Maine Fishing Charters

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.


Kennebec River Striped Bass Fishing Report 07-19-2014

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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.

 

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Striped Bass Light Tackle Fishing on the Kennebec River

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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.

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Striped Bass Fishing in the Fog and Rain on the Kennebec

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.  

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Veterans Striped Bass Outing on the Kennebec River

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

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Fly Fishing for Kennebec Striped Bass with Capt. Duane Harris

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.

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Kennebec River Striped Bass Fly Fishing / Light Tackle Report 07-13-2014

 

 

 

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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.

 

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Getting it Done – July Fly Fishing for Kennebec River Striped Bass

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!

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Striped Bass Fishing Action on the Kennebec River

More photos of the fun Fly fishing and light tackle fishing on the Kennebec river.

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A Great Week of Striped Bass 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.

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4th of July fly fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec River

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!

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The biggest Kennebec River striped bass on light tackle so far this season

 

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.

 

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Doug Bear from Orvis Fly Fishing for Striped Bass on the Kennebec River

 

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!

 

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Kennebec River Light Tackle and Fly Fishing Report 06-22-14

 

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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.

 

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Fly Fishing for Striped Bass with Gurglers on the Kennebec River

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.

 

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Striped Bass Fly Fishing on the Kenebec River

Tom and Naomi Nicholl from Plattsburg, NY enjoyed a morning of fly fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec River this week. Here’s some of the action caught on video. We had a good blend of surface feeding fish and blind casting throughout the morning despite very high water levels, turbidity and strong current. There are more stripers showing up in the River daily thanks to the huge amount of bait available for them to munch on! 2014 is going to be a very good year!

 

 

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Maine - Kennebec River Light Tackle and Fly Fishing Report 06-15-14

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Fishing Conditions: Mid June fishing is here! Schools of Striped Bass are arriving in the Kennebec River daily. Water levels will be high this week. Run off from heavy rains over the past weekend will lower the water clarity through mid-week.

Bait the striped bass  are eating: Sand eels, Juvenile herring, river herring, mackerel

Best Fly fishing and Light Tackle Fishing Technics: Watch for surface feeding striped bass throughout the river and along the beaches. Use floating and intermediate lines and smaller flies at the mouth and along the beaches. Use large, brighter flies in the river until the water clarity improves mid week.

Fishng Tip of the Week: Great time of year to watch for bird activity indicating surface feeding striped bass.

7 Day Kennebec Fishng Outlook: By mid week the water clarity and flow level in the River should improve until then, the beach is the place to be.

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Our Maine Guiding Season Starts June 15th On the Kennebec River

 

Our 5th season in Boca Grande / Charlotte Harbor winds down June 7th. We’ll be closing up the house and heading north a few days later. Along the way we’ll be stopping in the Orvis Stores in Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC to do some networking and drop off some brochures. There are several posts, videos and pictures about the great season we had in the Florida section of the website.

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We’ll be operating from the Kennebec Tavern and Marina again this year (our 23rd year there!) A great big Thank you to Gene, Kristy and Peter for putting up with me and the steady flow of clients passing through their dockside deck every summer. Can’t wait to “Kick Back on the Kennebec” with a cold HSA and a plate Tavern Nachos with Barb. Hope to see you there!

 

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Kennebec River Striped Bass Fishing Starts Now

Memorial Day weekend is the start of striped bass fishing on the Kennebec River. With a bit of work you can find the first Kennebec striped bass. They show up in the River at the same time as they do on the flats and in the marshes of southern Maine. Tip; work the edges of mud flats with light tackle jigs and fly fish for them with a sinking fly line. The sun warms the water over the dark colored mud attracting bait. The stripers will be there too. Now don't catch them all before I gat back to Maine on the 14th!

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Thanks to my good friend Jerry Jamison for this selfy.

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Obsession Charter’s Orvis Fishing Report for the Kennebec Estuary

 

 

 

We’ve been doing weekly Kennebec Estuary fishing reports for the Orvis website for over 5 years. You’ll find; water conditions, hot flies, tactics that are working, an outlook for the coming week and tips on how to increase your catch. There are Orvis Fishing Reports from all across the country and international destinations at: www.orvis.com/fishingreports . This is a great resource for planning your next fishing trip. Past Reports can be viewed in our Maine Fishing Reports section. We also do the Orvis Fishing Report for our winter haunt: Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound and Ding Darling Refuge.

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Proposed Striped Bass Management Changes in Flux

 

I serve as the ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel Vice Chair and thought it important to post this.

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The ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board is drafting an addendum to address potential overfishing. The addendum will be voted on at the August meeting. If approved, public scoping meetings will take place along the entire Atlantic coast this fall. The Striped Bass Technical Committee has recommended reducing mortality to avoid reaching the overfishing threshold. Striped bass mortality has been steadily increasing and the young of the year index (spawning in Chesapeake Bay) has been below average for several years resulting in an overall reduction in striped bass abundance. It is extremely important for striped bass anglers all along the coast to urge their State fisheries agencies to put this important addendum out for public comment. The fishing public deserves the opportunity to express their views on this valuable public resource FMI> ASMFC press release: http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/53766f04pr15StripedBassDraftAddIVupdate.pdf

 

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