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INSHORE FISHING
STRIPED BASS FISHING
A trip with Sweet Action is sure to be one of the highlights of your stay in Maine, whether you’re an experienced angler or a beginner. If you enjoy using bait, an outing typically begins somewhere in Boothbay Harbor with a short boat ride to fish for the “Macks” – the mackerel that will be used as bait for the day’s true prize, the feisty striped bass(depending on the tides and when you choose to depart, this is also a chance to see a beautiful Maine sunrise or sunset). Jigging a silver cigarette shaped lure, it is not uncommon for two anglers to catch thirty 6” to 12” Macks in less than fifteen minutes. If the Mackerel are more spread out, we will reach into our bag of tricks to make sure that we have a few of these striper delicacies on-board.
With the live-well now stocked with your mackerel, we’ll then head up from Boothbay Harbor through Townsend Gut, across the Sheepscot River to our fishing destinations: Hockomock Bay, the Sasanoa River, the Back River, and the Kennebec River. If the weather is calm enough, we will sneak across the mouth of the Sheepscot to fish the beaches and coves at the mouth of the mighty Kennebec River. If the wind is whipping, we will head upriver where the effects of the wind are diminished.The time of the run from the bait to the fishing grounds really depends on the weather and which boat you are fishing on. The Papa Jon cruises comfortably at 30 mph. We will lead you to our favorite spots, wherein no time you’ll be catching fish. Once there, we’ll look for the telltale sign of action: swirlies (small swirling currents on the water’s surface) indicating that stripers are feeding. Wildlife abounds, as eagles, deer, seals, otters, and osprey are all commonly seen. Few feel the effects of seasickness in this shallow water environment that resembles a lake or a river more than the ocean where we began.
Stripers can be caught at all times of the day. Our strategy really depends on a variety of factors, including time of day, point of the tide, location, water temperature, time of year, and more.
GREAT FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERTS
While the Kennebec River does not regularly offer the kind of fishery one might find off Block Island or around Montauk we have times where big fish come in. More regularly for us the bigger fish are found out at the beaches. However, the Kennebec is a prime location for both beginners and experts. Over the past few years, Fishing in the Kennebec River has turned off in August as the water gets too warm to hold Stripers. However, these fish move out to the ledges, beaches, coves, and rocky shores that are along the coast where our water temperature stays cool all summer long.
Make no mistake; this will not be a passive trip. We will not sit back and troll for fish. The state of Maine allows anglers to keep one fish per day that is over 28” and under 31". In 2020 and 2021 only about 1% of all fish caught in Maine were of legal size. Last year we saw many more keepers and I would say more like 8-10% were keepers last year. However, If you want fish to eat we would suggest an offshore trip ground fishing on the Papa Jon. Up and down the Atlantic Coast states have changed their keeper range to try to protect Striped Bass even more.