. The near miss buoyed our spirits as we continued our search. After a fruitless pass with the tube-and-worm in the deeper water above the bridge, we continued casting the flats. When a group of active birds closer to the mouth of Back Cove caught my attention, I attempted to navigate their way. At about 3/4 low tide, I just couldn't get all the way there, but I did find a small gut that led me deeper into the flats. Both N and J reported seeing individual fish, so we settled into a pattern of drift-and-cast in this very skinny water. Fish on! N fed a fine 27-incher a fluke in about 18 inches of water. We were happy to break the ice on the day's bass! We continued our search for another half hour or so, but I was getting antsy with the very low negative tide. I didn't want to get stuck here! Plus, I had worms for the dock, and we were in a position to arrive at just about slack low tide. The cool (58 degree) green water looked good, the worms were fat and juicy, and with the Spring Tide, we had a good chunk of time in front of us. And we were rewarded with two quick bites that N and J converted into nice mid-20-inch bass landed. I was glad to get J her fish, and N was getting into light tackle fishing for stripers! The day was now clearly made, but there were more fish to catch. Each of us landed another fish, and mine was a whopper at 13 inches. I was fortunate to be tending the line for our last bite. I wound down and got tight to what I knew to be a good fish. And then it took off! I was lucky it went straight "out" from the float, but there was no stopping this fish on 12-pound test. She was already well beyond the first line of moorings when I asked N to prep the Portland Pudgy to chase this fish down. And that we did! With N at the oars, I was able to regain some line and we settled into a battle between moorings. Soon enough, I firmly grasped her lower jaw; at 41 inches, she's the largest I've caught from the landing float; and from the Pudgy! The hook was firmly in the corner of her jaw; she was in fine shape. After a quick photo session and revival, she swam off strong. We fished for another 15 minutes or so to close out my tidal window, but we all knew and agreed that our fine day was done! What do I have to say about this? A full night's sleep, good friends, great weather, seven stripers and a big one! It was quite the day, made all the better by N and J's enthusiasm and graciousness. They will be back, and I will welcome them gladly! This was one of the two largest stripers I've ever witnessed from the landing, and it may be no coincidence that these both occurred in early-mid June. In fact the other fish in question was landed on a suspended worm during Quadrant III of a similar mid-day Spring Tide in June, 2022. I think the truly big girls might slide out of the Presumpscot after chasing herring and cruise along the Falmouth shoreline to recover. Not a bad pattern to have in my back pocket! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 1, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 2 PM Tide: High at about 7 AM; Low at about 1 PM Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon, New minus five days Conditions: Clear; mild E/SE breeze; 50 - 65 degrees. Water temperatures 53 - 55 degrees F (+/-) except in Presumpscot River (60) and Broad Cove (58). Off to a late start based on work and tide, I left the float in search of bait, birds or bass. I did a scouting troll of Clapboard Island and associated aquafarms for mackerel without a sign of their presence. I casted attractive shorelines and rocky points with the high but ebbing tide and moved nothing. I relocated to the mouth of the Presumpscot River and associated bay; a combination of casting and then trolling with a tube-and-worm yielded more "nothing". Eagles, ospreys and seals all indicated bait, but there sure didn't seem to be any bass around here. I finished the day's efforts in Broad Cove, arriving just before predicted low. A fly guide was working the extreme shallows and scored a single fish. I worked the gut, associated galleys and the flats without seeing or moving a fish. I was skunked, and had to save some energy for the next day; I was off to The Tackle Shop to grab some worms as a fall-back. What do I have to say about this? The report from The Tackle Shop was plenty of fish on alewives further up-river. With the colder-than-usual bay temperatures and lack of small fish, there wasn't much going on in the "usual" spots. To that I can attest! I decided to give the river and the flats at its mouth more attention until things settle in - for me. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 25 and 26, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay Boat: amybaby22 and float With: Alone 5/25, DA 5/26 Target: Stripers Time: 5:15 AM - Noon and 6 AM - Noon Tide: Lows at about 7 and 7:45 AM (fished float at Quad II on both mornings) Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon, Full Moon plus two/three days Conditions: Generally clear to bright; strong south wind developing Saturday; 50 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures 53 - 57 degrees F (+/-); and even warmer (to 65 degrees) in the Royal River; generally very clear water except in Royal River and exposed Broad Cove on Sunday. And now the Striper Season can really start... with the arrival of the long Memorial Day Weekend, a pretty open schedule, and amybaby22 properly moored, I could focus on properly chasing stripers for the Summer. That proper chase includes shore fishing from the landing float when conditions warrant, and with the Full Flower Moon of May, periods of low tide corresponded with early morning. So, of course, I had picked up a supply of blood-worms on Friday afternoon. Saturday morning found me in place a full 90 minutes before slack low tide. The bite was surprisingly slow, but I did convert my only take at 6:15 AM into a solid fish in the low-20-inch range. This fish and a couple of other encouraging signs (a half dozen frenzied followers to my hooked bass, small rain-bait by the float and a couple of top-water busts, all for the first time this season) kept me on the float through predicted slack low, but then I was off in the boat to find something better. My first stop was Broad Cove; seeing that a couple of fly-fishers were already posted in the shallows, I chose to tube-and-worm my way into the Cove through the gut while watching for any positive developments. In short; there weren't any! No birds, visible bait, or bites. Knowing that Broad Cove is either "On!" or "Off!" but rarely in-between, I continued the search for bass elsewhere. I decided to check the sandy flats behind Prince Point on the incoming tide. Slowly easing along with the electric while fan-casting with a small swim-bait, I did spook one nice bass from these shallows, but they seemed otherwise empty. As I moved to the Falmouth shoreline for a pass with the tube-and-worm, my fly guide approached Mussel Cove. My pass produced nothing. The guide left the area for points east and south. I further explored the western regions of Clapboard Island, both trying to sight-fish but also blind casting. Despite a pretty good effort, I moved nothing. It was now getting pretty windy from the south, but I picked up A for a nice picnic. We tucked into Mussel Cove where I enjoyed my sandwich, chips, and a series of fruitless casts into the deepest available water. At this point, I called it a day! A and I enjoyed a good dinner in Harpswell, where I was further encouraged that things might change for the better by the sight of terns actively working over the weed edges along shore. On Sunday, I was pleased that new friend DA chose to join me, even though I had briefed him on my struggles! We started at the float, and DA converted two worm bites into a single schoolie. Then we off in the boat, hoping to arrive at Broad Cove by slack low. But first we had to check out the active surface bait just outside the cove's mouth. This turned out to be pogies, the first of the year for me. DA tried a fly while I fished beneath the pogies with a flutter spoon, but there didn't seem to be any bass with this bait. We casted the down-tide edge of an oyster farm, hoping that growth and small crustaceans could be holding and triggering some bait or bass. Not this day! We continued by entering the gut with a tube-and-worm. Once again, this was ignored and the cove was quiet; and neither fly-fisherman from the previous day were around. They knew better! The water here was very cloudy from the previous day's wind and so sight-fishing was out; we decided to make a big move to the Cousins and Royal Rivers. I quickly learned that the Cousins is NOT a low-tide area, and so we switched to the Royal. We made our way slowly upstream with the incoming tide, trolling a tube-and-worm while also casting the channel edges with a mush mouth fly. Still, nothing responded, although I was seeing increased "bait" on the sonar and there were occasional small bait splashes on the surface. Water temperatures had increased in this muddy water to almost 65 degrees, and so it seemed at least possible that we would stumble on some active bass. Almost at the yards and development in Yarmouth, I had switched to casting a fluke and I finally got hit near the surface over the deep channel. It was perhaps my smallest ever Maine Striper, and certainly the smallest in many years; it was a well-conditioned 13-incher. Success!?! Never before has such a small striper kept me in place for so long; but we were running out of time and I had nothing better to work. We stayed, but neither of us had another hit. We encountered a porpoise and another school of pogies in the channel between Chebeague and Littlejohn Islands. Nothing responded to our fly or spoon. I got DA back to his truck by the appointed time; it had been another struggle, but an enjoyable one. What do I have to say about this? This was a surprisingly slow and difficult start to my local boating season, but there were plenty of good signs suggesting that better times might be coming. These included; some small bait-fish around the float and about, some larger finfish bait, marine mammals on the hunt, and everything is working well on the boat. I can't really complain! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 21, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Boat: None, shore fishing from landing float With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 4:15 PM - 6:15 PM Tide: Low at 4:30 PM; mostly Quadrant III Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon, Full minus two days Conditions: Mixed sun, clouds and sprinkles; southerly breeze > 10mph diminishing to nearly calm; 60 degrees. Water temperatures in the upper 50s degrees F (+/-). Post-work fishing is always a treat, and I snuck out the door for the first time this Spring to catch a favorable tide. With a few leftover Lug Worms and fresh blood-worms in hand, I was in position just before low slack tide, with Quadrant III in the offing. I started with just a single rod, but after a few unanswered drifts, added a second. The bite developed slowly, but three bites in a 45-minute window (from about slack + 45 minutes through slack + 90 minutes) kept me happy enough. I converted each bite into a striper, with the last being the first "keeper" of the round season at just over 28 inches. What do I have to say about this? I took it pretty easy; I needed to be at my desk in Boston by 8 AM the next morning. Lug worms produced all three bites even though juicy blood-worms were presented simultaneously. My mooring was observed to be in place, and there are so many local osprey! Spring is progressing nicely! And a long weekend is approaching! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 19, 2024 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Yarmouth and Falmouth, Maine Boat: amybaby22; but finishing with shore fishing from float With: Alone Target: Stripers Time: 8:45 AM - 3:30 PM Tide: High at 9:10 AM, Low at 3:13 PM Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon Conditions: Cloudy, mist and fog; mild easterly breeze < 10 mph; 55 degrees. Water temperatures 55 degrees F (+/-). I launched in Yarmouth and proceeded to fish all the way to Falmouth's Mill Cove without a hint of a bass or bass activity. Active birds and bait were equally absent. Still, I enjoyed searching with small swimsuits, a fluke, a walking top-water, and a tube-and-worm. I explored waters both new and familiar. Despite the "bassy" conditions, I just couldn't find them, not even in known Honey Holes. It's still early! But part of my day's plan was to end at the float and fish around low tide (if necessary.) I had the boat moored and was in place on the float by 1:30 PM or so. Before my first cast, neighbor DV caught his first of the year! The bite on suspended worms was pretty consistent from start to finish. I finished just after low slack at 5-for-7, with all the stripers between about 24 and 27 inches. The largest of the day came at predicted low slack tide. What do I have to say about this? The two "lost" fish included one that just came unbuttoned, but the other was a break-off! The braided line broke above the leader knot, and so clearly had been damaged at some point. Circle hooks started the season strong, with all nine of the bass landed to date hooked in the corner or roof of mouth and easily released. There was a lot of empty water out there, and no real signs of birds, bait, or bass. I think the bass are trickling in (although probably thick in rivers with spawning bait). My local guide contact reports scratching a few fish on the flats, but he's clearly anticipating a push of fish. This week's weather looks to be quite a bit warmer. Maybe that will move things along! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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