Maine Fishing Charters

Hi all, its been quite a while since I did a post. Crazy times for sure.

Barb and I are well and in Maine. We flew up from Florida on Feb 18^th for what was going to be a two week stay but as the pandemic gained its grasp on America and all our lives, we remained in Maine.

I would like to thank all of you who have reached out to check on us and those who have offered to send deposits and in some cases payment in full for charters during the upcoming summer striper season. Your thoughts prayers and offers to help financially has meant so much. I have dusted off my carpentry tools and have been doing projects to generate cash flow. I am taking on outside work to protect my customers and myself from the virus as much as possible. I am grateful and blessed to have a trade considered "essential" to fall back on.

"Barb and I both have rediscovered our surroundings. So much goes unnoticed as we go about our busy lives. I can't remember the last time I took time to watch ospreys repair their nest..."

Capt. Dave 5/20/20

Some great shots of Paul Skydell and Mike Wolfson fly fishing the shallows of the Kennebec for striped bass. The video ends with Paul getting a very nice one on a 7wt. using 10# tippet.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Fishing Conditions: The striped bass have somewhat settled into their mid-summer habits. Water flow and clarity in the Kennebec River are both good. Water temps are 62*in the lower river and 78* near Merrymeeting Bay. This week will have morning rising tides.

Type of bait fish are feeding on...cont.

Now is the time to start paying attention to your fish finder.

Capt. Da e Pecci 07-29-19

Doug Bear from Orvis catching striped bass on ledges at the mouth of the Kennebec River. Mid July is when the ledges and beaches fish very consistently. 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Bill Farland joined me his past week for a few hours of striped bass fly fishing. We ended up catching 14 schoolies between 16" and 24". I love my summer office. Not sure if there's a prettier place this side of heaven. Its so easy to get focused on the fish and what it takes to catch them that I find myself missing the beauty all around me. This video captures some of that beauty. I hope you enjoy watching it.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

We are settling into typical July fishing. Most of
the striped bass have now are staged along structure waiting for bait to come
to them.

Capt. Dave Pecci 07-08-19

"There's still some need for exploration but the
fish are settling down and becoming a bit more predictable."

Capt. Dave Pecci 07-01-19

A combination of breaking fish and casting to structure provided a great morning on the Kennebec. The river was full of small herring which we were able to match very effectively with flies.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Paul and Mike fly fishing for striped bass. We love foggy mornings!

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

"Today we caught somewhere around 40 striped bass up to 24" and, we also caught 5 20-22" shad!"

Capt. Dave Pecci June 19th, 2019

Conditions: There is a large abundance of bait in the Kennebec. Water temps range from 57* to 68*. Water clarity and water flow are average for late June. We are finding stripers feeding on the surface daily but the action is less predictable than in past weeks. The fish are ranging in size from 14"-30" with a few bigger ones here and there. We are averaging 20 fish per trip right now on fly and spinning gear.
Bait the fish are feeding on: Juvenile Atlantic Herring, Sand eel, Alewife, River Herring, American Eel, Mackerel
Target species right now: Striped Bass

The striped bass are becoming more selective due to the huge abundance of bit in the River.

Capt. Dave Pecci

John Kern and his niece Caroline fishing for striped bass on the lower Kennebec in June

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Another incredible week on the Kennebec River! Pretty much nonstop action every morning on flies and lures. No bate needed. Catching striped bass up to 32" in many spots on the River. Here's three videos from this week:

The Striped Bass Fishing on the Kennebec River is HOT and shows no signs of slowing down. We're catching them on flies, lures and bait. Averaging 20 fish a trip right now. Keeper sized fish are a bit scarce but tons of nice stripers between 15" and 27". And many of them are fatties! The water temps are starting to rise causing the stripers and the bait to hold in deeper water. Surface action is sporadic but the fishing is excelent if you fish deep.

Reserve your fishing charters soon - I only have 14 open dates between now and Labor day.      Capt. Dave Pecci

Great fly fishing action on the Kennebec River is continuing into mid July. Carroll and Adam caught over 30 striped bass during their 6 hour morning charter. We're catching them on both floating and sinking lines. There's more striped bass in the River than we have seen in years. One of the clips in this video shows Carroll Ware from Fins and Furs Adventures catching a 20" schoolie striped bass on a colossal 13" bunker fly! 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Long time client and friend John Albin making this Orvis fishing guide look good on a less than perfect day of fly fishing. 15mph NE winds, rain and a 3 knot moon  tide river current didn't stop John from catching over 20 striped bass. 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

"We are catching 20-30 fish per trip on flies and lures! Sizes are ranging from 12" to 32" with some fish over 36".​"

Capt. Dave Pecci

Fred Bogue and Doug Bear catching a bucket load of striped bass on the Kennebec River

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

John Shanely and Richard Riley enjoying a morning of July striped bass fly fishing 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing

Doug Bear from the Orvis Company fly fishing for striped bass.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing