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Date: May 27, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: New Moon minus three days; waning crescent moon Boat: None - fishing from Landing float With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:20 AM - 6:20 AM Conditions: Low tide at 3:49 AM; Quadrant III flood tide throughout the session. Generally clear; SSW wind about 10 mph and 55 - 60 degrees. Water was clear but green; water temperatures 56 My Excel spreadsheet indicated good potential for the morning's tide, and I've been thinking about a restorative, pre-work session for a few months. If I can get up before 4 AM to catch a train for work, I can certainly do so to enjoy some bonus fishing, too! I arrived at the Landing's float just after dead low tide with a simple assortment of tackle and some lively blood-worms. I chose to use just a single rod, as it was still too dark to see anything. I'd have to feel for bites, which are sometimes surprisingly light and subtle. I was a little surprised (???) when my first drift went untouched, but I felt a slight "tick" through my line half-way through the second. I wound down, got tight, and the fight was on. Soon enough, my first shore-based striper of 2022 came to hand. It was only 17 or 18 inches, but spunky! I landed fish on three of my next four drifts, too, including a pair of 22-inchers. This was a good session already! The action did slow down to a steady pick thereafter, and dwindled to a stop by 5:45 AM (low tide plus two hours). I ended with seven stripers to 23 inches. Each encounter was a bonus on this weekday! I missed several unknown fish, too. These bites were typically super-slow-motion pull-downs. I would feel the slightest weight before the hook would come loose. I don't know if these were unseen herring or perhaps mackerel; I didn't see anything in abundance or recognizable. What do I have to say about this? My prediction for the tide was pretty much spot-on. Affirmation! I enjoyed using a new rod-reel combination. The Shimano 4000D Bait-runner pairs nicely with the Tsunami Slimwave Slow-Pitch Jigging rod. This combo is light but very powerful and looks to be suited for bait fishing (including live mackerel). But I can certainly see myself pairing this rod with another (finer) reel and tossing lures to bass, blues, or albies. Regardless, it has a nice soft tip, a powerful butt section, is light, and is a joy to fight fish with. What I really enjoyed this morning was the sound of the Downeaster Train 680 tooting its horn as it proceeded to Portland and beyond. I enjoyed knowing I was on fish, instead of commuting! But what about that "Keepah"? I returned to the float for a quick, opportunistic session after dinner. Fishing between about 5:45 and 6:45 PM, I caught the last hour of Quad III. The water seemed higher than expected, perhaps because of the continued persistent SW wind blowing at over 15 mph. My float plunged on the first drift in the choppy water. When I came tight, I knew this was a better fish. When it quickly ran beyond the first row of moorings I wondered how much better it might be. Fortunately, I was able to turn this fish and when I caught the first glimpse, I was surprised it wasn't bigger. It was simply a 29-incher in prime condition. This was certainly my earliest "keepah" (striper over 28 inches) in my Maine experience. The season is off to a good start! After a lull, I switched up to swimming a small, white, Keitech-style swim-bait. A spunky 21-incher nailed this. I hate to say it, but it's been a long time since I've caught a fish on a casted lure! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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