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Date: June 30 through July 6, 2018 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: None, shore fishing from our dock/float With: Generally alone, but sometimes joined by friend or family Target: Striped Bass Time: Various, but generally dawn and dusk, with a couple of other sessions during favorable mid-day tides or conditions Conditions: Various, but generally hot! Short periods of rain and wind helped fishing success. Water temps ranged from about 66 to over 76 degrees F. Mackerel were completely absent, but large, adult pogies made repeated appearances. I arrived at The Tackle Shop (now in Falmouth, Maine!) to get an initial supply of bait; the new shop looked nice, and I left with some frozen mackerel and a couple of dozen "saucy" sand worms to get things started. Now, for these reports, please consider an approximated 12-hour Tide Clock, with each High Tide at 12 o'clock, and each Low Tide at 6 o'clock. This will divide each complete cycle into four quadrants, with mid-tides at 3 and 9 o'clock. Let's call Quadrant I the period from High Tide to mid-ebbing tide; Quadrant II from mid-ebbing tide to Low Tide; Quadrant III as predicted Low-Tide to mid-flooding tide; and Quadrant IV from mid-flood to predicted High Tide. From past experience, I know that the best fishing at my spot on the landing is during the lower portions of the tide, i.e., in Quadrants II and III, with the very best action usually occurring about 1.5 hours before or after the predicted Low Tide. Quadrant IV is better than Quadrant I; but a worthwhile fish can happen at any time or tide, especially if bait (usually in the form of mackerel) is available for the fish. Here is a link to a pretty comprehensive site for Portland, Maine tidal information. *** Saturday, 6/30/18 Noon - 8 PM High Tide at about 1:30 PM; Low Tide at 7:30 PM; All four quadrants, but predominantly Quadrants I and II Water Temperature = 68 degrees F 11 for 13 This was my longest session on the float, ever, and conditions ran the gamut. From clear, bright and calm to overcast and windy, I patiently presented bait (mackerel head on bottom or a sand worm suspended under a slip float) while I threw a small kastmaster spoon for mackerel or a sand eel swim-bait for bass. I didn't have high expectations at first, with the bright conditions and higher tide, but I knew I would be settling into prime conditions as the evening advanced. My first chance at a 2018 striper came at about 12:30 PM, when a nice fish picked up the head and went for a run. I fought this fish most of the way back to my floating platform, but when I put some serious pressure on it to keep it away from the pier, the hook pulled. Or so I thought; closer examination of the bait showed that the circle hook had buried into the mackerel head, and I'd never really hooked that bass. Stuff like that happens, and while I hadn't caught the fish, I'd enjoyed the tussle, and I'd demonstrated to myself that bass were present! My next chance came around 3 PM, when it was bobber down and fish on! It was just a little, 16-incher, but I'd caught my first striper of the year and of the trip! ![]() I caught a slightly larger companion fish at about this time, and then things slowed down again. The bite picked up steady after 5:45 PM (about Low Tide - 1.5 hours) though, and I ended the session, tired but satisfied with my good start, at a robust 11 stripers landed for 13 chances. All but the very first bite had taken place on worms. The fish were on the small side, generally 16 - 18.5 inches, but also included a 19+ incher and a 24. I was off to an excellent start! Sunday, 7/1/18 4:30 - 7:15 AM Low Tide at 8:02 AM; Quadrant II Water Temperature = 65 degrees F 9 for 9 Rain started the second I hit the float and continued throughout the session. My first bite was at 5:15 AM, and the action really started at about 6 AM. All bites in the gray stillness were on worms beneath slip floats. The fish were between 16 and 20 inches, which proved typical for the trip. Other than peanut bunker, there were no bait sightings; no mackerel were evident, at all! Sunday, 7/1/18 5:30 - 8 PM Low Tide at 8:06 PM; Quadrant II Water Temperature = 71 degrees F 2 for 2 It's tough to put together productive, consecutive tides, and the clear, still and slick conditions were at odds with the favorable tide. The bass were between 16 and 20 inches, and once again, both came on worms. *** Monday, 7/2/18 5 - 8 AM Low Tide at 8:39 AM; predominantly Quadrant II Water Temperature = 68 degrees F 5 for 5 Cloudy and calm conditions produced a nice morning's catch. All bites were on sand worms; most were 16-20 inches, but the first "legal" fish of the trip hit the deck. At a hair over 28 inches, this fish (the first of the day at 5:45 AM) was harvested for a gyotaku project. The other fish came in a flurry centered around 7 AM (Low Tide - 1.5 hours.) Monday, 7/2/18 6:15 - 8:45 PM Low Tide at 8:46 PM; Quadrant II Water Temperature = 72 degrees F 1 for 4 Clear bright conditions and a persistent southerly wind resulted in increasing water temperatures. Action was a bit slow, and I missed three consecutive bites. The lone fish caught was about 18 inches at 7 PM; and the mackerel head got picked up once again. The three consecutive misses were clustered around 8:15 PM, i.e., Low Tide - 0.5 hours. Tuesday, 7/3/18 4:45 - 8:00 AM Low Tide at 9:16 AM; Quadrants I and II Water Temperature = 70 degrees F 0 for 0 These things happen; I got skunked. Early fog helped my cause, but skies cleared to a fierce, bright sun. Adult pogies abounded, with multiple schools visible at a a time. These were big baits, though, and I didn't see any of them get harassed by predators at any time. Tuesday, 7/3/18 6:30 - 8:30 PM Low Tide at 9:28 PM; Quadrant II Water Temperature = 72 degrees F 3 for 3 All bites were on the worm and float between 7:30 and 8 PM. Two were typical 18-inchers, but the last was a fine 26-incher. Wednesday, 7/4/18 7:45 - 9:30 AM Low Tide at 9:56 AM; Quadrant II Water Temperature = 70 degrees F, but rising to 76 in the afternoon 0 for 0 Late to bed, I chose to chase the tide instead of rising before the sun. This strategy failed, however, as the morning was clear, bright and calm. With the warm, still water, there was no action to be had at all. The holiday offered a communal, celebratory meal. That seemed more important than anything else; and so I didn't fish the evening tide. I did, however, spend some quality time with a niece, teaching her how to cast. *** Thursday, 7/5/18 4:30 - 7:30 AM High Tide at 4:23 AM; Quadrant I Water Temperature = 70 degrees F 2 for 4 My morning low tides were lost; and I switched tactics to make the most of the low-light periods still available to me. I muffed my alarm and so started about 20 minutes later than expected. I didn't have much confidence, based on tide and the slow action the previous couple of days. However, I got a bite quickly (4:45 AM) on the sand worm; and another on a long-dormant mackerel head at 5:15 AM. I missed both of these, but then converted 16- and 19-inchers on worms under floats at 5:45 and 6 AM. I received no further bites after 6 AM (High Tide plus 1.5 hours.) Pogies were very abundant, but still not harassed. Thursday, 7/5/18 6:00 - 8:30 PM High Tide at 4:59 PM; predominantly Quadrant I Water Temperature = 76 degrees F 2 for 2 Clear and bright, sunny conditions were countered by a chop from a persistent and strong southerly wind. Worms produced absolutely nothing, but mack heads on the bottom produced two nice fish, including a 26-incher at 6:45; and a 21-incher at 7:45 PM. Friday, 7/6/18 4:15 - 7:30 AM High Tide at 5:12 AM; Quadrants IV and I Water Temperature = 70 degrees F 8 for 9 All the action was on worms; I was 2 for 2 before high tide, and then a quite active 5 for 6 between 5:45 and 6:15 AM; with a final fish at 7:05. The High Tide + 0.5 - 1 hour time period was probably the most concentrated period of action for the trip. All fish were between 16 and 19 inches; pogies were visibly present, while mackerel still had made no appearance. Friday, 7/6/18 Bonus Session! 11 AM - 1:45 PM Low Tide at 11:25 AM; Quadrants II and III Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 4 for 6 Breezy, gray skies with intermittent showers, combined with a low tide presented bonus opportunity for a quality session. A solid bite presented itself immediately and continued until about 12:30 PM (Low Tide + 1 hour), at about which time the skies cleared and the breeze died. All bites were on worms under floats; the mack heads remained silent. The session featured the largest fish of the trip, a 30-incher caught at High Noon! My last bite was lost to slipped knot, the first and only tackle failure of the trip. Friday, 7/6/18 7:15 - 8:45 PM High Tide at 5:46 PM; predominantly Quadrant I Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 2 for 2 Clear with a strong northeasterly wind; the weather pattern was breaking. Both bites came on worms, at 8 PM and 8:30 PM (High Tide + 1.5 hours.) I'd have loved to catch one more; but No. 50 for the trip just didn't happen. I'd had my chances, though, and I've no complaints about the fishing this trip! What do I have to say about this? This is easy, relaxed fishing. While the stripers are by no means large, anything above 23 inches or so provides a nice test of my tackle, and they all pull to their fullest extent. Strange things continue to happen (one bass smashed my float while I retrieved my bait in preparation for the next cast. I killed the retrieve, my worm slowly sank, and my bobber plunged down. That fish was meant to be caught!), I get to see plenty of wildlife (birds, fish, sea life, etc.), the sunrises can be spectacular, and the mood of every tide is just a bit different. And, while two decades of experience here have honed my tackle and expectations, there are enough pleasant surprises to make each session worthwhile. And, I'll be honest; my pulse quickens and I am instantly on point whenever my float disappears or I hear one of the reels' clicker release some line. It's still a rush! And about Fish No. 50; this was a temporary and somewhat spontaneous goal. I adopted it simply because it was there to be had. All other substantive fishing goals had been met; first fish, legal fish for gyotaku, 30-inch fish, etc. Why not adopt another goal to keep things interesting? And what's more interesting than falling just short? It certainly added some suspense to the last couple of sessions. I probably won't be back for a year; I tried to make the best of what time I had, and at least went down fighting. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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