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.
When the stripers go deep you need to do the same... The half and half is a deceiver tied with bumbell eyes and an inverted hook like a clouser. This one pictured is tied on a 2/0 hook with BIG bumbells and an epoxy head. Its not much fun to cast but it will get down to the fish. Usually fished on a 10wt rod and a 450 or 500 grain Depthcharge line.
Yep, its a go to fly for schoolies and bigger striped bass too. Usually in #2 or 1/0 but there are times #4s and even #6s work too. Perfect for hopping across the sand or mud flats on an outgoing tide...
The olive and white deciever - matches many of the baitfish striped bass chase. Tied on a 2/0 - 4/0 hook with a slight bit of weight added to get it down to where the stripers are. It's what's for diner... You can tell I'm a left handed tier from the pcture can't you.
Long day yesterday. Prepping the boat at 4:45am cleaned up and left the dock at 6:30pm. Both striped bass trips were fun and productive though the afternoon was a bit slower than the morning. Burton McConnell and his son-in-law from Canada got a 17 pound 37" Kennebec River striped bass on spinning fishing gear during the morning trip along with two slot fish and 4 other stripers from 28" to 33". The girls on the afternoon trip with their parents caught smaller striped bass in the lower Kennebec near Popham Beach including one for supper.
Offshore shark fishing was a bit slow but Reagan (10) his grandpa Steve and Donna all got to land A blue shark. Reagan by the way, is a bait catching machine keeping us in fresh mackerel and pollock the entire trip. Videos coming but for now check out the poses this ocean sunfish (Mola Mola) gave us on the ride out through Eastern Casco Bay! Both profile and vertical shots. At one point it was scratching its back on the bottom of the Obsession. We also saw a small pod of Porpoise but they were not as willing to be photographed as the sunfish. Nope, no great white sightings, sorry.
Another nice day inshore fishing on the Kennebec River. The strong Northerly winds made the striped bass a bit squirrely but we persisted... Had a small blitz of schoolies on the surface early eating our spin fishing gear and then we changed over to eels mid morning.
07-28-13 Kennebec River /Casco Bay Fishing Report - We’re closing in on August and the fly fishing and light tackle fishing continues as if it were early July! Tons of bait and active striped bass are throughout the lower Kennebec. We’re catching fish from 18” – 36” each charter. Fly fishing is good early. As the sun gets bright changing to fishing deep with bait on spinning rods is working great. Gulf of Maine Shark fishing trips start this coming week. Stand by for reports and picture… I have 9 open mornings in August and many afternoons as well. Let’s go fishing!
Have I mentioned I love striped bass fishing on foggy mornings? Yeh, I have... Chuck and Jocelyn O'Neill from Hawaii had a great morning on the Kennebec River spin fishing today using light light tackle.
No fog today - Bluebird skies and striped bass in the rips. Jeff, Tim and "Poppy" Smith dove up from MA for a fun filled day on the Kennebec. Here's pictures of some of the fish the caught on spinning gear. I met the Smiths last year on a week-long mission trip to their church in Westfield, MA where we did some repairs to the Parsonage and community outreach. Great folks.
Fly fishing during a Kennebec River striped bass feeding frenzy with Chuck and Charlie O'Neill. I love foggy July mornings.
Very good striped bass fishing continued this week on both flies and light tackle. Lots of stripers from 14” to 36” are spread throughout the lower Kennebec River. Water flow is still very high and the river is muddy so the incoming tide is fishing best right now. The first bunches of menhaden arrived and hopefully the bluefish are not far behind. Offshore in the gulf of Maine the water temps are a bit below where they normally are but this week’s heat will fix that. There are blue sharks to catch but plan on running a bit farther than usual for good action. As the water warms the runs will shorten to the usual 6-10 miles and the threshers and makos will be easier to find. School Bluefin tuna are spotty but hopefully the rising temps will settle down the offshore bait and the tuna will start feeding. Still having a bit of a problem with website updates so check our Facebook page for photos, videos and more frequent fishing reports. We’re seeing the best light tackle and fly fishing in many years. I have openings from mid-month on, give me a call or message me and we’ll go catch em!
Good morning of striped bass action fly fishing here on the Kennebec. 9 fish to the boat from 4 different honey holes and personal bests in length and weight for both anglers. Fog and drizzle can be your friend. Nope not telling what fly we used.
One more full day of make ready and the Obsession will be launched for the 2013 season. New 150 four stroke Yamaha, new porta potti, key switch, new stern light... Safety gear - check, electronics - check, pumps - check, Through hull fittings - check. Striped bass, bluefish, sharks and tuna here we come!
Striped bass are settling into their summer haunts in the River and along the beaches. This year's season is shaping up to be the best in 5 years! A mix of schoolies and fish up to 36" are feeding on sand eels, herring and mackerel. Call, text or e-mail today for available dates and to book your trip
Nice day on the Kennebec with my Buddy Fred Bogue. Cold front made fishing a bit tuff but, check out this underwater video of a nice light tackle striped bass boatside.
After two 14 hour days on the road, 1704 miles and 104 gallons of gas I'm in Maine. Unpacking tomorrow and spin fishing and fly fishing the rest of the week for early season Kennebec River Striped Bass. Thank you to my friend Charlie Wallace for the company, helping drive and buying more than one tank of gas along the way!
I think it might be time to clear some Boca Grande tarpon trails of my GPS.
The old New England saying "Fish bite the least when its blowing from the east" was proven wrong on the Kennebec River today... 19 striped bass from 7 different locations while spin fishing and off the water in time for lunch... The Kennebec is back! I have a couple open mornings next week - let's go get em!
