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Date: July 26, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Moon Phase: Full minus six days, waxing gibbous moon Tide: Low at 11:34 AM Conditions: Clear and bright with southerly breeze about 10 mph; 80 degrees. Water temperatures 68 - 70 degrees (+/-) outside the anchorage. A day after cataract surgery, I was cleared for normal activities, and so feeling about 92% normal, I went out for an easy fishing session. It was hot and bright, so this session was more about relaxed reconnaissance than about catching. Knowing mackerel were becoming difficult, I chose a new location; Chandler's Cove and out to Hope Island. Unfortunately, the macks were scarce here, too, and I picked up only one, near a green marker in about 60 feet of water. This, despite a solid effort and bouncing around between markers quite a bit. Consistent with my low-key approach, I took this single bait to nearby Deer Point at the western end of Chebeague Island. Even though this was new water for me, the bait didn't last long at all before it got the attention of a 21-inch bass in about 15 feet of water. I kept the bait honest by checking the eastern end of Clapboard Island on the way home; I found none. We have arrived at that most difficult point of the season. Fortunately, there's a dry and cool stretch ahead! What do I have to say about this? Well, I was cleared for normal activities except for lifting more than 50 pounds. I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't be challenged in this respect, and the day's bass left approximately 47 pounds of leeway for my safety. This was my first trip to this area this year, and there's so much attractive water to fish! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: July 23, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:45 AM - 1:45 PM Moon Phase: New plus three days; waxing crescent moon Tide: Low at 9:29 AM and then flood through-out Conditions: Clear and bright with light, southerly breeze; 65 - 75 degrees. Water temperatures 64 - 65 degrees (+/-) in Hussey Sound and beyond, but getting to 70 and above in the anchorage. Another lazy start to the day, but this time without the benefit of cloud cover or fog; Oh well, at the very least I could enjoy a comfortable day. I went straight to Hussey Sound for bait, but my tardiness led me straight to a pretty slack tide, and by 9:45 or so, I still had not found any mackerel. And I'd moved around a bunch trying to find them! I'd noticed a couple of bigger boats coming in from offshore. They had rods with floats and balloons, so they were going striper fishing; maybe they'd scored their bait offshore? Red Marker 2 was well within sight and seas were calm; I ventured out farther than I've been before. Still, I found no mackerel near the marker, and I was starting to wonder what my next move might be. The sonar showed some cloudy haze on the bottom, below the marker in about 75 feet of water. With a bit of reluctance (this is a good way to get snagged on lobster gear!), I sent my Sabiki all the way to the bottom and started jigging; fish on !?!??!! This turned out to be a squid, so into the well it went. Still over similar marks, I sent the Sabiki down again, but this time fought a full string of "harbor"pollock. It looked like they'd be the bait for the day, so I dropped a few more times and loaded the well with over a dozen. These were eager biters, even at slack tide, and two ounces of spoon were enough to hold bottom efficiently under these docile conditions. I went to Vaill Island for the first time this season. I prefer Vaill at higher tides, but it was close and convenient; and there was enough swell from the south to create some attractive wash along the ocean-facing shore. Unfortunately, a single pass along the south and west faces of Vaill did not provoke any strikes, so I crossed the mouth of Hussey Sound and set up again along the rocky shoreline of Peaks Island. There had been bass there the day before, after all. I found that live-lining the pollock requires a slightly different approach than with macks. The pollock don't seem to tolerate being casted too well, and when active, they like to dig to the bottom. It took a bit more effort to keep in touch with these baits, keep them out of the bottom weeds, and keep them lively. But when my bait got solidly "thunked" for the first time off a rocky drop at High Noon, my confidence returned. After this aggressive hit, I lost contact; but the bait had been moved inshore and alongside the boat, so I wound down and got tight! But after a decent run, the hook pulled, and I reeled in a dead and descaled bait. My next bait got thumped and killed, but my third bait got chased to the surface over about 15 feet of water. After a couple of misses, it got slurped off the surface. This 29-incher provided a strong fight and was the first bass captured on a pollock aboard amybaby22. After another chase and miss, I relocated to Crow Island. I though the adjacent, deep water might yield a bigger bass on a depth-seeking pollock. I simply had to settle for another 28-inch "keeper" that came from exactly the same spot as the previous day's 30. This fish simply ate confidently and was an easy hookup. Or, my confidence was increasing as I got used to this new dynamic. I returned to the dock, thinking we might squeeze in a late afternoon session. That didn't happen, but it was still a great day! What do I have to say about this? So much water and so much to do! I thought about finding some new areas to try fly-fishing the incoming tide, but conditions pulled me offshore. I figured I might learn something, and I did; I found another source of bait during difficult conditions, and I developed some faith in the use of pollack as bait. It's been a couple of decades since I've done so, and while I never had much success with them, Captain Ben of Go Fish! charters out of South Portland sure believed in them (especially for bigger fish) and would always put them in the well, given the opportunity. I was also joined by a couple of seals and multiple pods of porpoises at the outer reach of Hussey Sound and beyond, so perhaps this was a more reliable area for bait. Mid-summer conditions are here! I had no success with the squid when I tried to live-line and bump-troll with it. It turned transparent and hid; and was dead after a short swim. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 22, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone, but joined by A at the end Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Moon Phase: New moon plus two days; waxing crescent moon Tide: Low tide at 8:50 AM Conditions: Fog, but clearing off to bright conditions with a light, southerly breeze less than 10 mph; 60 - 75 degrees. Water temperatures 64 - 65 degrees (+/-). After a full week of work with no fishing, I returned to the water with a functional sonar (a replacement cradle was the trick!) and headed out in search of bait. I went directly to Hussey and almost immediately picked up a single mackerel on a trolled Sabiki. But conditions were tough, the tide was slackening, and after a bit of a lull, I went fishing with my single bait. Crow Island is my most dependable Hussey Sound alternative during low tide. That impression was strengthened when I converted my single chance into a solid bass just shy of 28 inches. This came from a stair-step ledge off a point into deep water which has produced many fish; and confirmed by a waypoint on the sonar. I returned to the end of College Island to look for bait, and incoming tidal current had increased. Visible current seems were becoming apparent, and the water patterns revealed the productive underwater ledge off College's west end. It wasn't easy, but soon enough, I had six or eight lively mackerel in the well. I went to Peak's Island for the first time this season. There are enough hidden boulders here, I wanted my sonar and mapping before I visited this water. Wind and current were working together, and I easily covered water along this rugged coast, ranging from just a few to over 20 feet of water, and circling back whenever I contacted or missed a fish. As the sun burned off the fog, I landed a couple, one a typical 24 inches, and another super-fat 26. I finished this portion of the day by returning to Crow, where I scored an aggressive, surface-eating 30-incher, the fish of the day! I returned to the landing and picked up A. The wind was picking up, and so we stayed close. I set up off the western end of Clapboard Island for a "Spot-lock and Chunk" session with my remaining macks. The bass showed up almost immediately, as I missed an unexpected bite on my tail chunk. Fortunately, I had a few more chances. One pulled off, but I landed a pair of spunky bass in the low 20s (inches). Things slowed as high tide approached, and we called it another good day! What do I have to say about this? The bite is slowing, at least for those of us sticking with familiar tactics and late starts. The fish are coming in as singles instead of groups. Still, I made the most of my opportunities and upped the fun by deploying baits off my lighter Tsunami Slim-Wave setup. This rod is both effective and fun! It was nice to have my sonar back and functional, but I lost the Suzuki's electric start and trim. Apparently, there's always something! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 15, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 7:15 AM - Noon Moon Phase: New minus two days; waning crescent Tide: High at 10:30 AM Conditions: Fog, light easterly wind, about 70 degrees. Water temperatures likely in the high 60s, or possibly in the low 70s. Still no sonar; fishing blind. This day was different for 2023 to date, because I was greeted by obvious, active bait as I walked down the dock. I ended up losing 20 minutes or so investigating their capture, but neither a casted Sabiki nor a snagging hook produced. I think these were likely loose schools of menhaden. Things change with every tide, as illustrated by the multiple seals within the anchorage, likely shadowing these schools. Once again, fog kept me close. I bounced around each end of Clapboard looking for mackerel. With only a single in the well, I then went to Green Can 3 near Basket Island and focused on the stretch from here to the red navigation aid, and especially in the areas adjacent to the cans themselves. The mackerel were seemingly more concentrated near these markers, but it was still a slow pick of mostly singles. By 9 AM, I had nine baits in the livewell, and so it was time to start fishing. The tide was still flooding, with an expected slack period around 10:30 AM. The fog had thickened and so I stayed close and went to SW Sturdivant. Once I figured out the predominant current direction, I deployed a bait and bump-trolled several hundred yards of known, productive shoreline. The bait got nervous a couple of times, but was never attacked. If I were going to chunk, I wanted to get set up and get established before slack; a little before 10 AM, I was spot-locked over about eight feet or water, with the modest current moving past my stern and into a rock-and-weed complex. I let a single mack swim free-lined behind the boat while I started to chunk. I sweetened my offerings with a somewhat steady drizzle of free bits while I flipped a sweet piece of tail meat behind the boat. I would free-line this until it reached bottom, and then repeat. It didn't take long at all (two or three drifts) for the first "eat", and I avoided a skunk by landing my first bass of the trip (and Striper Cup week), a modest 22-incher. From a parked platform and on light tackle (Shimano Vanford on a medium action St. Croix Avid Inshore rod), even a fish like this is fine sport. After a short lull, I had fast action until about 10:30 AM (predicted high tide). I landed four more bass between 25 and 27 inches and I lost another. All took the bait within 20 feet or less of the boat's stern; the bass certainly didn't seem put off by the electric motor. While I was hoping for another slack-tide lunker, I went almost an hour without another bite. But that bite came from the session's largest fish (30 inches) and so was worth the wait! My last fish of the day (No. 7) was an average fish that took the last available bait while in the rod holder; I was busy maintaining a chum slick while cleaning up and getting ready to return to the landing in the thick fog. I ended the session with seven bass on eight bites; and I'd used my entire supply of macks for the day. Pretty, pretty good (and efficient!). Note to self; seven of the eight bites came on the coveted tail section of meat. These are pure meat, sizable, and untainted by guts. What do I have to say about this? I am getting a kick out of this "spot-lock and chunk" combo. I look forward to trying it in a more open/boulder-ey setting with wave-driven current and perhaps larger fish. I shared with a friend that I thought my trolling motor/ spot-lock had added 30% to my overall catch. He too, had installed a similar set-up for this season, and he thought I was short-changing this assessment. He's using his successfully for safe, bold-shoreline fishing as well as offshore for bottom fishing. I look forward to sharing this with somebody else in the boat; maybe we'll do a "heads vs. tails" competition to see what the bass prefer. Meanwhile, I am rigging a couple of additional rods for this technique. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: July 3 - 8, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 We all took the holiday week off. Extended family was in town, my girls were sleeping in their rooms upstairs, and I approached the fishing with a low-key attitude. I still got out there plenty, I just wasn't going out of my way or suffering too much to make it happen. The week started and continued with a dismal, wet weather pattern, but this broke on the evening of Tuesday, July 5. Back on the water on July 6, I was greeted by clear skies, bright sunshine and heat! It was a perfect day to introduce the next generation to mackerel, noting every seal and bird along the way. If anything, the fishing improved with the weather, and I scored a Personal Best as well as a Top 3 fish on consecutive days. Even though I spent the week without electronics, I was generally on fish, and even introduced and expanded my "spot-lock chunking" program. Session 1: July 3, 2023 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 11 AM - 3:30 PM Moon Phase: Full plus one day Tide: Lows at about 5:30 AM and PM, High Tide at about 11:45 AM Conditions: Gray and rainy with light, winds from the south; clearing to partially sunny; 60 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures "low 60s". Still without electronics, I fished blindly off Clapboard and captured nine mackerel in about 45 minutes. All were scattered singles. With no fog, I decided to try Cow Island at the top of the tide, only to find a boat already working that water. I diverted to Crow, and that turned out to be okay. Drifting the north face with the current of the outgoing tide, I dropped the first bass that ate confidently just off a rocky point. It seemed like a good fish, but probably was similar to the four I'd catch in this game general area on my next pass. These ranged from 27 to 33 inches. I missed a couple, too, so soon enough I was making bait again off the tip of College Island. Here, I picked up another half dozen (singles) before I circum-trolled College Island without a bite. I then ran to Sturdivant where I also struck out. I ran to the west end of Clapboard to end my day. Right on cue, my bait woke up and led a bass on a long chase before being eaten. I tightened up to another nice fish and landed a fat 30-incher while I drifted away from the productive point. I ended the session with five bass, including four of 28 - 33 inches, and I missed a couple of chances, too. I was happy enough with these results as I had relaxed more than I had worked at it. Session 2: July 4, 2023 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:15 AM - 12:15 PM Moon Phase: Full plus two days Tide: Low at 6:16 AM, High Tide at about 12:30 PM Conditions: Gray, threatening rain and greasy calm; 60 - 70 degrees. Water temperatures "low 60s". Water along Falmouth shoreline is gross brown from all the rain and runoff. Still fishing "blind", I found some mackerel southeast of Clapboard. Most came in as singles, but a full string helped the cause and by 9 AM I was set up off Basket Island. I quickly hooked up by a shallow boulder and landed a feisty 24-incher. This established a pattern for the day; one bass per island point. I covered quite a bit of water at Sturdivant before eliciting a strike, but that hit produced the striper of the session at just shy of 28. Off to Clapboard's west end, my single bite along the weeds resulted in an ambitious 23. Clapboard's juicy east end yielded a 25. All in all, it was pretty slow. I never found a group of bass, and I ended up releasing most of my morning mackerel. Session 3: July 5, 2023 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: Afternoon Moon Phase: Full plus three days; waning gibbous Tide: Low at 7:08 AM, High Tide at about 1:25 PM Conditions: Clear and bright, light wind from the south, about 80 degrees. With the first nice day (weather-wise) in quite a while, the day's fishing consisted of wildlife tours and mackerel fishing with young, visiting great-nieces and nephew. Things really couldn't have gone better, as all got to see seals, birds and macks. Mackerel were a bit of a struggle off Clapboard, but we found an apparent concentration of them by markers close to Basket Island. I love W's expression in the picture, below! Session 4: July 6, 2023 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:15 AM - 12:15 PM Moon Phase: Full plus four days; waning gibbous moon Tide: Low at 8:00 AM, High Tide at 2:18 PM Conditions: Sun with thinning clouds, still and becoming a scorcher! Water temperatures probably in the high 60's. I was still fishing blind, but it was impossible not to notice the school of pogies milling on the surface at the edge of the harbor; four were quickly snagged and deposited into the livewell. From there, I beelined to the green can marking the Sturdivant - Basket Island Channel, where I'd found the mackerel the day before. I only caught a single in about 30 minutes of searching. Still, that was enough to try the east end of Chebeague at low tide. My single mack went unmolested during among swim here. It was sent back into the well while I back-tracked to the marker guarding the long point off Chebeague; I thought this pinch-point might concentrate any current and bait. I was a little right, catching two more mackerel in about 20 minutes. The east end of Littlejohn Island had caught my eye, but the shoreline leading to it had some moving water and interesting, varied cover. I set up well short of the point with a fresh mack. Finally, the first chase and strike of the day! But the bass plucked my bait off the hook, and so I circled around and re-deployed my original mack; the third one was too big! I quickly hooked up with a confident eater, and I knew it was a good fish; it went on a long, sustained run down the shoreline. The fight was unspectacular, but dogged. I caught a glimpse of her boat side, but she took off again on another long run. She was not ready yet! Even as I dipped the net under her, I didn't realize quite how large she was. As I lifted the net over the gunwale, the handle cracked; that was a clue! Laying her on deck beside the measuring board, she dwarfed 36 inches; she was also thick! I was looking at my Personal Best striper, and by a significant margin; 43 inches if not 44, and well over 30 pounds. All while blindly fishing a new location without electronics on a bright, sunny day. Fishing is a very strange endeavor. You might think you know what's going on, but you really don't! I returned to the area where I'd taken both hits and spot-locked. I swam a pogie and then the giant mackerel. Bass continued to show themselves here while I also chunked another pogie. I missed a chunk fish and landed another, a more familiar 25-incher. Still a little stunned, I returned to the dock a bit early to hang with the family. It had been a good morning! Session 5: July 7, 2023 With: K! Target: Striped Bass Time: 9 AM - 11:30 AM and about 1 PM - 2:30 PM Moon Phase: Full plus five days; waning gibbous moon Tide: Low at 8:53 AM, High Tide at 3:13 PM Conditions: Sun, southerly wind at about 10 mph, and another scorcher! Water temperatures probably in the high 60's. After a late and false start, we went directly to Hussey Sound to try to make bait and catch a bass, fast! I was unable to snag any of the bunker from the sparse and deep school we encountered on the way, but made up for that setback by making quick work of macks off the end of College Island. At just about slack low tide, I decided to hit Crow Island, which seems to produce during all tides. As we approached from the south, I set out a bait and explained the mechanics to K. Before I was back at the helm, she was hooked up over deep water! K enjoyed the power of a really nice fish; I kept the boat off the rocks while she kept tight and finally started to make some progress. This fish measured 38 inches, was K's largest striper ever, and was the third "big" fish of the week. What a start to our session! But we still had plenty of bait and time to spare, so I circled around and set another bait. Within a minute, K was tight again, this time with a fat and spunky 32-incher. This fish, too, came from deep water off the south side of Crow Island. K was definitely getting into a groove and did a great job of predicting the next strike based on her mackerel's behavior. We were now on the north side of Crow, and her bait was right against the rocks. The bait got excited, K got excited, and the bass exploded on the surface. K quickly and expertly wound down and got to experience a "normal" fish of about 25 or 26 inches. With time running out, we hit Clapboard W on our way back to the landing. I finally deployed a bait for myself, choosing an outsized mackerel in search of a large bass. K's good luck ran out as she missed a strike for the first time; but my good fortune arrived with a lot minute hit on the giant mack. I wound down expecting great things, only to get tight to a 25-incher. Back at the landing, I kept the livewell running to preserve the last few mackerel. There was too. such fun to be had there, so I went back out, alone, for a short session. I bump-trolled a new stretch of Clapboard's northern flank, and found my last fish of the day, another 25, off some deeper water near a prominent dock. Session 6: July 8, 2023 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 6 AM - 11 AM Moon Phase: Full plus six days; waning gibbous moon Tide: Low at 9:47 AM Conditions: Fog, always thick and sometimes thicker; mild southeast wind about 65 degrees. Water temperatures probably in the high 60's. Navigating carefully from point to point only, navigation chart on my lap and referring to my phone's navigation app a couple of times, I found only a few scattered mackerel from the S1 can and along Clapboard's east end. These were enough to start fishing though! When "Clapboard E" yielded nothing even though it looked and felt fishy, I motored over to "Clapboard W". A bass almost immediately jumped on my live mack; after a nice fight, the hook simply pulled from a mid-20-inch fish. I deployed a second bait and quickly redeemed myself with a 24-incher that ate over shallow water. Since the last mackerel in the well was dead after its long swim at Clapboard E, I decided to fly fish over the flats as the tide continued to recede. Using a small olive Clouser in the somewhat dingy water, I revealed nothing in about about an hour of effort, despite improved casting and line control. I spot-locked near a recent hot-spot and chunked the dead mackerel. Two more 25-inchers came aboard! 9 AM and out of bait, with a limited range due to fog; I had a choice. I could either go in and call it a day or try for some more mackerel. I went to the nearby channel marker and fortunately, picked off a series of singles and a double. By 9:30 AM I was on my way to Sturdivant with a half-dozen lively baits. Setting up mid-island, I slowly bump-trolled an active mackerel through some attractive water through dead-low tide. When I'd reached the island's complex end without so much as a touch, I switched to spot-lock and chunking (while also free-lining a livie). Because I still had four or five macks in the well, I was able to throw some extra bloody chunks into the flow behind the boat. That seemed to wake up the bass as my first bait was almost immediately taken. Using my finest equipment, I was able to enjoy a nice fight on light tackle and released another 25-incher. At 10:30, I was contemplating calling it a day, but a 28-incher ate next. On light tackle and from a parked boat, this was a nice battle. I decided I really like chunking from such a platform! That fish kept me there for another half hour, but nothing materialized as the flood kicked into gear. What do I have to say about this? What a week of fishing! And without 4 AM starts, mosquitos, or electronics! More importantly, what a week of family! There was always a lot (too much?) going on, and this week is our annual chance to get together to the largest extent. Sometimes, striper fishing seems impossible. Other times, it can be dopey easy. While the bites this week were not as frequent as last, they were frequent enough, and from many of the "right" fish, too. I was simply fortunate to have been able to have experienced this. What will the new Personal Best be, and when will I get my next chance? It doesn't really matter; nothing changed in life with any of these big fish, and each bite shows promise. I'll continue to enjoy them all. But perhaps a little more deeply, with all these experiences in my back pocket. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 29 - July 1, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Dr. C Target: Striped Bass Good graduate school friend Dr. RC joined me for a weekend of fishing for the second consecutive year. While last year was a hot grind, 2023's fishing in the fog was outstanding, offering both action and quality! Session 1 - Thursday AM Time: 8 AM - 12 PM Moon Phase: Full minus five days; waxing gibbous moon Tide: High tide at 8:06 AM Conditions: Fog and drizzle, alternating winds but mostly from the north; 60 - 65 degrees. Water temperatures expected to be in the low 60s, but unverified because my sonar refused to power up. We started slowly and simply with clouds, fog and work looming. We hit the water at about 8 AM with a quest for some quick bait and a few chances at Casco Bay stripers. We encountered a school of bunker (the first of 2023, for me), and snagged a few for the well. Starting off the eastern end of Clapboard Island, we were fortunate to make relatively quick bait with mackerel. We were striped bass fishing off Clapboard's eastern rocky point by about 9 AM. I've lost the details, but our first six fish were all over 28 inches, topping out at just under 32. The trip was off to a good start! Session 2 - Thursday PM Time: 4 PM - 7 PM Moon Phase: Full minus five days; waxing gibbous moon Tide: High tide at 8:21 PM Conditions: Increasing fog after some brief sunshine, southerly wind about 10 mph; 60 - 70 degrees. Still no electronics. Bait took a little longer to find in the same area as the morning, but after picking off a half dozen singles, a loaded string by Basket Island gave us enough to start fishing before 5 PM. We hit the rocky shoreline of SW Sturdivant Island, and it definitely paid off. As the fog steadily increased in density, we landed a couple bass between 25 and just under 28 inches. Dr. C then hooked and landed amybaby22's largest yet striper, a 38-inch beauty. She swam away healthy! We ended the evening by chunking from a spot-locked boat. The chum and chunks flowed into a boulder field, and I was fortunate to land a small bass and miss another, much larger bass. It was nice to try a new (for 2023 and as modified by the availability of spot-lock) technique and succeed! Session 3 - Friday Time: 10 AM - 3 PM Moon Phase: Full minus four days; waxing gibbous moon Tide: High tide at 9:01 AM; falling tide throughout Conditions: Fog with a southerly wind about 10 mph or less; 65 degrees. Still no electronics! With the dense fog and no electronics to keep us safe, we stayed slow and close. We left the anchorage, picked up Clapboard and turned to the east. We set up our mackerel session off the northeast corner of Clapboard. It took no time at all to pick up a pair of singles on the trolled sabiki. We continued with a steady pick of baits and then flourished with a couple of drops that loaded the entire string. After 15 minutes of effort, we had two dozen prime baits in the well. The fishing only got better from there; starting off Clapboard's SE point, I got eaten almost immediately and landed a fat 26. By the time we were done at the NE corner, we'd landed seven to just under 28 inches and had missed a few, too. From here we moved to Clapboard's west end, where the pick continued. A couple of barely-there keepers joined a few other mid-20's fish. Meanwhile, I snagged a few bunker and added them to the well. When bait ran low, I switched to free-lining these, which attracted quite a lot of attention; when it became obvious that the bass were having a hard time eating these larger baits, we used them as decoys while we spot-locked and chunked. I scored two more bass (missing a third) to 26 inches and bringing the day's total landed bass to 15. Although we had no encounters with truly big fish (yes, I am currently spoiled), it had certainly been quite the day! Session 4 - Saturday Time: 9 AM - 1 PM Moon Phase: Full minus three days; waxing gibbous moon Tide: High tide at about 10 AM Conditions: Fog with a mild southerly wind about 10 mph or less; fog burning off by 11:30 or so; 65- 72 degrees. Still no electronics! With 20 macks in the well in the first half hour, we went to Sturdivant's SW corner to start our quest. We started fast with a 28-incher, and added two more including a 29 before moving to Clapboard's east end. We were hampered by weeds here, but Dr. C scored a 32-incher before we headed to the island's western end for our last stop of the trip. By now, skies were clearing, boat traffic had increased, and the bite was clearly "off" from the previous two days. Still, we doubled our day's catch with bass to 29 inches. We could have and maybe should have ended our trip when we landed a simultaneous double averaging 28 inches; but stubbornly refused to quit while we still had a couple of lively baits remaining. One of these got eaten on a miss, but mine was a rarity; it was released to swim again. We were hot, tired, and due elsewhere; with 33 stripers under our belts for the quick trip, we were more than satisfied with the fishing and glad to have gotten together! What do I have to say about this? Between the lack of incoming information from my sonar/chartplotter, the muted visual cues through the fog, and the constant chatter with Dr. C, I've a much vaguer memory of these trips than I am used to. Despite my recollection being fuzzy, I am confident in declaring this to have been a fine few days of fishing. The fog and lack of electronics limited our radius, but we stayed safe and found plenty of fish. While we relied upon fresh mackerel to entice our bass, it was fun to deploy a few pogies and successfully spot-lock and chunk. Oh yeah, we maintained our decades-long friendship and shared plenty of laughs. We have plenty of shared experiences to remember while looking ahead to future adventures. P.S. I am currently hanging my hopes on a corroded power cable as the cause of my electronics woes. I've trouble-shot and replaced everything else between the battery and the unit, and I'm buoyed by a single statement on the internet saying that any corrosion (I have a little) at the head-connector-end of the cable could indicate internal corrosion and failure. Replacing the cable should hurt less than replacing the unit! Time will tell... P.P.S. Okay, I overlooked the connecting cradle between the power cord and the unit. When I hooked up the new power cord and tried to turn on the unit, I immediately blew another fuse. I replaced the fuse, verified power at cord's end, and connected to the cradle again. I can't find any power from the unit side of the cradle, and I don't see the use of blowing another fuse... so I will wait until business hours on Monday to contact Garmin Support. At least there's still a chance that the unit itself is undamaged... Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 25, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - out of Falmouth, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 1 PM Moon Phase: Waxing crescent Tide: Low at 10:50 AM Conditions: A little fog but then clear and bright with light, southerly winds; 70 - 80 degrees. Water temperatures 63 - 66 degrees (+/-). Summer seems to have arrived with the first warm, muggy nights. Because of the morning's fog, I was in no rush and gassed the boat before pushing off at 8:30 AM. I went directly to the deeper water off Clapboard's east end, and found some mackerel almost immediately. I had nine in the livewell before 9 AM. Because fog still lingered further out, I chose to start at Clapboard's east end. Pretty quickly I scored two stripers (26 and 24 inches, respectively) on the live macks. These fish were found in a reliable spot about 15 feet deep just off the edge of the island's rocky shoreline. Each fish ate confidently with no-doubt takes. A third bait got harassed along Clapboard's northeast shoreline. Without another bite, I ran across to my favorite Sturdivant Island stretch. Bass No. 3 came in at 27 inches; I believe that this was my 100th Striper Landed of 2023. Shortly thereafter, my hook pulled from potential bass No. 4, which seemed like a strong, heavy fish. Both of these fish ate in about 12 feet of water as the ebb tide entered its final hour. With a few good baits remaining in the livewell and calm seas in all directions, I decided to run to a new-to-me spot. The north/east end of Chebeague Island has a nice boulder field extending from its tip. I wanted to check it out, and I arrived just before predicted low tide. Another boat raced in from another direction and spot-locked right against shore; that left the entire submerged point for me to explore. While I noted that boat presenting macks under floats right along shore, I drifted and slow-trolled ten-to-twenty feet of water. I marked fish consistently, and even though I saw the other boat land a few quick fish, I was quite confident that I would have my chances, too. I missed my first chance in 18 feet of water, but quickly flipped another bait behind the boat. This was immediately eaten off the surface, and I was tight to a good fish! I backed down to get around a lobster pot (successfully), and we proceeded to wear each other out. Eventually I got the net under her, and she taped out over 36 inches. With her girth, I'll nominate her as my largest fish of the last couple or even few years. I hung in this area for another half hour or so before expanding my radius along the northern shoreline of the point. I picked up another nice fish (31 inches) in about 14 feet of water, here. I was now 5-for-8 on my macks as I deployed my last and largest bait. Unfortunately, this one got plucked from the surface by a gull, and so I decided to go try something else. I explored the channel between Cousins and Littlejohn Islands. I worked my way into less than two feet of water while casting a quickly retrieved, small swim-bait. I saw and contacted nothing. It was still early, but I chose to end the session. I was hot and hungry with a full week ahead. I decided to relax for the rest of the weekend. What do I have to say about this? New water and big fish; I'm happy with that! I think this water also offers a good opportunity for tube-and-worm, too, based on the bottom-oriented fish I saw on my graph. Once again, a big fish has revealed itself at slack tide. The mackerel are reasonably dependable and I am finding bass on all my rocky island shorelines. I was overheated by 8:15 AM; summer seems to have settled in. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 22, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: New friend CG Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:30 PM - 8 PM Moon Phase: Waxing crescent Tide: High at about 3 PM, Low at about 9 PM; falling tide throughout Conditions: Clear and bright with consistent southerly wind over 10 mph; about 70 degrees. Water temperature 60 degrees (+/-). We met two years ago, have some common interests, enjoy each other's company, and finally arranged our schedules to accommodate a quick post-work trip. It was windier than I like or expected, but I thought the sea breeze would diminish as the evening progressed. Other than that, it was as comfortable and beautiful evening as we've had this season. Bald eagle overhead, our first stop was to check for mackerel off the eastern end of Clapboard Island. They were there, in 60 feet of water, but not less. CG enjoyed harvesting a dozen or so in a few drifts over the productive water, and then we positioned ourselves along the rocks of Clapboard to look for our first striper. CG had spent a lot of his youth on Chebeague Island, but he'd never live-lined mackerel before! I tried to provide the basics of the technique as I handed him a bait-runner combo with a lightly hooked mackerel. He tended then line while I controlled the boat along the rocks. Over a high-confidence spot, his bait got popped! Unfortunately, the bass plucked his bait away and we missed out on that fish. We spent the net hour or so along Clapboard, expecting some more action; but it never materialized. We crossed over to Sturdivant, but my favorite area was too exposed to the southern wind, and so when our first pass went fishless, we circled to Sturdivant's lee. For whatever reason, I've never fished here before. Drawn in by some shallow flats strewn with boulders, or perhaps a pair of Sirens on a dock, we each deployed our baits in this relaxing water. CG's bait was excited, but it was mine that got taken with a nice surface strike. I landed the smallish bass to avoid the skunk, and we both expected some more action. Once again, it just didn't happen. At 8 PM, with the sun sliding below the treeline, we motored back to the landing. The catching hadn't been so hot, but the fishing had been great. What do I have to say about this? CG is a great guy and is always an uplifting pleasure to be around. He is a nice part of an important aspect of my life, and I look forward to sharing more time with him on the water. The fishing (and even the catching) were secondary to simply executing our first fishing session together. We're both ready for the next opportunity! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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