Friday, June 19, 2009

Maine Striper Fishing Report, June 19, 2009


June 19 Striper fishing report, Maine's Casco Bay
After a couple just outstanding trips this week, the weather is looking to go to S@#t for a few days.If this past week is an indicator, we are really in for one hell of a striper fishing season in Maine this year,it's seems like every where we go we see fish, very full happy fish not always wanting to eat the first fly you throw at them, but they are here!!!! and you can work out a few fish in each area.

Cracking the no blitz code

We had some small tides this week, witch was good and bad, first off it aloud the flats to hold enough water to fish real good right through the peak sun, for some great sight fishing on wednesday,the down side was the fish stayed up for a shorter time during the lower light surface action. Most likly due to the small tides I'll take the good on that any-day.

The guys who are poling or working the flats real slow, guides and non guides are so stoked on how many fish they are seeing,but some are getting frustrated getting the fish the eat, well first off the fish are so dam full they are going to be a little more suspect of your offering. A few thing to try even thought there are some very large fish to target, drop your leader down to 10-12 lb, and really try to limit your boat noise, these fish have no reason to stay up on the flat they can go anywhere and find food right now, as well the water temps are good throughout the bay, so be freakin quite and stay away from other anglers no need to crowd each other this year, there lots fish from the Kennebec to the cape,

The Eat

White and pink Hollows in the sun have done well, so have Black in the post rain water, 5-7 inch long, even when there just ton's of food - standing out a little often get's it done, there's ton's of mac's blitzing on small bait and striper feeding on the same small bait, often leaving the mac's alone, small olive and white mush mouth style flies have pick up a few nice fish, and two of the largest fish I herd of the week, one from the beach and one from a flats skiff where both taken on olive crabs,so as stripers do - they eat it all,just give them the right presentation!!

If your looking to fish give a call, some good tides are open in July and Aug
Capt.Eric Wallace
207-671-4330
Posted by fish and ski at 4:31 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.













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