North Of Portland - 2021 Edition

[JerryV]

Ripped into them good again this morning. A lot of fat 26 - 28 inch fish. 
As I pulled the last fish for the day it suddenly hit me.  I can’t remember the last time of caught a fish with mycobacteriosis. 
its been a few years since I’ve seen that, but I do remember those fish being a lot larger. 

[Roccus7]

Visitors came last Saturday, staying until 7/6 and has me not hitting the AM tides, limiting me to quick dusk trips, but nice to see the fish are still around.  Over the past 24 hrs I've fished a total of 2 hrs and landed 15 fish up to 26", including fish caught in mid-afternoon yesterday from my dock.  

 

Just prior to my "shutdown", I got to host @ill_postino aboard my boat for a quick 2 hr evening foray.  We did well, getting 8 fish to 27", with that 27" fish being a real fatty.  

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Roccus7

[fishoninct]

Coming up to Harpswell 7/10.  Boat in tow. 

[jimbighead]

Still doing well each outing, only one skunk this season

concentrating on low light/night fishing 

low to incoming tides flooding the flats 

 

only two bigger fish so far, the rest those 4-6 year olds but fat and angry. All the bait they want in 8 varieties in this area

 

 

hopefully all the big fish offshore to the south figure that out and we become the last good place to fish on the EAST coast.  Then they stay here snd realize it’s “the way life should be”. 
 

Hope is not a plan

 

but it’s all I got right now 

 

Tight lines 

 

Jim 

[ill_postino]

On 6/29/2021 at 10:14 PM, Roccus7 said:

 Just prior to my "shutdown", I got to host @ill_postino aboard my boat for a quick 2 hr evening foray.  We did well, getting 8 fish to 27", with that 27" fish being a real fatty.  

 

 

Fishing with @Roccus7 for a couple of hours last week was a blast. Quite a treat to get rare evening trip in and my kind host gave me every chance at promising casts. Plus I was grateful for the invite since my kayak was out of commission with a snapped steering cable. 

 

But I eventually got that sorted and have been back on the water and doing well this week, usually fishing the 4a.m.-ish to 8 .a.m.–ish shift with some exciting blitzes and surface strikes.  Yesterday was great with lots of solid fish up to a beefy 27" and the fishing stayed good all morning.

 

And then today, at long last, after an otherwise slower start, I finally managed the thing that has eluded me all June, a KEEPAH!  Smashed the popper and took me and the 'yak on a nice sleigh ride. 

[Topside2]

I have fished the Harpswell area for the last 5 days and am catching decent numbers every day.  All fish between  20 - 28" and all on live bait.  Macs are plentiful.   Tides have been kind of funky time-wise, so I am fishing mostly on the late day outgoing pre-sunset.  Pogies are plentiful too.

[skinnywater]

Yesterday evening was epic! finally some better fish moved in. Landed over 40 fish all over 30inches on top water and mag darters. Lost some plugs and solid fish, bait everywhere being run up onto the banks.  Fish were hitting plugs right at your feet, Independence Day was awesome!

[7 Rivers]

2 hours ago, skinnywater said:

Yesterday evening was epic! finally some better fish moved in. Landed over 40 fish all over 30inches on top water and mag darters. Lost some plugs and solid fish, bait everywhere being run up onto the banks.  Fish were hitting plugs right at your feet, Independence Day was awesome!

 Holy chit D, unreal man. I havent heard of a report like that in a long time. I cant even leave the house other than the hospital visits, damn kidney issues...

[skinnywater]

24 mins ago, 7 Rivers said:

 Holy chit D, unreal man. I havent heard of a report like that in a long time. I cant even leave the house other than the hospital visits, damn kidney issues...

Hey G sorry to hear about the medical issues, hopefully you get back to normal soon.    There's been plenty of fish around in my area but they have all been 17-22".  Last night was the first school of keepers I've seen in a while.    

[7 Rivers]

3 hours ago, skinnywater said:

Hey G sorry to hear about the medical issues, hopefully you get back to normal soon.    There's been plenty of fish around in my area but they have all been 17-22".  Last night was the first school of keepers I've seen in a while.    

Nice man, I have been sick since right about 3rd week of May.I havent been out much since, not sure how things are going to end up other than medical bills adding up...Glad you got into them...

[TGIF Harpswell]

Live, chunks and T&W not producing. Little man got this one off the rocks, on his favorite lure for the proverbial “last cast”. Only 24” but it was FAT! Pretty good paddle tail. We cruised home content. 

[Roccus7]

Finally getting out in the AM and starting to see double digit days again, although it's an every other day event.  3 fish yesterday, 11 today. 

 

I'm up over 200 fish with 2 keepers.  A 100:1 ratio far exceeds the last few year's 300:1 ratio...

Edited July 8, 2021 by Roccus7

[Roccus7]

Sometimes you have to throw out the playbook!!

 

Elsa's rain had my river darker than my dark roast coffee this AM, which usually suggests staying in bed is the proper idea, but NOOOOO, someone was up and had to fish.  Got off the dock just before 05:00 and headed down to the harbor, figuring Poseidon was with blessing me with this magnificent dawn.  

 

 

Things immediately turned for the worst as the water was full of weeds at all my normal late ebb sppots, another No Chit Sherlock Moment, but ignored by yours truly.  Then I saw some birds working an area that was relatively free of weeds, but during the 10 minutes I spent casting there I didn't raise a single fish, nor actually see a bass breaking under the birds.  

 

OK, time for a change, and I headed to the harbor entrance's ledges.  Drifted out and tossed my popper into the rip right along the west ledge and BAM, savage swirl, but no hit.  Tossed it out again with same result of a swirl w/o a hit and a third cast also had interest, but no fish. 

 

My blood was boiling now and I cursed the day I decided to fish for stripers, but of course, I motored back uptide and drifted again, NOTHING.  Did it a third time with the same lack of results.

 

Now it was decision time, do I pack it in and suck up a skunking, or change things up?  I opted for a change of tactics and went to grab a white, 7" Fin-S, but much to my dismay, I didn't have any onboard that were rigged.  Hmmmm, what do I have?  Oh look here's a rigged 10" Big Occhi Eel that one of my colleagues graciously gave me last year.  I had never tried it, but figured it was as good a time as any to cast it.

 

Repositioned the boat and tossed it into the "Hot Zone" and BAM, immediate savage strike, but no hookup.  Threw it out again and BAM, a hookup and landed a feisty 19" fish.  Motored back up, tossed it into the hot zone and BAM, onto a larger fish, but not a particularly inspired fighter which surprised me by being 25" long, but not very fat.

 

Immediately quoted Shakespeare, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends..." as I positioned the boat for another drift and on the last cast I could reach the hot zone, BAM, and a hookup on a fish that had me thinking it was a possible slot fish.  When I finally dodged all the lobster buoys I was faced with, I landed, and released, a very fat 25" fish.  Tide was just about dead low now, so I moved to a point 100 yds from the harbor entrance and was rewarded by another 19" fish.  

 

Then I got the very stupid idea to my beachfront ledges.  Elsa's 10' swells rendered the very best unfishable, but gave me a new level of respect for those of you that fish the ledges.  I went to a secondary set of ledges and caught nothing, but the fear of smashing my boat made me retreat back to the harbor for some of my incoming tide spots.

 

Got back inside and the weed situation was still atrocious so I called it quits and headed home.  Being a bit flexible allowed me to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and kept my 30 trip skunkless streak intact...

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Roccus7

[fishoninct]

Matt’s first Maine striper this year. 29”. Live Mac. Keeper ratio is 1:1. Lol. 

[fishoninct]

Had a 30 pound class fish on yesterday. Trolling tube and fake worm. Brought Matt into ledges and she refused to budge. After almost 5 minutes, she spit the hook.