striper fishing

This morning was most likely my last striper fishing trip of the season. The river is still running brown fresh water and even the mackerel did not want to cooperate. We fished our way back up river just ahead of the wind rain and fog without so much as a follow from a striper or bluefish. This has been at best a disappointing season on stripers, I hope that next summer provides more fish.

The usual summer pace has been here for more than a month. Only a few days or parts of days off but before I know it the goldenrod will be in full bloom and the first red maple leaf will show up on the shore of one of the ponds. Signaling the end of the summer season and the transition to fall for me. I have enjoyed the variety of trips this summer that is for sure. Not only different trips with new clients but some have asked to visit places I do not normally visit.

A press release from the Maine Eastern Railroad today.

The first week of July offered us great summer weather, foggy mornings, sunny breezy afternoons and warm summer temperatures. I have run a bunch of trips in the last ten days with a good variety. Family fishing trips, several striper trips and an afternoon nature exploration canoe trip thrown in for good measure.

The last couple of days have been cold, overcast and foggy with the occasional rain shower or stretch of drizzle. Yesterday and today I have come home from my morning striper trip and started a fire in the woodstove to feel warm. In fact on my afternoon trip yesterday I wore an insulated underwear top and was glad to have it on as the evening wore on.

Just a quick post to say that the stripers have arrived in the Saint George River in numbers. It has been a long wait for them to get here but they are a fish worth waiting for. For the last couple of days there have been acres of bait. Including an early bunch of what I call rain bait (it looks like it is raining where they are in the river because of all of the dimples on the surface) I think in reality that they are a bay anchovy.

As of today Argy and I have been married for twenty nine years. Time sure flies when you are having fun! If you had told me that day all of the adventures we would have together I would not have believed it. Two great kids, an beautiful place to live and a couple of amazing careers. What more could anyone ask?

This morning is cold with a strong northeasterly breeze; I can see the snow showers off toward the coast that must be building our way.  Argy and I are working in the living room with a big fire in the fireplace. What a pleasant way to spend a morning!

Dear Striped Bass Fisherman – our favorite fish is struggling, and Stripers Forever, a free-membership, internet-based organization needs as many members as possible to continue the momentum gained when President Bush recently signed the Executive Order establishing game fish status for all striped bass in Federal waters - the EEZ.  Stripers Forever was an importrant part of a collaborative effort to secure this designation.

Yesterday I had a canoe trip under perfectly clear fall skies. With the foliage changing a little more every day and a pleasant breeze the entire trip was picture perfect. The river is very low due to the dry weather and the beavers have completed the dam right below the Union fair grounds. I was able to slide the canoes over the dam easily and we were able to paddle up to the lodge and beyond. I did notice a few groups of trout in the sandy bottom behind the harness track. Only after I was home did it occur to me that they must be getting ready to spawn.