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Date: June 11, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth and Cumberland, Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: new fishing friend PP Target: Striped Bass Time: 5 AM - 1:30 PM Moon Phase: Third Quarter/Waning crescent moon Tide: High at about 5:35 AM, Low at about Noon Conditions: Clear and bright with light winds; 50 - 75 degrees. Water temperatures 54 - 63 degrees (+/-) depending upon tide and location. We met at the designated spot before 4:30, and we were in the boat and on our way by 5. Despite the previous day's successful scouting, I still had some trepidation about the trip based on tide and low bait availability. I chose to visit Prince Point for the first time and got PP oriented to the structure. This has been a reliable location for high tide fish, although I warned P that it was never a "numbers" spot. He chose a walking dog top-water (I'd finally tied on a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow for the season) and I selected the small, white Yum fluke-style bait as a complement. We both thought we noticed some nervous water, and hopes were high for the day! A little after a smokey red sunrise, having already fished Prince's promising high spot, I was thinking about relocating but chose to stay and fish the slot between the high spot and shoreline rocks; there was definitely a little current flowing through. We peppered the area, and suddenly two nice fish appeared behind my struggling lure. The line moved to the side, the rod loaded, and the drag slipped. This was a good fish in shallow water on light tackle! I'd rather P had hooked it, but I was happy enough with this start to the day! The fish evaded the net several times, but patience and pressure won the battle. Soon enough, P scooped her up and we quickly celebrated our good fortune. To cut to the chase, that was pretty much it for the day! We didn't land another bass, despite our efforts and a couple of opportunities. The change to clear skies had really adjusted the fish activity, and negatively so. Our next stop was a timed arrival at the mouth of the Presumpscot River at the Route 1 bridge, just as the outgoing tide began. A and I had witnessed a couple of bird/bass blitzes at high tide in the area over the last couple of weeks. We were first to arrive on the scene other than a single seal. Over the next half hour, at least a half dozen other boats arrived, with a couple continuing to run up the estuary as far as visible. This area (especially the Presumpscot channel itself) was chock full of unidentified bait. Top-waters, swim-baits, tube-and-worm and Sabiki rigs were universally ignored, and the other boats didn't seem to find anything either. Next, we made the longish run to the channel along Basket Island to look for mackerel. We put in our time, and found none. Sneaking behind Basket, we tossed lures and flies along the kelp and rocks. This looked good, but we moved nothing. A current seam through some island rocks and an adjacent submerged ledge reminded me of College Island, and so we ran out to Hussey Sound. Riding the out-going tide, we found only a single mackerel. This was put to long use as we rode through the channel I was thinking about on College's east end, as well as slow-trolled around College Island and the adjacent Long Island shoreline. This mackerel went untouched and so went back into the well. Hoping conditions had changed around Basket, we tried an expanding area for bait; only to find another single mackerel. Well, now we had two in the well and we were headed to Broad Cove about 45 minutes before predicted low tide. We deployed the smaller and fresher bait in the deeper water of the channel about half-way up the gut, and this bait was crunched (killed) and dropped. That was okay after six or more hours without a legitimate bass contact. We deployed our last, tired mackerel and moved very slowly up the remaining gut. I controlled the boat while P casted streamers along the edge and over the deeper water. The mack went untouched, but P enjoyed a chase and follow and had brief contact with a second, small bass nearby. We were close... but we ran out of real estate, and our return pass produced nothing. Our last Hail Mary attempt with the remaining mack at Sturdivant fell, incomplete. We returned to the dock with only the memory of the 5:15 AM striper, and two freshly dead mack for P to use as possible chink bait the next morning. What do I have tp say about this? What a difference a day makes! While I am disappointed that P didn't enjoy a more productive day, we still enjoyed ourselves mightily. Plus, we did land one really nice bass, and there's always the next trip to look forward to! We worked hard and fished well together; I am not surprised. We'll do it again! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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