Maine Striper Fishing Reports August 31st, 2009

Olga Dubois with her first ever Striped Bass caught this afternoon (08/31/09) on the Kennebec river

Friday and Saturday Reds

Got there and the wind was pretty bad, but stuck with it anyways...

Had a total of 6 and kept these three.

This hard fighting 27"er went back. (try not to mind the silly face)

Went back on Saturday with a friend of mine from Richmond.

Got skunked except for this little guy.

Took Marty to a nice hole and he caught two. Here's the first one.

Maine Striper Fishing Report August 30th, 2009

Day two today with Roger & Derrik Flahive...a much different day than yesterdays tropical storm conditions...Bright sun and eager Stripers made for another fun day...we quickly connected with a double header within minutes from leaving the dock...several more fish quickly followed before we were mugged by the weekend warrior fleet...it never ceases to amaze me how people feel the need to motor repeatedly directly over big schools of feeding stripers...what's even more amazing is that the same folks that run the fish over wonder why they're not catching...incredible!!!...no worries though plenty of fishy water for us to work. we spent some serious time working the next location...and were rewarded over and over again!!!

Maine Saltwater Fishing Report August 29th, 2009 Tropical Storm "Danny"

The last several days have been super busy with double header trips every day...today 08/29/09 I had a full day 8hr trip With Roger & Derrik Flahive from Littleton, Co aboard for some stormy weather fly and light tackle fishing...we were able to find some sheltered waters in the river...and some fish!!! check out the pics and the crazy NOAA weather report below (yes that is sideways rain that we were fishing in!!!) Roger & Derrik will be back aboard tomorrow





ANZ150-152-154-300700-
STONINGTON ME TO PORT CLYDE ME OUT TO 25 NM-
PORT CLYDE ME TO CAPE ELIZABETH ME OUT TO 25 NM-
CAPE ELIZABETH ME TO MERRIMACK RIVER MA OUT TO 25 NM-
1246 PM EDT SAT AUG 29 2009

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT


TODAY
E TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 KT...
SEAS 7 TO 10 FT. SHOWERS. AREAS OF FOG. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

TONIGHT
NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS
6 TO 9 FT. SHOWERS...MAINLY IN THE EVENING. WIDESPREAD FOG. VSBY
1 TO 3 NM.

If you're looking to fish with us this September...please call us soon for available dates!!
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Choosing a kayak is personal

Kayak fishing is the fastest growing segment of the sport.

There are a number of reasons for the surge: 1. Kayaks are inexpensive when compared to flats skiffs; 2. There's no gas required; 3. Maintenance is limited; 4. Anglers can fish areas not accessible to motorized vessels.

But what's the best kayak for you?

That's simple. Ask a kayak angler and he'll tell you the best boat is the one he owns. And why not? Why would he own that particular craft if he didn't think it was the best?

But just like automobiles, boats and fishing lures, kayaks come in every size, shape, color and description.

In my opinion, many beginning kayak anglers make the mistake of choosing a model because of price. That's understandable, but perhaps not the way to go. Considering most fishing kayaks range in price from $450 to about $1,800. If you're a little short on cash, hold off on your purchase until you save the required amount.

Realize there are several different types of kayaks: sit-on-top and sit-in. Sit-in kayaks are what most people envision when they think of these vessels. Many SIKs aren't suitable for fishing because you're severely limited in the amount of tackle you can carry.

Most sit-on-tops are made for fishing. They're stable, beamy and had amenities such as rod holders. Some of the top brands include Wilderness Systems, Hobie, Ocean and Heritage. Native Watercraft makes several SITs such as the Magic and Manta Ray.

I'm sponsored by Native and I own the Ultimate 14.5. It's 14 feet, 6 inches in length and is what as known as a hybrid kayak. It's sort of a cross between and sit-on-top kayak and a canoe.

I fell in love with this boat immediately. It's wide open and can carry a lot of gear. When I take people out on all-day charters (I'm a kayak fishing guide; http://www.kayakfishingsarasota.com/), I carry a 36-quart cooler full of ice, sandwiches, snacks and drinks. You couldn't do that in most SOTs.

I also love the stability. The Ultimate is so stable that you can stand up and fish in them. That's gives you a real advantage when sight-fishing the flats.

The Ultimate also features the best seat in the industry; a real plus when you're planning to be out all day. It completely eliminates sore butts!

The Ultimate also tracks straight. Paddle corrections are rarely needed. Native offers a rudder for the Ultimate, but it's not really needed.

The Ultimate comes in a peddle model, but I'm a purist and prefer a paddle. If you're hellbent on a peddle, realize that you have forward and reverse in the Ultimate's Propel model. I don't think any other kayak manufacturer offers that. Reverse is important when you're fishing docks and other structure and need to move away. Otherwise, big fish will pull your kayak under the structure.

"Hands-free" fishing is something another manufacturer touts, but, believe me, the Ultimate really does feature hands-free fishing when you learn the nuances.

But realize, I own Ultimates. And the best kayak is whatever the person you ask owns.

Check out all of Native Watercraft's models at http://www.nativewatercraft.com/.

If you have any questions about fishing kayaks, please feel free to drop me an email at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com or call me at 941-284-3406.

Dell, JJ, Kramer and dad on the Susquehanna River 08/27/09

I've been looking forward to this trip all week. We were suppose to take Kramer (math teacher at Penn Manor High School) fishing last week, but he took a little "slime rocket" trip to the mountains and couldn't join us. We got him in the boat last evening for a lot of fun and fish catching excitement.

We have had three beautiful days of weather preceding our trip. A front was approaching and dragging moisture up to us from the south. We had some cloudiness when we departed the launch around 4:00 p.m.

When we arrived at the ramp, there was a group of upper elementary-aged and middle school youngsters packing up after a great day on the water boating and tubing. I spoke to a few who claimed they had an excellent day. I guess it's the middle school counselor in me that draws me to this age group. Their zest for life is unmatched at that age. :)

Having four anglers in my 18' boat can create some angst. The last time I had that many (actually more) was when my 25 yr. old son was a member of the Boy Scouts and we had five of us fishing out of Elk Neck State Park. It wasn't too bad since we limited the fishing to two of the boys at a time.

I had an additional 400+ lbs on the boat last evening and I could tell, especially when two of the guys last evening would step up onto the back deck. It would lift the trolling motor up a few more inches. That can create a problem since I have the TM set up higher for the rocks and boulders we encounter in this part of the river.

It certainly was a re-learning process for about an hour or so. With a little instruction to my angling buddies, we did rather well. There were times, though, that I had that 101 lb thrust at 100% to navigate safely.

Safe Harbor has been generating a ton in the past few months. I'm asuming they are selling this electricity down the line somewhere(?). I saw two smaller boats anchored just below the corner of the dam when we arrived. Within 30 minutes, the sirens wailed away and the gates opened. These two boat pulled up their anchors quickly and scooted out of the area. Normally, those gates are the last to open. But on all my trips in the past two months, they have opened these gates on a fairly regular basis.

When there are 6 or more gates pushing water through, it becomes highly unsafe. I took our boat down and into the rock garden where we could escape the main tirade of rushing water. We boulder or ledge jump with my rig most of the evening to avoid the heaviest of currents . By doing so, we were able to catch over 20+ bass and three walleyes in about 2 hrs. and 30 minutes of fishing.

The hard plastic jerkbaits, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits were our go to lures.

The air temp was a nice 80 degrees and dropped to 72 by dusk. We had generally cloudy skies with a slight southwest breeze (prepping us for today's rains). The water temp was in the mid-70's. Just plain nice weather and conditions.

Here is Dell and JJ's first walleye of the evening. She came on a lipless crank in about 4' of swift moving water. Just look at those faces and tell me it wasn't fun for the dad and son duo!


JJ caught this perfect 16" smallie on a spinnerbait in swift moving current directly behind a boulder... Nice fish, JJ!


Once again JJ hooks up with a beautiful smallmouth on a hard plastic jerkbait.


As you can see, it was all about teaching JJ and Kramer how to use different lures and finding success with them. Here were two different species of fish caught on three different lures in three different locations. Nice job, guys!

Kramer was struggling a bit. Not only was he learning about new lures, but he was also trying to learn how to cast with that many folks in the boat. Not an easy task for anyone just getting into fishing.

As we were leaving the rocks and heading out to a channel, I spied a bass leaping along an outcropping of rocks surrounded by 10+ feet of moving water. We headed in that direction and noticed that the rocks and boulders cause a rise to 4-5' of water. I mentioned to Kramer what I had seen and he tossed a crankbait into the river... "WHACK!" He had the biggest fish of the evening hit only a few feet from our boat. "What should I do?" He asked and I told him to keep the fish down and in the water, strip some line out to allow his rod to work, and wait for Dell to get the net.

Dell was excited as all get out. He grabbed the net and proceeded to spill two sodas in the mayhem. LOL! :D He set himself well and as Kramer brought the fish in, he committed a cardinal sin of fishing... he lifted the pigbeast! "Oh No!, " screamed Dell as he saw that monster shake her enormous head loose from the trebles. Off she went and down went Kramer's head. "That was the biggest smallmouth I've ever hooked into", he lamented.

Don't worry Kramer. There will be plenty more in the future, buddy!

It was a terrific night. We had a ton of fun before dusk came and we headed to the ramp in darkness, the bugs ticking off my safety goggles, and I'm sure a few got in my teeth because of the huge grin I had on my face. :D

Dad

Strange slam on fly

Fishing was so-so today. There were plenty of fish, but they weren't real hungry.

But I did get some sort of slam. I got a snook, gag grouper and a large flounder -- all on D.T. Special flies. Strange, but true.

I fished with Scott Dempsey of Tampa, a very good fly angler. Scott's 29.5-inch snook was the big fish for the morning.

Most of the fish hit D.T. Specials. Scott also used a small Polar Fiber minnow.

We saw some really big fish, but had not takers. Many of the fish we cast to simply moved out of the way. The snook weren't aggressive by any means.

Sight-fishing for snook along the beach should remain decent for at least another month. It's a great way to learn how to sight-fish and how to catch fish on a fly.

To fly or not to fly?

Fly fishing isn't for everyone. It's great for those who like it and are proficient at it.

But, truth be known, fly anglers make up a very small percentage of the total fishing population.

There are times, however, when someone who can handle a fly rod can do quite well. Now is one of those times in Southwest Florida.

Those who know me are aware that I love to sight-fish the surf this time of year for snook. I've been doing it for 25 years and have become pretty decent at it. I've been scoring pretty well over the last month.

One of my buddies, Ken Taylor of North Port, has been fishing the surf for a decade or more. He's a spinning enthusiast and one of the best around. But he as been having problems lately, and I blame it all on the equipment. I believe that my success is because of the fly rod. It allows me to present the fly naturally and quietly to skittish fish. In addition, when I pause during a retrieve, the fly doesn't bomb to the bottom; it suspends. When Ken casts a jig, it goes right to the bottom. Additionally, it makes some noise when it hits the water.

Today was a prime example. It wasn't that I landed a load of fish; it was the quality of the fish. I caught five snook to 31 inches. My next biggest snook was 28 inches. I've been getting quite a few snook of 27 inches and larger. My largest this season is a fish that went 38 inches.

I attribute it all to the fly rod.

By the way, my favorite fly is the D.T. Special (variation), a minnow imitation that I've been using for the last 17 years. The snook hit it so good that I don't see any reason to change.

There are days when a spin angler will do better than me, but not often. Fly fishing is very effective in the surf.

Beach snook season usually begins in May and continues until the first severe cold front in the fall. There are really good numbers of snook in the surf, so we anticipate excellent action over the next few weeks.

Midcoast Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports August 25th, 2009

Two trips today...trip one had Todd Culbertson and his wife aboard to sample some of the great Striper fishing taking place in Maine right now...




















Trip two had Steve Marx and family aboard...very fun trip...check out the pics of Steve,Kate & Boys...fun times for Maine striper fishermen right now!!! Steve also helped me change a flat tire on the boat trailer when we got into the dock...what a great guy!!!

Maine Striper Fishing Report August 24th, 2009

Today I had Chris Hanson and family return for their 4th season with me...and man were we treated to some truly epic fishing. The Stripers were absolutely ferocious today....double, triple and quadruple hook ups...one of the better days of the year and the best part...we had the whole river to ourselves which was a welcome change