07/06/2018 Fishing Report

Saco Bay Tackle Fishing Report

July 5, 2018

            The pogys have arrived in the Saco Bay and river and are here in large numbers. Mackerel have been extremely hard to locate in the area with only spotty reports of a few fish here and there. For this reason, pogys could be the live bait of choice. These baitfish can be seen breaking the surface in the Bay, the mouth of the river and up river as well. Fishermen often utilize a sabiki rig or a weighted snag hook and cast into a large school of pogys hoping to connect. Once you catch a pogy, the best way to rig them is live on a balloon with a 5/0 circle hook. If the bait dies, they also make for a very effective cut-bait fished on a sliding rig on bottom. Sandworms, frozen mackerel and live eels will also produce stripers both off the beach and in the river. The Camp Ellis jetty, Pine Point Beach and Biddeford pool are all excellent areas to wet a line right now. From a boat, the bay’s islands and rock ledges are great areas to anchor up and fish live bait. Those who fish often may encounter a feeding “blitz” where the stripers are aggressively feeding on pogys. Large amounts of bird activity and surface commotion will indicate this. In a blitz scenario, artificial lures can be hard to beat due to their erratic presentation and ability to cover water. Plugs such as poppers, spooks, sluggos, Sebile Magic swimmers, SP minnows and RonZs will all work effectively on these schooling fish.

            Freshwater fishermen can do well at the Saco Industrial Park road pond, Millikin Mills Pond and the bass pond behind the Saco Transfer Station. The Saco River from the Skelton Dam in Dayton down to Rotary Park in Biddeford also provides great shoreside bass and trout fishing. Those with a boat or kayak can catch lots of numbers in Little Ossipee, Arrowhead and Little Sebago lakes.