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Date: August 13, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous Moon; Full Sturgeon Moon (plus one day) Boat: shore fishing from float and then amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:45 AM - 1 PM Conditions: Low tide at 6:35 AM. Mostly cloudy; NNE wind in excess of 10 mph but decreasing after 9 AM to calm; about and 60 - 70 degrees. Water was green and water temperatures ranged from 60 - 64 degrees (+/-). It was still dark when I finally made it to the float after a detoured journey from Yarmouth. Somebody's day was off to an early but poor start. Too bad, too, because my float got pulled down on my first drift, and I landed another worm-eating 22-incher. Not too long thereafter, and still well before sunrise, my float dunked again, and I got tight to a much better fish. This turned out to be a hard-fighting and spirited 27-incher. Even though I missed a couple of other fish, my morning was going well. By 6 AM I was in amybaby22, where I started the day's boat-fishing with a tube-and-worm pass along the Falmouth shoreline. I lost a couple of worms to missed bites, but still thought I could find better elsewhere, so I took off for Broad Cove. In my experience, Broad Cove seems to be either hot or cold, and this was another chilling encounter. I raised nothing with my tube-and-worm. An agitated, diving flock of terns got me excited, and I went into shallow water to get in on any action, but it's possible that the terns were simply harassing a flock of black ducks. My Albie Snax revealed nothing and I saw no further evidence of fish or bait when the birds wandered off. I switched to trolling the Sabiki for mackerel between Sturdivant and Basket Islands. I only got one while confirming to myself that the dearth of mackerel within my stretch of bay continued. However, I was happy enough to deploy my single bait off the eastern end of Clapboard Island. Moving to the south and with the wind, I had worked almost to the very southeast corner of the island before my bait woke up. This large mack was easily taken by a strong fish. I was surprised this fighter taped out at only 29 inches based on how hard it fought! Since it was now so calm, I decided to go to Hussey Sound in search of macks. After a bit of jockeying and hunting/pecking, I finally found a school of biting macks over the shallow ledge off College Island. After a few strings of doubles and triples, I had enough bait for the rest of the morning, although I had some concerns about how large some of these mackerel were! These were my first triples of the season, and so this was perhaps sign of better times with respect to "making bait". The northerly wind and calm seas lured me to Vaill Island. I'd not yet taken a fish from this favorite spot this year! I'd drifted most of the southern face of the island (which I really do prefer to fish at higher tidal stages) when an active surface chase developed. Finally, the mack got popped right against the face of a boulder and I was tight. I was fairly surprised to see that a 23-or-so-inch fish had taken such a large bait. I wanted bigger and so I visited Crow Island. I reasoned that the incoming tide flowing over the various rock points could produce some action. I had an immediate run in the deep water off the island's southern face, but the bait got dropped. I'd worked to the northwest portion of the island before my bait got antsy again. A solid "thunk" indicated a solid fish, and after a couple of pretty serious runs, I was able to net a beautiful 32-incher. Not bad for the middle of the day! That fish left me at 99 stripers landed for the season. It didn't take long for No. 100 to present itself in this same water. A modest, low-20s fish got commemorated as 2022's 100th Striper for me. Of course I had to try my favorite stretch of Cow Island, but I found no signs of fish here, so I decided to end my day at the western end of Clapboard Island and the adjacent rocky reef complex. It was just about slack high tide when I arrived. My first drift did not produce, but I circled back over a historically juicy waypoint, and suddenly, it was fish on! Big fish do eat at slack tide; this 34-incher is my second-largest of the season. This fish did not fight as hard as the 29 earlier in the day, but I am not complaining. Nor will I complain about the inglorious nature of No. 100, bookended so beautifully by 32 and 34-inch stripers. What do I have to say about this? This was (unexpectedly) one of the better days in the boat this season, and in certain, ways, ever (for me). Just based on the cold, hard facts; three "keeper" stripers totaling 95 inches is a record day (again, for me with my boat). But in addition, I was able to accomplish all of the day's goals. I improved my Striper Cup submittal options for the week at least four times over, and I finally got to No. 100. To get a pair of "big" fish along the way (32 and 34 inches), especially during the middle of such a pleasant day, made this truly memorable. Why do such days happen? Maybe I was just able to take advantage of the improved mackerel situation. Maybe I wasn't burned out by intense heat and sun. Maybe I was fishing "relaxed" because I'd already secured a nice Striper Cup limit of photos from shore-caught fish. Or, perhaps, I'm making some better decisions and positioning myself in more of the right spots, more frequently. It helps to execute, too, and I did take advantage of just about all of my real opportunities. Regardless, I needed such a day, and I do appreciate the opportunity to participate! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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