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Date: August 7, 2021 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: New Moon minus one day; waning crescent moon Tides: Low Tide at 5:10 AM; High Tide at 11:23 AM Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone, but joined by A near end Target: Striped Bass Time: 7:45 AM - 2 PM Conditions: Hazy and about 75 - 80 degrees F; light winds but southerly swell; water temperatures 58 - 60 in Hussey and beyond, but up to 67 inshore The tide was coming in, and I ran straight to Hussey Sound and made short work of making bait. A couple dozen mackerel and a pollock were in the well by 8:30. Moving water near College Island was the ticket, and they came in bunches instead of singles. Trolling would locate the first, but jigging would take advantage of their presence. It was probably the easiest bait-making effort of the season, and it reminded me of years (decades?) past. I had high hopes of taking advantage of the full well. My first stop was the southern face of Cow Island. I thought to try my new spot (Waypoint 170 and vicinity) at a different tide stage. It was almost automatic; I saw a pile of fish in 24 feet of water, and within seconds my short-lined mackerel was eaten. A beautiful 26-inch striper came aboard; and it was still before 9 AM! This area produced three more fish and another run in the next 45 minutes. The stripers ranged from 25 to 27 inches. Interestingly, one came from over 60 feet of water. I expanded my range with each pass, but Waypoint 170 seems to be The Spot. And then the day unravelled. I left these fish to find more. Despite promising marks, nothing bit at Crow Island. I lost a half hour to a phone call. Vaill was being pounded by a sizable ocean swell. There was lots of whitewash, but I was fearful of getting too close, and my baits went untouched. I ran in to pick up A, and when we positioned ourselves at Clapboard, I found out my live well pump was "dead", as were all my baits. A and I resorted to chunking, but the wind was at odds with current and I never found my groove. There were many promising marks, and we were pulling stripers up and off the bottom. A briefly connected on a chunk under a float, but that fish came off. I never got touched. We tried one more location, but I wasn't enjoying myself anymore, and it showed. We motored in, prematurely, a really good day soured with a bit of bad aftertaste. What do I have to say about this? It's really difficult to sustain a good thing and put a full day together! The live well was an unfortunately-timed temporary setback (all functionality has been restored and reinforced), but I should have handled this with more grace. I will repeat, though, this has been a bitch of a week! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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