Maine Striper Fishing Reports

Changes on the Kennebec River could threaten these young striped bass I have found in some of the areas I do a little Tidal Carp fishing over the years, I would highly recommend you come to the meeting this Monday the 4 of April in Bath and show your support for the fish!!!


Department of Marine Resources

NOTICE OF RULEMAKING



Chapter 42.03 Striped Bass – Closed Area and Closed Season

(Kennebec River and Sheepscot river areas)

The proposed rulemaking would remove the marine bait prohibition and replace it with the requirement to use circle hooks while using marine bait when fishing in the Kennebec River closed area during the established May 1 to June 30th season. The closed area is also proposed to change from upstream and inside the line drawn from Cape Small to Cape Newagen to a line upstream and inside from Fort Popham, Phippsburg to Kennebec Point to Indian Point, Georgetown, and upstream from a line in the area called Robinhood between Lowe Point, Phippsburg to Newdick Point, Westport and downstream of the Route 144 Westport Island Bridge therefore removing the Sheepscot River from the Kennebec rules and placing it under the statewide regulations.

This request was made by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) - Barry Bibson of Boothbay Harbor who is the rep. for RFA in Maine.


PUBLIC HEARING: April 4, 2011, 6pm, Bath City Hall, 1st Floor Auditorium, 55 Front Street, Bath

DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS: April 14, 2011

CONTACT PERSONS: Bruce Joule (207-633-9505) or Pat Keliher (207-287-9973)

For more information:

Online the web link for a copy of the proposed rules is: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/rulemaking/

Or, to obtain a hardcopy by US mail write: Dept. of Marine Resources, attn: L. Churchill, PO Box 8, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04575-0008 TEL: 207-633-9584, or

EMAIL: laurice.churchill@maine.gov, FAX: (207) 633-9579 or TTY: (207) 633-9500

To receive future rulemaking notices by email please use contact info above.

Maine Striper Fishing Reports

Looks like some needed changes coming to this fishery soon!!Not only does the Maine saltwater fishing community but Striped bass fishing men and women from Maine to North Carolina win IF this passes!!! But this just the beginning lots of work ahead get ready to dig your heels in the games are about to begin!!!!!!














FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 24, 2011
> PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703/842-0740
>
> ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Initiates Addendum to Reduce Fishing
> Mortality
>
> Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s
> Atlantic
> Striped Bass Management Board has initiated development of Draft Addendum
> III with the goals of reducing striped bass fishing mortality (F) up to
> 40%
> and further protecting spawning stock when it is concentrated and
> vulnerable. The addendum was initiated in order to allow managers to
> promptly respond to the results of the stock assessment update in the fall
> if necessary. Provisions of the addendum, if passed, could be implemented
> prior to the start of the 2012 fishing year.
>
> The Board’s action responds to recent trends in the fishery and resource,
> including a 66% decline in estimated recreational catch from 2006 to 2009;
> a 25% decline in estimated striped bass abundance from 2004 to 2008; and
> lowered recruitment in recent years. Additionally, states in the northern
> extent of the fishery have expressed concern over decreased availability
> of
> striped bass as a result of the diminished water quality in the Chesapeake
> Bay during the summer months that may also contribute to increased
> prevalence of mycobacteriosis in striped bass.
>
> Draft Addendum III will propose a range of fishing management measures
> including, but not limited to, adjustments to commercial and recreational
> minimum size (for jurisdictions outside Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle
> Sound/Roanoke River), reductions in annual coastal commercial allocation,
> reductions in recreational bag limits, revisions to the target F rate (for
> Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River), and reductions on
> fishing for striped bass in known spawning areas during the spawning
> season
> by at least 50% (for jurisdictions bordering the Hudson River, Delaware
> River, Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River).
>
> The commercial and recreational fishery is currently managed through
> Amendment 6 to the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. The Amendment,
> passed in 2003, allocates the coastal commercial quota and set a two fish
> bag limit and a 28 inch size minimum for the recreational fishery, with
> the
> exception of the Chesapeake Bay fisheries, Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River
> fisheries, and states with approved alternative regulations.
>
> The Draft Addendum will be developed for preliminary review by the
> Atlantic
> Striped Bass Management Board in August. For more information, please
> contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
> ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
>

Maine Striper Fishing Reports

Up early this morning putting the finishing touches on a story for Fly Fishing in Saltwater
that will be out this summer on Flats Fishing for Striped Bass and fitting in a blog update from the lower FL Keys, in about a hour I will be heading out Permit fishing for the day and most likely a little Tarpon as well. Had a few customers emailing about getting together at the Fly fishing expo at the Eldridge shop in a few weeks and thought, I would pass along that info...

I have not made to the Eldridge Bros fly Shop Fishing Expo for about six years the year my twin girls where born, I am usually down in the keys during this great event that to many is there Jump start for the upcoming Maine Striper fishing season and inland fishing as well. It's also a great way to test out some rods and hang out with a bunch fly fishing weirdoes or like minded people for the day, I highly recommend this event... Also There is a great movie night coming up by the crew at FLy Fishing in Maine again the venue is the Frontier in Brunswick on April 12 7pm
Check there website for more info my guess like the Fly Fishing Film Tour this will be another sold out event!!!!

Eldridge Bros. Fly Shop 8th Annual Fly Fishing Expo
SATURDAY, APRIL 2nd 9:00 TO 4:00
 
The Annual Fly Fishing Expo is a celebration of the sport of fly fishing. This event attracts fly fishermen from all over New England who come to share in the camaraderie and festive atmosphere. Every year this event gets bigger and everyone comes away from it ready for the beginning of a new fishing season.   

 

TEST CAST 100'S OF FLY RODS!!
 

MANUFACTURER REPS FROM:
SAGE • WINSTON • SCOTT • HARDY / GREYS • HATCH . TIBOR • ROSS REELS • FISHPOND • SIMMS • RIO . ECHO AND MORE!!

REGISTER TO WIN PRIZES BY CASTING A FLY ROD SAGE, WINSTON, SCOTT, ROSS, HARDY / GREYS, ECHO  
If you test cast a fly rod, the representatives from that company will give you ticket to put in that company's bucket. At the end of the day we will be drawing  winner from each company's bucket for the following items.

HARDY / GREYS: Your choice of any size Hardy Cascapedia Fly Reel - $549.00 value.

SCOTT: Scott A3 Single Handed Fly Rod (your choice of length and line weight) - $335.00 value.

SAGE: Sage Vantage 4pc Fly Rod (your choice of length and line weight) $225.00

WINSTON: Passport 4pc Fly rod (your choice of length and line weight) - $225.00 value.

ECHO: Pete Erickson Nymph Rod (your choice of length and line weight) & Echo Ion Fly Reel - $410.00 value.

ROSS: Kids under 16 years old: Choice of Journey Youth Outfit or Essence Fly Rod with Flystart Reel Outfit (up to 6wt) $214.00 value. 16 years of age and older: Fly Cast Reel Outfit (your choice of size) $120.00 value.

 

DOOR PRIZES
Dyna King Kingfisher Vise - $135.00 value.

1of 2 $50.00 gift certificates for Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop

All of the flies tied by Joe Calcavecchia during the Expo in an Eldredge Bros. Fly Box

All of the flies tied by Peter Smith during the Expo in an Eldredge Bros Fly Box

RAFFLE

A Four Hour Guided Fishing Trip w / Capt. Mark Drummond $300.00 value

FRED KRETCHMAN ~ BAMBOO ROD CRAFTSMAN
Fred has been handcrafting bamboo fly rods since 1993 and still crafts his cane rods one-at-a-time in the classic tradition of master craftsman from generations past. At our Expo he will be demonstrating splitting and planing cane, preparing nodes and strips,  tapering and gluing strips, straightening sections and mounting guides and other hardware. Fred will also have his completed rods on display with some vintage rods also. Some of the antique rods will be for sale.    

PROFESSIONAL FLY TYING DEMO
Joe Calcavecchia - Saltwater Custom Flies • Peter Smith - SSFlies
Both Joe and Peter tie flies for our shop. They are both extraordinary production fly tier
who tie thousands of flies a year. Their attention to detail is evident in their flies and a
testament to their skills. Joe and Peter will be tying in our shop during the entire day and will be willing to help you with any fly tying questions that you may have. Every fly that Joe and Peter tie during the Expo will be put into two Eldredge Bros. fly boxes and given away as a door prize. 

FREE AQUATIC ENTOMOLOGY SEMINARS
by Dick Babine 
Dick is a registered Maine guide who has spent a life time studying our aquatic insects and imitating them with a no nonsense and practical approach to fly design. Dick will be doing 4 - one hour long power point seminars on three species of insects commonly found in Maine waters


FREE FLY LINE AND BACKING

Purchase any fly rod and reel outfit that totals over $300.00 and receive a free fly line and backing of your choice (versitips not included) Purchase any two handed rod and reel outfit and receive a free spey line of your choice.

FREE FOOD!!
CCA New Hampshire past president Jeff Barnum and CCANH board member Gordon Thompson will be the chefs on hand. They will have the grills fired up and be serving free hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, vegie burgers, soda, and coffee all day long to anyone with an appetite. There will be doughnuts for those who get here early.

STRIPERS FOREVER will have a representative here to answer any questions that you might have for them and to help you sign up for a free membership.

This is a "RAIN OR SHINE OR SLEET OR SNOW OR HAIL OR WICKED NASTY NOREASTER" event. As we've see from previous events there is no weather that can stop a hardy New Englander from following their passion and we will not let it stop us from holding this event. Don't forget to bring your foul weather gear so you can still cast rods comfortably if it's sleeting sideways. April 2nd, 2011 from 9:00am till 4:00pm here at our Fly Shop.  

Maine Striper Fishing Reports

Guys here is a Rule change I don't think we want to support ????
This could have a negative impact on Maine Striper Fishing and the few resident fish we have in the Kennebec River system, I could be wrong I will be back in town from the keys for that week and plan on being at the meeting...update after the meeting...





Chapter 42.03 Striped Bass – Closed Area and Closed Season

(Kennebec River and Sheepscot river areas)

The proposed rulemaking would remove the marine bait prohibition and replace it with the requirement to use circle hooks while using marine bait when fishing in the Kennebec River closed area during the established May 1 to June 30th season. The closed area is also proposed to change from upstream and inside the line drawn from Cape Small to Cape Newagen to a line upstream and inside from Fort Popham, Phippsburg to Kennebec Point to Indian Point, Georgetown, and upstream from a line in the area called Robinhood between Lowe Point, Phippsburg to Newdick Point, Westport and downstream of the Route 144 Westport Island Bridge therefore removing the Sheepscot River from the Kennebec rules and placing it under the statewide regulations.

This request was made by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) - Barry Bibson of Boothbay Harbor who is the rep. for RFA in Maine.

PUBLIC HEARING: April 4, 2011, 6pm, Bath City Hall, 1st Floor Auditorium, 55 Front Street, Bath

DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS: April 14, 2011

CONTACT PERSONS: Bruce Joule (207-633-9505) or Pat Keliher (207-287-9973)



For more information:

Online the web link for a copy of the proposed rules is: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/rulemaking/

Or, to obtain a hardcopy by US mail write: Dept. of Marine Resources, attn: L. Churchill, PO Box 8, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04575-0008 TEL: 207-633-9584, or

EMAIL: laurice.churchill@maine.gov, FAX: (207) 633-9579 or TTY: (207) 633-9500

To receive future rulemaking notices by email please use contact info above.

Maine Striper Fishing Reports

I first off want to thank CCA Maine for not supporting the changes to the Saltwater fishing bill, but it looks like a 11 hour bill has support and the anglers and fish loose, but what the hell would a group of full time guides and hardcore salt anglers know about the benefits a well funded DMR would bring to the table????a big WTF to you guys!!!!!

Some March fun wish I could check this out out But Permit Tarpon and Bones are calling and I will be in the FL Keys...

The Drake Magazine will be at L.L.Bean on Friday, March 18th at 6pm and Saturday, March 19th at 4pm to show the best films from the past five years of The Drake's Fly Fishing Film Awards, which are only shown to large audiences at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show in Denver (and on the Drake's web site). These are completely different than the movies that are shown during the Fly Fishing Film Tour that recently came through. The films that we'll be showing at Bean are much shorter, around 5 minutes or so and are comprised of some amazing footage shot all over the world.
 
This is a great opportunity to see watch some rarely seen films...probably some of the best that are out there, so please mark your calendar and post this and/or forward along to anyone you think might be interested in coming to see these very unique films that have not yet been shown to a general audience.

Maine Striper Fishing Reports

Clear Floating Fly Line for Spooky Stripers on the flats???
Here in Maine the Striped Bass that set up shop for the summer can become very Picky and spooky, fishing the skiiny water in the sun can challenge the most seasoned flats angler,over the years some fly line companies have tried but just did not get it right, the (clear floating line)has often been to soft, tangeled like spagetti or just cast like crap..Until now!!!
New Must Have Product

The Airflo Ridge Clear core optimises the clarity for ultimate stealth.
When the Ridges fill with water the clarity is incredible and this also helps effectively lubricate the fly line on each and every cast. Unlike some coating techniques, the ridges run along the lines full length and flow well through the rod guides with a minimum of noise, this indicates how little friction is being produced.


The lines come in a Floating, Slow Inter with a sink rate of 0.5” and a Fast inter with a sink rate of 1.5”. The lines are 35yds long and come in our favourite Delta Taper profile for the ultimate combination of distance and presentation.

Density Colour Taper Size Core Code RRP

Floating Clear WF5/6-8/9 Low Memory Co-Poly RP-DL-WF(+SIZE)F-CL
Slow Inter Clear WF5/6-8/9 Low Memory Co-Poly RP-DL-WF(+SIZE)SI-CL
Fast Inter Clear WF5/6-8/9 Low Memory Co-Poly RP-DL-WF(+SIZE)FI-CL

***********************************************************************************************
Maine Saltwater Fishing News *****Watch-out!!!!!!!we could learn from Florida!!!!.

A Florida state senator has introduced a bill — S.B. 744 — which would eliminate the saltwater fishing license and the critical funding that is needed to protect and manage Florida's $18 billion dollar recreational fishery and the thousands of jobs that it supports. His reason was that he did not believe that a license should be required to fish.

This bill would seek to dismantle the "user-pay, user-benefit" fisheries management system, which is inarguably the best fisheries management program in the world. Florida, like all states, receives a substantial portion of its funding for fisheries management and conservation through a combination of state fishing license sales and the federal manufacturers' excise tax on fishing tackle.

For more than a hundred years, conservation-minded sportsmen, fishermen and hunters have actively supported and promoted license fees to manage public natural resources. As the original proponent of the saltwater fishing license in 1988, CCA Florida (Coastal Conservation Association) has worked to protect and improve the license for more than 20 years.

Since then, the saltwater fishing license has provided more than 250 million dollars in revenues specifically dedicated to marine research, management and law enforcement. The funding provides critical information for the management of fisheries like snook, redfish, spotted sea trout and grouper.

Eliminating saltwater licenses would simply funnel anglers' license fees to the federal government instead of the state. Federal law requires all anglers fishing in saltwater or for anadromous species to enroll in a federal registry program and pay a federal fee. A Florida saltwater license eliminates that requirement. Revenue from the federal registry would go directly into the national treasury. In this system, users pay but do not benefit.

If S.B. 744 passes, Florida's entire fisheries management system and the recreational fishing economy would be devastated.