Maine Striper Fishing Reports


With the amount of fish around we continue to have some fun days on the flats with the fly!!! There is plenty of bait around maybe too much but that most likely will change with the BlueFish  that have also keyed into it in parts of the bay, The past three days have had a weird timing  but have also produced some snappy action in skinny water in the bright sun... Overall I am seeing a lot fish grouped up as if a early June migration most likely water temps and food have pushed another layer of fish into our waters We often see this in Late July and August on the outer islands of Casco Bay during long periods of heat to the south, this make for some great dark fresh targets on the sand flats, and this week I had an angler who just hit it right, snappy fish good sky and good enough tide to give some shots and boy did he take advantage of it!! going 13 fish on probably 20 or so cast the fish where on our crab but also the angler had a hell of a skill set and after getting to know a little history I learned he got his 83rd Permit in the keys this past April and when I asked who he fished with down there, it answered a lot of questions he has fished with who most guides feel is the best salt guide for over 25 years, I enjoyed my day and learned a ton, we spent hours discussing crab patterns how they drop to leaders used in currents with crabs that might throw of the drop to casting angles and it also reminded me some anglers can just read fish and the eats better than most...but also smart angling is not just pounding the water!!!!!          
at 6:30 PM

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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.