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Date: August 21, 2021 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Full Moon minus one day; waxing gibbous moon Tides: Low Tide at 4:43 AM; High Tide at 10:57 AM Boat: first from shore but then aboard amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:45 AM - 2:15 PM Conditions: Cloudy, still and humid at first; offshore fog; a brisk SE wind developed after 9:30 AM, bringing fog back inshore; water temperatures 68 inshore, but 59 - 62 degrees F in Hussey Sound The tide was favorable for fishing from the float; plus, the dense offshore fog would have kept me close, anyway. Since I'd scored the last two dozen blood-worms at The Tackle Shop the previous afternoon, I was okay with the situation. As expected, Quadrant III produced well for me in the dark and gloom. My first drift was eaten by a 25-incher, and I caught a few other bass between 24- and 26-inches in the first hour. By the time I pulled the plug on this phase of the day at 6:15, I'd already landed six bass and missed another decent run from a heavy fish that pulled the hook. I chose to stay close, initially, trolling a tube-and-worm from between 10 and 16 feet of water. I made two unsuccessful passes along the Falmouth shoreline, just west of our landing, before venturing further. I checked the east end of Clapboard and quickly trolled up five macs. I fished these without much good luck at Clapboard and Cow Islands. I did have one nice run just off Cow, and the baits often seemed nervous, but I was having trouble connecting! The fog was now just about gone, and I ventured further into Hussey. First, I checked the west end of College Island for mackerel, and they were there! A half hour later, my well was filled to the brim with bait. Trolling the Sabiki would find the first mackerel in the area; but then dropping down vertically would load up! These fish were in the top 25 feet of water and schooling. I set up on the north side of College. Fortunately, weeds were minimal. The wind and current were at odds, but by slow-trolling I was able to present a couple of frisky baits from close to the rocks to the deeper water a short distance away. The day's first prolonged top-water chase took place near a familiar rock edge with several surface explosions, but still, I couldn't hook up! After another quiet pass or two, and since the fog was now gone, I considered moving to Vaill, Onset or Hope Islands. But at 9:28 AM, a stiff southeasterly wind started, and it quickly brought the fog back in. I was fortunate to have stayed inside. The change in wind, humidity and light conditions got the bass biting, too. Having moved to the south side of College, I scored three very nice bass from 26 to 28 inches in the next hour. In addition, I missed a few and enjoyed several drawn-out surface chases before the bass could choke down the livie. The catching wasn't super fast, but it was turning into an entertaining morning! When this action slowed, I chose to work my way in. First stop; Cow Island's eastern point. The incoming tide was flowing the same direction as the wind, and presenting baits here was pretty easy. I raised several fish from a small "bay" between two rocky points; the wind was pounding in, here. Despite the activity and chases, I still had no firm connection with a bass. I increased my radius with each pass, but couldn't find any eaters. I rode the following seas to Clapboard Island's western point/reef/island complex. Here, I found a concentration of stripers around two familiar waypoints on the rocky edge and descending into deeper water. The bass finally started eating, too, as more top-water explosions and runs became actual connections. I landed four fish here between 24 and 26 inches. This was probably the most intense fishing of the day, certainly in daylight, at 1 PM! Having already secured a successful day, I chose to leave fish to find fish. I finished my fishing day by visiting Clapboard's western end. At first I thought I'd made the wrong call; weeds here were thick and boat control difficult. But, my first pass here coughed up a 23-or so-incher. With Hurricane/Tropical Storm Henri bearing down on New England, I chose to call it a (long) day. A and I pulled amybaby22 from the water, to hunker the storm down on (safer) land. What do I have to say about this? First, and fortunately, Henri turned out to be a local dud. He followed an unpredictable path and spared my area. Still, pulling the boats was the right call, and this also enabled me to tackle some maintenance and clean-up issues before they splash again to take on the rest of the season. Second, live-lining is not the most efficient manner for piling up numbers, but I am catching a higher caliber of bass with the mackerel. Plus, I do believe that this is the most likely way for me to encounter a large day-feeder. I miss throwing poppers and flukes (and I should probably make some follow-up casts to visible fish that miss my baits), but, at least for now, I will wait for the mackerel to leave before I convert back to my old lure-tossing ways. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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