Complements of The Kittery Trading Post

Activity for the 3rd week of September, 2001

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September 17, 2001

            As we head afield this week in search of the best fall angling, our thoughts and our prayers are for the families and friends of all the men, women and children lost or missing due to the horrific attacks this past Tuesday.

            Inland anglers are giving streams a rest as water flows sink to the lowest level in years.  Only where fresh releases of water exist is there a viable angling opportunity.                 

            In the Moosehead Lake Region, Penny Legere of Maine Guide Fly Shop reports the water flow on the West Branch of the Penobscot River was running at over 2,000 cfs over the weekend and has now been lowered to under 900 cfs.

            At the East Outlet, water flow is at 2,900 cfs, and anglers are taking trout and salmon up to two pounds.  Across the lake at the Roach River, the flow is down to under 200 cfs but anglers are still taking a number of small salmon and some decent brook trout.

            In Moosehead itself, anglers are few and far between, as is normal for after Labor Day.  With only a couple weeks left in the year 2001 season, angling pressure has dwindled.  From anglers reporting at the lake, lead-core is working well, and the lake trout are holding in shallow water at about 25-35 feet.

            Anglers who have also drawn a moose hunting permit are fishing and scouting.  They report that dry forest conditions have forced animals to seek deep-woods cover and deeper-water bogs.  Animals are simply not being seen along the main roads or paper company tote roads.

            In mid-Maine, northern pike anglers are reporting catches of fish to 24-inches and six to ten pounds in Sabbathday Lake, Messalonskee and North Pond.  Very large shiners, when they can be found, are producing results when trolled along the edges of major weedbeds and into moving water at the mouths of tributaries.

            Anglers are reminded that most lakes and ponds remain open to fall angling right through the end of November.  More waters have been designated for fall angling this year, bringing the number of open waters through the end of November to nearly 300.  Check the latest lawbook for detailed listings.

            In the Sebago Lake region, Dave Garcia of Naples Bait and Tackle reports light action on Long Lake with a few brown trout being taken in the nearly two-pound range. "The best fishing right now" says Dave, "is in Brandy Pond.  Anglers are using lead-core to take white perch in the pound and a half range and lots of them. The same people are taking small salmon using silver or copper Mooselook Wobbers."

            "In Sebago," reports Dave, "the lake trout are in shallow waters, around 25-35 feet.  Most of the fish being reported are roughly six to eight pounds. A month ago some of the larger togue were being taken, but right now the fish are half that size."

            Dave echoes the sentiments of other anglers who have visited the Crooked River and other area streams. "There is simply no water in the streams. If you know where the spring holes are in the Crooked, you might take some fish, but generally, the water is so low and hot, there's not much use in trying."

            At Jordan's Store on the west side of Sebago Lake, Carroll Cutting reports much the same conditions.  "Most of the action is at the mouths of the rivers, where there is water flow."  Roger Bacon, a retired school teacher from Massachusetts and one of the Sebago Lake regulars who fishes the lake almost every morning, notes that lake trout were holding in 35-40 feet of water.  "I'm catching fat salmon, in the 17-18-inch range, using six colors of leadcore. On Monday, I landed two salmon and a lake trout at the same depth. That's been about the daily average for a morning."

            A couple of bass anglers also reported taking largemouth bass in the Muddy River in the five pound range and smallmouth around the Dingley Islands, just at daybreak, in the three pound range. Sebago water is so clear, the fish go into deeper water early in the day.

            Northeast Regional Editor for Outdoor Life, Tom Fuller, was in the area over the weekend and fished the Presumpscot River from Route 35 south, with very little success. "Just a few very small bass. The water flow was way down, and the temperature was in the mid-seventies."  Fuller had planned to fish the Pleasant and Crooked Rivers, but decided against it for fear of stressing what fish were active in the low, warm waters.  He was headed for the West Branch of the Penobscot River, where conditions were reported excellent with water flow nearing 2000 cfs.

            Dave Ganter and R.J. Mere of the Kittery Trading Post Fishing Staff agreed that stream fishing this week had tailed off and may not rebound until the fall rains bring more water flow. "From Rangeley to Bangor, anglers need to look for water releases," noted Ganter. "The Rapid River in Andover, the West Branch in the Moosehead region and the upper reaches of the Penobscot at Orono, seem to have good flow. In the saltwater, angling is holding up, with bass in the over 40-inch range becoming more common. The bluefish seem to be gone but stripers and mackerel are around in numbers."

            R.J. Mere noted that anglers are finding brown trout mixing with the stripers at the mouths of the noted brown trout rivers. "In the mouth of the Mousam and in the Ogunquit, brown trout are holding their own against the stripers and should begin moving back upstream with the first signs of increased flow," R.J. ended.

            Southern Maine anglers are also concentrating on saltwater angling as rivers and streams are at a yearly low. "Anglers need to look for moving water," reports Capt. Cal Robinson, owner of Saco Bay Tackle Company.  "Anglers should avoid the brooks and streams until we get more flow."  However, in saltwater, anglers are finding plenty of action. "Offshore we have a great run of mako sharks," Robinson said. "There's also a lot of giant bluefin tuna around, but they don't seem to be taking baits. And the groundfishing is holding up."

            Coastal anglers are enjoying one of the best fall seasons in recent years as bass in the 25-45 inch range are being taken from the beaches. "There's a huge amount of sand eels along the coast right now, and bass are stopping on their way south to feed," notes Robinson.  "All those guys who put their boats and rods away are really are really missing out. There may not be water inland, but the beach and river fishing is red-hot right now all along southern Maine."

            "Another surprise bait that's working right now are whole clams. Stripers are taking clams in the river, off the breakwater and out into the bay," says Capt. Cal.

            At the New Hampshire border, Piscataqua River anglers and coastal anglers out to the Isles of Shoals and beyond are reporting excellent mackerel and striper activity. Jim MacKenzie at Suds N Soda in Greenland was busy checking in archery deer as the New Hampshire hunting seasons has begun, but noted, "most of the anglers stopping by are reporting taking half a dozen to a dozen stripers per outing, with several in the 40-44 inch range. We're having a great fall season."

            A short way offshore near the Isles of Shoals, anglers are reporting plenty of striped bass and mackerel. "We haven't seen the flounder at the mouth of the river yet," said MacKenzie, "but farther south, the fish are beginning to show up."

            And show up they did, in Boston Harbor, as Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics of Everett commented. "Flounder are thick at Swampscott.  And we are getting plenty of cod at Graves Light and the B-Buoy, and fish are moving closer to shore. There seems to be plenty of surface action on schoolies all along the airport too."

            In the Marblehead Yacht Club Tournament, Don Maksyn of Swampscott took first place in the bluefish division with a 33-inch bluefish taken off Egg Rock and second place in the bass category with a 38-inch bass, taken off Devereau Beach. Both fish were taken using Santini tube rigs.

            "We are also getting a fair amount of smelt off the piers in Charlestown and Winthrop.  A small Swedish Pimple tipped with a seaworm is doing the trick," Santini ended.

            Tim Lajoie of Baldwinville and president of the CamoKids organization reported great success on a fishing charter out of Marblehead.  "We took some huge cod. One fish was over 30 pounds, and the three of us brought home over 50 pounds of cod, haddock and pollock fillets. What a day we had."

            With stripers and mackerel on the move and surface temperatures holding in the mid-to high sixties, anglers should enjoy another month of excellent saltwater action all along the coast. 

                      Past Fishing Reports 2001

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