6.15.18 Fishing Report

Saco Bay Tackle Report

June 15, 2018

The striped bass are beginning to migrate out to the mouth of the rivers and into the bays. Smaller schoolies and the occasional bigger fish can still be found further up river. Using chunks of mackerel, sandworms or live eels will all produce keeper stripers off the beach. Camp Ellis, Hills Beach and Pine Point Beach are excellent areas to focus on because of their jetties which give shore anglers the ability to catch live mackerel. Size 10-14 sabiki rigs with a 1 oz diamond jig is the go to mackerel producer. Incoming is usually the best tide (2-3 hours before high) but bait can still be caught by walking further out on the jetty. The best way to rig mackerel is using a 5-6/0 circle hook with a 3 foot leader and a balloon to use as a bobber. Early mornings and in the evenings have been the best times to fish due to the low light conditions and can also result in a good outing with artificial lures or flies. Pencil poppers and spooks are great topwaters to use at these times. Sand eel imitations such as the RonZs, Hogys and Savage softbaits will all work especially well where you see birds diving to feed on the beach. Fly selections that mimic a sand eel or green crab are also very productive. Those fishing from a boat should first try to catch mackerel around the islands in the bay using chum then live-line them while anchored off the beaches and around visible rock ledges.

In the fresh water, bass fishing using topwaters and senkos around almost any kind of structure will produce large numbers. For the bigger bites, fishing a jig over deep structure is the most consistent producer. Reports have come in from the Rangely area of 20-30 fish days while trolling for trout and salmon with lead-core line and DB Smelts. The best place to catch trout and smallmouth bass from shore in this area is still in the Saco River directly below the Skelton Dam.

- Peter