Fishing Trips

I went to Briery creek last Sunday and got into the bass pretty good. It was a lot winder than I wanted, but it was still pretty fun. I use very light tackle 2 and 4 lb test for the challenge, but I should know better than to throw that into lilly pads. I hooked and lost way more than I landed. It was nice just to try it out though, I've always wanted to go there.

St. George River Stripers light up this morning!!!

Whoever coined the saying "wind from the east, fishing the least" obviously wasn't fishing on the St. George flats this morning. After a slow trip yesterday our Stripers really turned on today...Fishing on the flats today during the bottom of the tide payed off huge. We found big stripers lying in wait in less than 3 feet of water...and lots of them!!! Big, fat, happy Stripers!!! We landed over a dozen chunky fish between 29 and 36 inches and had twice that amount of missed strikes and hook ups...all these fish were very lazy and eating up on top....the highlight was a 36" fish that ate one of my red & white "hollow tail" gurglers. Hopefully what we found this morning will be the new trend.

Most of the fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water and some were caught in as little as a foot and a half. A stealthy drift was critical and the E/NE wind was almost perfect...any course corrections were made with the push pole.

I'm sorry about the lack of pics with the post but the location we were fishing would be too easily revealed...I don't mind sharing info...but I can't give it all away!!!

If you're looking to fish with us season...please call us soon for available dates!!! We are taking reservations daily. Don't forget to ask about our evening blitz trip...It's becoming a guest favorite!!!
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Maine Striper Fishing...The Flats Are Heating Up!!!

Dr. Kevin Kelly of Rockland Maine caught this nice 27" skinny water Striper today 6/26/09. This one crushed a topwater plug at boatside!!!

Quick update...After a week of torrential runoff...the St. George fishing conditions seem to be rebounding nicely....reports from the Kennebec indicate muddy, silty conditions but that should change very quickly...We're finding feeding Striped Bass up on the flats and on the edges of mussel bars...typical midsummer territory. Huge schools of 4 to 6 inch river herring Have poured into the St. George giving our Stripers plenty to feed on...Bluefish have been reported as sporadic catches locally. It's just a matter of days before we see these toothy marauders invade in numbers. Mackerel have been around for a couple of weeks now.

If you havn't made your plans to fish yet...I'd advise you to do so soon.
Call us for available dates.

Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

I had an appointment today for my sutures to be removed. It was relatively painless and it felt so good to be "free" again. I can now soak my arm, go swimming, and massage it with Vitamin E oil!

The surgeon was pleased and I was able to set myself up for OT over the next few weeks. I need to stay flexible and strengthen the elbow. Fishing will definitely be part of that therapy!

My next follow-up appointment is in 6 weeks.

I hope you all like the new reader friendly blog format ;-) I'm looking forward to hearing from you all and to fishing with many of you!!!

Maine Stripers & the anglers who chase them left feeling grumpy after this weeks stormy weather!!!! Summer weather returns in time for this weekend!!!!

Now on to the fishing conditions....

Striped Bass continue to flood into Maine waters but stormy weather runoff has the rivers and bays left muddy...not surprisingly the Striper fishing has been hampered by these conditions...No doubt, as soon as this weather breaks and the water begins to stabilize we should see some excellent fishing opportunities...After postponing a couple of trips to start the week...I'm excited to get back on the water. The Bluefin Tuna have arrived and numerous fish have been landed locally. The largest fish that I have heard about was around 400 pounds...Reports also indicate that smaller fish in the 100-150 pound range have been blitzing on Mackerel on some of the near shore midcoast ledges.

(Bill Farland with his personal best 30+ inch Striper caught in 18 inches of water)

Tomorrow morning I'll have angler Bill Farland return for his 3rd year...Bill is hoping to beat his personal best 32" Striper on the fly...we didn't get a chance to beat that fish last year as we faced some tough conditions during his two days of fishing...This year I'm very optimistic as we have some very nice fish around...a little cooperation from the weather and we'll be in business

Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

It's a week out from my elbow surgery and it's doing pretty well. This coming Tuesday, I'll have my first follow-up visit and my sutures will be removed. I've been able to shower and softly pat the arthroscopic incisions dry with a towel... It feels so good to do so.

It is a bit itchy because it's healing and my arm hair is growing back.

Today, I was able to do some house work. I mowed the grass with both the push mower and riding mower, washed the clothes, and vacuumed the first floor of all my yellow lab hair (a ton).

I spent Monday - Thursday at the Penn Manor Basketball Camp. I kept my arm in the sling most the time. There was a lot of humidity on Monday and Thursday, so the arm came out a few times to breath.

Here are a couple of pics of my elbow as of June 19, 2009.

You can see a bit of the surgeon's artwork on this photo.

Altogether, I have six incisions. Five have one suture a piece and the sixth has two. It's funny because I was told by a tech that I had four incisions the day after the surgery. I found a fifth on Wednesday when I took my first shower and yet another today when I really took the time to examine the entire area.

dadTB

What does a Maine Striper fishing guide do on his rainy, stormy day off???

Well if that guide is Capt. George Harris of Super Fly Charters...He goes fishing of course!!! After postponing this mornings guided trip due to monsoon like conditions...I decided to go out and have some fun myself and thought pulling on some Stripers might be a fun way to spend a soggy morning...The outgoing tide was looking good so I headed out to a place where I've been catching some fish on a particular grass bank. The fish were there!!! Not many...but enough to satisfy my daily striper craving. I boated four obviously very well fed fish and was freight trained by a large Striped Bass that shook the hook loose after a blistering 50 yard run...I'll see that one again soon...Oh what fun!!!

It's looking like we're going to have to deal with a few days of lousy weather...before summer returns next week. Hope to see you on the water soon.

(Angler & Custom rod builder, Mark Porter of Texas with a "cookie cutter" schoolie Striper caught yesterday 6/19/09)

Maine Striper fishing with fly & light tackle!!!

Locally...Striper fishing continues to get better...we have fresh fish migrating into our waters on a daily basis...Mostly schoolie sized slot fish with some bigger specimens showing up as well....Mackeral are here and have been blitzing on acre sized schools of juvie herring...Reports of snapper Bluefish have been trickling in.

(photos: Capt George Harris)

Here we are...nearly a month into our season here on the Maine coast. Already there seems to be way more Stripers in our waters than all of last year...Still, I hear some local guys complaining about the lack of fish...some of these guys I have always considered very good anglers....Hmmm, my question to some of these chronic complainers has been or should be....what have you done differently??? Some anglers fail to make adjustments in the way they fish and continue to make the same mistakes over & over again...the poor results that these anglers end up with should be of no suprise!!! I can't even count the number of times over the course of the last couple of seasons that I've seen anglers run up to a spot...make a couple of casts with their "tried & true" lure or fly without hooking up and then go blasting away to the next location...at the end of the day, back at the dock the complaining begins...about how there are no fish...if the fish were there surely these anglers would have caught them with their "tried & true" offerings....yeah right!!!
Saavy anglers make the proper adjustments in the way they present their flies, lures, baits etc....and these adjustments often pay big dividends if the fishing gets tough. I'm on the water all day everyday so that gives me abit of an advantage over the average weekend angler...I'm always looking for different ways to bring more fish to the boat...usually it's something subtle that makes a difference...but sometimes it's something completely outside the box....keep that in mind the next time you're out on the water and things just don't seem to be working for you!!!

Fly Fishing for Maine Striped Bass...makin' em eat the "Hollow"!!!

(Photos Capt. George Harris)

Ok...now that the cat has been let out of the bag for a few years with these type of flies. I thought it might be a fun pattern to share with those of you out there who haven't yet realized the potential fish slaying ability of this fly.

Please read the following story by master fly tyer, guide, photographer and all around good guy David W. Skok Some of you may have fished with him, taken his fly tying classes or seen him at one of the many fly-fishing trade shows...If so, than you know what a fanatical fisherman he is!!!

Well I hope you all enjoy this post...I know my number one obsesssed blog reader will be thrilled ;-) LMAO...Dude...just sign up as a blog follower.

For detailed tying instructions click the "Hollow Fleye" link or the link on my "fly tyers bench" to enjoy Steve Farrars expert video presentation. Hollow Fleyes are fun to tie and even more fun to fish...come tie one on with us this season!!!

(Story By David W. Skok - Photos By Capt. George Harris)
One of the greatest fly-tying challenges has always been creating a large nonfouling fly, with a profile similar to a natrual wide-bodied baitfish, that is easy to cast and fishes well. If you limit yourself to the use of natural materials, the task becomes more difficult.

Hollow Fleyes can be tied to imitate everything from baby bunker to anchovy.

It comes as no surprise to saltwater fly tiers that this challenge has been met by Bob Popovics, whose fertile mind spawned such innovations as the Surf Candy, Siliclone, and Bob's Banger. This isn't the first time Popovics has struck gold in the big-fly department. The Bucktail Deceiver and the Spread Fly can both be tied to lengths in excess of 10 inches, and his Cotton Candy pattern was specifically designed to be a large, castable, full-profile, and nonfouling pattern. The Hollow Fleye is a totally new archetype that gives saltwater fly tiers greater creative control using natural materials.

(Maine Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Bluefish...you cant resist us)

The Hollow Fleye is an expansion of Popovics' Bucktail Deceiver. Rhode Island fly tier Kenney Abrames was impressed with the Bucktail Deceiver, and several winters ago he urged Bob to continue developing this pattern. Popovics decided to find a construction method that used less material to build a fly with a large profile. He soon discovered a new technique that allowed him greater control over bucktail than he previously thought possible. He found that by tying the bucktail on the hook in reverse and then propping it rearward with a wall of thread, he had infinite control over the angle of the bucktail. This technique allows him to sculpt baitfish patterns using varying lengths and angles of bucktail. When tied in this manner, the cone of bucktail forms an outer layer that gives the fly its hollow appearance and name.

Popovics' Hollow Fleye design is based on tying bunches of bucktail (or other hair) on the hook shank in the opposite direction of the hook bend and propping it rearward at various angles with a thread wall. This method should not be confused with the reverse-tied bucktail flies conceived by Carrie Stevens and popularized by Keith Fulsher's Thunder Creek series. Both the Hollow Fleye and reverse-tied bucktails tie the bucktail in reverse on the hook shank. However, Thunder Creek flies have a band of thread behind the original bucktail tie-in point that binds down and restricts the hair to a single, more narrow shape. The Hollow Fleye has thread wraps only in front of the original tie-in point, which allows more control of the hair and the shape of the fly. Do not wrap back over the hair when creating the thread wall of a Hollow Fleye unless you want the hair to lie flat against the hook shank.

Hollow Fleyes work well with or without eyes. They can be tied on short-shank hooks with radically flared hair or on long-shank hooks with less-flared hair for a long, fusiform shape.

To create a tapered fly, you must surround the hook shank with at least three bunches of bucktail in progressively shorter lengths. A short-shank hook typically requires three bucktail bunches to fill the shank; therefore, each bunch of bucktail should be approximately two-thirds the length of the previous bunch. Long-shank hooks require at least five bucktail bunches, and the taper must move along at a slower pace to maintain a proper profile. I make each bunch about three-quarters the length of the previous bunch or longer when tying five bunches on a long-shank hook.

The angle of each bunch of hair controls the shape of a Hollow Fleye. The thread wall in front of the tie-in point allows you to manipulate the angle of the hair. The more wraps you make, the more the hair lies back along the shank for a slimmer profile. Fewer wraps allow the hair to flare more, creating a wide-body profile.

As a rule, the first bunch of bucktail should lie tighter to the shank than subsequent bunches to imitate the tail and slimmer profile of the rear of most baitfish. Each bunch should progressively flare outward more than the previous bunch. Keep in mind that the angle of the first bunch determines how the remaining bunches should stand. The last and shortest bunch of bucktail should stand at a 45-degree angle relative to the hook shank for a tall, full-profile baitfish.

The Hollow Fleye uses a thread wall to push reverse-tied bucktail toward the bend of the hook. Thunder Creek-style flies (bottom) have thread wraps over the bucktail that restrict the fibers to a more narrow profile.

Size and Shape
The size and shape of a Hollow Fleye is limited only by the length and consistency of the hair you use. Long, 7-inch bucktail with a #4/0 long-shank hook can produce 10-inch Hollow Fleyes. Other natural or synthetic fibers produce even longer flies. I have tied and fished Hollow Fleyes made from polar bear hair, ostrich herl, and Unique Hair with good results.

Popovics prefers bucktail over other materials because the naturally tapered tips impart a lifelike motion to the fly. Bucktail is available in most fly shops and is inexpensive. Bucktail selection also affects the bulk of the fly. Bulky flies are best tied with crinkly hair. Use fine, straight bucktail for slimmer imitations. The combination of hair selection and angle determines the final profile of the fly.
The fly uses reverse-tied bucktail to flare the hair and create breadth and depth without bulk.

Fleye Density...For dense, fully dressed flies, the butts of each new bucktail bunch should touch or come close to the previous bunch so the hook shank is not exposed. This requires more hair and creates a fly with a strong silhouette. For a sparse Hollow Fleye, use fewer bunches of hair spaced at less frequent intervals. You may use the open spaces between the hair bunches for other materials. Slide a bead or cone on the hook shank prior to tying and then sandwich it between two bunches of hair. Place the bead between the bunches closest to the hook eye to give the fly a seductive vertical action in the water, like a Clouser Minnow. You can also spin coarse, hollow bucktail from the base of the tail between the bucktail bunches to increase the fly's opacity and buoyancy for surface fishing and add an attractive wiggle when fished on a sinking line.

Combine the Hollow Fleye technique with other tying styles to imitate various food items with different shapes and sizes. You can make a delicious-looking Hollow Squid using the same monofilament extension as the Shady Lady Squid. Combine the Hollow method with the feather tails of flies such as Lefty's Deceiver, Semper Fleye (saddles tied in the round), or flat-wings to produce long, sleeker flies. I've done well with hollow-tied bucktail in place of ostrich herl in both Siliclones and Snake Flies. I've also used it to tie weedless, wide- profile Bendbacks. The Hollow Fleye method is an option for any pattern that normally uses a traditionally tied collar. One of the cosmetic benefits of this style is the tiny, almost nonexistent head.

Simple one-color Hollow Fleyes are effective, but this tying method allows you to easily add other colors. Replace the primary color with a different color or shade of bucktail in the last bunch to create a gorgeous two-tone effect reminiscent of classic swimming plugs. Alternating bands of color create a subtle blended effect. Add realism by using contrasting colors on the top and bottom to imitate the natural contrast of baitfish.

The Hollow Fleye is a streamer, so all the traditional streamer-fishing techniques apply. Current speed, surf level, baitfish types and densities, and other factors all come into play when choosing a presentation method. Fish them dead-drifted, with a rapid strip-retrieve, slow and low on a fast-sinking line, or streaking across the surface on a floater.

As this style is tied "in the round" (where the material is equally distributed 360 degrees around the hook shank) it rarely fouls and always keels properly. Like Jack Gartside's Soft-hackle Streamer, it still looks natural when fibers slightly spin on the hook shank. It is very unusual for a Hollow to foul so badly that the hair catches the bend and ruins the fly's profile and action. Because it fouls so infrequently, the fly only needs occasional preening when fishing.

Like all good fly designs, the usefulness of the Hollow Fleye design travels well beyond the striped bass and bluefish of the East Coast. It fools just about any saltwater or freshwater fish that preys on large food items. Marquesas jacks go wild for a quickly retrieved Hollow, and I had no trouble convincing Florida Keys bridge tarpon to devour various sizes and colors of the Hollow Fleye. No Manitoba northern pike would let a tasty Hollow slip by, and the fattest largemouths have a penchant for shad and big shiners. Wherever you like to go giant hunting, the Hollow Fleye design should work for you.

If you're looking to slay some fish this season by fishing "Hollow" please give us a call. We're ready are you!!!

Maine Flats Fishing Striper Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Once again, I was put under for surgery. I've had some terrible luck over the past 10 years or so with my joints and arthritis. This surgery was just one of many I've experienced. I've now had 6 different joint issues cared for since February '09!

I'm not sure how long I will be off fishing from this one. But you know me,I'll be out there as soon as possible.

My surgery wasn't until 1:00 p.m. and I needed to be at the Lancaster Surgical Center by 11:30 a.m. I know one thing and that is the personnel at the Surgical Center is A-1! These folks treat me with the utmost respect and I certainly appreciate that.

When you go into a facility knowing that you will be listened to and cared for, it takes a lot of the anxiety away.

My surgeon was Dr. Peart from the Lancaster Orthopedic Group (LOG) on Lancaster, Pa. He is the third professional on staff that has cared for me in the past year... Dr. Kuntz, hand/wrist, and Dr. Lyet, hips. All of these professionals have done a wonderful job and I would like to thank them here on my blog.

I had to return to the LOG office today to have my surgical bandage changed. I have four arthroscopic incisions in my elbow and they all looked pretty good. I can remove the wrappings in five days and get my arm wet once again.

I love arthroscopic surgeries! They are less intrusive and you recover in a much quicker fashion.

Hope to be on the water real soon. I've may even get to "just ride along" until I am ready to cast again.

dadTB

Maine Striper fishing...Game On!!!

(Photos Capt. George Harris)

Last evening I had the chance to fish with Chris Oliver from Knight Marine Service, a full service boat yard located in Rockland, Maine. Chris lives & breathes saltwater fly & light tackle fishing and over the course of the last 5 or 6 years he has caught his first Stripers of the year while fishing with me. Last nights fishing did not dissapoint us. We launched the "Super Fly" at a local midcoast Maine river and ran to a spot that had been holding some fish. After getting set up it didn't take long before the fish began to feed and feed heavily they did!!! As the tide receded the water became extremely shallow and we could see slot sized Bass swirling aggresively in as little as a foot of water. The fish were mostly keyed in on 6" river herring but they were also munching smaller baits...brit herring perhaps. What a fun night of fishing!!! With beautiful weather in the forecast for this weekend we should see even better fishing in the very near future.

arrived at dovedale with high hopes with micks
report the afternoon before only to be greeted
with a muddy coloured dove .a few mayfly still
skittering about but most of them floating on
downstream to do their buisness .the ducks were
having a mayfly feast skewing from bank to bank
in search of the smorgasbord on offer with a few
attracted to my mayfly .

met neil h off the forums who reported catching
a few on nymphs which to say i had been fishing
for a couple of hours with nothing to show for
my hard endeavours impressed me no end.

did spot some well developing blackthorn bushes
which meens the sloe's will be a success this year
after last years poor harvest.
for any fellow forager there is some nice gooseberry's
growing just before the boards.

met victor again who was fishing with a mate
who like myself struggled with the conditions.
hope the dove clears soon giving us one last
dance with the mays.

The fishing has been slow since the weekend. A good buddy and his friend only landed three smallmouth yesterday during a full day of fishing. Quite frustrating... But a major front went through yesterday with T-storms. We even had a tornado watch in effect most of the evening.

Mike Burton and I decided to hit the water at daybreak. I picked him up at his home around 5:00 a.m. and we made it on the water by 5:45 a.m. The air temp was 64 degrees and the water temp was 70.4 degrees. A small creek was pouring muddy water down past the ramp, but the rest of the river looked fine.

We headed north and fished a nice grassy island. We both tossed topwaters... Buzzbait and Tiny Torpedo. I had smallie pull the buzzbait under, but she didn't hook up. I followed with a tube. After three casts, I hooked into a nice 16.5" bass.

We fished four different and distinct areas and found smallies on all but one. Quite a few smaller fish (10-14" bass) were caught in and around the grass which was surrounding this rocky grass island. We were quite pleased after landing a dozen within an hour and a half.

We were extremely pleased with the amount of 12" bass we caught today. It's a very good sign.

Our largest smallie of the day was a nice and healthy 17.25".

The water temp continually rose throughout the day and was at 71.5 degrees by our departure at 1:45 p.m. We had mostly cloudy skies with an occasional period or two of bright sunshine. Towards the end of our trip, the haze had settled back in and the storm clouds were building. It took me about an hour to drive home and once I arrived in the driveway, I could hear the thunder of an approaching storm.

Today's lures: Buzzbait, Ting Torpedo, Tubes (most productive), Magic Stick, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.

The tubes were fished rather slow and most bites came on the bottom. we did have a couple hit the tubes on the retrieve. We thought that maybe the fish would chase more today after seeing them attack a swimming tube, but that didn't hold true.

Saw two bald eagles today. One was an immature. It's nice seeing the eagles returning all up and down the Susquehanna River Basin. It wasn't too long ago when DDT was doing a number on the egg shells and we were losing so many.

We also had a bunch of crayfish grabbing on to our tubes today and hanging on for dear life. We weren't sure if they were the Rusty Cray(?). We saved a very large crayfish from certain death. Mike pulled up some braided line that was left on the bottom and wrapped in that line was a huge crayfish. It already had lost on of it's claws and the second was wrapped tightly in the braided line. Mike performed a claw-ectomy and the crayfish scurried off to live another day. Without his claws, it's anyone's guest how long it will survive. Depending on temps, diet, and age, it may take a few molts before he regenerates his claws. The warmer the water, the younger the crayfish, and the amount of food source available will determine how often it will molt.

dadTB

Maine Striper Fishing Rain Or Shine!!!

After a beautiful day on the water yesterday...the mother nature threw us a curve with easterly wind and rain that ranged from a light drizzle to steady downpour...A canceled guided trip gave me the chance to get out with a friend of mine for a couple of hours...

Terry Walsh & I left the dock at 5:30 am this morning in pursuit of getting Terry his first Striped Bass of 2009...and while it was not to be on this day, it was still a fun trip...Terry and I both being fly tying instructors had the chance to discuss our favorite flies and Terry even tossed a dozen of his amazingly tied flies into my fly box...Unfortunately the combination of E.wind and steady rain kept the stripers feeling grumpy...we saw stripers but they stiff armed us all morning...at one point we were drifting underneath a railroad trestle when a large striper boiled on a baitfish that was fluttering on the surface...a quick cast from Terry...nada...so I reached into my livewell and scattered a handful of live blueback herring onto the rivers surface...angry boils appeared as the large Striper gulped the freebies...Thats the way it goes sometimes...with the amount of bait we have, our fish are very well fed and sometimes they just won't be fooled...We'll try it again later this week.

Josh was kind enough to offer me a ride in his G3 today and I reciprocate tomorrow when he rides in mine.

It's 6 days until my elbow surgery and I was hoping to hit the river several times before. Today was the first time I've been out all week due to the inclement weather we've had all week here in SC Pennsylvania. It started out cool with the air temp at 54 degrees and overcast. In fact, it was drizzling as we drove northward.

We stopped for a hearty breakfast right outside of Harrisburg. The breakfast is developing into a tradition for our fishing trips. We usually stop at Sheetz for some MTO sammies and a bag of chips... Josh, we never broke out the BBQ chips... LOL! After gassing up and getting our lunches together, we headed to breakfast.

We got to the ramp around 7:30 a.m. and headed west on the Juniata. Josh took the G3 as far as we could possibly go w/o major hull damage. I had a Boogerman Buzzbait tied on this morning. I have only thrown it the last three times out w/o a single hit, but this morning I finally nailed my first bass on it... Let the Games Begin!

[img]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42/SmalliesTB/dadJuniatafirstBuzz06_06_09re.jpg[/img]

The water on the Juniata was heavily stained from the rains we've had all week. Josh was throwing a gold bladed spinnerbait with the morning overcast skies. I decided to try my ugly chartreuse bladed spinnerbait again and was able to entice this nice 19" smallie to hit.

[img]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42/SmalliesTB/dadJuniata19in_06_06_09re.jpg[/img]

The clouds started to give way and the sun began to break out as we got into later morning. So, we both switched over to our silver bladed spinnerbaits. Josh was able to land two very nice a healthy smallies on his War Eagle.

The water temperature was 62 degrees and rather cool for the start of June. We had a NNW wind at around 5 mph. It had little to no effect on our fishing.

We decided to make the run down the Juniata to the Susquehanna River where we were greeted with much cleaner water. After a few stops around the confluence, we headed north to seek out some ledge fish.

We were able to land several more including this nice 19".

[img]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42/SmalliesTB/dadSusky19in_wound__06_06_09re.jpg[/img]

Take a closer look at the wound on the side of this healthy smallie. It looks like a nasty scrape rather than a lesion. A scrape that possibly came from spawning(?).

[img]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42/SmalliesTB/dadSusky19in_wound__06_06_09re2.jpg[/img]

Additional lures that we threw: tubes, crankbaits, 3" trick worm on a 1/8th oz. jighead, hard plastic jerkbait, and a plastic fluke.

We both had to be home rather early. So we packed it in around 1:30 p.m. and headed back to the ramp.

Tomorrow is another day. We'll come back fully charged and ready to hit the water again for some great Susquehanna Smallmouth.

Remember... Those who are interested in joining us in the Pa. River Alliance for the protection of our warm water habitats and our beautiful smallmouth bass, please contact OBjet_Pa through PM and he will add your name to our ever growing membership list. He will need your email address when you contact him. All anglers speaking up for our river through one voice!

We also fished on Sunday with poor results.

Josh and I took to the river again Sunday 06/07/09.

Not much to report since we only landed 1 smallie on a spinnerbait and had three other hits on tubes. You know it's bad when I resort to "dragging" (not jigging or popping) a tube on the bottom to get a single hit.

The water temperature was 67 degrees and there was a southerly breeze today... ugh! It was a high blue sky and the sun was out most the day. We did start with some cloud cover this am that quickly lifted. The air temp. was 58 degrees when we headed to the river and rose to 85 degrees by 2:00 p.m.

We were the only truck and trailer at the launch! I couldn't believe that on such a beautiful Sunday. There were absolutely no other anglers out of that ramp. We did see boaters throughout our trip, but they launched from other sites.

Lures Used: Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, tubes, Magic Sticks, and Prayers.

I heard from a friend today who also only had one small bass in the boat all day. A couple of other buddies only had a few further north of us. One had a beautiful 19" smallie on a tube.

Tough bite where we were, fer shure!

dadTB

The Stripers Are Coming...The Stripers Are Coming!!! One If By Land...Two If By Sea!!!

Well, to the multitude of blogger fans I have that read my ramblings... yea, sure!

I was at the elbow specialist, Dr. Peart, on Tuesday (June 2) as a follow up to my recent MRI results. I had seen my hand/wrist surgeon, Dr. Kuntz, and he referred me to Dr. Peart since he had couldn't see anything wrong yet my self-reports told him different... LOL. This is not the first time I've self-reported pbs w/o evidence from MRI's and other test results*.

Well, Dr. Peart read my MRI and had me get two x-rays at his office to look more closely at the bone structure. He noticed several issues.

The first thing is that there was a bone spur in the joint itself. There is also a floating body floating near that spur. And the third issue was a possible torn tendon where he could see fluid.

Dr. Peart also mentioned that I may have broken my elbow in the past(?) and that there was a huge bone spur (reminded me of Bill Lampbeer of the Detroit Pistons) on the end of my elbow. That spur doesn't cause any pain or movement problems at this time and would not need to be dealt with.

So, on Friday, June 12, 2009, I will be entering the surgical center once more to have these elbow issues repaired. This is the same arm that I had my hand and wrist surgery back on February 17, 2009.

I'll be fishing pretty heavily over the next 6 days before the surgery. Tomorrow, Josh and I'll be hitting the Juniata River and on Sunday, we have not determined the location.

Next week looks like a lot of humid days with threats of thunderstorms. I just hope I can get out once or twice before my Friday surgery. After that, it may be awhile until I can toss a lure again.

* 1. I had an MRI of my wrist and hand before my Feb. 2009 surgery. The MRI showed absolutely nothing wrong with my wrist and I was complaining that it hurt like heck to push weight down on. Artroscopic procedure showed my wrist looked like "crab meat" and need to be scraped and repaired. I'm still in OT!! 2. Years ago, I had a knee that was eventually reconstructed after dye tests (2 tests) showed absolutely no problem at all. I spent 5.5 hrs. in surgery after that misleading test. Oh, well!

Maine Striper Fishing starts to heat up this month!!!

Ok...We're already well into our first week of June and we're out there working hard putting in some serious time on the water...doing a bunch of guided trips this week and the rest of the time, spent scouting for migrating Stripers. I've been getting tons of calls and emails lately...the question is the same...Are They Here? The answer to that question is yes...They're here!!! Not in huge numbers yet, but still yes... THEY'RE HERE!!! Anglers from southern Maine to the mid coast area have been catching stripers...Finding pockets of warm water & fishing during periods of lower light have been the key for us. In the mid coast area, we've started catching some decent slot sized fish this week. The huge schools of migrating fish still haven't pushed their way into our waters just yet...but with our soaring water temps...that very thing could be happening as I sit here and type this report!!! So I had better hurry up with this report and get back out on the water!!! Early season fly anglers should gear up using 8-10 wt rods coupled with intermediate fly lines...fly selections should include small clousers & deceivers to imitate the juvie herring and sandeels that are flooding into our inshore waters. Fishing around a river herring run, anglers should be prepared to chuck & duck with 8" herring flies on sinking head lines...Light tackle anglers will do well with a 7' medium action rod paired with a spinning or bait casting reel spooled with 10-14# test mono line with a 20-30# mono/flouro shock leader...Buck tail jigs, soft plastics like the slug-go, fin-s fish and swim shads will slay fish...as will swimming plugs and poppers. Remember to crush your barbs to minimize damage to the fish...you might even consider replacing bulky trebles with a single hook.
During the next couple of weeks, we should see a huge influx of migrating Striped Bass...with the full blown migration reaching us by fathers day. We'll also begin to see some Bluefin Tuna ranging up the coast by mid to late June...reports indicate that bluefin have already appeared on Stellwagen Bank & Jeffries Ledge which is a very good sign for us northeast anglers. GOT WASABI!!!

Ground fishing will remain strong locally...bottom bashing trips to the near shore ledges will yield cod, haddock, pollock and other tasty species!!! We use light tackle butterfly jigging gear to hammer these fish...no broomstick rods here!!! GET THE SKILLET READY!!!

Mackeral have reportedly invaded the coast of Maine...coinciding with the arrival of the lightning bugs that have appeared in my backyard over the course of the last few evenings, my Grandfather always told me that when the lightning bugs arrive in June...so have the Mackeral...An old wives tale??? Hmmm...In my lifetime, Gramps has never been wrong!!!...I'll confirm reports asap...So in the meantime load up on diamond jigs and "christmas tree rigs"...grab the kids & get out there and have some ultra light tackle fun...oh yeah...stripers love em' too!!!

Some excellent fresh water bass fishing reports have been provided by friend & fellow guide Capt. Don Kleiner of Maine Outdoors indicate that there is some tremendous sight fishing in crystal clear water to be had locally for Smallmouth Bass...Casting a bug to a bedded up smallie is a thrill that no angler should miss and right now is the time to do it!!!

Reporting from the cape..."Super Fly Salty Anglers Club" member Capt. Nick Santolucito of The Buzzards Bay Angler Nick Santolucito (Boston, MA) wrote
at 6:43pm yesterday
The Stripers in the Bay are plentiful, and hungry. The fish are staying active all day, with the most productivity during the last 2 hrs. of the down tide. Your best bet for taking a keeper during the day time is going to be a deep troll with wire. Get up early, or stay out late and you will find fish willing to take flies and plugs around the rock piles and structures. The Blues are still terrorizing the abundant pogie population. You may hook up to a gorilla down deep or on a chunk, but keep an eye out for the birds and you should find some top water action with the average 5 pound fish. Oddly enough, on 3 occasions this past week I hooked up to healthy sized Black Sea Bass dragging an umbrella during the slack. Anchor up and fish the bottom and you should have no problem hooking up.

If you're looking to fish with us season...please call us soon for available dates!!! We are taking reservations daily. Don't forget to ask about our evening blitz trip...It's becoming a guest favorite!!!

Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

had a lovely afternoon fishing dovedale with
conditions perfect and mayfly still getting a
battering from the trout.

quite a few laddfa chaps out this afternoon
met a nice guy called victor who was taking
pictures whilst fishing.
his set up could not be any different to my own
with a 6 ft 3# rod ,low breaking strain tippet
and a delicate cdc mayfly whereas mine was
more along the vulcan bomber lines with my
trusty sage 5# ,4lb tippet(pull out of most trees)
and a great big hairwing mayfly.
he offered me a few casts with his setup which
i did manage to hook a nice trout with but was very
wary in case me bliztkreig casting damaged his
delicate rod.

caught all afternoon on the mayfly with the
trout still hard on them.

met up with roger bryant off the forums on the
way back downstream and we fished the nursery
pool for a while with the fish becoming very
fussy with several coming under the fly only to
have a butchers hook then turn tail back down.

roger left after a while leaving me to fish into

the twilight in the homeward stretch towards

the footbridge.noticed a couple of rises so cast

and hooked into my best fish of the day which

was beatifully marked ,below

cracking days fishing.

fabulous evenings fishing with some great fighting
trout on the derwent at willersley castle.they
were on the mayfly although the hatch was not
as prolific as the dove recently.