OFFSHORE REPORT FROM RITA B.

June is one of my favorite months to fish in Maine. Freshwater fishing is almost universally good, providing that water levels cooperate. This year, I've been busy with saltwater stuff and we've had some success! The inside ledges should be perking up now, but all of our trips focused a little further offshore. The haddock bite ranged from insane to a steady pick, with some better sized haddock in the mix. Haddock are great eating and are plentiful and if you're catching them, then you always have the chance at something bigger! We were lucky enough to land a 52.5" halibut that made several dramatic runs back to bottom. I probably filleted about ten haddock while Patrick, the angler, fought the fish!!!

This year I upgraded to a 28' Crowley Beal, which is a downeast style (lobster) boat. It's much more comfortable than my old boat, and I'm finally getting used to it. Lots of little details to dial in, but so far it's been a huge step up! I only did one (very hot) day of striper fishing, and we found schoolie sized fish willing to cooperate. It took more effort to catch mackerel than I would like, but we filled our livewell, that seems to be the norm in the last few years. Most of the guys who run regular striper trips are doing very well, and bigger fish are arriving daily. I'm away driving a tugboat (my real job) for the next couple weeks, but, I'll be back early July. Like most charter captains, my schedule is nearly full. I have a few openings for shorter trips, such as mackerel fishing, lobster tours and sunset cruises.

Good luck out there, handle your stripers with care, bleed the fish you're going to eat and be courteous to other anglers!

Check out www.mainecharterboat.com for details on what we do and feel free to shoot us a message if you're interested in fishing with us!