As I usually do when I am traveling on the road, before I leave I check to see whether or not I should bring my fly rod. This week, I am up in Portland, Maine, and the Internet said they were catching Rockfish/ Striped Bass/ Greenhead/ Squid Head/ or whatever else people have named this hard fighting fish. After seeing that the fish were biting, I next checked to see what the local fishing regulations were, and, for Maine, saltwater fishing only requires a $1.00 angler registration with the Maine fisheries department, so I happily packed my 8 weight.
One thing I highly recommend if you travel with your fishing gear, is to find a local tackle shop, and patron their store. This is a great way to pick up some tips, and to learn if there are any local restrictions/precautions that should be taken. If you do visit a local shop, be sure to support them by picking up some local flies or gear. For this trip, I visited the nice folks at The Tackle Shop (http://www.thetackleshop.net/). They were awesome, and gave me great advice on when and where to go, as well as what to use. If you find yourself in Portland, Maine, I highly recommend you pay them a visit.
Following their advice, I found myself at Back Cove this morning, looking at a salt flat during full low tide. After tying on a CK Baitfish and sinking leader, I walked along the shore to begin my search.
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| CK Baitfish designed by the legendary Chuck Kraft |
The CK Baitfish is an amazing fly designed to mimic the darting, panicked actions of a fleeing minnow. Walking along the shore, I checked for signs of baitfish, and variations in shoreline structure. Sure enough, at a section where the tidal flats drained into the main channel of the bay, tons of small minnows were schooled up along the shore. A quick couple of casts, and my flyline slammed tight with my first Striped Bass on the fly.
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| Hello Beautiful |
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