Stripers from 24” to 48” long and weighing as much as 30 pounds spend the summer in the waters of the Kennebec River Watershed and surrounding beaches and islands. Striped Bass show up in good numbers usually during late May here in the mid coast area of Maine. The first to arrive are the smaller, younger fish. They show up in vast schools as the water temperature reaches the mid 50’s. These first arrivals are full of spunk and eat everything put in front of them. 12 pound class spinning gear and 6-8 wt. fly rods are the weapons of choice. Lures and flies vary from the smallest juvenile baitfish imitations to full sized offerings that mimic 12” Alewives and Herring.
I know this boat, I actually guided for striped bass and sharks out of it for a few weeks when the Obsession was down for repairs. Worth every penny being asked. She's been kept at the Kennebec Tavern and Marina in Bath, Maine the last three years. Call the number below in area code (207) FMI.
Both Matlacha and Ding Darling Preseves have great fishing this week. Here's Greg Killough and a nice Jack caught on an Orvis Helios 2 8wt fly rod. Greg also caught seatrout and snook.
Conditions: Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s. A mild cold front will be arriving late in the week slight chance of afternoon showers and light winds through the weekend.
Bait: threadfin and greenback herring, pinfish, shrimp, crabs
Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel.
Fishing Tactics: With water temps rising the mid day fishing will be slow. Fish the morning tides for the best action.
My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Snook will be cruising the mangrove edges at the tide rises. Redfish will be near the oyster beds as the tide ebbs.
My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: Suspending twitch baits and soft plastic on light jig heads fished slow along the mangrove shadows can be productive.
7 day outlook: Higher water levels in mornings will allow for easier access to the backwaters.
Darrell Clark, Becky Morrell and Kelsey Morrell striped bass fishing on an overcast September afternoon with Obsession Sportfishing. We enjoyed 3 hours of non stop action using light tackle spinning gear and live eels.
My good friend Greg Straut from upstate New York joined me for a picture perfect September morning on the Kennebec. We caught a bucket load of striped bass on live eels. The last segment of this video is Greg losing the biggest fish of the morning to one of the striper steeling seals on the River.
Here's a few pics from this week's charters. We had a great week on the Kennebec River catching striped bass on light tackle and fly fishing gear. 
Rob and Christine from Massachusetts had a great morning of striped bass action on the Kennebec River fishing with light tackle and live eels. Here are some of the highlights. Despite bluebird skies and stiff northerly winds from an approaching cold front the stripers were feeding. I love September on the River!
Russell Wakeman and his nephew Jarrin spent a morning striped bass light tackle fishing on the Kennebec River. We started the morning spin fishing with Sluggos catching schooling fish on the flats and finished up live eel fishing the ledges in the upper river. Enjoy the rest of your visit in Maine guys. Safe travels home to Pennsylvania.
"Just wanted to let you know my husband Russell and nephew Jarrin had the best time with you today!! They already want to do it again!! Thank you!!!" - Marcia Wakeman Sept 2, 2014
Brett Johnson and his 10 year old son Lance from Massachusetts joined Obsession Sportfishing charters for a morning of light tackle striped bass fishing on Labor Day. Though the lure fishing was tuff we managed to find some nice stripers on the ledges using live eels.
Dave, Jennifer and Caleb Vandergroef from northern NJ on their Labor Day weekend Kennebec River striped bass charter. This was day two of stiff northerly winds from a strong high pressure area. The striped bass were off the feed but we persisted both on fly fishing and light tackle gear. Caleb, keep practicing your fly casting you have great promise. Capt. Dave
Nat Gardner and his fishing buddy Rob joined Obsession Charters Thursday morning for a few hours of fly fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec. Even though an approaching cold front shut the fishing down by mid-morning we managed to land a few fish.
Neil Dunlop and his buddy Dave Shaw enjoyed a fun morning on the Kennebec River and along the beaches of Casco Bay. This fish took a chartreuse Clouser Minnow in about 10 feet of water.
Nick, Mysia, Jerzy, Victoria and Dakota had a great day on the Kennebec August 19th catching striped bass on live eels. It took a bit of coaxing to get them to hold the fish for photos.
Eleven Hancock Lumber workers enjoyed an afternoon on the Kennebec River with 4 of the guides operating from the Kennebec Tavern and Marina. The fish cooperated and everyone had a great time catching fish on light tackle. The guys on the Obsession landed 14 striped bass including the big fish pool winner during their 4 hour charter.
Just some of the pics from this week... The best August Striped bass fishing on the Kennebec in years.
Larry and Peter joined Obsession Sportfishing Charters for a morning of spin and fly fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec River. Despite high flow and muddy water we managed to boat eight stripers and were back to the dock in time for lunch.
3 minute video of the Schaaab party striped bass light tackle fishing on August 16th. We caught these fish spin fishing withj bucktail jigs.
August light tackle fishing for striped bass continues to be good on the Kennebecv River. Even with muddy water and high flow from Wednesday's rains the stripers are still feeding. This morning we had action on jigs in the lower river. As the tide dropped and the water quality worsened the fishing slowed down. The forecast for coming week looks good and the water quality will improve. We will be venturing offshore to look for tuna and shark. Reports to follow.
August striped bass fishing on the Kennebec River continues to be great! here's a few pics from this week's action. Light tackle lures and live eels as well as fly fishing are producing fish. If you're looking to fly or lure fish plan on an EARLY departure. Bait is working all day...
My good friend Darrell Nix and his family spent Sunday morning onboard the Obsession. We enjoyed perfect weather and excellent light tackle striped bass fishing. The fish were holding deep on ledges so Carolina rigged live eels were the meal of choice. We are seeing the best early August fishing in years. Most of the fish today were in the 22”- 25” range and very brightly colored indicating they were new to the Kennebec River Estuary. I have 8 open days in August, call, text or email me today and book your trip!
