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Date: July 30, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent Moon; New Moon plus two days Boat: Shore fishing at first and then amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:45 AM - 11:45 AM Conditions: Low tide at 7:15 AM. Cloudy at first but then dry and clear; about 65 - 85 degrees. Water was green; water temperatures 65 degrees (+/-) at float; 70 degrees in Broad Cove; and about 60 degrees in Hussey Sound. The tide appeared favorable for a short session from the float while I awaited navigational light. I'd be solidly within Quadrant III. Overcast conditions helped my confidence, too. I simply floated blood-worms beneath a float. I connected on my first hit a little before 5 AM, and it was a beautiful 29-incher. The mild stench of the previous evening was washed away. As I slid into Quadrant III's prime time, I was mildly surprised by how slow and "dead" things were. I started thinking about the boat and slowly prepared to switch tactics. But I left a bait working in the water during all the prep, and sure enough, at about 5:40 AM, my float slid under for the second time of the morning. After another nice fight, I landed and photographed another beautiful striper at 27 inches. With my Striper Cup limit of three stripers for the week now photographed and secured, the rest of the day was about exploration and coping with the lack of mackerel. In fact, my first stop was predicated on the absence of macks; I went to Broad Cove to look for pogies. Water temps here were 70, and no pogies were visible and my tube-and-worm went untouched. With slack low behind me, I relocated my search for bass or bait to Sturdivant Island. Here, I threw swim-baits, a popper and an Albie Snax over my favorite haunts without raising a single fish. With the flood tide starting and high skies, I shipped off to Hussey Sound. Here, at least, water temperatures were more favorable for macks and bass at about 60 degrees. I managed only a single mackerel off the end of College Island. I decided to swim this bait in some new water, so I went to Ferry Point on Long Island, near where it meets with Onset Island. I liked the rocky structure and deep water, and the incoming tide was pushing against these structural elements. It looked bassy to me. A bass revealed a new-to-me location, but after some harassment and a few missed pops, it disappeared. I followed through with the same lures to no avail. Fortunately, my bait was still alive, and so after casting the College Island saddle (there was a nice rip forming) with no luck, I relocated to the tip of the reef between College Island and Ferry Point. Here, an eddy current was forming a noticeable rip flowing in the opposite direction. It sure looked fishy to me, and while not totally "new" water, it deserved more of my attention. My first drift with the worn mackerel was quickly and confidently thunked and I was hooked up at about 10 AM! Just then, A called, and so I FaceTimed the battle, which concluded with the landing of a bright 25-incher. Any day with multiple stripers, the smallest of which is 25 inches, is pretty decent. I was able to score just another, single mackerel off College, and I transported this snack to Cow Island. Nothing happened there, and so I visited nearby Crow. I nearly circumnavigated this small island, and the bait got hit at least five times. Each of the first four events ended with the chasing bass losing interest without committing to eating. The final included three solid pick-ups, each resulting in a pulled bait. When I retrieved it, the circle hook was turned and deeply impaled in the now-dead bait. With each active location duly noted, I knew I would be returning here, hopefully with a fuller live well. The current, steep edges and deep water havens here should make this a solid producer in the future. It was now brutally hot, bright and clear. The wind was picking up, and I called it a day. What do I have to say about this? The bite is slow, but the fish are worthwhile. My notes indicate consecutive skunks at the end of July last year, so that's not too surprising, and the word is that fin-fish bait is scarce everywhere, inshore, so I am not alone in my struggles. I think I'll be smart and take a Bus Man's Holiday next trip, change things up and focus on high-tide fly fishing along obvious edges with small baits, just to see what happens. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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