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Date: May 16, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth Foreside, Maine Boat: none - shore fishing from ML float With: A Target: Striped Bass Time: 4 PM - 6:25 PM Moon Phase: New minus three days Tide: Low at 3:22 PM; Quadrant III Conditions: Generally overcast; southerly wind over 10 mph, but diminishing, and about 65 degrees. Looking for that First Maine Striper of the Season, I took advantage of the muted sunlight, attractive chop, an early start to the work day, and tide. With blood-worms secured, we hit the Landing's float at about 4 PM. Despite a seven-month hiatus, I was reasonably confident that we might find some action; conditions were ripe. The biggest unknown was whether any early arrivals had started spreading out along Casco Bay's shoreline. With the uncharacteristically heavy wind and chop, I used and tended to just a single rod. It took a few drifts for me to get the float balanced properly and to present the suspended worm with confidence. Nothing happened in the first 15 minutes or so, and so I took advantage of the lull to gulp down my sandwich. Still, I kept keen watch over my float, and just as I took my last bite of dinner, I swear I saw my float slip momentarily beneath the waves. I repositioned my float and watched with maximum intent. I sensed, rather than saw, the float's minor re-positioning. I wound tight, the rod loaded, and the fish ran! I knew immediately this wasn't the little schoolie bass that I had anticipated. After a spirited fight with considerable give-and-take, I eased my first Maine Striper of 2023 out of the water for a quick picture. As a bonus, this 34-incher was the earliest I've ever caught in Maine. This fish hit the deck at about 4:25 PM, approximately one hour after predicted low tide. The next 40 minutes or so produced the best action of the day, and before we knew it, A and I had landed another half dozen bass including a fat 29-incher. The others were fit schoolies between 18 and 21 inches. Once again, the middle of Quadrant III (first half of the flood tide) had produced! The action tapered off and I knew I was losing the tide, but conditions were super pleasant and so we stayed through the rest of Quadrant III. I inexplicably dropped a very nice fish mid-way through the fight, but scored another beautiful, 32-inch striper along the way; so staying paid off. Meanwhile, I'd been joined by a neighbor and his nephew. The youngster had a brief encounter with a jig-n-pig on a slow, shaky retrieve, but their freezer-burnt mackerel chunks and swim-baits were ignored. This was about as basic as my striper fishing (or any of my fishing, for that matter) gets; a juicy worm suspended under a slip-float. I've optimized my tackle for this, and I was present at this specific time for known reasons. Hopefully my experience and refined approach to this has yielded improved results. Hopefully I will continue to learn, refine, and improve! All in all, this session had given me everything I could have asked for; a fish, my earliest-ever Maine Striper, a big fish, multiple nice fish, lots of action, good execution of my available chances, and all with absolutely no related problems! I left the float satisfied and possibly even ready to face the next day's demands. What do I have to say about this? Early and big; that's how I like my first stripers of the year! While I was super pleased just to be back at it locally, I was also glad to see a handful of 18- to 21-inch fish in the mix, too. With the most abundant year-class of fish aging out and subject to harvest, we can only expect so many more years of good fishing from them. It was a welcomed relief to have some action from fish representing the future. All the fish came in a singles, too (I didn't see any followers chasing hooked fish), so I am sure there are many more on their way. With a 2023 Striper Cup limit already in my pocket, I can use this weekend to explore some new waters and try to upgrade. I'll bring the fly rod and a pile of other tackle. But I will be hard-pressed to have another session that provides as much relaxation and satisfaction is this one. My local season is off to a great start! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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