THE MAINE OUTLOOK June 11, 2009 - After conversing with a number of customers that have been harassing striped bass in some of the high profile estuaries along the Maine coast, it appears that there will actually be an inshore striped bass fishery this season after all. It's no secret that the 2008 saltwater season was an absolute disaster from Portsmouth to Bangor as shore bound anglers struggled mightily to stab even a few petite fish. Thus far most of the bass have been typical estuary fish falling into the 18-24 inch category, although the occasional 30-incher has also been reported. If the shear numbers of "inshore" striped bass anglers have been witnessing here in southern New England is any indication, our brethren to the north should once again enjoy some stellar summer action. The glory days of Chatham (inside) seem to be a distant memory as this on-again, off-again fishery is truly struggling. We had the opportunity to view a recent satellite image of the geography and when compared to similar images of the previous 10 years the changes were dramatic. The influx of sand resulting in shallow (warm) water in conjunction with decreasing structure and decreased water volume is evident. While a few anglers have experienced decent outings, many are reporting only mediocre results. TOURNEY Good fishing and safe
wading, |
Many
anglers seem to be a bit concerned over the lack of smaller stock they
have encountered during the spring migration. I can assure you that this
has not been the case as we have had many customers echoing quite the
opposite. Areas such as Bass River, Oyster River, Scorton Creek and Town
Cove have been yielding many fish in the 12-18" range. A great
example to further advance the point has been the outings of Jeff Scales
and Jon Williams. The duo has been visiting Old Harbor Creek in Sandwich
Harbor and, while the fishing has been quite good, in the words of Jeff,
"it's been quantity rather than quality." One recent outing
yielded nearly 30 fish with the largest specimen about the size of a
D'Angelo's large sub. Incidentally this estuary has been fishing quite
well during dropping tides (especially during low light conditions).