I found myself in Maine for a wedding in August, which seems to be when everyone else finds himself in Maine, as it was quite crowded. However, there is good reason for this: Maine is beautiful and, during its month-long summer (August), it is warm. I chose George Harris (https://superfly-charters.com) for stripers on light tackle. We left Bath at 4:30 a.m., which, following the previous night’s bachelor party, was definitely not the high point of my trip.
Navigating the convergence of the Kennebec River and the Atlantic Ocean was an adventure in itself, with the falling tide crashing violently against the ocean waves, all while next to numerous rocky islands. It was not exactly Odysseus sailing through Scylla and Charybdis, but it was definitely unexpected, especially when half-asleep before 5 a.m. George calmly steered us through the chaos while water surged over the bow and I second-guessed my decision to fish the morning after a bachelor party. After that bit of excitement, we were in open water, jigging for pollock and Atlantic mackerel. I always enjoy this type of light tackle jigging. Once we caught enough bait, we set our sights on stripers. I caught two beautiful stripers in a row, one 35 inches and the other 34 inches, on very light tackle, which made for two great fights in quick succession. The bite was very slow outside of that and I did not catch any other stripers, but two good ones of that size made for a great trip. I also saw a whale surfacing near the boat as we headed to the fishing grounds, which was a fun bonus.
UPDATE JULY 2024: My family and I took our annual "Escape the Virginia Heat" trip to Old Orchard Beach in Maine, an absolutely gorgeous setting that definitely was an escape from the heat. The lows were in the 50's, the highs in the 70's, and the ocean water felt like an ice bath. Not that that stopped my two boys from running into the ocean, and my begrudgingly chasing after them. There were the best lobster rolls around, plenty of sunshine, an amusement park on the beach, and, of course, my shot at making Maine my 47th state with at least one trophy.
I fished with Chris Gagnon of Apex Charters (apexcharters.com) on a cold, overcast morning and he immediately put me on fish. First it was a pile of mackerel, always fun to jig for, and then it was the fish I was after: striped bass. In fact, my first cast on my first spot with Chris produced my biggest Maine fish, a 44-inch, 45-pound trophy striper! (While Maine does not have an official trophy program, the In-Fisherman minimum is 40 inches.) It's always a huge sigh of relief when I catch my trophy early and can then "relax," although there wasn't much relaxing as we casted to and caught many good stripers, including another 39-inch, 35-pound trophy with an unbelievably massive belly. We called it a morning and I was back to my family in time for a delicious pizza lunch near the beach.
Maine is a truly beautiful place and it offers a rare escape from the often insanely crowded conditions of most Atlantic beaches. There was no circling waiting for parking near the beach, nor were there waits for any of the amusement park rides. There are numerous family-friendly activities that will keep the kids entertained while you enjoy high temperatures that Virginia did not get down to again until October. It absolutely lives up to its motto: the way life should be.
With Maine becoming my 47th state with at least one trophy, I now set my sights on the remaining three: Alaska; Hawaii; and Montana. And yes, I sure have been lucky to have my last few states be those three, plus Maine and Idaho and Washington.
