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For updated Maine Striper fishing reports on Casco Bay, please check out our webblog and reports page, Maine Striper Fishing, at mainestriperfishing.blogspot.com. Also for prime May and October reports for Cape Cod and other saltwater fly fishing.
Maine Striper Fishing Reports
Starting Jan. 1, 2010, Anglers will need to register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) before fishing. Anglers can register for free online or by calling a toll-free phone number.
This requirement is an essential part of a national commitment to effectively manage saltwater fish populations. The registry will allow fishermen and policy makers to work together to assess the contributions and impacts of saltwater anglers on ocean ecosystems, coastal economies and fish populations. Since the requirement includes anyone who may catch an anadromous species (fish that travel between salt and fresh waters), anyone fishing in the tributaries and coastal waters, must be registered.
“According to a recent NOAA Fisheries Survey, saltwater anglers had an overall economic impact of $82 billion and generated more than half a million jobs nationwide,” said Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell. “It’s only appropriate that recreational anglers be counted and thereby have a substantial impact on the management and health of coastal fish stocks.”
This initiative, known as the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), is designed to produce accurate information that will help determine the condition of fish stocks. This data will allow anglers, fisheries managers and others to effectively and fairly set strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of recreational fishing in salt waters.
Anglers who do not need to register are those under 16 years old, anglers fishing on a charter boat, commercial fishermen at work, anglers holding highly migratory species permits, and anglers who hold a saltwater license from a state where they are automatically registered. Anglers fishing from a Free Fishing areas or who are otherwise exempt from buying a fishing license still need to register with NOAA.
The process is simple and free of charge. On or after January 1, go online here or call 1-888-MRIP-411 (888-674-7411
Coastal Fly Angler: will be hosting the new movie-- RISE-- this November !!! 6-7th at 7 pm .
At Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery
PHONE: (207) 725-5222
LOCATION:
14 Maine St.
Mill 3 -- Fort Andross
Brunswick, ME 04011
Any qustions call Capt.Eric Wallace 207-671-4330
In 2008, Confluence Films debuted DRIFT, a highly acclaimed documentary that captivated the flyfishing community. In 2009, riding on the success of DRIFT, director/cinematographer Chris Patterson of Warren Miller Entertainment and executive producer Jim Klug once again set out in search of new locations and the totally unique stories, characters, and species that epitomize the spirit and soul of flyfishing.
This new film is RISE – a six segment collection of individual stories shot around the world; stories that together truly reflect the attraction that flyfishing has for all of us. Shot on location in the Florida Keys, Argentina, Idaho, New Orleans, Venezuela, and Alaska. RISE is a stunning full-length film, photographed entirely on 16mm film and mastered in HD.
Featuring: Rene Harrop, Rance Rathie, Travis Smith, Capt.Bruce Chard, Ron Sorensen, Mike Lawson, Capt. Bryan Carter & more.
he 2009 Atlantic striped stock assessment update indicates that the resource remains in good condition with female spawning stock biomass (SSB) percent of the SSB target and 185 percent of the SSB threshold (see Figure 1). Estimated fishing mortality rates (F) in 2008 are equal to or less than 0.21 and below the target (0.30) and threshold (0.34) rates. The assessment provides stock status for the combination of the three primary stocks (Hudson River, Delaware River, and Chesapeake and tributaries). The striped bass stock complex is determined to be not overfished with overfishing not occurring.
State of the Striper fishery,
Although spawning stock and total biomass have remained relatively stable over the last several years, stock abundance declined from 2004 to 2007 with a small increase in 2008. The decrease in abundance is reflected in a decline in coastwide landings in 2007 and 2008. The decline is more prevalent in areas largely dependent on contributions from the Chesapeake stocks (such as Maine) than areas that are dominated by the Hudson stock (such as New York). The spawning stock has remained relatively stable due to the growth and maturation of the 2003 year class and the accumulation of spawning biomass from year classes prior to 1996. The latest results of the statistical catch-at-age model also exhibit an increasing retrospective bias where F is overestimated and abundance and biomass underestimated. Retrospective bias may be the result of error in catch estimates, natural mortality, unequal stock mixing, and changes in catchability or selectivity. Analysis of tag data also suggests an increasing natural mortality in Chesapeake Bay, likely the result of the mycobacteriosis.
Recruitment estimates have averaged 12.5 million fish since 1995 when the stock complex was declared restored. The 2006 and 2007 estimates were the lowest in recent years at 7.4 million and 5.8 million fish, respectively. The 2003 cohort remains the largest since 1982 at 22.8 million fish. Recruitment in 2008 of 13.3 million fish was slightly above the recent average.
Striped bass are one of the most sought after species by recreational anglers along the Atlantic coast. In 2008, recreational anglers landed over 2.2 million striped bass weighing 12,310 metric tons (mt) (see Figure 2). Recreational landings have ranged from a low of 336 mt in 1989 to a high of 13,814 mt in 2006. The coastwide landings in 2008 reflect a 17 percent decline from a high of 2.7 million fish in 2006. Changes in landings have varied by state, with MA, CT, and NY showing an increase in landings and the remaining states showing a 32% decrease on average. Recreational discard mortalities (assuming an 8 percent mortality of releases) in 2008 were 950,000 fish, a 64 percent decrease from a high of 2.1 million fish in 2006.
Landings from the commercial striped bass fishery have been consistently lower than the recreational catch. Commercial landings increased from 63 mt in 1987 to 2,679 mt in 1997 and have remained steady due to quota restrictions. Landings in 2008 were 3,281 mt. Gill nets are the dominant commercial gear used to target striped bass. Other commercial fishing gears include hook and line, pound nets, seines, and trawls.
Copies of the stock assessment update will be available via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at (202) 289-6400 or nmeserve@asmfc.org.
Please Read!!!!!!!!!
Oct 10th, 2009 | By Capt. John McMurray | Category: Conservation, Lead Article
Addendum II will comprise yet another small but real drain on striped bass
Today is 10/8… It’s 5:00PM and I’m on a train home from the Striped Bass Advisory Panel (AP) meeting. I have to mention that I’ve been awake since 3:00AM and I’m running purely on caffeine at the moment so please excuse the likely mistakes. This AP meeting was arranged so that ASMFC staff could update the Panel on the results of the 2009 updated stock assessment that was literally just released this week. But it was also so that that we could review “Draft Addendum II” to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which deals with unused commercial quota roll over.
Let’s begin with the former, and I’ll try to be very brief due to a lack of time, space and of course reader attention spans (no offence… I know my eyes glaze over when I read a lot of this stuff). The short version is that the stock is still not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. The population is not under imminent threat, and it is not declining to unhealthy levels. Although, it has taken a notable dip from its 2004 high, it still remains well above the thresholds for management action. Fishing mortality is believed to be well below the target, and the number of older fish (age 8+) in the population has fallen, but seems to have stabilized. I’m not so sure I believe all of this to be the case, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Right now, let’s talk about Addendum II.
The Addendum proposes to allow any unused coastal commercial quota of striped bass to be rolled over from one year to the next. To be more clear, the uncaught commercial striped bass quota from one year (the “underage”) would be added to the following year’s quota and thus be allowed to be caught then. So if New York’s commercial fisherman, for instance, caught all but 100,000 pounds of their quota this year, that 100k pounds would be added to next year’s quota.
I don’t really get it… I mean, such quotas as I understand them, are meant to act as hard ceiling that should not be exceeded, but in this case the ASMFC seems to want to use the quota as a target to be achieved. Addendum II explicitly states that “avoiding a quota overage signifies managerial success.” (“While avoiding a quota overage signifies managerial success, a quota underage represents lost opportunity to commercial harvesters.”) While it is true that a state’s failure to fill its entire quota does diminish commercial fishers’ opportunities to profit from the public striped bass resource, it is also true that it is a practical impossibility to set regulations in a manner that assures that a quota will be met but not exceeded.
Regardless, there are abundant reasons for precaution here and while the proposed commercial rollover in the grand scheme doesn’t look like it will increase mortality all that much, it will still increase mortality, and that’s not good right now. Undoubtedly, we’re beginning to see more and more warning signs with striped bass. The chorus of complaints is getting harder and harder to blow off. There are constant anecdotal reports that striped bass abundance at the northern and now southern ends of its range have decreased sharply. Anecdotal evidence from anglers, throughout the coast, suggest that striped bass are less available than in recent years, and that with the exception of a handful of very large fish that may have been spawned during the moratorium years of the 1980s, the average size of the fish caught by anglers is declining.
Then there’s Mycobacteriosis, a disease affecting striped bass, which we still don’t know a whole lot about. It could very possibly be a serious threat to the striped bass population, particularly in Chesapeake Bay, where it has its greatest impact on the older females that spawn in the largest striped bass nursery area on the coast. Recruitment in 2006 and 2007 was some of the worst in recent years, while the 2008 Maryland young of the year index, traditionally a reliable measure of future striped bass abundance, was merely 3.7% of the long term average. The winter tagging cruise that takes place off Virginia and North Carolina in January caught the fewest striped bass in its 22-year history.
Any one of those factors, taken on its own, is probably not significant. Striped bass typically experience very irregular spawning success, in which dominant, average and below-average year classes follow one another without discernable pattern. Weather can affect fishing success, whether by anglers or by research vessels, in any given year, and changes in water temperature and/or forage abundance may affect the annual distribution of striped bass. However, when viewed as a whole, particularly considering the potential impact of mycobacteriosis, there is more than adequate reason to approach any increase in the actual striped bass harvest with caution.
Unfortunately, the ASMFC has not been precautionary. It has incrementally increased harvest not by a single coordinated action, but rather by a series of measures that one Board member has likened to “death by a thousand cuts.” In a single session, the Board created fisheries in Delaware and Pennsylvania for striped bass smaller than the 28-inch coastal minimum, eliminated the quota on the Chesapeake Bay spring “trophy” fishery and permitted Maryland to extend its December season by more than two weeks. Addendum II would comprise yet another small but very real drain on striped bass abundance by authorizing a de facto increase in commercial harvest.
Add to this the fact that that allowing a commercial rollover would likely provide an incentive to under report harvest. The ability to increase next year’s quota by failing to report a fully caught quota is ample motivation for commercial fishermen to under-report their catch because selling fish under the table could actually result in a larger quota the following year. And we all well know that there’s already a big problem with such black market striped bass fisheries.
It’s worthy of noting here that that those black market fisheries are not accounted for in the assessment process. During the AP meeting discussion, the Technical Committee rep gave some pretty poor reasons why such known black market fisheries are not accounted for, even though it seems to be well known and has been repeatedly documented by arrests and convictions. They claim there is just no way they can get an accurate estimate of such fisheries, even if they gathered records from the various enforcement agencies.
It’s also worth noting here that the commercial fishing AP rep from New York complained that they hadn’t fished their quota in a few years and thus should be entitled to those fish in the following years. I made the counter point that when you figure in all the poaching that takes place in Lower New York Harbor, I’m certain it’s been filled, and then some. Judging by my anecdotal observations in my neck of the woods, I’d even go so far as to say that the illegal catch may even be more than the total legal catch. While my assertions were written off as hyperbole by the commercial rep, anyone who has spent any time in Lower New York Harbor knows that the problem is a monumental one. There has historically been a large scale poaching problem here. There just isn’t much the DEC or anyone else can do about it. Although I cannot attest to it personally, there are plenty of folks who claim such fisheries exist in other states as well. I feel it’s very unlikely there is any such thing as a commercial quota underage with striped bass in most states.
But, hey, maybe I’m wrong. We could assume all fisherman are honest and report all their landings, and there is little to no poaching. If that’s the case as some commercial reps claim, could it be possible that the failure to harvest a state’s full quota is due to a contraction of the striped bass population? Brad Burns of Stripers Forever seems to think so “If the state fails to reach its quota over the course of an entire season, it is a very good indication that there simply are not as many striped bass out there as the fishery managers estimated. Given the fishing reports that we have been receiving this is a very likely scenario.”
There could indeed be some truth to this. My fishing has been substandard the last couple of seasons and the chorus of complaints coast-wide is just too loud for it to be a coincidence. And we can’t ignore the fact that the stock has been on the decline since 2004. Yet such fluctuations are not out of the ordinary and can easily be explained away by the good year-classes leaving the population. The Technical Committee seems to think the stock will begin showing an upward trend when the newer strong year-classes come into play. Still, I can’t help but think there is something that the assessment scientists are missing. And right now, I’m just not sure what that is.
It could be the mortality coming from the relatively new winter fisheries in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. These fisheries are composed almost completely of large spawning fish and until recently were never utilized. And the current MRFSS data collection system doesn’t sample during those first months of the year (what they consider to be “Wave 1”). And of course it could be the poaching. Still, the stock size and age distribution should show the effects of this fishery. Regardless, we do indeed MRFSS sampling for those Wave I fisheries because undoubtedly that fishery is resulting in a lot of big dead bass. Unfortunately , it doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.
And speaking of MRFSS, we’re still using the same old system to determine all these striped bass numbers, and such a system has been widely discredited. Of course, it’s still the best available data, but to me it would make sense to wait until the new MIRP system is up and running before we take any more steps in increase harvest, however incremental they may be.
But getting back to Addendum II, “Given the choice between underage and overage, the public interest is better served by assuring that the striped bass resource is not overfished,” writes CCA NY’s Chairman Charles Witek, “and that the underage is “reinvested” in the spawning stock to better assure abundance in future years.” I couldn’t agree more.
Until the uncertainties relating to striped bass abundance, including both trends in recruitment and future abundance and the effects of mycobacteriosis on the overall health of the stock, are determined in the next baseline stock assessment, consideration of a rollover of uncaught commercial quota is both premature and irresponsible. As representatives of the public interest and as stewards of the public striped bass resource, the Board is obligated to take a risk-averse approach to striped bass management, and to maintain the status quo as to the rollover of unused quota. Furthermore, the ASMFC should take clear recognition of the fact that the best time to resolve a problem is before it actually occurs.
ASMFC is still taking public comment on Addendum II, but not for much longer. It will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 16, 2009. If you think that a commercial rollover is a bad idea like I do, let them know about it. Comments should be sent to Nichola Meserve, FMP Coordinator, 1444 ‘Eye’ Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at nmeserve@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum II).
Aug 21-2009
Is it post heat wave or pre storm or Just better tides? I'm betting all three but would place my favorite crab pattern on the tides, if I where a betting man. What ever the reason the fish have been much more snappy the last few trips for us, after a period where our water hit 74 degrees and it just seemed that every fish would just follow, for the beach anglers or folks throwing off a lower casting deck it would seem the fish had moved out deep but, Guiding from and poling platform and having a casting platform on my flats skiff we where seeing things that drove us nuts, changing flies, fishing 12 ft 8 lb leaders to 35 inch fish- on and on- just follows then we hit on area that we found some fish that where snappy and would eat anything we threw at them much more fun for my anglers. Then came better tides and the fish have been a little easier every where fish the last few days but still a very short A.M window, and looking forward the weather will cool and with the big tides 11 plus ft the next few days we will get the water cooled a bit as well. There is tons of bait hanging near the shore line flats and the outer island sand flats have sand eels all over them, Fish early and get your fly to any swirl quickly and for you guys that have not figured it out yet??? stealth is key!!!!! you can not run you motor all over the flats in Casco Bay or any where right now, and expect to catch fish these fish are so well feed the last thing they need to do is eat our artificials, pole use a trolling motor or drift but if other anglers are up on the mud or sand flats give them tons of space and turn your !@#*ing motors off!!!!
Aug-1-2009
Overall it's been a good week,the weather was not too bad and we even had some sun to do my favorite thing, (sight fish) add to the mix, the quality of fly anglers I had this week- we got some nice fish in the shallows to move on the fly, in the 11 o'clock sun, One angler has been a back country guide in the FL keys for 25 plus years and what a joy to fish an angler with his skill set from casting 15 ft leaders with crab patterns to putting a hollow fly down in front of a high and happy big bass with out spooking it- to result in an eat!! I just had a blast the last few days!!!! Today was clear again and had some nice fish with dark backs ripping over the sand flats on the outer island beaches,
The morning Incomings have had some good feeds on Juvenile Herring and the fish have been pretty friendly to our flies, Hollows, Poppers, Juvie Herring fished tandem and Pollack patters have been good for us until we move to sight fishing, where crab pattern on floating lines and long leaders have worked well with the right anglers also white flats deceivers- hollows,
People often ask what spots do you like in Casco Bay? my answer- I fish tides not spots-Casco Bay is a tide chasers dream the fish eat and layup in different spots on each tide, not as easy to learn like fishing the beach and rocks or a big river system like the kennebec, Casco Bay, has a ton of flats and mussle bars you can fish skinny water all tide if you move at the right time to the right place, The tides have been key!!!! Many anglers go back to the same spot two days later different stage of the tide and are convince the fish have left, No they have not there is tons of fish and bait all over Casco Bay the tides have been key!!!! water temp is great the stable weather has turned on the fish. They are boat,leader and fly shy, change up a little- fish 10-12 pond floroand don't get stuck in your old ways if there not working otherwise these fish will drive you crazy with follows,
Maine Fishing Reports from the Kennebec have been good and the Tuna reports near Portland are looking up as well.
The web boards have been full of negative Maine Striper Reports- I had sent an e-mail to one angler hoping for him to hit it again instead of posting a doomsday report From www.flyfishinginmaine.com here is his fourum posting.
With some renewed confidence, courtesy of Capt. Eric Wallace -- I had the best Striper outing this morning in 2+ years, easy. I must have seen a hundred fish on this one particular flat...multiple pods of 25-30 slot-sized fish, and larger. Surface activity -- lots of feeding....just plain fun. Caught fish from 22" - 30" -- largest came on a gurgler! I also lost several on gurglers that broke off, and was worried that there were blues in the mix, but I didn't land any. The biggest Striper was fresh and mean, and had me WAY into my backing on an old Battenkill reel with a loose drag. Get out there and have at it -- turns out there are fish around -- they have just been hiding from me.
July -16-09
We have had some weird fishing the last week or so, weather and tides are a part of it as-well there just a ton of food for them, on Monday we hit the mud flats at first light to find fish marking the surface all around they where keyed into tiny grass shrimp, once again a hollow pattern with a stinger about 25 inches of the back- a small size 4-6 white bait fish pattern and using 12 lb or lighter leaders - we also used this rig to fish the sand flats on the incoming tide in the bright sun, found it was our ticket there untill we switch to a crab pattern the fish came to the crab but we missed a few eats. Today I fished an area I have not fish with a client in over 3 weeks and it produced see pic above. I'm feeling hopfull that the weather stays somewhat humid and stable also I'm looking forward to these tides coming into the new moon.
For more info on Maine Striper fishing and reports see our blog.
June 12
From Soggy weather blitzes to sunny weather sight fishing the last two week have just been a ton of fun for us here in Maine, I started my Maine striper fishing season sight fishing sand flats in late May? this is a first for me.I have scouted these flats the last 8 years from a poling platform and this year was the first I have seen them there this early!! when some cloudy weather killed the sun we started fishing Casco Bay, witch was already having very good reports from other Capt's and fishy locals.
My first guide day on Casco Bay was June 3 and in our first hour we land over ten slot size fish, it turned off quickly after the sun pop out mid morning. The Bay has really continue to fish very well, there is a ton of big bait in the rivers, the alewife run was good ,now the Blue Back Herring have poured into the rivers as well, Mackerels are blitzing all over the place on the small atlantic herring juvies-and swarms of sand eels are drifting in as well,water temp is 57 and warming into the lower 60 's on the flats,pretty much perfect conditions and just a ton better than the last few years, Fish size is a mixed bag I had Crosby Bean of Hardy rods and reels out on Thurs, within fifty feet and 5 cast we landed a 9 inch striper and a 34 this was 15th fish over 30 landed this year on flies so far on my boat and the reports from Capt John Ford of Portland Guide Service he is seeing similar fish sizes as well, we are excited to have so many big fish around but really excited to see the little guys for the first time in a few season in any numbers. Some other reports from the area has the kennebec coming alive, Peter Fallon of Maine Stripers, reports having some good fishing when the weather was stable and is looking forward to a good season on the Kennebec as some beach angler have already caught fish off of Popham.
The Portland Area south has plenty of fish, I have a passion for Stand up Paddle surfing and not only do I use it for surfing but also for scouting and chasing tailing fish while i'm in the Keys in the winter, Well I just got off the water at Higgins beach there was tons of Micro Bait and we had bass all over under neath us. It should be a good one!!!!!!
June is Booked!!! Please call about July Aug and Sept dates.
Capt Eric Wallace
207-671-4330
www.coastalflyangler.com
Maine - Cape Cod - FL Keys
June 1 2009 Maine Striped Bass fishing reports,
Water Temps
Buzzard Bay 56--Mass Bay--53---Casco Bay--53--NE Kennebec--47
Things are starting to move along in southern Maine,, area’s in Casco Bay are holding fish, but the best fishing in Maine this past week was on the Piscataqua where reports of 25-30 inch stripers surface feeding on the small juvi herring, On the sunny days I've done 4 trips on the sand flats, yes sight fishing in May in Maine ? lovin it !!! a week ago we where seeing lot's of fish on the incoming tides on the sand flats, Casco Bay had reports of a few fish caught, now the sand flats are showing fewer fish but we did get some shots at a few very large bass in the skinny on saturday, mean while anglers in Casco Bay are starting to picking up more fish, some nice fish in the Saco also the shad fishing has been hot at times!! Looking forward I'm hoping for a big push of fish in the next few days we have the bait and the water temps.
Maine Striper Fishing Reorts.Late May 2009
Stripers are Here
Many of you have asked me to drop a line when something good is happening on the water, well here it is. Yes, Cape Cod and Rhode Island are fishing well, but the real story is the Merrimack River to the estuaries near Portland, Maine! After a few scouting runs, I was willing to fish one of my repeat anglers and after what we experienced he's coming back for more the first week of June. Give me a call if you want to get out there, (207) 671-4330.
We started on an incoming tide but the fish were on the move and even with a quick cast and a good angle they just ripped past. No leans or love on the incoming. After the tide turned it got bright around 11am and we saw some pushes along the banks and in the deeper channels. I poled up-current in about 3 feet of water on a sandy bottom so my angler could cast into the deeper channels. Then we started to see fish right under us on the sand flat in the sun in Maine in May! I was in heaven! We worked on these fish about and hour or so, bringing in some nice ones. There’s something special about this after what we’ve seen the last two years----keep um coming!
The Fly Fishing Film Tour
This national festival is playing in Portland, Maine at the Asylum on Thursday, June 4, at 7pm. Hosted by Flies and Fins and sponsored by The Drake magazine, Sage Fly Rods, Patagonia, Scientific Anglers and others, The Fly Fishing Film Tour showcases some of the best cutting edge fly fishing films to date. There will be a pre- and post-show party with appetizers, beer from local brewing companies and outstanding shorts from 406 Productions, World Angling and Flies and Fins, to midnight.
Striper Tournament
Looking ahead, the Royal River Catch and Release Striper Tournament is set for Sept 12-13, 2009 with cash prizes for fly and a Captain/Angler pre-party at the Royal River Grill House. See www.royalriverstriper.com and feel free to e-mail if you’re looking for guides for the tournament.
May 7, 2009
The weather is just getting better every day here in the Lower Keys. Sunshine and lighter winds are starting to prevail which means the tarpon should start moving on the flats a little better in the coming days. Last week was tough with high winds and some cloud cover but we managed to get a few fish to the boat and jump a couple others.
Bonefishing is phenominal right now. The bonefish range from 5- to 8- pounds in our back yard on Sugarloaf Key. They are a great fighting fish and are a lot of fun if you just want to take a break from the mighty tarpon.
There are still some permit on the flats but they are smaller right now because the majority of permit are still offshore on the wrecks and rock piles spawning. There are some bigger permit around but few and far between.
I still have some available dates around July 4 weekend for tarpon, bonefish and permit. July is a perfect time to target the slam. August and September are also great months for relaxed fishing as the boating pressure diminishes greatly by then.
You can reach Captain Justin Rea at 305-744-0903 or email justin@flyfishingthekeys.com
Fly Fishing Flim Tour
The Fly Fishing Film Tour,hosted by www.fliesandfins.com sponsored by The Drake magazine, Sage Fly Rods, Scientific Anglers Patagonia, among others, is touring the country this spring and early summer, showcasing some of the most cutting edge fly fishing films to date. The festival is playing in Portland, Maine at the Asylum on Thursday, June 4, at 7pm. There will also be a pre- and post-show party with appetizers, beer from local brewing companies and some outstanding shorts from 406 Productions, World Angling and Flies and Fins, 7pm to midnight.
Tickets for the festival are $15 for adults (21 and over only). For more info on the Fly Fishing Film Tour, and to see trailers of the films that will be showing, check out the website: www.flyfishingfilmtour.com or contact Eric Wallace by email, eric@coastalflyangler.com, or phone, 207-671-4330.
"The focus of this tour is to showcase the talent of these filmmakers, raise some money for various conservation groups and provide fly-fishers an evening of entertainment," says organizer Tom Bie. "It may also be the only legitimate chance for thousands of lonely fly-tyers to actually get a date."
Film Lineup
. "Drift" -- Sweeps across the flats of Belize and the Bahamas to spey casting on Oregon's Deschutes River and exotic rivers in Kashmir, India. 10-minute and 18-minute segments.
. "Nervous Water" -- Four groups of anglers, each obsessed with the fish they love, chase brown trout, rainbows, redfish and marlin. 18 minutes.
. "Eastern Rising" -- Felt Soul Media founders Ben Knight and Travis Rummel, who did the Bristol Bay documentary "Red Gold," offer a fly-fishing excursion from Bristol Bay to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. 9 minutes.
. "Red Gold" -- A fishing segment from the"RedGold" documentary. 9 minutes.
. "Bass: The Movie" By Jamie Howard-- Pits a fly-rod angler versus aconventional angler in a bass hotspot. Who will win? 5 minutes.
. "Rivers of a Lost Coast" -- Led by fly-fishing gypsy Bill Schaadt, a cult of California coastal fly-fishermen revolutionized their sport andredefined
their lives. 5 minutes.
. "Great White North" -- An MTV-style video that uses creative camera angles to highlight steelhead and trout fishing in the Northwest and British Columbia. 10 minutes.
. "Soul Fish" -- A teaser from a recently released film by California filmmaker Mikey Weir features footage from Mongolia, Brazil, Florida Keys, Christmas Island, Louisiana and Belize. 5minutes.
. "Drum" -- Filmmakers take you inside the mind of the Holeman Brothers and their relentless quest for big redfish in the character-filled community of Hopedale, La. 9 minutes.
. "Raising the Ghost" -- Finding steelhead in a remote stretch of British Columbia is hard enough. But finding ones that will chase a dead-drifted dry fly? Nearly impossible. 5 minutes.
Fly Fishing Film Tour Summary
When: 7 p.m. June 4th., doors open a half-hour before the show. Where: Asylum, 121 Center St Portland ME Cost: $15, 21+ Length: 90 minutes plus shorts and live music Prizes: Among the many door prizes is entry in a grand prize drawing for a trip to Belize, Scott Fly Rods, Lateral-line and Patagonia gear.
Tickets/More Info: Go to www.flyfishingfilmtour.com or follow the buzz at www.fliesandfins.com
Also purchase tickets at The Tackle Shop 773-fish
Maine FlyFish— on the flats of Casco Bay.
April 14, 2009 Saltwater Sportsman
By John Frazier
Some people drive fancy cars, live in big houses and drink expensive wine to make them happy. For me, it's always been the little things that put a smile on my face. It's hard to imagine many things better than sitting on a deck on a cloudless afternoon with a cold brew in one hand and a fresh "lobstah" roll in the other — all the while musing over a morning of chasing stripers on the flats of Casco Bay.
Protruding from the water like the icebergs of the Arctic Sea, the islands of Casco Bay, Maine, are referred to by some as the Calendar Islands — a name derived from the myth that the bay enclosed 365 islands. Although the myth has long since been proven untrue, the stunning landscape dotting this body of water forms a labyrinth holding hidden treasure for anglers.
Captain Eric Wallace (www.coastalflyangler.com) has been fishing these waters for many years. Casco Bay spans 220 square miles and contains more than 14,000 acres of fishable flats. Mastering a body of water to Wallace's extent can only be achieved one way — logging as many hours on it as possible. What's more interesting is that Wallace has done so without a trolling motor and with minimal use of an outboard; instead, he has relied on two of fishing's more rudimentary tools: a push pole and a poling platform.
Some time ago, Wallace was on the water and a rod went overboard. The outfit drifted into the shallows, and Wallace followed a little too far. He got in too shallow for his boat and stuck. While waiting for the tide to turn, he watched as hundreds of striped bass — big and small — used the deeper part of the flats like a metropolitan interstate. From that point on, he knew the way he fished the waters of Maine had forever changed.
Chasing stripers as if they were bonefish, permit or redfish isn't typical, but it can be more productive than conventional methods. Be warned, though: Casco Bay is one unique piece of water. Hundreds of islands that look alike and tides that flow like flash floods on a daily basis make for a complicated and intimidating environment. However, after fishing and collaborating with the pioneer himself, I was able to extract four key ingredients to hitting pay dirt on Casco Bay.
Rivers That Run Through It
Right off the bat, anglers need to put a heavy focus on rivers like the Royal, Presumpscot, Harraseeket and Cousins. These are the perfect environments for a variety of striper forage and act as gateways to flats action on Casco Bay. Shad, blueback herring and alewives use these rivers like highways during the spawning season. These huge pushes of bait moving through the rivers are what bring the stripers to Maine in the first place. Around mid- to late June, the bait reaches the end of the road and has no choice but to scatter throughout the flats at the mouths of the rivers — and the stripers are close behind.
Once the bass reach the flats, they quickly adapt to the marine buffet awaiting them, with entrees like crabs, shrimp and — during the right moon phase — worms. With such a variety and abundance of food on the flats, the fish forget about mackerel and herring, and they'll keep that mentality all the way into September.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Whether you're fishing with fly tackle or conventional gear, spotting the fish is a must. Stripers can be bashful in skinny water and are adept at cruising along while showing little or no sign of their presence — especially over muddy bottoms. Sight-fishing on the mud isn't so much casting to fish as casting to movements, like trembling water, V-wakes, boils and small bait showers.
I learned quickly when fishing over mud that even the slightest surface disturbance shouldn't be neglected. Our first fish of the day came when Wallace saw some movement 20 yards away — I saw nothing. As he poled closer, I started to make out an ever-so-slight vibrating mass lazily scooting along. At Wallace's command, I sent a small, weightless baitfish imitation right in front of the nervous water. Two strips later came the thump! The general rule on the mud is this: If you see any type of movement, make a cast and get ready.
Later in the day we moved onto the sandy flats. If it weren't for the brisk temperature and craggy shoreline, it would have been easy to imagine we were hunting bonefish on the flats of Mexico. The water was emerald green and the bottom hard white sand. This scenario presents more of a challenge; the fish are much more wary and harder to see. Just like a permit in the tropics, their silver flanks allow them to blend into their surroundings. We had pretty good luck with smaller fish by dropping flies right on their noses. Poling along the beach we encountered some massive bass that Wallace estimated in the 35-pound range. We tried everything on those fish, but like the old saying goes, they didn't get big by being stupid.
Work The Angles
The single most critical consideration on Casco Bay is the tide — both for fishing and safety. If you aren't careful, you'll find yourself high and dry in a hurry. Tides can rise and fall from 7 to 11 feet in one phase; you want to make sure you are familiar with your charts. But safety aside, knowing what the water is doing when and where will make a difference — just like on the tropical flats. Success in this fishery is based on sight, so in the early morning, when the sun is at a low angle, spotting fish on the sand would be nearly impossible. Times like this are better spent looking for blitzes and wakes on the mud — particularly during a super low tide.
Because the water moves so fast, you've got to have a plan before you leave the dock. For example, say you are fishing an extreme low on the mud and catching fish. It won't take long for that area to flood to the point where the fish are deep enough not to disturb the surface. Casco Bay sits 800 miles east of Miami, so by 10 or 11 a.m., the sun is pretty much directly overhead. This is a good time to seek out sandy flats that are still milking a low tide. If you have good sun directly above the clear water, you will be able to spot fish even as the tide rushes in.
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
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
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FREEPORT, ME. March 2009--Some of the biggest names in the history of fishing will be at L.L.Bean on March 21-22 for L.L.Bean's annual Spring Fishing Expo. These "Legends of Fishing" will be available at the store from 10:00am to 4:00pm Saturday and Sunday to visit with customers, share stories, sign autographs, books and more.
"We are thrilled to have talent of this caliber in one place at one time," said Ken Kacere, Senior VP and General Manager of Retail. "And we're excited to be giving our customers, especially the little ones, the opportunity to talk face-to-face with some of the biggest names the fishing world has ever seen."
In addition, during the weekend, 5% of all fishing gear and apparel sales will go to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs program.
Featured celebrity fly tyers include David Klausmeyer, Bob Popovics, Mike Martinek and Ted Rogowski. Other weekend highlights include free fly-casting lessons, kids' activities, and a variety of demonstrations, clinics and seminars including presentations by Harry Vanderweide, as well as several L.L.Bean experts. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will also be conducting a special panel discussion on all things related to fishing in Maine. Special promotions include 20% off all rods, reels, outfits and waders. All event activities are free. For more information, please visit www.llbean.com/events, or call 800-559-0747, ext. 37222.
L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading retailer of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe. While its business has grown substantially, L.L.Bean still upholds the values of its founder and continues his dedication to quality, customer service and a love of the outdoors.
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Contact: Mac McKeever, 207-552-6078, emckeever@llbean.com
One of the few areas in Maine that held Striped Bass in the summers of 2007 and 2008 was Casco Bay and areas south. Like all of Maine, Casco Bay was loaded with big bait. The difference was we had some big fish to cast to as well. In 2008 you could count on two hands the number of stripers that came to the boat under 20 inches, the story was learning how to feed bigger fish that were using the warmer flats to digest after having an all-night feed on adult menhaden. A stealthy approach and longer leaders became as important as the tide and lower sun angles.
Not going to deep into flies as these are the bread and butter and some secrets must be kept by the guy on the poling platform. I spent many more hours this striper season working out some patterns that I feel changed my fishing!! As the bait anglers sent photos of their big fish we where able to respond with 35-40 inch fly-caught photos of anglers fishing the mud flats. I'm not going to kid you, it was work to find fish that would eat on a daily basis, but they were there, not too often showing themselves unless you found them first.
Note: on this past season the fishing was way off from Cape Cod to Casco Bay, it sounds like the Bass followed the warmer currents this past spring, as Nova Scotia had it's best Striped Bass fishing in more than 25 years. New England had two big snow years in a row, and this past May and early June 17 day of off shore winds, throwing our water temp off by 6 degrees on June 10, the little fish just went by or never made it past Rhode Island, and the bigger fish found the pogies and feed hard at night and the rest was up to the angler to learn how to feed them. That said there are some MAJOR things that need to happen in the management of this fishery, so please join CCA and Striper Forever show then your support,and learn more about the danger this fishery faces.
If you Live in Mass please show your support for this Bill!!!!
MPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT JAN. 14 2009 LEGISLATORS WORKING WITH STRIPERS FOREVER HAVE FILED GAME FISH LEGISLATION IN THIS SESSION OF THE MA LEGISLATURE
To our knowledge this is the first time in the history of the Commonwealth that such a Bill has been initiated. If passed, this will be a tremendous step for the conservation of stripers to the benefit of the fishing public and the recreational fishing industry that they support.
There will be more specific information regarding the Bill [content/specifics, sponsors etc] available as soon as we can get all the information put together. Look for more details shortly.
This is just a preview FYI......... WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS. Soon it will be your turn to get involved. This is happening RIGHT NOW and the filing of this Conservation Bill is groundbreaking! Now we just have to get together to see that it gets passed.
Thank you for your continuing support for a commercial free striper fishery.
The MA Stripers Forever State Committee
October: Cape Cod Sand Flats
After working hard all summer on well-fed fish in Maine, it sure was fun to have some easy fishing on Cape Cod. Getting down there at a perfect time for the sand-flats to turn on, good tides and nice weather made for a few 40-plus fish days in real skinny water. A light skiff or a sub 18 with a jack plate and a good poler is the only way to fish the sand of Pleasant Bay when tides are right for sight fishing. If you have not experienced this fishery it's a must. Feel free to give me a call anytime for more info on fishing Cape Cod 207-671-4330.
Maine Striper fishing reports May -June 2008
Large bait is moving into the rivers of Casco Bay, the Presumpscot,Royal, Cousins and New Meadows all have large bait runs of river herring and alewives. These big bait bring some big stripers, big flies and sink tips fished in the river channels over structure are the norm. If you are like many of the flats anglers I fish and would rather watch paint dry then fish a 375 gr sink tip all day. The estuaries and flats of Casco Bay come alive with smaller bait and active striper feeds, much early then most other area's on Maine's coast. With flats that are measured in miles warming the water, and moving the Bass onto them and out of the rivers in search of the Tidewater Silversides, Juvie Herring and large Grass shrimp hatch all add to the early season attractions of lower Casco Bay.
As we move deeper into June a New or full moon brings the worm hatches of Casco Bay. These hatches or worm swarms bring good size happy stripers onto the flats, and there here to eat! The right tide and sun angle this can be some of the most exciting shallow water fishing there is on the striper coast. Remember to check out my web blog for other reports and to give some feed back on the fishing your finding. www.mainestriperfishing.blogspot.com
Mid Summer (overview)
Plying the shallows on a sunny day is another game entirely. This is as close as you’ll get to bonefishing north of Biscayne Bay and a big bruiser-cruiser can be just as tough to fool as any double-digit downtown Islamorada bone. These fish are stalking the flats in search of crabs, baby flounders and sand shrimp and the ‘ole white and chartreuse Clouser Minnow approach usually doesn’t cut it. A stealthy approach, a long lead with a drab, nondescript fly “It could be a delicious crab or flounder or shrimp” pattern and the ability to read and feed the fish will result in a tight line. This isn’t a numbers game, and for my anglers this could be the pinnacle of the striper fishing experience, with every fish caught sight-casting worth ten taken on the blind.
Fall (overview)
There resaons why Saltwater Sportsman Magazine 2005-2007 has called Casco Bay the best bet for action packed striper fishing in the month of September. As the dog days of summer slide into autumn, striper fishing north of Cape Cod usually means three things: baby bunker blitzes, sight-casting the skinny or hunting for Momma with flies the size of your average Maine brook trout. Come mid-August it’s common to see large schools of stripers (and blues, and occasional bluefin tuna) pinning nervous mossy-brown balls of immature menhaden against the shoreline or up to the top offshore, wedged by a crowd of cormorants. Wildly wheeling terns and gulls add to the carnage to the point where the whole scene is so dense it’s more likely you’ll hook a bird than a bass. Small (two to four inch) wide-bodied streamers, as well as surface offerings Making September fishing in Maine one of the truly must do for the traveling saltwater fly angler
Striped Bass Fishing Maine - Cape Cod
Capt Eric Wallace
207-671-4330
booktrips@coastalflyangler.com
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