Century Mark!

I arrived in Maine with a simple fishing goal; to catch six more stripers during my relatively brief stay.  These six would bring me to The Century Mark, i.e., 100 Stripers caught for the season.  Not bad for a guy from Michigan!  And let's face it, I'm willing to recognize and celebrate just about any fun milestone, however artificial it might be.

Conditions upon our mid-day arrival were clear, bright and windy, and the tide was unfavorably high for good fishing.  But after a quick stop at The Tackle Shop for bait (sand-worms and frozen mackerel), I was down at the dock by 1:30 PM.

It was unusually windy in Portland, Maine on August 22, 2017.  The flags were stiff as I cast my lines.

Weeds made casting lures impossible, and bait fishing was difficult, at best.  By 2:30 PM and having encountered virtually no sign of sea life, I was smart enough to call it (temporarily) quits.  I snuck in a quick nap while awaiting more favorable conditions.

By 4 PM, at least the late, ebbing tide was more favorable, and the weeds were largely dissipated.  I caught two stripers (16 and 20 inches) on worms right away, and then I enjoyed a slow stream of steady action.  While most fish preferred the worms, a couple ate small chunks of mackerel off the bottom.  At about 6:50 PM, August 22, 2017, my float and worm went down, and Striper No. 100 for 2017 hit the deck!

Here's my Century Mark for the 2017 Striper Season!

Mission accomplished; but even better, I still had two or three full days of fishing ahead of me!