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Date: August 21, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon; New Moon minus six days Boat: amybaby22 With: A Target: Striped Bass Time: 7:15 AM - 12:15 PM Conditions: High tide at 7:35 AM; falling tide throughout the session. Clear; inconsequential wind and 65 - 75 degrees. Water was green; water temperatures 61 - 65 degrees (+/-). We headed directly to Hussey Sound in search of bait. Perhaps a seal tipped us off, or perhaps we were lucky, but we set up directly over a school of macks in the deep water up-current of the ledge extending from College Island. Despite the lack of flow, we soon had 15 or more live baits in the well. This was the quickest and easiest bait session of the season, and a welcomed development. By 8 AM, I was deploying the first live bait of the day. I chose to do so north of College Island. I picked up the deep grass edge near the island's eastern extent, moving slowly with the current. It wasn't long before the frisky mackerel was taken, hard. I hooked up, and this fish fought with determination, and deep. Unfortunately, my leader chafed through under considerable pressure. Our auspicious start was dampened, but there wasn't much to do except cut back the leader, tie on a new hook, and try again. I repositioned the boat, re-baited and went through the same water. I'd come across the saddle and into deeper water to the south when a bass violently took my mackerel from the surface. This fish felt smaller, but still came in at a respectable 27 inches. Things were looking better! When the next pass went untouched, we decided to relocate. I hoped to go to Cow Island, but a boat occupied my prime spot, and so I deflected course to nearby Crow Island. I was okay with this because I like the deep water and current seams that surround Crow. The only negative here can be boat traffic, but we were still early enough in the morning that I wasn't too concerned about that. Our first pass was along Crow's south and west shores. My mackerel went untouched until we got to the north shore. Here, it was attacked repeatedly before a fish finally executed an eat-and-run. The bait pulled when I came tight, but I immediately returned to free-spool, and I was lucky to get slammed! This fish turned with confidence, and I was soon tight to a big fish. After a long fight over deep water, A finally slid the net under a rotund 36-incher. This fish had come from the same area/spot as last week's 32- and 34-inchers. This is a spot worth remembering. It offers everything a bass could want; a rocky point, a shallow feeding shelf, easy access to deep water and current. I shall return! With a change in current conditions, I relocated to the south in order to work the eastern shoreline. This too offers multiple rock points and nooks and crannies. We were fortunate to find a bunch of active bass tucked into an inside turn and the adjacent depths. Our return to the juicy spot along the north shore had been delayed, but for good reason. We landed several bass to 29 inches, missed a couple, and even A scored a 24. When we finally got to the juicy spot, above, it did not disappoint. My large mackerel was easily and violently engulfed by a bass, right from the surface. This fish fought long and deep, too, and A did a nice job of netting my second "lunker" of the day; at 34 inches, I am willing to say this is the largest "secondary big striper" aboard amybaby22. This good spot had just gotten better. We finally relocated to my favorite stretch of Cow Island shoreline. The tide was in the lower half of ebb, and this is a "high-tide" spot for me. My first pass went untouched, but I marked a few fish on my second pass. One of these rose on cue and plucked my large bait from the hook, right off the surface and with barely a dimple. I explored Cow Island Ledge on our way home. What better way to explore than with a lively mackerel in tow? I didn't raise anything, but this mid-bay structure offered the topography, rocks and current that I look for. I'll continue to return after all these years of driving around this feature. Even Clapboard's south/western extends and associated reef did not produce an action or opportunity. By 1 PM we were back at the dock, and I enjoyed my first salt-water swim of 2022. It had been good day! What do I have to say about this? I'd taken the previous day off from fishing, simply to recover from the week. That had been the right call; an extra dose of sleep and some attention to other matters put me in the right frame of mind for this day's efforts. Conditions were perfect for A, and we kept plenty busy during the entire morning. Water temperatures have moderated, and bait seems to be collecting in the expected areas. There appear to be plenty of bass around the rocky ledges, and with multiple encounters with keeper-plus bass each trip... the rest of the season looks pretty solid! I'll have to spend some more time around Cow Island Ledge, as this rocky and current-swept area in the middle of Casco Bay looks intriguing. Even if I've motored past it repeatedly for years. Note to self; Cow Island produces on the dropping tide! Bluefish have reportedly arrived in the area. I recently got a whiff of a single, small blue in the Kennebeck River and a gator (this day) at Portland Head Light. A did a good job with the camera for the day, and I was able to submit my 99-inch limit (29, 34 and 36 inches) to The Striper Cup. This is a Personal Best weekly total for me, and the pictures were solid, too. Maybe this is my week to win?!? Thanks for joining me, A! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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