For Reservations Call The Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline 207-691-0745

For Reservations Call The Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline 207-691-0745

Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports Blog

Welcome to the Fish Blog & saltwater fishing reports page of TIDE CHASER GUIDE SERVICE & Capt. George Harris. We're looking forward to providing you with the most up to date inshore saltwater fishing reports on the Maine coast as the Maine Striper Fishing season goes forward into 2019!!! You wont find any generic"cut & paste" reports or info here...Just pure fishing!!!

TIDE CHASER provides friendly, professional guided fly & light tackle fishing trips.
We operate our fishing TRIPS in the Mid-Coast region of Maine, from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay. This area features an astonishing 1000 miles of jagged, pristine coastline. We focus our efforts on the broad reach of the lower Kennebec river estuary & the outer boundaries of Casco Bay...with its countless thousands of acres of untouched saltwater flats, gnarly tides that rip over rocky structure and an intricate maze of backcountry channels, It's a fly & light tackle fishermans nirvana. On any given day we can be found fishing sandy beaches, ocean front ledges, coastal tide marshes or shallow hard bottom flats. Wherever the fish are!!! Whether it's on the fly...pitching plugs or live lining frisky live baits we've got you covered check out our website for all of our trip offerings...and stay tuned for some new trips options for 2019

Welcome to Maine's #1 Striper Fishing Blog with Capt. George Harris Call 207-691-0745

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Tide Chaser Guide Service Midcoast Maine's premier fly & light tackle guide service, fishing for Striped Bass, Mackerel & Bluefish , i~ USCG 100 Ton Master ~ Registered Maine Tidewater Guide ~ For reservations call 207-691-0745 ~

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing 2012

Maine Striper Fishing With Super Fly Charters
Preparations have already begun for the 2012 Maine saltwater fishing season...As part of the Yamaha guide program I will be repowering the Super Fly with the newest in Yamahas 4 stroke outboard technology...And as usual we will be outfitted with lots of new gear to help make your trip more successful.
Also, early reservations remain strong as do our gift certificate sales...if you are looking for the perfect gift for your loved ones...this could be it!!!

If you have not made plans yet feel free to call at 207-691-0745 to discuss some of the unique offerings that we have available for the 2012 season...everything from fly fishing to light tackle & live baiting...We can customize the perfect trip!!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing October, 2011

For those who are looking for some late season Maine  Striper action...We are still catching nice fish off the midcoast region beaches and rocky headlands...most fish of the fish we are catching are still in ultra shallow water...right in the surf line (think summer time snook fishing on the gulf coast beaches...just without the 100 degree temps!!!) As has been the case for most of the season sandeels have been the draw for the stripers that are feeding up on the sand...Crab, Mackerel, Herring and Pollock are key forage as well...for those hardcore anglers that are still fishing to south of me....don't make the mistake of hanging up the rods too early....we still have a huge glut of bait with stripers on the feed and they will be headed your way soon!!!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Cameron Edward Harris 10/02/2011

Welcome to the world Cameron Edward Harris!!

Born today 10/02/2011 at Penobscot Bay Medical Center 11:48 am....8 pounds 5 oz

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing September 25th, 2011

Another Day....and a whole different set of weather conditions....still very foggy early but it burned off mid morning...The weather made very little difference to the fish...We are dialed in on the fish...and the best part of it is that we have had it all to ourselves...We have not seen another angler for days....Today I had Jeff Richman & his Wife Adanna aboard....traveling from W. Virginia, they decided to try some Striper fishing....Both scored their first ever Striped Bass and as has been the case for most of the second half of the season, all of our fish came from crystal clear, shallow water...many times under a bright sun!!! Most of the areas that we have been fishing have nothing indicating the presence if feeding stripers...no diving birds, no churning surface blitzes, except for a few small key indicators....no signs of life...its all in the details....current flows, water temps and bait....alone, these factors mean very little...however,if you can find the scenario where many of these factors come together, you can hit the jackpot...we are out there everyday and continously put these variables together to crack the code!!! It all boils down to time on the water...put your time in, adapt your techniques and good things WILL happen!! As the old saying goes 10% of anglers catch 90% of the fish!!!

STILL PLENTY OF TIME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT FISHERY...WE ARE DIALED IN SO DIAL US UP!!! 207-691-0745




Saturday, September 24, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing September 24th, 2012

Fred Hand from Atlanta...
Back aboard for more action...picking it up where we left it off yesterday...Yep, Fred lit up the shallow water stripers....most of our fish coming from 2 feet or less right in the surf line...yesterday Fred's girlfriend Kelly boated a mid 40 inch fish the weighed in around 35 pounds!!!

Good Stuff happening right now on the waters of midcoast Maine




Friday, September 23, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report September 23rd, 2011

Fred & Kelly from Atlanta fished with me today....all of our fish came over the sand in less than 3 feet of water....fish to well over 40 inches on light tackle today...find the sandeels....find the fish!!! Fred will be back aboard tomorrow for more action!!!



Friday, September 16, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Reports September 18th, 2011

Mid September has arrived in Mid Coast Maine and we are still working hard every day to put our guests on fish....the past week has dealt us some tough conditions...a big bright full moon has predictably slowed the daytime bite...now that the moon has passed we should see some action iout off the outer beaches and in the estuaries where huge schools of sandeels and herring have been massing....mackerel have been blitzing on the sandeels and stripers uhave been taking advantage of all the bait species...I really haven't seen the signs of the fall run beginning yet which tells me that we still have some great opportunities to take advantage of in the upcoming weeks...I have an extremely busy week of charters coming up and hope to have lots of good stuff to report....keep in mind that we were on the stripers into late october last season...STAY TUNED!!!

For reservations & info call 207-691-0745




Saturday, September 10, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing September 10th, 2011

The big seas & surf that was causing us trouble the last few days, thankfully flattened out today which allowed us to go to work on some hungry stripers ...Like all fishermen we have had our tough days too...over the course of a season no guide / angler is immune to that..but by following the most basic formula of fishing ideal water temps, patterning baitfish movements and tidal currents and by continuously making small but necessary adjustments to our presentations...we have for the most part been able to enjoy a nice steady pick of jumbo stripers while fishing the oceanfront beaches, bays, rocky headlands and tide rips.
When choosing a saltwater guide service...please remember that there is no substitute for the real, everyday experience of a full time guide!!! 
Over the course of the next 4-6 weeks we should be experiencing the best fishing of the season..bait of all shapes & sizes is balling up everywhere....sandeels, peanut bunker, mackerel & herring have been giving the striped bass plenty to gorge on....we have had some great success targeting big stripers fishing a variety of habitat & tides.All of the biggest fish that we have caught this season have come under bright sun in shallow water...As many of you know live bait fishing has been as deadly as it is exciting...the use of live bait has also given us some great opportunities to target stripers with fly & light tackle..a ballooned mack often softens up a jumbo stripers inhibitions and a well placed cast near a ballooned mack with a fly or artificial can result in some truly explosive strikes....just last week I had an angler have a rod nearly ripped from his hand by a 40+ inch fish that he caught while throwing a rapala x-rap near a ballooned live chummer!!! Classic bait & switch technique AWESOME STUFF!!!..
...good fishing will develop in the the kennebec as the fall run begins and we will chase those fish into casco bay as they migrate south...Dial us up if you want in on the action  207-691-0746



Sunday, September 4, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Reports: September 4th, 2011

A few striped bass pics from today (9/4/2011)...with the Kennebec river still a bit blown out from Hurricane Irene runoff...we have been having some great trips off the beaches and rocky headlands...give us a call if you'd like to take advantage of the good fishing that we've been having...

Call or text the Maine Striper hotline for reservations and info 207-691-0745




Thursday, September 1, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report September 1st, 2011

Well another September has arrived on the Maine coast and that means one thing....good fishing is ahead for the next 6 weeks...The Kennebec river is like chocalate milk right now thanks to Hurricane Irene dumping loads of rain on the entire east coast...that has not slowed us down much though. Clear water can be found both east and west of the river mouth....that is where my focus has been for the last month so its business as usual for me...today we had a nice pick of beautiful stripers up to 40 inches off the beaches...we fished a variety of habitat ranging from rocky headlands to sandy beaches....Good times are ahead!!!




Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports: Bluefish Invasion August 2011

(08/23/2011) Tom & Andrew Walek from NY, NY enjoying some amazing fly & light tackle sight fishing for striped bass & bluefish on the lower Kennebec...nearly non stop action toaday!!! Yep...the fishing is good right now and should get better over the next 6-8 weeks!!! we have been quietly enjoying some pretty decent fishing & the majority of our fish have been taken in less than 2 feet of water...patience has been the key...slowly & methodically working an area has paid off for us almost every day...running around pounding the water will get you nowhere fast...
As we move forward into September the water temps will drop slightly and this will trigger the Bass to become much more active inside the Kennebec river and the huge schools that stack up on the ledges will begin to put the feedbag on, feeding day & night with the ebb and flow of the tides....time of day will no longer matter...tidal flow is everything this time of year...mid day or mid night...be ready for some epic feeds!!!

there is no substitute for everyday experience of a full time saltwater guide!!! We are on the water everyday so dial us up to get in on some of the best fishing of the season!!! 207-691-0745




Maine Striper Fishing Reports Kennebec River August 20th, 2011

We have been seeing good numbers of stripers inside & outside of the Kennebec river and out on the oceanside sand flats....Bait has been piling in and slammer bluefish have invaded making for some pretty amazing sight fishing




Saturday, August 6, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report With Capt George Harris & Super Fly Charters August 6th, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report Kennebec River 2011...Jeremiah Jewell from Woolwich, ME putting the boots to fish after fish while skipping soft plastic swimbaits off the bottom of a Kennebec river tide rip

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report Kennebec River August 4th, 2011

7/3/2011 Yesterday I had repeat guest Bob McClements & his grandson Mason back aboard the Super Fly....last year young Mason put on quite a show as he slammed several nice sized Stripers...this season would be no different. This year I suggested that we run out to the bay to start the day by filling the livewell with Mackerel...a prime Striped Bass bait here on the Maine coast....After filling the livewell with enough Macks for a morning of fishing we cruised to one of the many productive ledges where Bob & Mason proceeded to each boat several nice sized Stripers including a couple of keepers for dinner!!!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing With Capt George Harris & Super Fly Charters: Kennebec Report July 30th, 2011

( 07/29/11 Joel Morgan with a 43" nearly 30 pound Striped Bass that he caught in 2' of water in bright afternoon sun...for those who think that big Stripers only feed at night....you'd better think again!!!)
With the warm river temps we have changed some of our tactics and some of the habitat that we are fishing...usually during the heat of summer we do exceptionally well fishing the cooler water that flows over deep structure...which was the case from mid june to mid july...recently, during the last couple of weeks, we have been finding most of our fish in shallow water....this time of year crabs are prime forage and they are easy prey for the stripers that cruise the sand, mud and grass flats. over the past couple of weeks we have slowly made the adjustments from deepwater to shallow and it has paid off with some impressive fish to the boat...

also when the conditions are right we have had some pretty cool sight casting opportunities that have resulted in some amazingly explosive strikes that will not soon be forgotten by my anglers

I'm also proud to announce that "Super Fly Charters" was named one of the very best Charter Fishing Tour Companies in the State of Maine by the Portland Press Heralds "Peoples Choice Awards" as seen in todays (07/31/11) Portland Press Herald...A big thank you to all of my guests for helping to make my business so successful..Please rest assured that we will continue to work hard everyday to put our anglers in front of fish and give them an amazing Maine saltwater fishing experience!!!

for reservations & availability please call 207-691-0745

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Kennebec Report July 28th, 2011

The Striper fishing continues to be good on the Kennebec and it's surrounding waters...The water has warmed up to typical mid summer temps so we have shifted some of our tactics and locations to take advantage of cooler ocean waters. During the past week we have found fish over a broad area and an even broader range of habitat...from shallow sand flats to marsh areas with mud bottoms to rocky current...the common theme in all of these areas has been how we have been getting the fish to eat...
The fish are well fed and happy so patience has been critical to get the hook ups...unlike June and early July when hungry fish were migrating into our waters and had the feedbag on...the fish that we are fishing over now are lazy. Live baits and the choicest of chunk baits has been a deadly tactic for us when working the flats...
I'm thinking that for the next 2-4 weeks we will continue to see the same feeding patterns before the water cools and the fish start to gorge themselves in preparation for the fall run migration...Speaking with a number of guides and anglers lately it seems like the ones who've changed up their tactics have continued to score some nice fish...the guys who continue to use the same early/late season techniques are suffering the typical "dog day blues"

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports, Guided Trips & Charters July 23rd, 2011

The Dog Days Of Summer Have Arrived...below is a photo of a a fish that Paul Lombardo caught today (7/23/11)...a nice 33 incher that clobbered a live mack...fish are in their mid summer feeding patterns and they are well fed...The huge amount of bait that is around is keeping them happy...Most of my fishing is taking place on the Kennebec...the fish are spread thoughout most of that system and it's not unusual for us to be fishing an area during a morning tide and then be on fish 10 miles away during the afternoon evening tide...reports from casco bay have been mixed...decent action on the right tides and during low light conditions...pretty typical of striped bass...As the river warms up I will be shifting some of my focus to areas of cooler water along the ocean front and bays...that said....we will still be working the rips heavily during peak tidal flows...fishing deep current is the backbone of the kennebec fishery...The flats have good numbers of striped bass pushing up over them on certain tides and if the conditions are right you can clearly see them sucking crabs off the bottom...if you want to try to catch one of those shallow water stripers on the fly or with light tackle...bring your "A" game and a bottle of aspirin for the headaches that those fish can dish out...feeding them tasty natural morsels makes the game alot easier...but often patience is still required to chum them into range...

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Kennebec River 2011


Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In So Dial Us Up!!!


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report July 12th, 2011

The daily report will be easy today...Kory, Kade (sp) & Bill joined me for a 6:00am departure from Bath...We ran out into the fog shrouded bay for livies...a 3-5 foot gently rolling swell made it interesting...After we blackened the live wells with macks...We hammered back into the river and started SLAYING the Stripers during the incoming tide...We are dialed in on the fish...take advantage of it while it's hot!!!















Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 As You Can See from Our Reports...We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In On ALL of Their Habitats...Rips, Beaches, Marshes and Flats...Whether you prefer light tackle or fly fishing...Dial Us Up!!!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report July 11th, 2011

Today Charlie & Laura from Dallas, TX were aboard for some Striped Bass fishing...Charlie had fished landlocked stripers before in the lakes of Texas but never before in a tidal situation...we started the day at around 5:30am with a run out to the bay to fill the livewells...once that was accomplished I headed back into the river to catch the last of the incoming tide which was still ripping...our first stop proved to be very productive...fat linesiders came over the rail steadily...as the tide went slack we were confronted with a lull in the action but as the out going tide slowly built steam we began scoring fish...the tempo of our hook-ups would increase as the tidal torrent increased...fish after fish smashed our macks into oblivion...I wanted to hit one last spot and it took one drift for the grand finale double header hook up to put an exclamation point on our day...Nice job today Charlie & Laura...fun when you can leave them biting!!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Report: Kennebec River July 9th, 2011

Striped Bass continue to pour into Maine's Kennebec river...On the flats they can be found scouring the bottom for crustaceans...crabs, shrimp etc...clear water will allow for some amazing sight casting opportunities with fly and light tackle, but be aware sight fishing is not a big numbers game...you'll get your shots and if you present your offering correctly you'll be rewarded..In a previous report i mentioned that we have wading opportunities...this is legit and can take the game to a whole new level...On the ledges & in the rips...It's a different story, we are absolutely slaying fish using live baits...very fun and exciting to drift through a rip only to have hefty striped bass hammer your baits time after time...Early morning has given us some decent topwater action with pop up mini blitzes...no sustained surface feeds though, rather structure oriented ambush attacks...Fun Stuff when they crush the lure when it's least expected!!!















Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 As You Can See from Our Reports...We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In On ALL of Their Habitats...Rips, Beaches, Marshes and Flats...Whether you prefer light tackle or fly fishing...Dial Us Up!!!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Kennebec River Report July 7th, 2011 Sight Fishing The Flats!!!


Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 As You Can See from Our Reports...We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In On ALL of Their Habitats...Rips, Beaches, Marshes and Flats...Whether you prefer light tackle or fly fishing...Dial Us Up!!!



















07/07/2011 Two fly fishing trips today and although we didn't post big numbers of fish like my popular live baiting trip slayfests, it was still a blast...1st up Departing at 430am My early morning 4hr trip was spent working the heavy current areas of a strong outbound tide...we found success while working a small shallow cove that the ebbing tide was boring straight into...the force of the raging tide trapping the bait in the shallows...Often the presence of fish is indicated by a single gull hovering intently...this was exactly the clue that immediately caught my attention...closer inspection confirmed the presence of feeding stripers...A few minutes later, working over a brief pop up surface feed, my angler got tight to a fish in one of the most explosive top water strikes from a striped bass that I've seen this season...gotta love it when you get moderately foggy overcast conditions...the Stripers get hyper aggressive...

Trip two was a 5hr trip departing mid morning at 10:00am, most of the tide had already left so we started by working the edges of an expansive hard bottom flat...setting up a drift along the edge of a 100 yard long gravel bar, it didn't take long before we started seeing large stripers cruising over the light colored bottom...Mark was in the bow of the boat with a topwater offering while Jerry was in the stern of the boat throwing my deadly two beer clouser...(It's a fly that I don't start tying till I've had at least two beers) It's basically a sparse 2" clouser tied black over lavender over white with no flash and it's absolutely deadly when allowed to settle to the bottom and twitched in a manner that leaves little puffs of sand as it's skipped across bottom. As mark worked the surface...he had several follows but no eat....one particular follow I had Jerry lay the "two beer fly" right in behind the topwwater and had him let it sink to the bottom in two feet of water...one twitch of the fly sealed the deal as a fat 29" Striper boiled on the fly & took Jerry into the backing on his van staal c-vex reel...The bright sun over the light colored bottom of the flats made sighting fish a breeze...the fish were clearly grubbing crabs off the bottom every time they rolled on a crab you would see their white bellies and silvery sides followed by a large mud cloud where they had just fed...In an effort to keep my, think outside the box, "freestyle angling" philosophy alive..I actually had my angler hop out of the boat, at one point, and wade the edge of a large sandbar that had large striped bass hanging just off it's edge in 18" of water...
This style of fishing is not a big numbers game like some of my other trips and it's not for everyone but half of the fun is in the challenge...long leaders and tiny flies coupled with patience and stealth are often the requirements needed to crack the code...If you're thinking about trying this style of fishing please get in touch with me..We're getting into the time of year when the water is warming up which makes wet wading an excellent method for fly & light tackle anglers to quietly slip up on the hard bottom shallow water stripers. There is nothing more primal than stalking your quarry in gin clear shallow water on foot!!!..For anglers wishing to wet wade, bring along a good pair of sandals like the ones produced by Columbia, Keen or Teva or "flats specific" wading shoes such a the Patagonia "Marlwarkers" or Simms "Flats Sneakers"...or on a budget an old pair of "Chuck Taylor" Converse All Stars will work as good as anything...

Good stuff just keeps on happening at Super Fly Charters!!!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Maine Saltwater Fishing Charters Kennebec Reports July, 2011


Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In So Dial Us Up!!!


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Kennebec River Report July 5th, 2011

Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In So Dial Us Up!!!

(John Fielding & Dave Roberts are stoked with one of five double headers caught in a very short time period!!!)





















This Morning I had John Fielding Back aboard, for my regular readers, you'll remember that John fished with me back on June 23rd in cold, wet conditions...today would be a much different day!!! A "Graceful Recovery" Would Not Be Needed!!!...With John this time was his good friend Dave Roberts...The day started for me at 2:00 am when I tumbled out of bed, crawled down the stairs and into the kitchen for a few cups of the worlds strongest coffee and a weather check...Thick fog had plagued us yesterday and it looked like today would be the same...very fishable just not in the way that I had game planned for, kind of like yesterdays fog fest...By 3:00am I was in the truck and headed to the launch for a 4:30am meeting with John & Dave...Trying to adjust my game plan while driving through dungeon thick fog the whole way to the boat ramp was not what I wanted to be thinking about...The guys arrived right on time, shortly after I had splashed the boat and they were very upbeat and eager to hop aboard which gave me an instant shot of energy...With the heavy fog I thought that making the run to black out the livewell with Macks was not good a good idea so instead, I ran to sheldons, "honor system", bait dock for some live Eels...Eels make for good Striper bait...but they are what every Tom, Dick & Harry on the river uses...I like to blaze my own trail and go to great lengths to procure the best. I love working my way through the food chain like an apex predator using nothing but the choicest hand picked live baits to ignite a feeding frenzy...A true live bait connoissuer you might say!!!...
Leaving sheldons dock with a tank full of snakes, it became apparent that the fog was clearing so we changed gears back to the original plan and with our hearts full of joy, we hammered down river & out into the Bay for some live Macks...aka Striper Crack...I always like to take my time when loading the livewells because I know how effective they are...Stripers go completely bonkers for them...And as it would turn out...the time we spent making bait would pay off bigtime...After heading back into the river we were met by a perfect, hard running outbound tide...I ignored tons of fishy water as I cruised upriver into the raging currents to a spot that has been holding good numbers of Striped Bass for weeks now...I think it took us one or two drifts to get into a groove...It was an all out bailfest after that...drift after drift, it was rods torqued way over by powerful Stripers...hook up after hook up came steadily before the tide floundered & so did our bait supply...I was so happy for my anglers today...they got to see Maine Striper Fishing at its finest!!!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Maine Striper Fishing Kennebec Report July 4th, 2011

Maine Stripers Report July 4th 2011...Had Jan Leth & Dennis Hansen aboard again...I have guided Jan numerous times and Dennis has been aboard 2-3 times...we didn't slay them this morning but landed on the fish right away had a blast out there chasing Stripers in the fog...It was a bit too foggy to make the morning livebait dash... so we tried for some action on the fly and scored....Also played around with my camera and got some cool B&W photos of Dennis...

















Maine Saltwater Fishing Hotline...For LIVE Maine Striper fishing reports or for charter reservations for the Kennebec River: Call or text message 207-691-0745 We've Cracked The Code & Have The Fish Dialed In So Dial Us Up!!!