It does make a difference in completeness of cure and limiting heat build up, both of which make for a more durable fly and serve to limit material distortions. Its clear that the board can require accountability and Max Appelman (ASMFC Staff) reported there is opportunity to do so, following the Fisheries Management Plan assessment after year one. Clearing the fly line off the deck when you do set the hook presents a dilemma. No sign of the first big flush of young of the year alewives moving down river, but we are due any day now. I started keeping a bound notebook next to my tying table a couple of years ago and sometimes I have the discipline to make notes on what I'm doing, learning and wondering. Requiring documentation that 50% of a commercial license holders income come from fishing activities would build support for continued commercial harvest amongst many charterboat operators and recreational anglers. Until then there are limited opportunities to fish for sea-run brown trout that were stocked by the state in several coastal rivers in southern Maine. . I'm still infatuated with the Scientific Anglers Grand Slam line. If you don't get a good shot or don't have a fish eat, you're likely to have an other opportunity momentarily. John McMurray continues to lead the charge for more responsible management of this fishery, faster and more decisive action, limits on the runaway use of CEs, and implementation of accountability measures. The rambling recap above of one charter itinerary doesn't even cover it all, as we never fished oceanside ledges or any of the beaches, nor did we get up into the salt marshes. It was working. We can't afford to wait until the next round of rule-making hearings to express our concerns, offer our suggestions, learn more about the process and hold our fisheries managers accountable. I've worked to reduce my habit of making two false casts to a default of one false cast, but sometimes you get lots of second shots at close range where even a single false cast takes up too much time. If you're from Maine or went to a Jesuit school, you'll understand. Comments (7). I've corrected my mistake here.). May 22, 2023 - 09:46:49 Mike at Fishing East Coast Bait and Tackle in Little Neck reports the stripers remain thick in the East River right by the stature of Lady Liberty, the GW, Whitestone and Throggs Neck Brides as well a. 7 out of the last 10 years, the biggest fish out of shallow water has come in the first 10 days of July, and while that might be shifted a little later for 2020, things were on track for a hell of a holiday week. On March 12 Blane Chocklett will help you up your Game Changer game via an awesome set of seminars hosted by The Articulate Fly. Saco Tomorrow: 60 / 50 F Fishing Seasons & Latest Fishing Photos and Videos May Whatever your catch of choice, you can target it on the river this month. And there will be a next-go round, and one after that, with more to follow. What were currently doing isnt working and is making things worse. Like make your head hurt complex. I have to think about letting the line shoot through my closed thumb and index finger to do so consistently. | 2019 Fishing, Report, Maine, May 2019, haddock maine, Gulf of Maine, maine fishing. You deserve much of the credit for this (temporary) change in behavior with your consistent message that the Board must take timely action. Their multi-year study examining seasonal aggregation patterns of stripers has the potential to radically alter the way that we manage these fish. I'm working with a custom composite builder to design a small coffin box for the bow that will provide another option for getting higher off the deck. Toss a meal out there. All of these CEs have met the requirements of the Striped Bass Technical Committee but so have all of the past proposals and many have been a disaster. It was supported by a huge percentage of the public input and approved by the ASMFC Striped Bass Board this fall. The Technical Committee has said that there is a high degree of uncertainty that these measures will meet mortality reduction goals. Emerson Hasbrouck (NY) asked of the entire board at the start of the meeting if the TC has no guidance for us on coastwide mortality reduction how are we to proceed? If you fish one day and haul out or walk off the beach thinking it's mid summer and fishing is just wicked slow, come back the next morning or that night. Period. No matter your skill or experience tying saltwater flies, invest a little bit of your screen-time watching HMH Vices Pro Tier Brammer's videos on Beginner Predator Flies. Fishing Reports Welcome, anglers! Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports April 2021 | Main | July 2021 Striped Bass Fishing Update - Mid June 2021 June 18, 2021 Foggy morning, early start, white bucktail deceiver It's been a busy start to the 2021 Maine striped bass charter season for me. Cast to the fish. Under each of the main categories, there are stronger "rules" and there are weaker "rules", and then in some cases there are awful "rules". Posted at 05:03 PM in Fisheries News & Conservation, Peter's Posts, Striper Fishing | Permalink If you've stalked bonefish on the flats or cast to redfish pushing water, you'll be stunned at how similar this will feel. But what about this Warm rating? These guys were superstars. The difference in their behavior and attitude compared to an hour earlier was stark. The trout bite has also been decent! Comments (0). We all need to be paying attention, learning more, and participating in the process going forward and that work begins today. Now New Jersey is about to decimate the 2015 year class if they are allowed to set their slot limit to take fish starting at 24 inches. Unless we have good sighting conditions or see the bulge of water behind our fly, we have no idea how many fish follow without eating. See suggestion #1. No wonder ASMFC has been largely impotent. No swings and misses that I could tell. Visit. We've got herring of all sizes in and around the Kennebec. Link for details is below. Not only did we have limited spots where we could have a chance at sighting fish, we weren't even bumping or spooking them as we prospected through the shallows. Comments (0). THIS GUY! I get a lot of practice sighting fish and signs of fish, so am decent at doing so even in evening light under cloudy skies. You can filter posts by topic here. New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont Fishing Report - April 14, 2022 by Ron Powers April 14, 2022 While conditions have been less than favorable we do have some good groundfishing news regarding haddock and other deep water dwellers. Their gill structure allows them to patrol the surf zone with comfort in that area that deposits sand into the liner of your bathing suit. See the fish. Other segments of our marine economy have done a better job at advocating and securing the support that they deserve. 6. I admit to having higher hopes for more consistent fishing this past week with the stronger tides and finally some fog, but we were finding a few hours of "meh" with fish that weren't jazzed up and an hour or two of "there it is!" Hes often been a voice for reason and conservation at ASMFC striped bass board meetings. Being pleased with the results keeps me motivated. Striped bass seem to have moved into the Lower Kennebec watershed in greater numbers over the past week, at least based upon my fishing (and catching) results. What to do with myself Thursday evening wasn't, until it was. I needed to test out these small hollow fleye variations I'd been working on and I also wanted to try a new SciAngler Amplitude Anadro line that I'd bought for some other purposes. June featured lots and lots of fish, feeding with abandon, and hoards of them to be found up in the shallows. 2022. Almost 10 hours on the water when I was just planning to take a nice slow day off. Some anglers shift their focus to bumping bottom structure with bait such at eels, live mackerel, or bloodworms or working same areas with jigs rigged with soft plastics and this approach accounts for a lot of the fish taken that fall into the legal slot limit. Just a few pictures of recent catches abord the Balding Eagle!! I know Im looking forward to being out on the water, running down the Kennebec River before the sun starts to peak over the spruce trees that line the islands, looking for signs of splashing stripers and fleeing bait. MRIP Data The Be All & End All and Wait The Excuse. My anglers from this weekend will attest to being amazed at the sight of big pods of bass, including fish we'll over 30 inches cruising in the skinny water on sand flats and mud flats. We'd get waves of bass but patterning the fish was a real challenge for me. And really fun. I've heard from a couple of you that the crowd was decidedly larger than the group that gathered this fall to provide public input into the proposed Addendum VI options. Dr. Justin Davis from CT and Ritchie White from NH spoke up in support of every appropriate measure, motion, and CE and against every irresponsible move. As Ben ran the boat back up river at the end of our trip, he was telling his dad in a serious and matter of fact tone that he was going to explore fishing for a living when he got older. I keep at least one rod rigged and in easy reach with an adult herring imitation - something big - like a 10' Fin-S-Fish or a Super Snax or big spook plug. Posted August 5, 2021. Ive spent years managing and mitigating risk as a boarding school dean, a volunteer EMT, and a ski industry executive. Water clarity and temps are more like early July than mid-June. Posted at 07:05 PM in Fisheries News & Conservation, June, Peter's Posts, Striper Fishing | Permalink I've spoken with a number of people in attendance who submitted their comments in writing prior to the event. We need to step up our game and this meeting is a perfect opportunity to do so. One thing that is not in doubt is that the Maine delegation heard us, loudly and clearly. Your mission is to minimize the number of false casts needed to accurately present your fly to an always moving target. The following section includes information about and directions to many of Maine's saltwater boat ramp and shore fishing sites. There will be opportunity ahead for you to participate in the effort lead by the state and non-profit organizations to continue this work. It was honking at 2:00 pm, the forecast included wind overnight and the next morning, and it turned out to be one of those breathless evenings when you can see fish pushing water from a long distance away. Total gamechanger. I've been making the effort to get together with friends to tie and just loving it. Hope you get out to fish. is required to collect input because they are changing the regulation in Maine to adopt the max. +4 Fresh Fishing Reports from Saco River Big flounder pounder December 8, 2022 I've got trips both days and have tempered expectations but high hopes. Recruitment will receive a lot of attention in the public comment period and at the spring Board meeting. So often you are presented with opportunities when you are already retrieving your fly, you want to be sure that you can pick up and re-present your offering without a hitch. And I needed to fish a fly. I loved being in a situation where you could readily discern what the fish preferred. I can also support a responsibly managed commercial fishery in Massachusetts. Uh-huh. Be mindful of where your stripped line lands, whether you are in a boat or wading or standing on a ledge. There are still plenty of striped bass in and around the River, but if you notice that things are "off" or different than the last time you were out a few days ago, you have my guess as to why. We currently lack a meaningful plan to rebuild this fishery in an appropriate (and required) timeframe. The ASMFC meeting next Tuesday will be interesting for sure. In a time of such upheaval and disruption our first focus is appropriately on family and friends and then likely worry about business and finances. Its what you have. Those who state that the commercial quota is set by scientists miss an important detail. Stripers are so close yet so far away. Take it and your morning coffee out into the backyard and make some casts. After some fun fishing in a completely different way, we called it. I guide a lot of experienced striped bass anglers who've never cast a fly or a top-water plug to a striper on a shallow flat that is pushing water like a redfish or bonefish. Check out an experienced albie angler's quiver and you're likely to find at least one rod rigged with an intermediate line (slow sinking), probably featuring a clear tip or fully clear line. If youre the TC calculating mortality reduction goals you have to rely on MRIP data for harvest estimates. I didn't see a striper come to the surface but they did push some mature alewives or herring up to the gulls and eagles. Not so with a shrimp that seeks cover by diving to the bottom. There wasn't a hint of wind on the water and the cloud cover was perfect, so by 6:03 I was in scramble mode, hooking up the Maverick and grabbing some snacks to go. Notice of Agency Rulemaking Adoption - Chapter 24, Importation of Live Marine Organisms, pdf file, 53 KB. This too becomes easier and more comfortable over time. Who knew about using channel lead to weight flies? We should all work on our ability to make a cast with no false casts. By Labor Day I'm packing up to spend September and October fishing the south side of Cape Cod for False Albacore. We landed the largest flounder the boat has ever caught it measured 25 1/2 inches and gave 12 year old Justin from Vermont quite the battle on Thursdays four hour inshore trip! 2022 FISHING LICENSES & REGISTRATIONS January 13, 2022 by STAFF Fishing regulations can be rather tricky to navigate at times, what with the close proximity of many Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, and the degree as to which each state manages its license/registry program. So many choices. I applaud steps that the board has taken and support measures that some members have tried to advance but this is still too little, too late. In 2018 they only landed 89% of their quota cap. In the boom days of northeast saltwater fly fishing - aka the striper recovery - before the internet was the oracle, there seemed to be a hot new title out every couple of months. The Board finalized a draft of Amendment 7 to the Striped Bass Management Plan. By the time we made our second move, the tide was ebbing nicely and fish in shallow water were gleefully sipping very small bait. We arrived to find just the current I expected, but no fish (or at least no response) in the ripline. The questions and comments were excellent, across the board. It's good to have neighbors who are more excited to call me about breaking fish than to go out at catch them. 4.1], We need the most conservative recruitment triggers and fastest timeline for any required rebuilding plan. So should you. Dingus. These dense schools of small, slender bait can produce some fussy striped bass as they key in on the little bait. Here in the Kennebec, the water has warmed rapidly, to the point where I am exploring the need to calibrate the temperature sensor on my sonar units. Such is the reality among the Piscataqua River watershed where pogy schools have attracted 40" plus stripers! Book a trip with us on the space coasts beautiful Indian river! Here's a favorite moment from last summer. If you've ever seen bluefin tuna ram feeding on krill, you know just what this looks like. I haven't yet heard any news of fish east of here, but that doesn't mean that they aren't there for you to catch. Fish in sping before the dogfish arrive and Haddok fishing is the best and you can keep one Cod in the spring and if lucky, one Halibut. He had a great big smile on his face, talking about his morning outing. | The local warden was fishing a popper on his fly rod over busting bass at the same time and he reported finding best success when he just twitched his fly and then let it sit. These fish are my business partners and returning them is one small contribution that I can make to improving this incredible fishery. Or Friday. Let's put some of my reels on your favorite rod and let you experience what I mean. You don't need to be a guide to join or use their resources. It was presented to the public in the same way. Pretty soon you should be able to run up and down the river, looking for surface feeds and diving birds, but right now I would concentrate on making good casts with decent sized streamer flies, top water plugs, or soft plastics (on a jig or unweighted) in areas where you see current seams close to rocks, marshy points, creek mouths, and other pieces of structure. It helps to catch a bunch of waking fish early, sustaining you through the middle of the day when you are tossing at bass in bright conditions. Im happy to help. Ben Whalley is in the virtual house April 4 with South Shore Fly Casters. Fly size and shape matters most. Again, this is easier to say as a guide and harder to follow as an angler, as evidenced by my own behavior last evening. I started hearing and seeing much more aggressive slurps so I went with a scaled down version of the ostrich-foxy hollow fleye I'd fished earlier. It didn't take me long to find birds working over stripers at the bottom of the out tide. And never will be. It was also more difficult to cast (and turn over) and at this point being able to reach out quite a ways was an advantage. And then his afternoon charter trip beg me to take them out, picture number two with the family all holding mackerel! Comments (1). If you're planning to fish, go fish. My final take-away regarding the commercial harvest schedule in Massachusetts: What lies ahead at ASMFC, the crafting of Amendment 7, is far, far, far more important and impactful for the future of this fishery. It forces me to consider every movement and step. Plenty of fish out there too. We were zipping back to the dock at a pretty good clip in the Maverick, working to make time to hit one last location before we had to meet the rest of the charter group. Select "False Albacore" from the menu on the left margin of the page and you will get an idea of why these fish posses those of us who love to chase them. Imitating big bait can pay dividends, tempting a fish much larger than the one you just caught, but bass of all sizes can get keyed into small bait and that axiom is true even in June. I don't think I could have pried the spook out of Eric's hands. | Striped bass are managed collectively by all of the states where there is a fishable population through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission or ASMFC. We started back to the ramp but had to check a hump in the middle of the river that had three birds circling high over it as the incoming current built in speed. It's the kind of morning where you (or at least I) feel like I can get anything and everything done on my list even though rational analysis says otherwise. Every trip out is a chance to learn and the opportunities to do so are truly unlimited. The act of writing down notes, steps, observations is also a huge help, which leads me to reason #5. From Bath on up river to Merrymeeting Bay I see more river herring that are either about 4 inches in length or adults. Posted at 12:40 PM | Permalink My passion is sight casting in shallow water for these fish with fly gear and light spinning tackle. With no mechanism in place to hold states accountable for their results under CE proposals, were at least two and likely three years away from any ASMFC changes to react to changes in the striped bass population. Speaking of fly/leader turn overI can't recall the last time I used a knotless, tapered leader in a saltwater setting. I thought Adam Nowalsky (NJ) was going to have a cardiac event. See suggestion #1 above. This dirty water version of the Eldridge Brothers Secret Weapon tied with purple ostrich hurl, purple rabbit strip, and black craft fur plus various darker flash material did the trick. Addendum VI fell apart when the board also approved New Jerseys motion at the October meeting to ignore the plans goal of an 18% mortality reduction across the entire geographic range of striped bass and allow each state to cap their own mortality reduction efforts at 18%. Email your input to [emailprotected] by April 15 with subject Draft Amendment 7.. I suggest you focus on these most significant and contentious opportunities and pitfalls, with an emphasis on Conservation Equivalency: Here are some tips on how to make effective comment: Please join me in making a difference in the future of this fishery. For me, it's prime time for bigger fish on the flats. I think if I were guiding and not fishing I would have picked up on it sooner, but I wasn't. Let's get out on the water together this season. I certainly dont know of all of the striped bass studies underway, but I havent heard about any more impactful than these two. I'd characterize late May fishing in the Kennebec as encouraging and first week of June as disappointing. The length and complexity of this document is a significant barrier to public participation. No need for a cushion on top of it, just good foot traction and maybe a metal rail for a brace/grab bar. There is support in portions of the recreational and for-hire community for changes to the commercial harvest rules that would serve to limit participation and potentially raise prices, directing use to those fishermen who are most deserving of access to this limited and valuable resource. No CEs permitted when striped bass are overfished. (Helps to turn over the hook but distributes the weight along length of the shank but not top of the shank - getting a different sinking motion and eliminates the drawbacks that come with lead eyes). The CT rep wasnt buying them a beer after the meeting. I am NOT advocating for allocation of a higher percentage of harvest to recreational anglers and for-hire operators. | And if you have fished for stripers this way, well, you know. Posted at 10:11 AM in June, Peter's Posts, Striper Fishing, Tackle and Gear, Tips and Techniques | Permalink I like his concern, but beg to differ it, Dennis Abbott (NH) lamented that even though everyone voted for a 28 to 35 slot in October they were sitting in back with their pencils out, calculating what they could propose through CEs. He stated that isnt fair to the public, and wondered why did ASMFC go out to the public when the majority of the states are not abiding by the decision of the board? Help in effective organization. Yup. Something with wiggle and life. It's a stunningly gorgeous March morning here in Phippsburg, with fresh, fluffy snow in the trees undisturbed by any breeze and a brilliantly bright blue sky. I've finally got a day to catch up on boat maintenance, some tackle upgrades, and maybe even cutting the lawn that is out of control. Most importantly, go fish. The advantage of being able to quickly pick up a lengthy line has often been offset or outweighed by the time delay from cast initiation to fly presentation when using a floating line. And another reminder (to both of us) that we can do so much with white bucktail, so buy more of 'em. Let's go! Equivalency for CE proposals must meet the state-specific level. I've been cranking out patterns for albie season on the Cape and North Carolina and restocking boxes for striper charters and NEED to get busy on bonefish and permit patterns for my Soul Fly Lodge group in April. Foolish me. Get the fly back in the water. ger. Stripers are back in all of their usual Maine waters and June is the prime month to find surface feeds, hungry fish, and happy anglers. I know of other folks who wanted to attend the meeting but couldn't make it fit into the schedule of life. It's easy to convince ourselves that if they swim away they are fine, but that isn't always the case. There are some good sized stripers to be caught off the ledges and islands. Enjoy! Striper Migration Map - May 26, 2023 Striper fishing quieted a bit in some locations, but in others, where schools of bass are staging as they wait for the big full moon tides to aid their migration north, this fishing continues to be excellent. I use top of the line fly and light tackle spin gear from Sage, G. Loomis, Nautilus, Bauer, Scientific Anglers, St. Croix, Aubut Rods, Shimano and other manufacturers. I travelled to the February ASMFC meeting at my own expense and I appreciate and applaud your efforts at the striped bass board meeting to promote consistent regulations coastwide, to check some of the more irresponsible CE proposals from New Jersey and Maryland, and to lead the push against the New York proposal to allow their charter/party boat fleet to harvest fish 31 and greater. Then my buddy and I had to go try out a new fishing hole, and I pulled out this keeper. Maine Association of Charterboat Captains, A majority of the ASMFC Board is finally listening to us. I always have plenty of gear all rigged and ready to go but can happily also give you recommendations on what to bring if you'd also like to utilize your own tackle. What does exist, however, is a "best boat" for you - for your fishing needs, your cruising needs, your comfort, and your budget. Just pulled out. Tide was starting to move. It's pretty bright by 5:30 even though the days are getting shorter. I love sharing what I've learned about this watershed, striped bass biology, fishing techniques, and casting skills of all kinds. (Stephen Train also from Maine, supported Pats positions at every turn.). It's not too late to participate in this process. CEs Going Off the Rails & Proposal Is a Misnomer. New Jersey and Maryland continue to effectively advocate for their states to be able to harvest as many fish as possible without regard to the health of the stock. We need to support this important work at DMF. | We'd be hearing stories for years about the fabulous fishing. That's a lot of freshwater. Treasure that fish, even if it is shorter than your foot, and give some consideration to changes in tackle and technique that can help improve the odds that one of us will catch that same striper again. You will have the opportunity to see fish react to what you throw at them. Although John didn't say it yesterday, I will add that such action, when it finally happens, then occurs at an excruciatingly slow pace. Posted at 09:26 AM in Fly Fishing and Fly Casting, July, Peter's Posts, Striper Fishing, Tips and Techniques | Permalink If you live in Massachusetts, or travel there to fish, this is especially relevant. Then, before I got my first hook wet, a buddy called with a malfunctioning boat and asked me to take his sports on board and finish their fishing guide trip! Work out a consistent initial pick up and false cast, whether the fly is in the water or in your hand. Right now. Gary the dog could really use some dedicated training time or even just an hour at the dog park. While we're at it, (becoming more proficient casters) we should all strive to have a strong, quick and accurate backcast presentation. How could he think this proposal would face little opposition? In the boat I'm a stickler for everything having a place and everything in its place but my tying table is too often a victim of the double whammy of entropy and tier's-ADHD. Time to take advantage of a day off the water to attack the mess that is my fly tying table. Im writing to express my opposition to the proposal to open the Massachusetts commercial striped bass harvest earlier than June 23 and to share my overdue appreciation for your leadership at the February ASMFC meeting of the Atlantic Striped Bass Board. | Same result. At a previous meeting the Board finally accepted their responsibility to rebuild this fishery by 2029. Ive always believed that as a charterboat captain and guide my primary responsibility is the safety of my guests. We even had a couple of instances yesterday where a fish revealed their presence, we made the cast, and boom. Posted at 04:14 PM in Fly Fishing and Fly Casting, May, Peter's Posts, Striper Fishing | Permalink Public input made a difference last year when MA DMF asked us for our opinion on adding an additional day per week to the commercial open season. New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont Fishing Report - July 7, 2022 by Ron Powers July 7, 2022 Something can be said for the "big bait, big fish" mantra! We have yet to hear back from the Technical Committee regarding their calculation of the projected cumulative mortality reduction as a result of Conservation Equivalency approaches from a number of states. Commercial anglers might argue that what happens on the recreational side shouldnt in any way impact their portion of the fishery but I would suggest that we need to consider each and every management decision with respect to the overall health of the fishery and wed be well served to remember that weve reached this point in part because Addendum V has failed. Help in crafting and directing your input. These were good casters with lots of fishing experience, but just not familiar with how a 350 grain shooting head behaves. It casts well at short distances but shoots like a dream, handles a variety of fly sizes, and behaves well in much cooler water than you'd expect (59 degrees last night). . I started Gillies & Fallon Guide Service, LLC in 2004 in Phippsburg, ME but extend my season and market by traveling south to fish Boston Harbor to Marthas Vineyard, with the longest stint in the fall when I am on the Cape for September and most of October. Theres no doubt in my mind that the commercial harvest is better documented and more accurately reported than both the recreational harvest and post-release mortality. This too could be a significant change to the way the board has operated, and one of the rays of hope going forward. Catch the fish. The game changer is a "tropical" floating line that functions well in a temperate environment. I stripped my fly all the way in as I went to move up on more bass and what did I find? The trade-offs have fallen in favor of the shooting head line that sinks either quickly or slowly, but no more. Poor spawning success in the Chesapeake in most recent years has many people gravely concerned. By the time he'd landed his fifth fish, we were carrying on about why fishing captivates us, how much or how little his sister would enjoy it, and how much meaning being outdoors holds in each of our lives. It's a different experience and holds so many memories of all-nighters with John Asseng in Boston Harbor or Tony Cox nestled in his sleeping bag in the Lund while we drifted up Sagadahoc Bay under the stars or wading around the edges of Back Cove while Sarah was cleaning up the bar at Amigo's. Make sure that you talk to local fishermen to know what fish are biting and where they can be found. Make it your comment with a line about why this fishery means so much to you. Striped bass are in trouble. Everyone strives to make their first cast count, but even the perfect presentation becomes futile when the small pack of funny fish alters course while your line is shooting out to it's intended destination. Time of day, forage available, amount of light, bottom color, presence or absence of current, number of fish together, all factor into what the fish will eat. Not even harsh winters can stop avid fishermen from going after Landlocked Salmon, Brown Trout, Togue, Perch, and Pike. This led to 49 CE proposals, a number that was concerning to many members and to the Technical Committee (TC). In their report, the TC stated that there were too many CE proposals to even attempt to calculate if the potential mishmash of regulations would meet the goal of reducing striped bass mortality by 18%. One jamoke dropping anchor screws it up for all. More tangles happen when rolling a fly for pick up or first cast than any other point in the casting process. Blog posts, webinars, podcasts, cheat-sheets, in person events. My fly boxes will be full. Are you ready? We've been blessed with some excellent sightcasting weather conditions. Once Ben figured out what he was seeing, the fish had his full attention. Maine Saltwater Recreational Fishing Opportunities to Participate. If you're thinking about adding one to your boat but not yet convinced, come to the Maine Boatbuilders Show at Portland Yacht Services July 23-25. Full fly boxes gives me peace. One charter last week didn't produce a fish over 25 inches but we sure saw some and had every confidence that with the right opportunity, our crab fly would get hammered, based upon the reaction that it was getting from the fish that presented us with good shots. If you belong to or follow a conservation organization, name that group and express support for their position. Alewives and blueback herring are far from the only bait around, even in the Kennebec. We still work for a position ahead of the fish and ideally with the wind in casting-favor, but the caster is likely to get one or two (maybe three) shots at the small school before you have to reposition the boat. This higher level of fishing mortality significantly reduced the probability of rebuilding the striped bass stock by 2029. Saltwater. Here in Maine I focus on chasing shallow water striped bass but I also fish great moving-water structure, oceanfront ledges and islands, and along the beaches. They will issue this report at the May meeting, but by the TCs very clear admission, they will be guessing, given the number of variables and unknowns involved with changing angler effort, seasonal closures, slot limits, and variations in size and bag limits. Kittery Trading Post is open 9am-7pm, daily. Especially when chucking a fly. We also need to ask our representatives to find ways to bring states that are on the fence DE, DC, PA onboard to urgently implement responsible management and a more conservative approach to harvests. I'd run up to a flat that had been holding a lot of fish. My stubbornness won out and I promptly caught (and even landed) a couple of nice stripers. February 7, 2022 by Senior Editor This is the result for saco river striper fishing report, please check the bellow links to know more: Maine Fishing Reports Saco Bay Tackle The Saco River is fishing well throughout, anglers are catching good numbers of fish downriver using soft plastics, like the the Dartspins, Hogy Protails, and Ron-Z's. Now! I've amassed quite a collection over the past 30 years. These fish weren't pushing water, unfortunately, but were rising in the current with frequency. Eventually we located a good group of bass that we're happy to eat but it was a slower morning than I hoped. I'm working hard to illuminate 1 to 2 seconds at 12 inches, then pausing 10 seconds, then illuminating 1 to 2 seconds at 6 inches and pausing before zapping it up close for the final cure. And even with those advantages it can just be tough. Watching well over a hundred stripers scoot under the boat in three feet of water is a sight and working that group for an hour made up for the lack of waking fish were we were looking for Saturday morning. Waking and feeding fish in the early sweet light. It was bright, and dry, and cold, and not fishy weather. We only had an hour to talk about rod design, component options, application of different blanks, and what I'm ordering from him next. Here are my initial reactions to what took place yesterday (Jan. 26, 2022) at the ASMFC Striped Bass Board winter meeting. at a pace that is impressive. Let me know if you'd like to get out on the water. They say clearly that they have no idea how much overall striped bass mortality will be reduced by such disparate regulations. Be prepared to change flies frequently. Telling our own board members that we expect them to hold NJ and MD accountable is different. Comments (0). My wife and I used to spend more time wandering through bookstores whenever we travelled or needed an escape at family gatherings, and having a new fishing book in hand provided refuge when going fishing (again) wasn't possible or acceptable. Last year the harvest fell to a startling 67% of the total pounds allowed despite strong markets in both years. It takes two hours to get to Jeffrey Ledge which is where you want to be. At a time when we are so appropriately hyper-focused on what is right in front of us, taking a break to look ahead can serve us well. This wasn't a scouting mission, an opportunity to see what was going on in water I hadn't covered last couple days. It's encouraging to see rising involvement as the challenges to responsible management grow. Getting any slack out of the line ASAP, sometime even before it hits the water, is a benefit in both shallow water sightcasting situations and when targeting fast moving fish like albies. It sure felt like late June on the Kennebec River this week. We ask ourselves these and so many more questions while the realities of our daily life shift under our feet like sand swept by a new moon tide. But then I remembered that I wanted to make Ottolenghi's Avocado Toast for our trip this morning and I needed to be at Frosty's by 4:00 am to meet Fritz for his inaugural Kennebec trip of 2019. To get a jump on the season I head south to Massachusetts to get onto bass before they arrive in Maine. To put that into perspective, the recreational harvest in Massachusetts that year was just over two million pounds and here in Maine, about 125,000 pounds. I made the "last cast" call and Tim delivered in similar fashion out of the same water. It's perfectly suited for two anglers plus myself. He lamented that they were completed without public input up and down the coast, which is not how ASMFC does business. Bean for 16 years. In no time, he had the spook dancing perfectly across the still surface. | Thanks Matt Bickford of Maine Striper Adventures for getting us together on a regular basis. Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, North Carolina, U.S. This also means that your work will not be done by the spring meeting of the Board. Both days we started just after high water and fished the dropping tide. Ok, on to some takeaways 1. Ugh. Recreational Release Mortality will also be the subject of much debate, along with Seasonal Closures and Spawning Area Closures. SciAngler uses the following designations for fly lines: Hot, Warm, Cold. When Pat joined in, providing context, history, explanations and a patient ear it served to make our investment of time even more worthwhile. Comments (0). Too little, too late. From there we headed to a cove loaded with bass hugging the bottom and hanging on the ledges when the current moved well past the structure. More details on these to come Another big hit with my folks are the Scientific Angler Sonar Titan Triple Density lines. The fish cruise just below the surface, breaking the surface as they travel, often with open mouths sucking in the micro bait. And we would if ASMFC, the governing body for stripers, had been responsibly managing this fishery. At it's worse, the chaos extends to the side table, and the floor behind my chair, and the tops of my storage bins. I specialize in shallow water sight casting to striped bass and chasing false albacore with fly and light tackle spinning gear. Once again, best fishing for us was in moving water adjacent to structure of some kind. | We should have better fishing, much better fishing more bass and larger bass. Did they think this wouldnt happen again? The fact that accountability for CEs that dont meet goals had never been advanced prior to Tuesday is condemning evidence. These fish still prefer low light conditions. I was at Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop earlier in the spring pawing through bins of deer tails and stopped my search after finding 4 that I really liked. It feels good to get dialed back into what is happening here on the river after a whirlwind of trips out of Martha's Vineyard, Boston Harbor, a day in the driftboat targeting smallmouth bass, and a quick dash to Barneget, NJ. I love the process of translating the action of tying a fly into written and oral instruction notes. Ask that same group if the significant initial cost to add a trolling motor to their boat was worthwhile and I'll bet a bottle of really good tequila that 10 out of 10 will say "Absolutely"! Ask 10 saltwater guides their go-to jig, favorite braided line, or most trusted crab fly pattern and you'll get a wide range of answers and some really diverse opinions. And even some of the anemic tides we just endured fished really well. Current Records and Vacancies (PDF file,78 KB) Poster of Maine's Saltwater Game Fish Records (PDF file, 134 KB) Rules, Regulations, . They are looking at starting it as early as June 1. Calling all striped bass anglers and guides: our fishery needs you. I suppose we could investigate the possible reasons for our behavior, and the ideal of rereading would be but one motivation. I wasn't marking fish in these locations as I was staying off the shore by about a cast. His dad did catch some birthday-fish but spent most of the morning celebrating his son's experience. Coastal New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report- May 18, 2023. I didn't even roll a bass, but it did remind me how much fun I've had over the years fishing in the dark. Posted at 01:42 PM in Fisheries News & Conservation, Striper Fishing | Permalink No knot failure. Most of the worst parts of the draft Amendment were removed prior to yesterday's meeting and Board members know you are paying attention. The variety of options in this watershed is amazing and, compared to what you would often find south of Maine, it is uncrowded. | Well, I hooked a fish, played it for a bit, smiled and hooted a bit, and then the hook pulled out. All rights reserved. The river rose and eventually all of the muddy water arrived here in Bath and Phippsburg and Georgetown. There's one flat in particular that has at times been incredibly productive mid-summer even when the water on it was 78 degrees. It's been a hell of a March, April, and May. [Sec. My understanding is that the decision was based in part upon the volume of public comments opposed to adding the third day. You can influence the decision by MA DMF, but you need to speak up now. 5. They are also considering making this a limited entry fishery. I was getting good shots, having fish follow, but just not getting eats. 2. | Multiple times, Pat relayed concerns of Maine stakeholders. What happened Tuesday when the board went state by state was flawed but precedent setting. Their work on post-release mortality should give us better figures to use in calculating the impact we all have when we catch these fish. I heard resounding approval of your organizations 2019 decision to keep the open commercial harvest days at two when it was clear that we wouldnt reach the quota cap. It might be awesome. Saltwater Fishing Charters - Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, 7 Reasons Why I'm Having A Blast Tying Flies This Winter, Quick Take-Aways From ASMFC Striped Bass Board Meeting Winter 2022, Fly Fishing Thoughts From An Evening Alone, Striped Bass Fishing Update - Mid June 2021, Scientific Angler Sonar Titan Triple Density, Maine Striped Bass Stakeholder Meeting Registration, Thoughts on Potential Expansion of Massachusetts Commercial Striped Bass season, A Dynamic Environment - Striper Fishing Changes in The Kennebec River. | Herring keep fish in this river all season long, so if you fish it, I hope you'll get involved in sustaining it. Any new steps must be science-based, quantifiable, and enforceable. That would mean two weeks during the season (not at a time when we aren't really catching stripers) when you wouldn't be allowed to fish for striped bass even if you intended to release them all. It's been a busy start to the 2021 Maine striped bass charter season for me. 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