Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Maine Striper Fishing 2009 reports

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Maine Shallow Water Striped Bass fishing Feature.April 2009

Check out the April 2009 Saltwater Sportsman- Inshore Issue, There is a featured article on Maine Striper Fishing on the flats of lower-western Casco Bay
Pages 34-39

Fish for stripers the unconventional way — on the flats of Casco Bay.
April 14, 2009
By John Frazier (More of the article at (saltwatersportsman.com)

Stealth
As any flats-fishing junkie knows, a stealthy boat is a successful boat. Striper fishing in Maine is no different, and that goes for everything from poling to presentation. The water temperature averages about 60 to 65 degrees, which is perfect to keep fish happy and active. When we encountered the big fish on the sand, Wallace instructed me to put a sock in it — I was so excited to see those big fish in only a foot of water, I was rambling like a child. Such skinny water also means you need to pay special attention to your baits. When fly-fishing, long leaders (up to 12 feet) are in order, as are unweighted flies. Spinning tackle calls for the same — light leaders with either live crabs or soft-plastic jerk baits to minimize the splashdown and increase your odds. When you make your presentation, try to lead fish as much as possible, and make your cast in front of and beyond the fish. When you think you are leading the fish too far, lead it a couple more feet. The fish are less likely to spook if the drift of your offering has a more natural appearance and time to get down to the fish's eye level.

I'll Be Back
I'll never forget the first time I ever threw a fly at a tarpon — my knees were wobbling something fierce. That was a long time ago, and I never thought I'd be able to recreate that sensation until I found myself on the deck with four 30-pound-plus stripers lazily cruising by in 2 feet of water. Just like that first tarpon, these fish didn't eat, either. But they left me with a void that I'll need to fill. And the only way to do that is to return to the shallow flats of Casco Bay, Maine.



SWS PLANNER


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WHAT: While stripers are the main draw, fishing for laid-up bluefish is another scenario anglers might witness on the flats of Casco Bay. Throwing poppers to these voracious feeders when they are stationary is a blast and quite different from fishing for them when they are schooling.

WHERE: Although there are several airports that are in close proximity to Casco Bay, the most convenient is Portland. Rent a car at the airport and head north to Freeport, which is a great spot for couples. Bed-and-breakfast type inns are aplenty and are well suited for anglers and shoppers alike.

Applewood Inn
207.865.9705
www.applewoodusa.com

Chebeague Island Inn
207.846.5155
www.chebeagueislandinn.com


Coastal Fly Angler
Capt. Eric Wallace
207.671.4330
www.coastalflyangler.com



Don't forget to Save the Date June 4 for Fly Fishing Film Fest in Portland.This is the perfect way to start off the Maine Striper Fishing Season. Some Great raffle Items are coming in, from High end rods to Guide trips and endless swag!!
Posted by fish and ski at 6:34 AM

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Flats fishing report for Striped Bass: Capt Eric Wallace


From Maine to Cape Cod Bay there are both big flats and small shoreline pockets that offer good skinny water fishing, and big tides that average 8 to 10 feet. The coast from Chatham, Massachusetts to Long Island, New York offers the same type of water but smaller tides, only 2 to 4 feet or so. Only Long Island has tide ranges up to 7 feet.

The bigger the tides the faster fishing conditions will change. In locations with a 2-foot tide a flat might be fishable for the entire day; a flat with a 10-foot tide will be most stable around low tide, sometimes for several hours. Once the strong flow begins be prepared to move with the flow so as not to get trapped by the rising water when wading.

An early incoming tide will be the most productive in many locations. Stripers feel more at ease and as the flats cover there is food like dead sand eels, clams and crabs that are easy targets for stripers. This is especially true where tides are biggest. However, a falling tide in places that trap baitfish along edges and inside basins and drainage gullies can be excellent, too. Small creekmouths attract fish on a falling tide and they move upstream into the creek in search of food as the tide rises. Some small creeks are crystal clear and will remind the trout angler of Western spring creeks. Generally, big-tides mean a short fishing window.

Sand eels are the best baitfish for northern flats because they burrow and remain in the sand on dry flats through low tide. As water returns, some baitfish die and lay on the bottom. A flat where you see dead sand eels at low tide could be a hotspot, so stick around. Crabs are numerous on all flats and both crabs and shrimp are abundant inside creeks and estuaries. I do very well with a sparse, white Deceiver, and an epoxy sand eel fly made with purple Fluorofibre over cream Fluorofibre with some flash. Tie these flies 3 to 5 inches long. The lady crab, or calico, is a very important food source in the shallows; a reddish Del Brown Crab Fly is a good match for these. Any light tan bonefish fly 1 1/2 to 2 inches long will match both the common shore and sand shrimp that live on the flats inside most estuaries. And lightly weighted 3- to 4-inch Clouser Minnows in tan-and-white or olive-and-white are also very popular.

Top times for sight fishing are from mid May through early July. Then you can depend on good sunlight and the lower water temperature brings hungry fish onto the flats and into the creeks to feed. Some of the colder water locations from northern Massachusetts to Maine can have good sight fishing into August. In September and early October big flats might hold fish at times but the light is not as good as in summer. The key to good daytime fishing is cool water and abundant food sources.

In the spring there are places when you can sight cast and catch large numbers of smaller stripers, but the real fun begins when casting to big stripers. You will earn each fish, and you will remember each one long after the memory of a 20-fish day has faded.













Copyright Coastal Fly Angler Maine Saltwater Fly fishing Guides and Reports With Capt Eric Wallace.