Maine Striper fishing with TIDE ChaserGUIDE SERVICE and Capt. George Harris, midcoast Maine's premier Fly & light tackle saltwater guide service. Serving the waters of Midcoast Maine from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay Fishing for Striped Bass, Bluefish, Bluefin Tuna, & More. For more info on Maine saltwater fly & light tackle fishing
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 Fishingseason goes forward into 2019!!! You wont find any generic"cut & paste" reports or info here...Just pure fishing!!!
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
Right now the Kennebec river is flooding with fat healthy Striped Bass and they've had the feedbag on...most times right through the heat of the day and in bright sunshine. This morning I guided Bob McClements and his 8 year old grandson Mason...We departed the dock in Bath and made a short jaunt to a nearby ledge...within seconds of arriving we were into a fish...young Mason handled it perfectly...for the next hour we worked this ledge and pulled several more nice stripers from it...Next we scooted downriver and worked a shoreline that was awash in the fast ebbing tide...the stripers were tight to the bank...but would dart out into the current to gulp down our offerings...we continued this pattern for the next hour or so boating several more beautiful striped Bass before heading back to the dock...Trip two featured the Hullings family from Wichita, Kansas...this trip also saw the skunk leave the boat very quickly...we then located a good sized school of stripers and proceeded to spend the remainder of our trip battling double hook ups on healthy striped bass...great time with a fun family...I'm sure they won't soon forget some of the battles they had...especially the one with the seal after the seal raced off with one of our hooked fish
Maine Striper fishing on the Kennebec gets back on track
After some very slow fishing last week due to the tropic like heat...the Striped Bass fishing here in Maine has gotten back on track. We had been catching some nice stripers even through the "heat wave" but now we're catching good numbers as well. We've been finding fish on a variety of habitat, varying from shallow water sand flats to current seams coming off shoreline structure however the bulk of the fish that we've been find have been holding over deeper structure where the water is cooler and the bait source is abundant...It just make sense for stripers to feed this way...high calorie yield with a minimum of energy expended. Yesterday we had the pleasure of witnessing a school of stripers, up in 1-2 feet of water, in a daisy chain formation...i was able to beach the boat on a sand bar and have my angler stealthily wade within casting range...the fish seemed to have something else on their minds other than feeding but it was very cool to see such behavior...watching three foot long stripers rolling like tarpon is quite a sight!!! Early morning or under the cover of fog can provide some outstanding surface activity for our fly and light tackle anglers....there is something special about watching a group of stripers stalk the popper and blast it repeatedly...the super strike little neck popper has been a killer. As we move forward with the rest of our season I anticipate that the striper bite will remain consistent...Offshore giant Bluefin tuna have been a regular catch...The Cod bite will remain consistent as always and We should start to see the shark fishing get better & better as the gulf of maine water temps warm up.
We still have some great tides available for all of the trips that we offer...so please give us a call if you'd like to get out on the water to enjoy some of the great saltwater fishing that mid coast Maine has to offer.
I'm a little tired after doing 16 guided saltwater fishing trips in the last 10 days so I'll make this short and sweet...During the last week or so we have covered huge amounts of water in pursuit of the saltwater fish that inhabit the Gulf of Maine...our focus as usual is the legendary Striped Bass that thrive in the Kennebec watershed..We've also been fortunate to have had some incredible summer weather permitting us to access some of the great ground fishing that Maine has to offer. With the hot humid temperatures that we had during the last week we've seen some ups & downs in the Striper feeding patterns.... One of the great things about being a saltwater fishing guide is seeing the various changes that take place in our marine environment and being able to make the adjustments to be able to stay on the fish...I often find myself making these adjustments without even realising it ....Fishing structure in fast water still remains to be the best game in town as far as putting numbers of quality fish in the boat. The Stripers have settled into there summer feeding grounds and have been feeding at their own leisure on the abundant herring schools... Offshore....the Cod continue to hammer away at our Jigs...and we have seen sporadic bursts of Tuna blasting through baitballs on the nearshore ledges...It's getting to be that time of year to start focusing on chasing some bluefin tuna so please inquire about our available dates.
The Dog Days Of Summer Have Arrived On The Coast Of Maine
(Dr. Beatty with a chunky 31" striper)
After a slow weekend of fishing things seem to be back on track on the Kennebec river...Striped Bass continue to stack up on deeper ledges in fast water...live baiting has been taking good numbers of fish. Warm water temps and bright hot days have made fly fishing very tough at times...stripers pushing across flats during flood tides that coincide with low light levels have been best...as has working current seams coming off rocky structure... All the fish that we've found lately have been nice and fat, Most trips out we're seeing fish over 30 inches and very healthy obviously they've been feeding very well on the abundance of bait that we have available. Mackeral are around in good numbers, huge Bluefin Tuna are being caught out on the offshore ledges, groundfish such as cod are willing to eat jigs though most have been on the small side. If you're looking to do some salwater fishing...we have plenty of options...get out there and fish!!!
(Mike Scott of Portsmouth, NH & Friendship, ME with a nice Kennebec Striper)
Over the weekend we had some pretty slow fishing conditions but things improved drastically today. Hot bright days coupled with heavy holiday weekend boat traffic likely were contributors to the conditions. Today we boated some nice stripers to about 28 inches while fishing structure...A few times today we slid into breaking fish but could not come tight to fish...the stripers were so focused on the herring that they ignored evrything else....they were just plain fussy. We did however get severel solid hookups when we were able to get over some structure...looking forward to the tides this week...it should be good!!!
Striper Fishing Season Officially Opens On The Kennebec River
July has arrived in mid coast Maine and the Kennebec river Striped Bass season officially begins today. This morning I had the privledge to guide Vermont couple, Ed Curtis & his wife Theresa....despite getting on the Kennebec at 7:00 am we still managed to land on stripers within minutes of leaving the dock in Bath. We've been finding good numbers of fish on the rocky ledges with fast moving water pouring over them...today would be no different....Theresa connected first...a fat 28 incher...Ed's first fish came moments later...Theresa then went on a run landing severel nice fish in a row between 26-34 inches...A double hook-up followed as Ed & Theresa continued to make my job easy. A great morning on the water & I'm sure that i'll be seeing these guys again. Yesterday, We fished offshore for Cod, The bite was very consistent till around noon before shutting down...we boated over 50 cod using a mix of diamond jigs & butterfly jigs...both styles were rigged with a teaser about 18 inches above the jig. Mackerel are still around in big numbers and huge schools of herring clog up the tidal rivers. Reservations have been coming in steadily so If you've been holding back on making that reservation I urge you to please look at your calendar and let us know asap which dates that you have in mind...
Striped Bass Season Begins Thursday July 1st, 2010 On Maine's Kennebec River
The special catch & release, artificial lures only season ends this coming Thursday July 1st, 2010. Our catch rates should soar now that we'll be able to pitch lives in addition to flies & artificials
Reservations have been coming in steadily and we're already having a very busy season...Call us if you'd like to join us for a day or two this coming season. We offer multiple trips every day typically a morning trip and an afternoon evening blitz trips for those anglers who'd rather not be on the water at the crack o'dawn...If fly fishing isn't your thing...no worries we're well equipped for light tackle & live bait fishing too!!!
Maine Saltwater Fishing Report: The Fish Are Here So Get out And Fish
Wet conditions greeted us this morning as we left the dock in Bath, but it didn't dampen our spirits...nor did it dampen the spirits of the stripers we had set out to catch. We landed on fish at our first stop, just a few minutes of leaving the dock, a pair of 10 pounders crushed the soft plastic herring imitators we pitched into the boiling current. As the flooding tide filled the river we went to work on the rocky structure that has been holding most of the fish we've been catching. Sporadic surface blitzes popped up here & there and were enough to get every ones adrenaline flowing...however, most of our fish came off striped bass's favorite habitat, rocky structure. Late morning everyone had their fill of stripers and we headed for the dock fully satisfied with our efforts. Although it was wet out there this morning we were fully prepared for the conditions and everyone stayed warm and dry. I have severel sets of quality raingear aboard for guests that do not have their own...so don't let rainy weather keep you off the water...the fish don't care...they're already wet!!! Reservations have been coming in steadily and we're already having a very busy season...Call us if you'd like to join us for a day or two this coming season. We offer multiple trips every day typically a morning trip and an afternoon evening blitz trips for those anglers who'd rather not be on the water at the crack o'dawn...If fly fishing isn't your thing...no worries we're well equipped for light tackle & live bait fishing too!!!
Maine Saltwater Fishing For Striped Bass Is In Full Swing & Super Fly Charters Has It Dialed In!!!
The Kennebec river is still filling in nicely with fresh, ocean bright Stripers. All of the usual June spots are fishing well....also some of the spots that I fish in late season are covered in fish...That's a great sign that we're in for a great season here in mid coast Maine. A lot of the local fishermen/guides that I've talked to recently have only been finding good numbers feeding fish during the lower light hours of the morning and evenings and while that might be true along certain stretches of habitat....it is definately not the rule for Striper fishing in general.Going back over the last couple of weeks we've been finding good numbers of Stripers feeding aggressively in bright sunlight during the mid day hours...we've been able to accomplish this by changing our tactics once the sun gets high in the sky. Don't get me wrong, I love chasing big stripers on the flats but that has it's time and place, after all..we're fishing for Striped Bass not Permit. Lately i've been abandoning the shy, easily spooked fish that are up in shallow water in favor of the better numbers of the heavy current deeper water fish that feed heavily on the thick schools of herring located over rocky structure. This type of fishing is still every bit as technical as fishing on the flats, it just presents a whole different set of challenges....anyone whom has ever fished deep water structure that is awash in a ripping current can testify to the challenges presented...proper boat handling is extremely important, as is understanding how upwellings, eddies and currents travel over and around rocky high relief bottom contours...some of this structure may only rise three feet off the surrounding bottom other ledges tower as high as a 7 story building!!! Many times there are acre sized blitzes taking place on this structure...however, most times they're just not taking place up on the surface...rather, they're taking place 20-30 feet below, where the vast majority of anglers will never even suspect it...more often than not these all out submarine blitzes are taking place during the broad daylight conditions that most anglers find unproductive...We've been fishing these daylight subsurface blitzes for years and have it dialed in. Yesterday was a perfect example of what i'm talking about....I had Ed & Steven Petrilli aboard for a fathers day guided striped bass marathon fishing trip...around mid day we had bright sun, a ripping incoming tide being pushed by a stiff SW 20-25 knot breeze....not what you'd consider ideal conditions for Striper fishing. Right?....Wrong!!! We were fishing classic fall blitz conditions during the 85 degree heat of summer...Welcome to Striped Bass fishing in Maine!!!
Flats Guide Capt. Eric Wallace reports that great things are happening on the sand flats of Casco Bay.
Oh yeah the Bluefish have started arriving in the Kennebec also...we haven't caught any yet but severel anglers arrived back at the dock in Bath with a cooler full of chunky blue dogs.
Call us if you'd like to join us for a day or two this coming season. We'll be happy help you plan your Maine vacation!!! If fly fishing isn't your thing...no worries we're well equipped for light tackle & live bait fishing too!!!
Maine Striped Bass Fishing Charters & Guided Trips
As we move quickly through June, we're really starting to see the Striper fishing light up in a big way...This morning we got a somewhat late start, leaving the dock in Bath at around 6:30am. The tide was pretty slack and just starting to turn so we headed off on the hunt... The fishing was pretty slow but I knew that as the tide gained strength the bite would turn on....and turn on it did!!! Once my anglers got into the rhythm of things and figured out some of the basics, they began to score fish, seemingly at will...The key to our success today was allowing our offerings to get down near the bottom and to work them slowly, bouncing them along gently with the current....slow & low was the rule today!!! The Fish were feeding heavily in the rips & current seams...most of the action was taking place subsurface as the sun was getting bright and high in the sky...occasionally a hungry striper would rise to the surface to blast a disoriented baitfish...We continued to be productive for a couple of hours during the peak force of the tide and eventually the bite tapered off and we headed to the dock fully satisfied after a terrific morning on the water.
Call us if you'd like to join us for a day or two this coming season. We'll be happy help you plan your Maine vacation!!! If fly fishing isn't your thing...no worries we're well equipped for light tackle & live bait fishing too!!!
Right now the Kennebec river is flooding with fat healthy Striped Bass and they've had the feedbag on...most times right through the heat of the day and in bright sunshine.
This morning I guided Bob McClements and his 8 year old grandson Mason...We departed the dock in Bath and made a short jaunt to a nearby ledge...within seconds of arriving we were into a fish...young Mason handled it perfectly...for the next hour we worked this ledge and pulled several more nice stripers from it...Next we scooted downriver and worked a shoreline that was awash in the fast ebbing tide...the stripers were tight to the bank...but would dart out into the current to gulp down our offerings...we continued this pattern for the next hour or so boating several more beautiful striped Bass before heading back to the dock...
Trip two featured the Hullings family from Wichita, Kansas...this trip also saw the skunk leave the boat very quickly
...we then located a good sized school of stripers and proceeded to spend the remainder of our trip battling double hook ups on healthy striped bass...great time with a fun family...I'm sure they won't soon forget some of the battles they had...especially the one with the seal after the seal raced off with one of our hooked fish
