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Date: September 7, 2023 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Maine Boat: amybaby22 With: PP Target: Striped Bass Time: 5 PM - 7:15 PM Moon Phase: Waning quarter moon Tide: High tide at 6:01 PM Conditions: Hazy sunshine, persistent but light southwesterly wind, about 75 - 85 degrees. Water temperatures have risen dramatically to 66 - 70 degrees F (+/-) with the recent hot spell. PP and I finally got together for another trip, albeit a quick, post-work outing. With the earlier sunsets of the approaching equinox, we had only a short window to make something happen. We were greeted by visible schools of mackerel working the local shoreline; were they chasing peanut bunker? We were able to put a dozen or so baits into the well by awkwardly casting our Sabiki rigs to attract the schools beneath the boat, where they were relatively easy vertical pickings. Our first stop was to the northern face of Clapboard's east end, where I'd last taken a 30-incher. Clapboard fishes well at high tide, and even coughs up the occasional big fish during high slack tide, which loomed before us. PP scored quickly with a low-to-mid 20s fish from along the rocks while I dealt with a tangle with a local pot marker. The trip was off to an excellent start, and it was great to truly and properly welcome PP aboard amybaby22! The following slack conditions did not help us at all. We bump-trolled our baits around the corner and along the historically productive east-end rocks and back without a bump. Our macks were nervous, and we saw a nice surface swirl, but we never had a chance to connect. Recalling Sunday's low-light, shoreline surface action, we returned to the Falmouth coast. I deployed a live mackerel, tended by Rodney, trailing behind the boat as we slowly worked our way back towards the landing. We both (stubbornly) threw Hogy poppers. PP had a single swirl behind the bait while I raised nothing. The mosquitoes came out in vengeance, it was getting dark, and I, for one, was hungry. We were back on shore before full darkness descended. What do I have to say about this? What a beautiful night, and what a nice guy and potential fishing partner I have found. We are both super busy and it has been difficult to schedule outings, but we are both here for the long haul, so it will certainly work out in time. Perhaps I was too focused on "yesterday's fish", but I think I made the right calls for the available time we had. It's so pleasant fishing a topwater bait in such conditions that it almost didn't matter how slow the fishing was. With multiple schools of visible macks along the shoreline, it almost felt like the good old days! I suspect I could have caught a mack from the landing if I had to; something I've barely even tried over the last few years, even though that was my bread-and-butter approach to striper fishing for about 15 years. Hooks help! While PP made hay with the macks, I barely contributed at all. Inspection of my worn-out Sabiki revealed a 50% or greater attrition rate of the hooks. Fortunately, PP reminded me where I can get a good deal on Sabiki rigs and other tackle! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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