You've gotten all the right equipment...The fancy pastel colored, SPF-50, ExOfficio clothing...a quiver of the newest, lightest, super fast action SAGE/G.LOOMIS/SCOTT Branded fly rods complete with the requisite shiny gold anodized, machined aluminum, carbon fiber/cork drag, large arbor "designer" fly reels lined with the latest, greatest, slickest floating and intermediate fly lines (wow..nice descriptive)... The many hours of casting practice have paid off big time...that nasty tailing loop is almost gone and you've gotten your casting to the point that you can effortlessly throw a weighted crab fly 80 feet into a stiff breeze and drop it with pinpoint accuracy into a shot glass...(okay...maybe a garbage can) Your fly boxes are overflowing with painstakingly tied crustacean, worm hatch and baitfish creations that look so real that you're afraid to reach in and grab one for fear it might start gnawing on your thumb...Are we talking about Tarpon, Permit or Bonefishing in an exotic remote tropic location??? Hah...Not even close!!! We're off the coast of Maine and we'd like to welcome you to the world of shallow water Striper fishing!!!
(A healthy Striper released on one of Maine's many sand flats)The Coast of Maine, is comprised of thousands of acres of sand, mud & eelgrass flats , all of which are subject to a huge 8 to 10 foot tidal range leaving many of the flats bare or nearly bare at low water. As the tide begins to flood these flats with cool water, the plentiful baitfish, marine worms & crustaceans begin to feed in the nutrient rich currents. Hungry Stripers know this and often feed aggressively, swirling and slashing, their silvery bodies glinting like mirrors as they forage in gin clear shallow water of the flats. When the conditions are right Striped Bass make perfect sight casting targets for fly & light tackle anglers. When sight casting to Striped Bass around the numerous Mussel bars and eelgrass beds that fringe many of our shallow flats, we frequently encounter Stripers that are "Tailed Up"...yes Stripers do "tail", like an Abaco Bone or Redfish of Florida's famed Indian River Lagoon, Striped Bass often feed by grubbing around on the mud & eelgrass flats for crabs, shrimp and worms, leaving their tails wagging like flags in the breeze. A well presented fly presented just upcurrent of the "tailing" Striper...slowy crawled along the bottom will usually yield a strike. "Muds"(silty clouds in the clear water)are often left by the grubbing stripers and are a dead giveaway that Striped Bass are present and on the feed...most times however, we have challenging task of sighting and casting to "laid up" or slow cruising fish. Whether casting a floating or clear, sinking tip fly line, the ideal presentation is to cast from directly upcurrent or at a slight angle so that your fly drifts down to the holding fish.
Maine's shallow water habitat is comprised of surf, sand flats, fast water channels, bays, coves, rips and marsh. All easily accessible and fished with a fly rod!!!
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!!!
Maine Flats Fishing Striper Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com
