Looking Forward to the 2021 Season

 

Looking back at my last post on this blog(June 14, 2020) I have two conclusions about 2020. One, I was really bad about posting to this blog.  I should do better with that. And two, things were absolutely crazy last year. In the Spring and months leading up to the Summer season I was filled with dread that no one would be able to go fishing.  March to June of 2020 were scary uncertain Covid Times. 

June hit and I had more calls for fishing or sightseeing or anything to get on the boat then ever before.  This summer looks like it will be just as busy.  I am taking more reservations than usual. If you know you want to get out with me I'd call as soon as possible.  

The bad news for my clients is that I have raised my prices. I have not changed my prices much over the years and the price of everything has gone up.  This increase brings me in line with other captains who work on the Kennebec River and up and down the East coast with similar boats.

But, there is some good news too!  A few years ago we put a trolling motor on the bow which has been a terrific addition.  Holding us in current or sneaking up on fish, the trolling motor is super helpful.  Recently, I ordered an Active Target system by Lowrance which we can deploy when the trolling motor is down.  Lowrance is having supply chain problems just like the rest of the world so I am hoping it gets here soon.  Active Target is a forward facing sonar which should add a video game element to the fishing and also help us spend our time more efficiently.  

Right now the big question in every Striped Bass Fisherman's mind is how will this season be?  This will be our 18th year of operation, I think, and it feels like each year is markedly different from the year before.  Last year, according to the Maine fisheries experts, only 1% of the catch was in the keeper range(28"-35").  That was our experience for sure, maybe less than 1% were keepers.  I know your chances of catching a bigger fish were definitely improved if you fished on Popham Beach which I did not do once last year.  The fishing up river in the Kennebec was too much fun, too easy, and too predictable to risk a swing and miss on the beach kind of thing.  

So, this year?  Who knows.  I am hoping the Stripers arrive in the Kennebec by Memorial Day Weekend.  I'm sure I will be out there that weekend giving it a shot.  School ends for me on June 17.  I'd be happy to take anyone fishing in June after school for an evening trip just give a call or better yet shoot me a text. 

Below you can see how well Active Target allegedly works. Person is swimming on the surface.

  

Fishing Report 6/13

          A dream of mine (at least since March) has always been to catch a fish while leading a zoom meeting.  So, when I saw that conditions looked just about perfect for yesterday and meetings starting at 8:30, I decided to go for it.  In the Kennebec River right now we have special restrictions for catching Stripers which prohibits the use of bait among other things. So, I needed a way to catch them without moving much and bait was not an option.  I decided to anchor up in a spot I knew had good reception and just put a diamond jig down around 15'.  I figured jigging would not be too much motion for the other participants which might distract them from the meeting and hopefully the fish would just pop buy.  Mission accomplished as you can see from below.  Caught two during meeting one and five during meeting two which was only 25 minutes.  Dream fulfilled.  

Currently the bite is good enough for me to catch them while I lead zoom calls for my school.  We are catching a lot on top when we see them and on the bottom as well. The fish range in size from about 9" to about 24".  Hopefully that will improve.   Macs are around but I would not say thick yet.  I've got to go, it's time to fish.  

Fishing Report 6/3

     

      Apparently, Striped Bass can be caught as far north as Penobscot bay with the best fishing the further South you go.  I had a chance to fish out of the Harraseeket River on Monday which is just North of Portland.  There were tons of fish and we were catching Stripers up to about 23" just chasing birds. 
        This easy bite to my South is encouraging because I have yet to see any kind of massive biomass of fish in the Kennebec River.  I have been fishing maybe a half dozen times now and until today the fishing has been spotty.  We have had our best luck with a Spook lure, catching the preponderance of our fish on the surface.  Below is a picture of one of the smallest fish I have caught in years.

        Today was definitely just one of those good days.  Overcast and calm, the conditions made it easy to find fish with the Spook Lure.  However, what made today most different so far was finding a spot to jig up some fish reliably.   Until today, I have been jigging the ledges in the Kennebec with little luck.  This morning, finally, I found a spot that produced at least one fish on every drift and many of those fish had followers.  In other words, I found the kind of bite a charter guy really needs to find.  Phew.  Hopefully I can get back there tomorrow and see if this spot will continue to produce. 
       

the latest

On April 28th, Governor Mills released the plan for reopening Maine and phasing out some of the restrictions currently in place.  Here are the cliff notes:

1. Guided fishing trips are permitted if required precautions are taken.
2. People entering Maine will be expected to quarantine for 14 days.
3. No hotels are permitted to receive out of state guests as of now through summer. 
4. No gatherings of more than 10 people in June and no more than 50 people in July and August.

There is some talk from the Maine CDC about lifting the quarantine requirement for July and August but that also might be wishful thinking.  The hotel lobby is screaming and the government might cave.  Who knows? 

Here's what this all means for Sweet Action Charters this season.  First, I am going to run trips and follow any COVID procedures that I need to.  Second, I am still taking reservations.  However, I am not going to take anymore deposits.  For those of you who have already given a deposit, if you want me to refund you, just let me know.  We could also wait and see if something good happens and you are able to come.
Finally, it makes me so damn sad to think of all my repeat clients who come just for a week or two and rent a private cottage/house.  I was hoping those folks would still be able to come.  I love seeing the same people on the boat from year to year. It's one of the best parts of guiding. 



Meanwhile, the Striper Migration continues to swirl northerly.  Schoolies are being caught regularly in Rhode Island and are spreading out across the Massachusetts Coast north of Cape Cod.  In New Hampshire and Southern Maine, some fish are being caught but those are most likely advanced scouts for the rest of the bunch.  Larger schools should start arriving soon. 

If you have any questions about all this, please feel free to reach out. 

Are we fishing this summer?

I am not sure, how Covid will impact fishing charters this season just yet but I will definitely be fishing.  I will work within whatever guidelines we are given by the state of Maine and provide trips for Stripers as soon as the fish and the law allows.  As of now, the Stripers are as far north as Cape Cod and look to be on track for a somewhat early appearance on the coast of Maine.  When Covid 19 social distancing measures will go away is much less clear. 

Anyway,  if you know or hope to be coming to Maine and want to plan a trip give me a call.  If we plan a trip, but Covid gets in the way, well, at least we tried. 

Waquoit Bay Albie Fishing

Been over two weeks now since I caught this beauty.  The fish above was the first Albie (False Albacore) I caught with Peter Fallon and his longtime fishing companion Fritz.  On this day, conditions, while not the kind of day where the fish were chewing holes in the boat, were pretty easy to take.  A hot September day with a cool and building breeze.  A stolen summer day.  We started early and by maybe 7 am I had already caught my first Albie.  Take me back to the dock, mission accomplished, I joked with Peter and Fritz.

And while that was a joke then,  now I think if they had brought me back I would not be as messed up as I am today.  Apparently, I now have Albie Fever.  However, as a guide, my fever is a bit more complicated than just wanting to catch another Albie.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to catch more Albies but most of the time my "fever" is about guiding for Albies and perhaps other species I have not tried in places I have not been. 

Catching/guiding for  stripers this weekend in Maine may help, but I caught/guided for Stripers last weekend and the weekend before and its not helping my Albie/fishing/guiding fever.

After Albie number one I was ok (unchanged), but somewhere well before I caught my 6th and final Albie of that day something in me snapped.

So what happened on this fateful day?  First, let's start with the boat and location. The boat was a 27' Southport with twin Yamaha 250s.  Wifi Network ✅  Auto Pilot ✅. Incredible gear like Stella Reels✅.  Yeti Cooler with gourmet munchies ✅.  My Kennebec River Mentor and Partner✅. Two guys who will get after the fish as fervently as I ✅. 

We took off from inside Waquoit Bay and spent most of the day not real far from here with some of the best fishing being on the ocean side of the pass. 

Sunrise that day was probably around 6:30 and we were certainly there at that time.  When we got to the pass there were about 8 other boats there.  Here, I was taught the way we were going to play this Albie game.  First, Fritz insisted that I take the front of the boat.  Very gracious and kind of him as the bow definitely ended up with more chances. Why?  Reminding me of stalking Tarpon in Florida on the flats, the vast majority of our Albie chances occurred when we saw the surfacing fish.  Albies, as I learned throughout the day, have several different behaviors in terms of surface action.  So, as the guy in the front of the boat, I was primarily looking for surface action within or close to casting distance.  Then, when the surfacing fish are within range I am left with two huge decisions.  Cast or wait to cast and then where to cast.  First, deciding when to cast is determined by where you are going to cast in order to lead the fish.  Think Tom Brady for a second.  Brady can throw short or throw long, but the throw must be perfect.  And so, not only does the Albie fisherman have to see the fish, the guy with the rod has to see in which direction the fish are heading and perfectly lead the fish. As a result,  every time you do catch one or get a bite you end up feeling like you just made a Tom Brady like cast.  Think how fun that must be.  And, just like Brady, there are factors that make lesser quarterbacks miss their spots.  Wind and choppy water, super long and precise casts, and the highly unpredictable nature of the fish make this kind of Albie fishing tough on beginners.

I ended up doing really well. Time folded and an 11 hour day on the water flew by.  In between bites, Peter and Fritz were the perfect fishing companions. While there were tons of laughs at all times these guys were always focused on the next fish.  Looking, searching, scanning, and thinking in order to cross paths and make chances. I ended up catching 6 Albies and had many more bites.

What else to tell you? If you want to try Albie fishing, I would call Peter Fallon and I would plan to make a date next September.   You can shoot Peter a text or call him at 207-522-9900.  Some of you have heard me talk about my client Chuck who has probably fished with me 50 to 60 times now.  Chuck is convinced and he is planning to leave Maine next fall to give Albies a shot. It's a no brainer.  Honestly, Peter has been after me for years to come down to the Cape and try Albies and now I feel stupid that I waited this long.   Kind of like some one who likes to travel who has never left the country.  Big world out there. 

Two weeks later I am still basically on cloud 9 from this fishing trip.  Below you can see a video that might actually be the moment that my life changed.  Check it out and I hope you all get a chance soon to catch some fish.

fishing report 6/22

       Today's fishing report tells the inshore fishing story in the region pretty well.  Our day began at 4:15am.  This particular client has been with me many many times and I know he loves fishing the early morning bite.  The game plan was to fish in Boothbay outside the restricted zones where we could fish with live bait before heading to the Kennebec River. 
       Macking in the Harbor was quick quick and no chumming was necessary.  So, after spending maybe 15 minutes getting Macs we started to Striper fish in and around the Boothbay Harbor Region.   We caught 3 fish 20-27" in 3 different spots before we decided to Nix the bait and head to the Kennebec. 
       In the river, we quickly found surface feeding fish.  We caught 4 more on the surface and 4 more on the bottom. After that bite seemed to die, the rest of the day was spent in one of my usual drifts fishing both the bottom and the top.  Which caught more is hard to say but in the end we boated another 15 Stripers ranging in size from about 20" to 27".

I also went out this week on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.  Both trips were excellent and the vast majority of the fish were caught on topwater.  The weather was calm and overcast which is,as you know, perfect.  The Wednesday morning trip boated approximately 50 Stripers and the Tuesday evening trip said they got around 30.  

So, clearly, things have changed since my last report.  I felt compelled today to write this blog post.  I did not want to leave anyone wondering whether or not its time to catch fish in the Kennebec Region.  It is time.