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Date: October 8, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous Moon; Full minus one day Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 7 AM - 12:15 PM Conditions: High tide at 10:31 AM; Cloudy but clearing; northerly wind and 45 - 55 degrees. Water temperature 55 degrees (+/-). My excellent fortune on October 1 had brought a revised and revived goal of "200 Stripers Landed" for the season within reach, and I hit the water knowing that 13 more would get me there. I didn't necessarily expect to reach it this day, but with only this weekend of fishing left in my Casco Bay boating season, I wanted to at least make a dent in that number. I went straight to Hussey Sound to look for bait. I figured a dozen or 18 would be sufficient for the time I had available for the day. I hunted and pecked for a few minutes in deep water and put a few in the live-well, but then made a short move and really found them. At the peak flood current, they were stacked thick near and over the submerged bar extending from College Island. In short order I had over two dozen and I headed over to Josiah's Cove on Peaks Island. My first bait was deployed by 8 AM, and I was hooked up by 8:05! This was just a modest 23-inch bass, and after another swing and miss from a small fish, I relocated to the stretch of rugged shoreline past Wharf Cove. By keeping the boat and bait as close to the rocks as I dared, I landed three more bass to 26 inches quickly. When this bite slowed, I returned to Josiah's and landed my fifth of the day by 9:30. It had been an active morning! But an hour from high slack, the action died and I entered a bit of a slump. The one bite I got, from inside Wharf Cove, pulled free a dozen feet from the boat. At slack high I made a change and relocated to Cow Island, which has always fished best for me at the highest tides. I made two passes down the southeast stretch and poked around the flooded adjacent cove. My mack was nervous, but nobody came to the table. I then moved to Crow, which I favor during the falling tide. I hovered in a patch of nervous water with wind and current at odds. My mackerel got smashed on top, and I was briefly tight to a good fish; but the hooks pulled again! This fish kept me in the area, though, and as I explored the eastern edge of Crow, an aggressive bass pushed my bait into the rocks and ate. I ended my day on a high note with a bright and spunky, 25-incher. I'd halved my quest, and I had a full day ahead of me the next day. I'd positioned myself well, and I'd enjoyed myself along the way. What do I have to say about this? Wow! October fishing has been fast and furious, and (other than wind from named tropical storms) the weather has been either glorious or super-fishy. I was focused and present and really enjoyed a fine day, even if the fish were "small" by 2022 standards. I enjoyed many top-water displays and chases, usually punctuated by a solid and confident take. I can't decide which is the best part; the chase, the bite, or the confirmation of connection when I tighten up? None of it gets old! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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