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Date: July 23 and 24, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon, New Moon minus four and five days Boat: amybaby22 With: Dr. C Target: Striped Bass Time: Dawns and dusks, but plus plenty of brutal daylight hours, too Conditions: High tides at 8:15 AM and 8:59 AM. Clear and hot (approaching 90 degrees); southerly afternoon winds in excess of 15 mph. Water temperatures ranging from 57 to 76 degrees depending on tide and location. We met in grad school in 1985, and were good friends and fishing partners for several years. But after we parted ways in the very early 1990s, we kept in minimal touch. We last shared my boat and a fishing experience (Lake Michigan trout and salmon) in 2009. But I was super pleased when Dr. C recently tracked me down at my current employer and let me know he was passing through Maine this month; could we get together? Of course we could! After a quick outfitting session on Friday night for some of my preferred tackle options for Casco Bay stripers, we hit the water at daylight on Saturday. With the conditions for tides (mid-lunar), bait availability (scarce) and weather (bright, clear and hot!) all working against us, I didn't expect great things. Still, our companionship was easy and pleasant, and something just about always happens while out on the water! We made a quick pass with a tube-and-worm along the Falmouth shoreline (por nada) before looking for mackerel. Although we encountered many seals and porpoises, we found no willing macks near Clapboard or College Islands, or elsewhere in Hussey Sound, despite prolonged efforts. With the sun getting higher and a good current flowing over the saddle between College and Long Islands, we got ready to throw some lures. Dr. C selected a half-ounce Al Gag swim-bait in Wonder Bread, and I countered with a white Hogy popper. Almost immediately, we both had swings and misses. And then he got thunked! Directly over a previous waypoint, he connected with a nice, 23 or 24-inch striper. Our day was made! But there were more fish to be caught; and the same combination produced another fat schoolie in this same size range or a bit larger. Unfortunately, that was it for this location, and we tried our luck at gathering some live bait again. We were fortunate to score a couple of bite-sized macks, and we returned to Crow and Cow Islands. We killed a bait at Crow by dragging it through too many weeds, and a bass killed our other bait at Cow (very quickly!) Unfortunately we didn't connect on this aggressive fish. Stuck at just two stripers, we tried the vicinity of Clapboard for bait again. No luck there; we cut our losses, saved our energy and headed in with the plan of returning and trying again later in the day. We hit the water at about 4 PM and headed to the ledge stretching from Prince Point. My popper and various flukes were ignored, but Dr. C scored another schoolie on that same Al Gag swimmer. This repeated itself on a rock complex at high tide off Clapboard. Both fish came from immediately adjacent to the weedy rocks. Dr. C had quite the day; I'd been skunked! The next morning, we started tight along the Falmouth shoreline with our lures. I raised fish on two of my first three casts, but did not connect, and that was it for my popper for the day. After one last try with the tube-and-worm and with the sun higher, we relocated to Hussey Sound and tried to make bait. Skunked again, we quickly turned to the College Island saddle for another try. This quickly produced a low-20-incher on the Al Gag swimmer, but nothing else chose to play. After a bit, we tried to make bait again off the deep end of College Island. Now, we had a bit of success and landed three or four baits in about 45 minutes. After another unsuccessful round of casting the saddle, we decided to deploy our live baits at Cow Island. The first one was almost immediately found, hit, and plucked off the hook. With this quick reaction and the number of fish on my sonar screen, I was hopeful that we would be able to convert at least a single mackerel into a striped bass for Dr. C. Our second bait was harassed and pushed to the surface, where it was grabbed by a gull. Our last bait simply gave up the ghost in the presence of so many bass. Out of live bait, I was starting to prepare the anchor for a quick session of chunking. Dr. C casted and drifted the now-dead mackerel. A bass picked it up, and Cr. C did a great job of tightening up at the right time! And this was obviously a big fish! It fought hard and deep, but the tackle did its work, and we slid the net under a beautiful 32-incher! After a quick celebration, we chunked in place for a bit, and looked for more mackerel. But our fortune had run dry. We were back at the dock well before noon. What do I have to say about this? What a way to end the weekend's fishing efforts! We harvested the fish and had a fine grilled dinner. Patience and hard work had paid off, again. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: July 16, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous Moon; Full Moon plus two days Boat: Landing and then amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:30 AM - 1 PM Conditions: Low tide at 7:45 AM. Generally overcast; calm to mild SW wind and 55 - 70 degrees F. Water was green; water temperatures 55 degrees (+/-) in Hussey Sound and 61 degrees (+/-) along Falmouth shoreline. I arrived at the float with the tide higher than I prefer, only to find the current moving in the "wrong" direction, a new mooring and two lobster pots having been installed within my fishing radius, and my nearly-dead blood-worms to have been partially vulcanized with dehydration. But since it was still too dark to go out in the boat, I threaded one on and suspended it beneath a lighted float. On my third drift, as I was calculating how long I should stay under such unpromising conditions, my float jiggled and then winked out in the darkness. I wound tight and connected with a heavy fish. It fought doggedly but unspectacularly, and my estimate upon first sight was a solid 26 inches. I was way off, though, because she was, in fact, a solid 31-incher. While she did pull hard for the bottom the entire way, she never got her motor going and pulled only minor drag. Still, I was more than pleased with this start to my day. I connected with another on my very next drift, and this fish exploded and took off! I had images of a 35+ inch fish the entire fight, which featured some hot runs and impressive surface swirls. I was more-than-surprised when I got my first glimpse of this fish; she was smaller than expected; but at 29 inches, another solid "keeper" and a very respectable fish for me, any day. And with two beautiful fish before sunrise, this was a good day! When the sun finally peaked over the offshore cloud bank and nothing else had happened, I decided to switch my efforts to amybaby22. By 5:40 AM, I was underway, with the goal of securing some local mackerel for the live-well. I trolled one up almost immediately off Clapboard Ledge, but it took almost another hour for me to get two more by the Basket Island "channel", and one of these was too large for comfortably targeting stripers. I deployed my first bait near the inside turn on Sturdivant Island's SW ledge as predicted low approached. I had a solid take-and-run at 7 AM in about 13 feet of water, but the hook turned, the bait pulled, and I reeled in nothing but a dead mackerel. I hooked my other proper-sized mack and set it out for the rest of my drift/troll. This bait revealed multiple bass, but none of them committed to eating the bait. More of the same happed at the SW end of Basket Island, too. The bass were either too small or too satiated to eat. After gassing up at Handy's, I ran to Hussey Sound. I thought the mackerel might be active with cooler water and the developing incoming tide. But I was wrong! Despite trolling several different areas, I didn't get as much as a touch. I decided to deploy my well-used bait around College Island. The flood tide rushing over the shallow saddle joining College to Long Island created a small "rip" and I searched it with both a fluke and a swim-bait as I drifted through. No luck (it would have been automatic on Cape Cod, in my opinion), but I continued my drift with the current. I re-deployed my tired mack in the deeper (10-15 feet) water, and almost immediately drew the attention of a bass. Unfortunately, after a few swings-and-misses, the bass suddenly popped the bait off the hook. I threw some more casts with a swim-bait and the fluke in this area before resorting to my jumbo mack. This guy was active! He immediately got pushed to the surface, where I was able to enjoy a drawn-out, visible pursuit. Finally, he was taken off the surface with some confidence, and after a short run, I came tight to another nice fish. This third "keeper" of the morning taped out at 30 inches and filled my Striper Cup limit for the week. I stayed for another 2.5 hours, trying to get something good to happen. I tried Shimano Butterfly jigs to no avail. I covered lots of ground for only a single, mega-mack. This bait was harassed to death by Vaill Island, but proved too large for any local bass. I tried flukes and poppers in the wash along Vaill's rugged shoreline, but that was too hairy for me, this day. And I tried to make more macks in all the usual places, all to no avail. What do I have to say about this? The calm and cloudy morning were welcome. It's been quite a while since I've not been beaten by sun and wind. My third and last bass of the day was my 1500th documented striper! It took me about 20 years... hopefully the next 1500 won't take as long! I guess the day's (season's) story is simply quality over quantity. I've never caught three "keeper" bass (>28 inches) in a single session, until this day. While it could be due to weather, bait or randomness, I am still a little concerned about the current striper stock and future seasons. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 9, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous Moon Boat: amybaby22 With: A and then Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 5:45 AM - 8:30 AM and then 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: High tide at 7:15 AM. Super clear; easterly wind in about 10 mph (swinging to the south and strengthening in the early afternoon) and 60 - 75 degrees. Water was green and stained; water temperatures 60-62 (AM) and 64 degrees (+/-) PM. A joined me at dawn for a very pleasant session of tube-and-worming. The current at the float was going the "wrong" way, i.e., to the west, and so I abandoned the familiar Falmouth shoreline and picked up the ledge off Princes Point. Trolling with the current and hanging between 10 and 17 feet of water, we worked our way past The Brothers with only a couple of nibbles and no real bites in over an hour of effort. We switched to chasing mackerel off Clapboard Island, and once again, I found only a single specimen! I presented this bait around the rocks and ledges of Clapboard and raised no interest. Things are slow! After a wonderful breakfast and seeing some relatives off for their return to Great Britain, I returned to the water with a different plan. I decided to visit Broad Cove with the falling tide and tube-and-worm. I noticed some surface activity from "happy" bunker as I approached the gut to Broad Cove, and so I set up further "out" than usual in about 15 feet of water. Once I was set up, I realized how thick the pogies were and quickly set up a snagging hook on a heavy spinner rig. I abandoned the tube-and-worm and quickly had five pogie baits in the live-well. I offered a large, bone-colored walking bait on a dozen or so casts in this area, but was not surprised by the lack of response in the clear and bright conditions. These pogies were relaxed; there was no real indication that any bass were harassing them. I moved to the southwest portion of Sturdivant Island, where I found another dense ball of bunker. I like this corner especially because the inside turn is guarded by rocks, and the wind and current were pushing into this area. I drifted and bump-trolled with a lively pogie. Right in my high-confidence spot, this bait suddenly got solidly "thunked". After a nice run-and-feed, I tightened up, only to have the bait pull from the bass' mouth. The hook had turned and buried itself into the side of the bait's face. I re-baited and drifted/trolled through this area again in both directions, but nobody else seemed interested. Still, heartened by my first legitimate take on a pogie in Maine, I returned to the north/east portion of Clapboard, near where I'd scored the 36-incher the previous week. Here, a smaller bass took interest in my large live bait, and repeatedly chased, bumped and popped the bunker. It appeared that the bait was simply too large for this fish. But suddenly, the bait was catapulted into the air by an aggressive surface crash. The bait lay still, stunned, and I awaited this new bass to circle and take. It did; but when I attempted to tighten up, once again the hook was buried into the now-dead bait. I tried the other end of Clapboard with no action before returning to my mooring. Here, I caught the last part of Quadrant III, so I decided to chunk right from the mooring. I gave this a half hour or more, without success, before returning to the dock. What do I have to say about this? Almost! While I've successfully deployed live bunker in Rhode Island, this was the first time I'd generated any interest in them here in Maine. The adult bunker here always seem happy and relaxed; I never see them being attacked by bass. These are large baits for the bass typically present, and so I've not used them too often here in Maine. But I do know there are some big bass available, and with mackerel proving to be so inconsistent, perhaps this is a good alternative approach. Plus, I have convinced myself that each of the "takes" I had this trip was a better-than-average fish. I can put in some time for them if I know they might play! I just need to get some bigger circle hooks for when I am using these pound-plus baits. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 4, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent Moon; New + six days Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 10 AM - 1 PM Conditions: Low tide at 9:23 AM. Clear; WNW wind in about 10 mph and about 75 degrees. Water was green; water temperatures 63 - 65 degrees (+/-). Another late start; I started just after low tide in the gut of Broad Cove with a tube-and-worm. Although water temperatures remain favorable here, there were no fish to be had, so I prospected around The Nubble and its associated rock piles. The tube still went untouched. I found what I thought to be a pile of fish on a break in about 15 feet of water. They responded to neither the tube-and-worm nor a jigged Ben Parker flutter spoon. I relocated to Sturdivant for another unsuccessful pass with the worm before resorting to mackerel. I found none in the channel by Basket, but eventually found a pair of singles in the deep water off the north/east end of Clapboard. I swam these off Clapboard's rocky coast, and each was hit, but neither was eaten. Things just were not active in the mid-day sun. What do I have to say about this? This was a pleasant-enough trip, but I am worn out by the intense sun and family events. I expected to return later in the day under better conditions, but it was just too tempting to close out this long weekend in the cool quiet of my home. The fishing seems slower than I'd expect. I assume the bait situation will settle into a pattern, and maybe that will make the bass more predictable. But I am starting to wonder if the stock is noticeably down. Time will tell... Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 3, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent Moon; New + five days Boat: amybaby22 With: M and then A Target: Striped Bass Time: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM Conditions: High tide at 3:03 PM. Super clear and brutal sun; negligible wind and 80 degrees. Water was green; water temperatures 63 - 66 degrees. A slow start to everybody's day meant conventionally "beautiful weather" conditions, but slow fishing. Still, everybody maintained good attitudes, and it was a pleasant enough way to spend the afternoon! Mackerel were tough, and I guess we were lucky to put four into the live-well. These came from between the channel markers by Basket Island, and so the first bait was deployed at the southwest corner of Basket. With no action there, we re-located to the northeastern part of Clapboard Island, where we gave the macks every chance to attract a bass. But they were hunkered down, and M and I returned to the dock, fishless, in time to say goodbye to K and drop her off at the airport. Returning with A, we settled in at the southwestern portion of Clapboard Island. My first hit of the day occurred right on an existing, fishy waypoint. The 27-incher grabbed the skittering mackerel off the surface and fought well. After a lull in which I covered the rest of the reef and had returned to this high-confidence area, my last, full-sized mack suddenly got very nervous. I felt the initial hit, but it seemed like the bass was having a hard time getting the bait positioned for swallowing. Finally, the bass moved and I was able to tighten up. At a fat 24 inches, it was a nice fish, but not the size I'd hoped for with this last, magnum bait. I recycled a couple of baits that had previously swum their hearts out, and we stayed 15 minutes too long; but A and I returned to the float, satisfied with the evening's developments. What do I have to say about this? The fishing has been hot, slow and tedious, but the fish I've encountered have been very nice, and this approach is both relaxing and potentially the most rewarding. I do look forward to a more steady and predictable supply of bait, however. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 2, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent Moon; New + four days Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 1:30 PM - 5 PM Conditions: High Tide at 2:26 PM. Super clear; SW wind in excess of 15 mph and about 75 degrees. Water was green and stained; water temperature 63 degrees (+/-). After catching just a single mackerel, I positioned myself off the eastern point of Clapboard Island. Wind and current were pounding into the face of the island here, and I gave myself extra room to set up and deploy my lone bait. The Maritime behaves well when drifting with a broadside wind, and I established a path tracing the island's drop into deeper water. I had just marked a couple of likely targets in about 20 feet when my mack suddenly got very nervous; and then it was confidently taken. I knew this was a better fish when I first came tight and she took an impressive run against a pretty tight drag. Fortunately, this fish sought deeper water instead of the cover of rocks and weeds, and my primary concern during the fight was avoiding lines to the abundant lobster pots. Steady pressure, patience and a bit of boat maneuvering worked. Despite the bright sun, high skies and mid-day start, I landed my largest striper of the season about 15 minutes before predicted high tide. This fish was fat, 36 inches long, and my first "over-slot" fish (> 35 inches) of 2022. It was also the largest ever landed on amybaby22, and an approximate "Top 5" striper for me when not fishing with a guide. It's a 99.7-percentile fish, for me! I returned to the mackerel grounds, but instead of returning to the unproductive area I'd already experienced, I focused on the deep-water slot almost adjacent to this end of Clapboard. I encountered a couple of pods of macks pretty quickly, and after landing strings of 3 and 5 baits in succession (are the macks starting to group up?), I attempted to repeat my successful drift. While the big girl had come from beyond the edge of my familiar water, I was in a well-known productive spot (I love boulders, weeds and drop-offs into deep water) when my mackerel was smashed on top. This was a visually stunning hit, and literally stunning hit to my bait. I let the mack drift lifelessly for a bit, but the bass didn't return. I repositioned with a new bait, but drifted and trolled all the way through my confidence water without another sign of a striped bass. I motored over to the west end of Clapboard, laboring into the stiff head wind. Once again, I positioned myself in deeper water upwind of my targeted water to drift and present a new, lively mack. I had an aggressive run-and-drop along the 15-foot breakline. As I retrieved the bait, I saw a nice bass take it again. I dropped and waited to come tight, but the hook pulled, buried into the side of the mackerel. I repeated my drift a couple of times with no further action, and returned to the dock for some birthday cake. It had been a nice afternoon! What do I have to say about this? One never knows what might happen on the water. The conditions (other than the wind and current pounding into the island rocks) didn't favor action from crepuscular stripers. And they weren't very active, but the right one was, and I'm just glad I was out there. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 28, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: New Moon Boat: None; shore fishing from landing float With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:15 AM - 6:30 AM Conditions: Low tide at 5:41 AM. Generally clear; dead calm and 60 degrees. Water temperatures around 62 degrees. What better way to start a work day than targeting a few stripers before signing in for work? With the New Moon low tide corresponding to dawn, I had the opportunity to soak some blood-worms under floats in both Quadrants II and III of the tide cycle. I figured some biting bass should be around, and my first bait hit the water at 4:15 AM. It took just a few minutes for the first bite, and I quickly subdued a small (19-inch) striper. It was good to be on the board, and equally good to see a young fish representing the future stock. The bite continued until about sunrise; I captured another small bass, dropped a mid-20s fish near my feet after getting the best of the fight, and simply missed to connect on an aggressive bite from a larger, swirling fish. After a bit of a sunrise lull, my float went down again. This fish woke up midway through the fight, and really put up a good effort on my light tackle. Still, it relented, and I eventually lipped a very-nearly-keeper-sized striper. This last bite occurred within minutes of predicted low tide; when this bite happens, it is often the largest fish of the session. I fished for another 45 minutes or so, into the initial flood. But with bright skies and no action, as well as a full work day in front of me, it only made sense for me to go home and start the rest of my day. What do I have to say about this? It was beautiful morning, and I was pleased to secure my Striper Cup limit of three photographed fish for the week. Despite the long holiday weekend and a few days off from both jobs, my ability to get back on the water will be limited. That's okay, though, all the reasons for this are good! June 2022 was a solidly decent fishing month for me. July should offer (documented) Striper 1500 for me. The outer fringe islands of my range on Casco Bay should come into play, and I look forward to whatever might happen. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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