2013 Season Producing Stripers On The Fly - BIG!!!

Having been busy since guiding since May, I forgot to post. Here's a few Photos of the action. Tight Lines.

Cape Cod Striper Flies For the Early Season

Spawning bait is the key for early striped bass fishing on Cape Cod. The earliest bait is  likely to be herring beginning in May followed closely by herring & mackerel, especially while fishing in Buzzards Bay. Herring fly patterns will be good for the waters of the Cape. In Vineyard Sound there will likely be a good run of spawning squid, so - squid flies will work in varying colors there. As the early season progressess into late May and into June there will likely bite a good bite for weeks and sand eels. I like an olive over white Clouser or a large eel pattern.

My go to flies during this time are the chartruese R2-T2, olive clouser minnow and a large squid fly.

GOOD LUCK

How To Catch Big Striped Bass with A FLY

Below are two links to an in depth article I wrote several years ago about targeting BIG striped bass.


PART 1:   http://www.sportingjournal.com/main27.shtml
PART 2:   http://www.sportingjournal.com/main28.shtml

See my new web site at:   www.mainestripedbassfishing.com

Circle Hooks Required In Maine on Coastal Waters

 Circle Hooks Required In Maine on Coastal Waters Starting in 2013

Photo ID – Circle hooks with or without barbs are now required by law while bait fishing on Maine coastal waters. NOTE:  Pending rule changes may allow Tub and Worm rigs to use "J" hooks. Check the law before fishing in 2013.

            Striped bass 2013 fishing season in Maine begins soon and with it a new regulation for bait fishermen. Bait fishing will now be required to use non-offset circle  hooks only while bait fishing. The new law reads as follows:  “It is unlawful to use any hook other than a circle hook when using bait. For the purposes of this chapter the definition of circle hook means “a non-offset hook with a point that points 90 degrees back toward the shaft of the hook”.

            The accompanying image illustrates what is legal for Maine striped bass bait fishing and what isn’t. Note the profile image hook point circles around to point towards the shank of the hook. The second image shows the difference between inline and off set hooks. Note the inline hook shows the hook point inline with the shank. If you put the hook on a table the entire hook should lay flat on either side to be legal. You can see that the offset hook would not lay flat if set on a table on either side.

            If you haven’t used circle hooks to fish with, be aware there is a different way to set the hook. It’s this simple. Let the fish run with the bait and when the line comes taught without any effort by you, just lightly set the hook or wait for the fish to hook itself. If you use one of those downtown hook sets from the waters surface to over your shoulder with all the energy you can muster, you are likely to loose every fish you encounter. The hook set method is a little difficult to get used to until you realize it works. Usually the fish will be hooked in the corner of the mouth with no damage done from swallowed bait.

            Fishing on the Kennebec River above legal head of tide is controlled by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife which has its own freshwater regulations in place for other species of fish as well as striped bass. There is a closed season there for keeping stripers until July first, the same as the DMR regulations. Other Inland rules stricter than DMR rules govern terminal tackle allowed. Check this rule here:  http://www.eregulations.com/maine/fishing/general-law-limit-information/

            All other Maine saltwater fishing regulations can be viewed at:  http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational/documents/2012stripedbassregs.pdf

            Early season striper fishing in Maine usually begins around early to mid May when ocean water temperatures rise above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on winter runoff in the mighty Kennebec River, the catch and release striped bass fishery will be active without bait until July first. The reason for catch and release and no bait fishing in the designated Kennebec River system is to protect native spawning stripers until the anticipated spawn has completed. 

            You might ask, is the Kennebec River actually producing its own native stock? The answer is yes. Maine’s DMR does an annual young of year sampling study which reveals natural production. It is not known where and when stripers spawn as expensive studies haven’t been done to find out. Historically, striped bass always spawned heavily in the big river until industrial dams were built. We have had several years now with a few dams removed, so striper production along with other indigenous fish continue to show signs of improved development. We just don’t know how good it actually might or could be.

            Don’t forget you need a saltwater fishing registry permit to fish in tidal waters. Go here:  https://www5.informe.org/cgi-bin/online/dmr/swf/index.pl

Maine DMR Striped Bass Scoping Meeting

For details go here:   http://www.facebook.com/MaineStripedBassFishing/posts/484085668317361?notif_t=wall

Bill Townsend - Sportsman/Conservationist

  

Photo ID – “Bill Townsend with at false albacore caught from the waters of Cape Cod, MA.” – Doug Jowett Photo)

       Maine is fortunate to have many active stewards helping to enhance and protect the wilds of the state. All give generously of their time, expertise and finances. Singling one out is always risky at best but always well deserved.

       One man I have known for years fits the formula of an outstanding steward of Maine’s outdoor resources. His name is Clinton (Bill) Townsend of Canaan. He is a young 86 years old and continues to pursue fish and game as well as helping establish protections for the future.

       His sportsman’s interests include fishing for Atlantic salmon, trout, landlocked salmon, smallmouth bass, striped bass, bluefish, false albacore or any other fish that will bend a fly rod. He isn’t married to the fly rod, also enjoying spin and bait casting tackle. Last year he told me he still would like to hook into a small bluefin tuna on a fly rod before he hangs up his fishing equipment.  

       He is passionate about hunting for duck, geese, grouse, woodcock, deer, turkey and other animals of Maine. For a period of time he ran retrievers in field trials. Bill was one of us crazy people who chased eider ducks during the month of January. Some people say crazy, we all say passionate. Maybe there’s a close line there! He also loved sculling up a flock of black ducks or geese on Merrymeeting Bay or on the upper reaches of the Kennebec River.  

       I first met Bill in the 1960’s while we served on Maine’s Waterfowl Advisory Council for eight years. Those were the times when black duck limits and steel shot issues were the order of the day. To say we were busy on the Council in those days is an understatement. Bill helped lead the Council into making the right decisions to decrease black duck limits and establish steel shot regulations. Both issues weren’t very popular with hunters. But, time has proven it was a good call.

       Then there are a couple of organizations called American Rivers and the Natural Resources Council of Maine which Bill was helpful in establishing in the early days of their founding. Both organizations have gone on to establish meaningful regulations protecting Maine’s resources. The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization is the international organization overseeing Atlantic salmon conservation efforts. Bill served on the body for many years. Not to mention the dam removal programs in Maine. The list of natural resource organizations he belongs to and has or is still active in is too long to list here. Let’s just say Bill has paid his dues ten fold over.

       Bill’s spirit to be in the field is admirable. Like most seasoned sportsmen, he has more than his share of health issues but refuses to let that stop him from enjoying is life’s joy of the outdoors. You can see the joy on his face every time he hooks a fish.