Light Tackle and Fly Fishing in Mid Coast Maine - The rugged beauty of the rocky coast, the miles of pristine beaches and the wooded shores of the mighty Kennebec River all set the tone for a world class fishing trip. During the months of May & June the Kennebec is catch and release, fly and artificial lures only fishing. This provides for some of the very best striped bass fishing on the East Coast. July through September Striped Bass light tackle or fly fishing is very consistent. In July the Bluefish show up along the coastal islands and beaches along with school sized (footballs)bluefin tuna offshore. August and September is the time to try your luck at offshore fishing for shark. Blue Shark, with the occasional Mako mixed in, cruise the cool waters of the Gulf of Maine. Obsession Charters currently holds the State of Maine Blue Shark Fly rod Record.
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!
Here's some of the fly fishing and light tackle action on August 31,2014. We caught them on jigs, flies and live eels on thia this trip. The fish were staged up in many places along the lower Kennebec River.
Striped Bass fishing on the Kennebec River continues to be great. With water temps in the mid 70s most of the mid day action is on Bucktail jigs and live bait. Fly fishing and light tack lure fishing is productive early before the sun gets bright. We have some open dates in August, call or email today to book your charter!
Live eels are the breakfast of choice for the stripers now we are into mid summer. The fishing continues to be the best in years here on the Kennebec.
Kennebec River and Casco Bay Fishing Conditions: Very Good - The river flow is returning to normal levels. Water temps range from the mid-70s up river to 60* on the beaches. Striped bass are staged throughout the River in structure.
Best Striped Bass Fly Fishing Technics: Surface activity is becoming less common with the rise in water temp. Blind cast near structure and rips. Cover lots of water and you'll find them. Go early, by mid morning the stripers have full bellies and are hard to entice.
Best Striper Light Tackle / Spin Fishing Technics: Bucktail jigs and shad bodies are working great along rips and banks.
My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Watch for birds diving on bait then use your sounder to locate schools of striped bass. Fish slow and deep especially after sunrise.
7 Day Outlook: Fishing will improve with reduced flow now that the noon is waning.
I get asked from time to time if rainy weather affects the fishing... My smart-alecky answer usually is " Nope, the fish are already wet". I had a great week meeting folks from all over the country who braved the rain and fog with good results I might add...
I'll let you decide if fish care if its raining.
I love foggy mornings on the Kennebec River, though I could do without the rain... Eric and Janet Teske and Eric’s Brother Chris Braved the wet conditions and wind to catch a bunch of striped bass while on vacation here in Maine.
Capt. Forrest Faulkingham, Capt. Hank DeRuiter and I were blessed by spending the morning with eight American Armed Forces Veterans today. Though the weather was less than perfect the fishing was good and everyone had a great time. For three years Capt Faulkingham and House in the Woods from Lee, Maine have coordinated this outing. These eight men were so grateful for the time donated to take them fishing but it does not compare to the gratitude I have for them and their sacrifices.
Thank you to Poulin Bros Lobster, Bath Hampton Inn and The Monsweag Roadhouse who donated rooms and food to round out this two day outing.
House in the Woods is an outdoor retreat program that “honors our veterans and their families' sacrifices and assists them in their journey towards healing the mental and physical pain of loss.”
FMI: www.houseinthewoods.org
Capt. Duane Harris from St. Simons Island, GA joined me for a morning of striped bass fly fishing on the Kennebec River this week. The stripers have settled into their summer habits in that; top water feeds have become less comon and the fish are staging on structure and in the rips. Both poppers and baitfish patterns are producing stripers up to 26". Safe travels home Duane, great getting to know you and I hope to see you again the next time you are in Maine.
Kennebec River and Casco Bay Fishing Conditions: Stripers are spread throughout the River right now. No big schools or sustained top water feeds now that the water temps have reached the high 60s and low 70s. The river is full of river herring, alewives, sea herring and sand eels. The stripers are all fat and happy. Mid day fishing is tuff so go early and late.
Best Striped Bass Fly Fishing Technics: Surface activity is becoming less common with the rise in water temp. Use your best small mouth bass technics; blind cast structure and rips. Cover lots of water and you'll find them. Go early, by mid morning the stripers have full bellies and are hard to entice.
Best Striper Light Tackle / Spin Fishing Technics: Stripers are settling in on their summer ledges hangouts. Heavy bucktails and shad bodies are working great. Carolina rigged bait is beginning to produce and will be the hot set up over the next several weeks.
My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Water surface temps are now in the mid 70s. The stripers will be holding in deeper water. Use Depthcharge lines and weighted flies.
7 Day Outlook: Big tides are causing strong currents throughout the river, Water clarity is improving. There are lots of stripers in the River but the bite is early and late in the day due to warm water and full bellies.
Doug Bear from Orvis doing it in fine style on the Kennebec River with the Helios2. Always a pleasure Doug, enjoy the rest of your time in Maine and wishing you safe travels home to PA. See you next year!
More photos of the fun Fly fishing and light tackle fishing on the Kennebec river.
Here are some of the pictures from last week's fly fishing and light tackle spin fishing Charters. We continue to have some of the best striper action in years. email or gve us a call to book you trip.
Larry and Justin from the Camden area enjoyed a foggy and overcast morning fly fishing on the Kennebec as Hurricane Arthur creeps up the coast. Justin who is new to fly fishing landed several schoolies with an Orvis H2 rod and a 450 Depthcharge line. Larry caught a few as well. The fishing was a bit slow today due to the approaching storm. The stripers all moved off the flats into the rips and along banks in 10’-15’ of water. When the weather changes the fish’s habits, we change our tactics. Thanks for a great morning on the river guys!
longtime client and friend John Kern invited his two nieces along on a Kennebec River charter July 1st. The fun and fishing was nonstop. Caroline Kern and Emily Roig had never fished with light tackle for striped bass before. As you can see they both took it quite well! Uncle John is excellent at fly fishing. He caught a bunch of stripers on a floating line and a popper and on sinking line with an olive and white deceiver. We lost track of how many fish we caught but none of us will forget the bigun that Caroline landed! This is a fairly long video (6 minutes) but hang in there to the end… The expressions on the faces are priceless! Safe travel home John, Caroline and Emily. I look forward to seeing you again in 2015.
A fun July 1st fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec River with Doug Bear from Orvis and his Dad. They both caught a bunch of stripers on fly rod and spinning gear. This is a short video showing two of Doug’s fly rod fish. Dad out fished Doug 3 to 1 with his spinning rod and was texting the family back on shore to rub it in... The best early season fishing we have seen in years continues! Get out on the River and get in on the action!
Fishing Conditions: Water levels and flow are returning to normal. The River is clearing up from all the run off last week. Water temp is in the mid-60s. There is an abundance of bait throughout the lower river.
Bait the fish are eating: Sand eels, Juvenile herring, river herring, mackerel
Best Technics:Look for surface action early then fish the rips and banks when the sun gets bright.
Tip of the Week: Rig up with both floating and sinking lines. Late June fly fishing provides a variety of situations from surface feeds to fish staged on structure 15-20 feet below the surface.
7 Day Outlook: In a word – Great! We are seeing some of the best striped bass fly fishing in years here on the Kennebec. There are fish arriving in the River daily and the bait is plentiful.
Fly fishing on a windy and overcast June morning on the Kennebec River. We had these fish all to ourselves for almost an hour. Fred boated over twenty fish before the tide changed and the school settled out. We were using an 8wt Orvis H2 with a floating line and 16# tippet.
