Current Fishing Report
07/26/10
hi craig..went out to tantas at 6:30 am, and the seas built to 4-6 feet and we turned around and came back in without wetting a line. I dropped off my buddy, and later, I went out and took a look in front of wood island at 1:30, and it was only 2 feet. Shot out to tantas again by myself.
From 2:30 to 4:00 - just 90 minutes - filled a small cooler full of 25 -34 inch cod, one nice haddock, and one nice pollock. This is usually the worst time of day to fish, but the sky was dark and overcast, and the the only thing i dropped was a shimano buttefly jig, with a Berkley gulp sand eel on the teaser (see photos). About one third of the time the jig never made it to the bottom and they had it....took the jig and the sand eel about 50/50. Had to leave at 4:00, but hated to because the fish were still pounding the shit out of the jig and teaser. Probably caught around 20 sublegal cod, and many of these were 23 inches....not many real small fish today.
dave johnson
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
July 24th.
Another crazy week here at the store,sales have been brisk as both inshore and offshore fishing take off.Stipers have slowed a bit in the Saco river,probably because the water temp in some places is over 70.Try fishing early in the morning trolling a tube&worm,and make sure to have some small poppers or topwater crank baits.Beach fishing has been hot early morning or late evening,eels and cut clams are the hot baits right now.Try fishing Higgin's,GooseFare Brook,or Biddeford Pool for best action.Make sure to stash a few steel leaders for the bluefish to,we have had a few reports of small chopper blues hanging around the mouth of the Saco river.Prouts Neck and Higgins beach have also had a few blues this past week.Bright colored poppers like Gagg's and Cotton Cordel Pencil Poppers work awesome on fiesty blues.
Ground fishing has been descent out on Tanta's,dad and Butch were out Friday morning and each caught a limit of market sized cod using 16oz. cod jigs rigged with a teaser fly up ahead.The green cod flies and rubber squid skirts worked wonders....you couldn't keep the cod off em.Dan Kelley fished aboard the Bunny Clark last week and loaded the boat with large cod,cusk,and sea pollock jigging on Fippennies Ledge.
The shark fishing has also been productive the past week,Chris Cantara and crew aboard the Mad Dog caught and released over a dozen blue sharks fishing the back side of Tanta's ledge.many reports of thresher and mako's the last couple days for our tuna fishing fleet.Try fishing Trinidad,Shark Grounds,or Boomerang on your next sharking adventure.Make sure to bring plenty of chum and some herring oil to jump start your slick.Fresh or frozen herring and mackerel have been the preferred baits.If you can get your hands on some fresh or live bluefish do so......they are the mako's favorite food.
Bluefin tuna action is still very good here in Southern Maine,most of the fish we are seeing are giants with some smaller fish mixed in.You don't need to go very far,fish some of the inside humps and ledges using live mackerel or herring.Stellwagen Bank has been hot the past week for recreational anglers in search of small or medium sized bluefin......Don't forget if you hold a recreational angling permit you must release any trophy sized tuna you catch.You are only allowed one tuna between 27" to 59" now..If you would like more info please visit www.nmfspermits.com or call them at 1(888)872-8862.
We Still Have Room Monday
Call Now
Tuna Alert Tuna Alert Tuna Alert Tuna Alert
Bluefin Tuna Rigging Secrets
Monday July 26th. 5-7 pm.
$50.00
Come join us Monday as we cover livebait and trolling techniques. Choose one of the following rigs to make and keep:
Flurocarbon Leaders
Mouse traps
Hurley/Shanka Spreader Bars
Single Rigged Sluggo's
Learn all the latest on what's hot now
New NEWS! For Recreational Angling Permit: Pretty Much explains that recreational can no longer catch their annual Giant this year, but the 27-59 is still open.. confusing!
NMFS closes the northern area Angling category fishery for large medium and giant ("trophy") BFT for the remainder of 2010. Fishing for, retaining, possessing, or landing large medium and giant BFT (measuring 73 inches curved fork length or greater) north of 39°18' N. lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ,) is prohibited effective at 11:59 p.m., July 18, 2010. The intent of this closure is to prevent overharvest of the Angling category northern area trophy BFT subquota of 1.7 mt. NMFS closed the southern area trophy BFT fishery effective June 12, 2010. Anglers are reminded that all non-tournament BFT landed under the Angling category quota must be reported within 24 hours of landing either online at www.hmspermits.gov or by calling (888) 872-8862. In Maryland and North Carolina, vessel owners must report their recreational tuna landings at state-operated reporting stations. For additional information on these programs, including reporting station locations, please call (410) 213-1351 (Maryland) or (800) 338-7804 (North Carolina). Anglers may catch and release or tag and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of HMS catch-and-release and tag-and-release programs. NMFS regulations at 50 CFR 635.21(a)(1) require that all released BFT be released in a manner that will maximize survivability, and without removing the fish from the water. For further information on safe handling see: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/PartnershipsCommunications/recfish/ethics.htm NMFS may make further Angling category adjustments via inseason action, if warranted. This notice is a courtesy to BFT fishery permit holders to help keep you informed about your fishery. For additional information, ca1l (888) 872-8862 or (978) 281-9260, or go to www.hmspermits.gov. Official notice of Federal fishery actions is made through filing such notice with the Office of the Federal Register.
Stripers Forever members - with the exception of pockets of large stripers it certainly appears from all reports that the population coast wide continues to shrink. What is worse is that there is little chance of a large scale turnaround in the near future since small stripers are almost non existant. Even if Chesapeake Bay produced a strong year class this year it would be four years before it would do much to help the coastal fishery - and producing a strong year class this year is anything but a foregone conclusion. On top of this bad news we continue to receive increasingly frequent reports of myco even in larger striped bass. One member sent us photos of some good fish taken at night in the Chesapeake very recently. All of the 7 or 8 fish that they caught had obvious lesions on their skin and one had a golf ball sized tumor in its mouth.
It is against this backdrop that the commercial fishing cheerleaders on the ASMFC are trying to push through yet another commercial increase. It was the 40% commercial increase 8 years ago that motivated us to form Stripers Forever. Public hearings are going on right now, and the ASMFC is accepting written testimony. This link to our website http://www.stripersforever.org/Info/Stripers_BBoard/I01498E3B will give you a list of the hearings, and a copy of the full Stripers Forever testimony to the ASMFC is attached for your review. We hope that even if you can't make a hearing that you will read our testimony and write your own letter to the ASMFC in protest to the idea of raising the commercial quota on striped bass.
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
July 17th.
Another great week for fishermen,the weather has been excellent and the fishing is red hot.Last Tuesday as we were chugging down the Saco river on our way offshore we came across a massive school of stripers feeding on small silver sides just below the narrows.It was early and not one soul was fishing,during these hot humid days you need to fish first light or dusk to key in on the fish.....They feed heavily once the sun is down and things have cooled a bit.Beach fisherman are having success using live eels,surf clams,and sandworms fished on the bottom.
The mackerel are here but spotty,use quarts of chum and small Sabiki rigs for best results.Try fishing around Wood Island,3 tree ledge,and Stratton Island.These areas generally have mackerel hanging around.
Ground fishing has slowed a bit with the hot weather,talked to Dan Kelley our cod connection and he said the same.Jeffrey's ledge was had plenty of market sized cod and haddock.
We have had some positive shark reports this past week with water temps in the low 70s it's only going to get better...You don't need to go very far,just beyond Tanta's in the deep water a couple of our customers caught as many blue sharks as they cared to.Mostly 4 to 5ft. with a few larger ones mixed in.Try fishing on Boomerang or Trinidad ledge.......many Mako and porbeagle sightings have been called in from these two hot spots.
Bluefin tuna is still crazy crazy.....Tons of fish from Stellwagen all the way up to Boothbay....with large concentrations of mackerel and herring tight to shore these tuna are sure to hang around for a while.Some are having luck trolling Sluggo,Hurley,and Shanka bars....Pink,sandeel,white,and ice shad are the hot colors right now.The hot setup is fishing live bait on flurocarbon leaders.....Make sure to keep the leaders clean and hooks razor sharp.There has been reports of smaller tuna below the Isles of Shoal,try using single rigged RonZs,OTI poppers,and swim baits....Fish these lures on 30 or 50 class gear or heavy stand up spinning rods.....
Tight Lines
Craig
Tuna Alert Tuna Alert Tuna Alert Tuna Alert
Bluefin Tuna Rigging Secrets
Monday July 26th. 5-7 pm.
$50.00
Come join us Monday as we cover livebait and trolling techniques. Choose one of the following rigs to make and keep:
Flurocarbon Leaders
Mouse traps
Hurley/Shanka Spreader Bars
Single Rigged Sluggo's
Learn all the latest on what's hot now
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
July 10th.
The shop has been busy this past week with good weather and excellent fishing inshore and offshore,we extended our hours....now open 7am.- to 7pm.Mon to Sat...and Sun 7am.-to 4pm.Come and see our complete line of "Offshore Tackle Innovations"section.....chock full of bluefin tuna swim baits,chuggers,poppers,and high end sabiki rigs..
Stripers are still active out along the jetties and surf,fish the evening or morning tides for best results.This past week of hot humid weather make these fish lazy during the day,come night time though they are feeding heavily.Surf angler's are having success slinging eels along the beach and rock piles,use a Gamakatsu livebait hook.This hook has a short shank making it impossible for the eel to wrap himself around your line,start from the bottom jaw,up through the top jaw...then through one eye....Your eel is ready to be fished,cast em out and let him sink to the bottom.Retrieve very slow....Hang On Tight..
River anglers are still catching slot sized bass trolling a pink or wine red surgical tube,don't forget to tip your hook with a sandworm.
The mackerel are a bit harder to find now that we have a few bluefish swimming in Saco Bay,fish in front of Wood Island using our tournament chum and small Sabiki rigs.The chum makes all the difference,holding them close to the boat.
Ground fishing has also been very good this past week,the Sevigny boys have had consistent action out on Tanta's ledge using 16 and 20oz. chrome cod jigs,catching cod up to 20lbs.Jeffrey's ledge has been hot with anglers catching plenty of market sized cod and haddock,also the occasional cusk,redfish,and pollock.
The bluefin tuna bite is still good here in Southern Maine,anglers don't need to venture out very far as these fish are feeding heavily inshore on mackerel and herring.Our friends from DownEast are also seeing descent numbers of fish starting to move north,Monhegan Island and Matinicus are a couple places they have been spotted.A few fish are being trolled up using Green Machine daisy chains and large squid rigs.Most angler's are having the best luck fishing live mackerel or herring,use FluroCarbon leaders,Gamakatsu hooks,and Spro heavy duty swivels.Your leaders should be between 10 to 20 feet depending on fishing conditions.
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Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
July 3rd.
We have had a great week of fishing here in Southern Maine,and the weathers has been perfect.Shore anglers have had plenty of action catching stripers off local beaches using cut bait,mackerel,or sandworms.Goose Fare Brook has been hot with plenty of stripers in the slot or bigger,fisherman are using eels rigged on live bait Gamakatsu hooks tossed beyond the breaking waves and slowly retrieved.The Saco river is still producing bass with anglers trolling surgical tubes tipped with sandworms,wine red,and bubblegum are the hot colors.We have had a few reports of bluefish action off of Prouts Neck in Scarborough...make sure to have some steel leaders for these toothy critters.
Mackerel are here but spotty because of the bluefish,try out around Wood Island using chum and Sabiki rigs.
Groundfishing has been decent out on Tanta's ledge,plenty of small to medium sized cod.Jeffrey's ledge has been excellent with plenty of market sized cod,haddock....and the occasional pollock,cusk,and redfish.Haddock fisherman have had good luck using clams and shrimp on bait rigs fished close to bottom.
Bluefin tuna action is as good as i have ever seen here in Southern Maine,anglers are having good luck using flurocarbon leaders rigged with live mackerel or herring.Pollock Nubble,Tanta's and Northern Jeffery's are all good places try......Don't chum though the dogfish are around,and flurocarbon is not cheap....
Tight Lines.
Craig
Tuna Alert****Tuna Alert
FluroCarbon Leader Class
Monday July 5th. 5-7pm $50.00
*****Bring home the leaders you make*****
I still have some seats available for Monday July 5ths tuna rigging class,call or email me if you would like to sign up or have any questions.
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
June 25th.
The weather has been great along with the fishing this past week here in Southern Maine.Anglers are having great luck fishing for stripers off beaches such as Old Orchard,Ferry,and Biddeford Pool.Clams,sandworms and cut mackerel or herring are all working well fished using a sliding bait rig with a 2-3oz. pyramid sinker.Fishermen trolling pink or red surgical tubes in the Saco river are also having success catching slot sized bass,don't forget to tip the tube with a sandworm..
You can still catch mackerel in Saco Bay using small Sabiki rigs and mackerel jigs..many of the large schools have been broken up though due to the arrival of bluefish.Use quart sized containers of chum in a mesh bag to keep the mackerel around the boat.
Ground fishing is hot right now on Jeffrey's and Tanta's ledge,many anglers are doing very well using clams and shrimp on bait rigs for haddock.Tom Wilczy fished Tanta's Cod fish are biting the 16-20oz.lead jigs rigged with a teaser fly ahead of it....red,green,pink,and chartreuse are the hot teaser colors.
Bluefin tuna action is starting to heat up with many angler's catching them on live mackerel or herring.Use flurocarbon leaders rigged with a sharp Gamakatsu livebait hooks and Spro heavy duty swivels.We have also had a few reports of Green Machine daisy chains and black squid bars trolling up a few giants this past week.Troll em around 3-4 knots and three waves behind the boat.....HANG ON TIGHT!!!
Tight Lines
Craig
******Tuna Alert****Tuna Alert******
Rigging FluroCarbon Leaders For Bluefin Tuna
Monday July 5th.
5-7pm $50.00
Take Home The Rigs You
Come join us and build some professional leaders to catch bluefin tuna....Using Seaguar Premier flurocarbon/Spro swivels/Gamakatsu hooks
The bite is on right now....Don't waste your time with inferior tackle...This is whats working now.
Call or email if you would like to sign up.
(207)284-4453
Saco Bay Tackle Fishing Report June 19th
It's time to get out there and fish!!!Stripers are hot in the Saco river with anglers catching many slot sized fish using the deadly tube and worm combo,troll very slow with the current and make sure to tip the hook with a nice fat sandworm.Shore anglers are also having success using small artificials such as rubber shad,small Kastmasters,top water poppers,and swimming plugs.If bait is more your style try some chunked mackerel/herring or sandworms fished on the bottom with a fishfinder will do the trick.The shad fishing is still descent but with warming water they wont be up in the river much longer.
Mackerel fishing is in full swing here in the Saco bay area,use quarts of our secret herring chum and small Sabiki rigs to fill the cooler....stock up now cause the bluefish have arrived.Some of the mackerel have marks or bites on them telling us that the blues are here.Bring along some steel leaders in case they make an appearance next time your on the water.
Ground fishing is productive on Tanta's and Jeffrey's ledge,my father along with Butch and my brother Kevin caught a mixed batch of pollock,cod and haddock on Tanta's Friday morning,they used cut clams and shrimp(No Dogfish).Back in the Saco river they threw the striper lines out and managed to catch a few slot sized fish to make it a successful day on the water.
The bluefin tuna report looks promising with many fish just South of us,we should see better action here in a week or so....Chris Peterson landed a giant a few days ago trolling on Platt's with his deadly green stick.Hamilton Wells caught a 72 inch beauty down on Stellwagen Bank last Tuesday...
The Large Pelagics Center would like to continue its bluefin tuna
> sampling program this year archiving biological samples vital to
> improving the accuracy of the upcoming bluefin tuna assessments and
> for furthering our understanding on the biology of bluein tuna here in
> the Gulf of Maine. We ask all tuna fishermen in the recreational and
> the commercial categories for assistance in this endeavor as it is the
> fishing community alone who has the ability to make this successful
> and with whom we have worked so closely with over the past 15 years.
> This year we would like to collect the heads, gonads, dorsal spine and
> muscle from the tail cut from any legally landed bluefin tuna captured
> by recreational or commercial gears. Otoliths from the heads and the
> first ray from the first dorsal fin will be used for age and growth
> estimates. Gonads and the perigonadal fat will be used to assess the
> reproductive condition of bluefin tuna here in the Gulf of Maine. If
> you could save a small section of meat from the tail cut that would
> also be helpful, but not necessary. I will leave sample bags at Saco
> Bay for fishermen to pick up. All other parts stomach, liver
> intestines etc can go overboard. We have done extensive sampling of
> those tissues during the past years and currently do not have the
> capacity to store them. IMPORTANT INFO TO INCLUDE
> DATE CAUGHT
> LENGTH (PLEASE LET US KNOW curved fork length, fin length etc) WE
> TYPICALLY ASSUME ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE CURVED FORK LENGTH, LET US KNOW
> OTHERWISE
> AREA (LAT, LONG) IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE GIVING EXACT LOCATIONS GIVE
> A GENERAL AREA.....the fingers, Platts, Whaleback, Kettle bottom etc
> Samples can be brought to Saco Bay (pending your approval Craig) or
> fishermen can call or email me. Sample bags will be available for
> pick-up at Saco Bay probably by the end of next week. I have attached
> pictures to see how to extract the dorsal spines and what the gonads
> and the perigonadal fat looks like. Most people leave the gonads in
> the fish when cleaning since they tend to be attached to the top of
> the gut cavity. The fat is the white material that is attached to
> them. Typically, fish in the early season have little fat, but as
> fall approaches it is not uncommon for some of these fish to have 15
> pounds of fat attached to the gonads. Throw all of this into the bags
> it is very important we get all of it. If you have doubts about the
> tissue, throw it in the bag and we will sort it out.
> My contact info is 1-207-351-5413 or email wgolet@gmri.org, or
> wgolet@unh.edu.
> If all else fails Craig or Peter can get in touch with me. We hope
> that you will consider this opportunity to help our center collect
> these samples and we wish all of you a very safe and successful
> season. Best of luck to all of you and let me know if you have any
> questions.
> p.s. if there is space we will present some of our findings at
> seminars hosted by Saco Bay so stay tuned for more information. This
> will include updates to our satellite tagging and biological studies
> on all size classes of bluefin. Best of luck, thank you.
>
> Walt Golet
UPDATE TO RECREATIONAL BFT RETENTION LIMITS NMFS announces the following three actions regarding the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Angling category fishery: STARTING ON SATURDAY JUNE 12TH (1) adjustment of the daily retention limit for private vessels to one school or large school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 59 inches) per vessel per day/trip and for charter vessels to one school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 47 inches) and one large school BFT (measuring 47 to less than 59 inches) per vessel per day/trip, for the remainder of the 2010 fishing year, (2) closure of the southern area large medium/giant "trophy" BFT fishery (for BFT measuring 73 inches and greater), and (3) transfer of 1.7 mt from the Reserve to the northern area trophy category subquota. The Angling category North/South line is at 39°18' N. lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ). These adjustments are intended to provide a reasonable opportunity to harvest the U.S. landings quota of BFT without exceeding it, while maintaining an equitable distribution of fishing opportunities; to help achieve optimum yield in the BFT fishery, to collect a broad range of data for stock monitoring purposes; and to be consistent with the objectives of the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (2006 Consolidated HMS FMP)
Kite Fishing For Bluefin Tuna
sacobaytackle@maine.rr.com
Saco Bay Tackle Summer School
Monday June 21st.
$50.00
(207)284-4453
Reserve your seat now!!!!
Don't Wait this class will sell out
Come join us Monday for a hands on look at kite fishing for giant/school bluefin tuna.This is the hot ticket now when using live bait,especially when the dogfish are here....You can use the kite when drifting or at anchor.
We will have a complete selection of kites and accessories to look at,also rod and reel combo's.
We will cover the basics and some tricky techniques that you should know before heading offshore in search of bluefin.
All Kites on Sale Monday!
Beverages and food!
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
June 12th.
It's time to get out there and fish!!!Stripers are hot in the Saco river with anglers catching many slot sized fish using the deadly tube and worm combo,troll very slow with the current and make sure to tip the hook with a nice fat sandworm.Shore anglers are also having success using small artificials such as rubber shad,small Kastmasters,top water poppers,and swimming plugs.If bait is more your style try some chunked mackerel/herring or sandworms fished on the bottom with a fishfinder will do the trick.The shad fishing is still descent but with warming water they wont be up in the river much longer.
Mackerel fishing is in full swing here in the Saco bay area,use quarts of our secret herring chum and small Sabiki rigs to fill the cooler....stock up now cause the bluefish have arrived.Some of the mackerel have marks or bites on them telling us that the blues are here.Bring along some steel leaders in case they make an appearance next time your on the water.
Ground fishing is productive on Tanta's and Jeffrey's ledge,my father along with Butch and my brother Kevin caught a mixed batch of pollock,cod and haddock on Tanta's Friday morning,they used cut clams and shrimp(No Dogfish).Back in the Saco river they threw the striper lines out and managed to catch a few slot sized fish to make it a successful day on the water.
The bluefin tuna report looks promising with many fish just South of us,we should see better action here in a week or so....Chris Peterson landed a giant a few days ago trolling on Platt's with his deadly green stick.Hamilton Wells caught a 72 inch beauty down on Stellwagen Bank last Tuesday...
Tuna Alert****Tuna Alert****Tuna Alert
Our next class will be Monday June 21st.
I want some feedback on what the class should be about.Many of you have given me suggestions in the past and I would like to here from you....I will post the class subject this coming Monday after reviewing your info.Please e-mail or call us with your suggestions sacobaytackle@maine.rr.com (207)284-4453
Tight Lines
Craig
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
May 29th.
The saltwater action has been excellent inshore and offshore,this is probably the best start of our busy season in many years.Stripers are active in the Saco,Scarborough,and Mousam rivers....We are also getting reports of action on local beaches,such as Old Orchard,Biddeford Pool,and Pine Point.Fishing in the rivers for bass can be non stop using Sluggo's or Yamamoto rubber baits.don't get me wrong their is nothing wrong with slinging a sandworm or clam on the bottom but I like to stay busy so artificials keep me going....Fishing below the dam by the Saco Yacht Club has been excellent,we have seen many fish over 40" already....I know it's early....but everything is early this year..Most of these fish are caught live lining a herring,you can catch the bait using small Sabiki rigs with a 2 or 3oz. sinker attached on the bottom.Cocktail Cove above Marston's Marina in the Saco River has had it's share of stipers falling victim to the deadly tube and worm....Remember troll slow with the current and have plenty of sandworm on the hook.....No worm No fish PERIOD.
Steve Martin on Game On sent us a message that Cocktail cove was most active in the a.m. as well as swim shad working near sandy bottom. he caught a couple of mackerel outside by wood island but had to work a while for them. Chunking a Mackerel was the way Doug Krebs landed his 42 incher near Kennebunk winning a St Croix rod!!
Ground fishing is still red hot on Jeffrey's Ledge...Southern or Northern??Take your pick they are both very good.Tanta's Ledge is also heating up with large cod and pollock....sorry no haddock though.16-20oz. Viking jigs rigged with a cod fly ahead of it seems to be the best combo right now.The haddock are also plentiful now...try using bait rigs with shrimp/clams or squid,these guys love bait more than the jig.
******Tuna Alert******
Monday June 7th.
5-7 pm
$50.00
Rigging Fresh Mackerel
Come join us and learn how to rig fresh mackerel on spreader bars and daisy chains to catch bluefin tuna,this is a deadly,and effective way to get these guys to bite.....Especially when they have seen a million rubber squids trolled by their noses......You Cant Beat The Real Thing!!!!
Its a bit more work but let me tell you it's worth it.Capt. Cal Robinson showed me the proper way to rig these baits....and let me tell you they bring fish to the surface..
Call or email us if you would like to sign up or have any questions.(207)284-4453....sacobaytackle@maine.rr.com
**Always Plenty Of Cold Beverages And Fresh Food**
Saco Bay Tackle Weekly Fishing Report
May 22nd.
What a week it has been,the weather has been great and the fishing even better.The shad fishing has picked up the last couple of days,our friend Dan Gayer has had good luck fishing below the dam in the Saco river.He likes to use the medium sized shad darts(1/4oz.) fished on light line 4-6Lb.Some of the shad we have seen are 3-4Lb. fat females full of roe,they have become quite the sportfish here in Southern Maine so try to release them quickly back in the water so someone else can enjoy this popular early season fishery.
The striper fishing has also improved quite a bit the past week,we are seeing fish up to 30 inches here in the Saco river.Mike Lorello has had great success using artificials the past few days,he likes the Magic Swimmer by Sebile,and also 6 and 71/2 inch Sluggo's.You can sometimes catch far more fish with these guys then you will using sandworms or cut bait.Friday we had many reports fish being caught on the famous surgical tube and sandworm,the key to catching fish using the tube and worms is troll slow and with the current.Make sure to have a fat sandworm on the hook....It makes all the difference.
The ground fishing is still very good on the Southern and Northern edge of Jeffrey's ledge,plenty of market sized cod and big haddock over 10Lbs. are keeping the rods bent.Most are using 16-20oz. lead cod jigs rigged with a teaser tube or fly.You can also use bait(clams/squid/shrimp)if the jigging seems like to much work...Very few reports of dogfish so far.....great.
Bluefin tuna season opens June 1st........Now is the time to bring in your reels and rods in for servicing before things get crazy at the store.We have a complete supply of fresh Momoi and Jinkai mono,Cortland dacron backing....and plenty of Cortland/Jerry Brown/Power Pro/ hollow core braid for all your fishing applications..
Don't forget to bring your rods and reels in to so we can set the drags and make sure your ready to go!!
Tight Lines
Craig
