Stripers Everywhere

[maineflycaster]

Talked to my dad in Bangor, he is hearing that there are stripers being caught in Veazie already!  Given the fact that it's June 6th and we haven't linked 3 warm days together since last August, I'm thinking the striper numbers are coming back in good shape!!  

[Neptune73]

sssshhhh...   

[boab]

So I have a quick question for ya then...

 

If there stripers everywhere, then why aren't any in Belfast Bay?!?!?!  My family camps a lot during the summer at a campground right on the water and I have never seen anything there???

 

Riddle me this Batman!!!

[Crozzbow]

Yeah. And you can bet your last buck that that commercial guys are foaming at the mouth and have already sent their lobbyist out in full force to strong arm the government's fishery managers into increasing the current harvesting quotas for striped bass.

[Neptune73]

So I have a quick question for ya then...

 

If there stripers everywhere, then why aren't any in Belfast Bay?!?!?!  My family camps a lot during the summer at a campground right on the water and I have never seen anything there???

 

Riddle me this Batman!!!

 

Wish I had that answer.  I've never had much luck around Bucksport when I know they're further up river.  It's been a frustrating endeavor for me to figure out a way to catch them in the Bay when I've got it all figured out up river... because it all ends way too quick when the river temp gets too high.  Shuts off like a switch in early July... and I know they hang around most of the summer in the cooler waters.  If anybody wants to PM me and share some techniques and spots to check out later in the summer it would be much appreciated! 

[Pursuit]

I have fished the river the last couple of years and live in Belfast.  I used to fish the footbridge as a kid when the herring cannery was there and there would be a massive chum slick coming out of the river drawing the bait fish in.  You could see the mackeral coming in by the hundreds, along with them were the stripers and blues.  Used to see people catch stripers and big blues off the bridge.  When the cannery shut down the macks and other bait fish stopped coming.  It has been 10 years or more but there was that year in front of Fort Knox you could go out and catch a 100 in a night and watch them bust the bait on the surface, but nothing like that has happened since.  I have caught a few here and there but nothing like that year.  In my honest opinion I think the Bay is too clean now,  you can't catch macks like you used and you don't see bait coming into the Passy anymore.  I think why you still get some in the Penobscot is because there is more bait and food sources in that river but again just my humble opinion.  There really is not much going on in the bay.  I have rode around it with a fish finder and every now and then get a couple hits on sonar of fish but nothing like further south

[boab]

When I tried to explain to my 5 year old (have him totally fish brained) that there aren't any fish in this bay, which he was saying never give up, I was getting yelled at by the wife.  I don't want to see him cast for hours and only get weeds.

[titleguy]

So I have a quick question for ya then...

 

If there stripers everywhere, then why aren't any in Belfast Bay?!?!?!  My family camps a lot during the summer at a campground right on the water and I have never seen anything there???

 

Riddle me this Batman!!!

 

Go up the bay a little.... or up a certain river a little and you will find them...

[fishfreak45]

there are fish in the passy now.....15 dinks outgoing yesterday

[maineflycaster]

there are fish in the passy now.....15 dinks outgoing yesterday

Great to hear!!!

[Pursuit]

Awesome, it would be nice not to have to haul the boat an hour and fifteen minutes to catch stripers.  Put right in town and catch em!!! 

[titleguy]

I'm headed above tidewater on Saturday morning for striped ones and shad ( ​ ​I hope).

[stormy monday]

I'm in a C&R fly rod tourney south of here and the top of the leader board is already at 41". I need to get off this couch if I'm going to have a shot at that...

[jobou]

If you like fishing and catching fish, now is a really good time to try.

[fishfreak45]

A little bigger and more widespread this week. Go get um guys!