Author: Webmaster

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

06-04-2007 15:47
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
It’s kiiling me that I have not been fishing yet. I can feel my boat sulking in my driveway. Slaved this past weekend finishing up my lawn extention which included grading, stump digging and pulling. It was made easy with my fathers John Deer 950. Gotta love hydraulics! dug and tore out 7 sappling stump clusters in the front yard and spread 14 yards of loom. Just need to lyme, seed and hay it and let mother nature do the rest. After that I just have about 240′ of fence to put up and reroof my house and by that time summer will be over and I will be duck hunting. Haven’t heard of any striper action but I know they are hear, at least schoolies and some slot fish. Not sure where the mackerel are but somewhere South and getting closer.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern to Midcoast 05-27-2007 21:00
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Have had numerous reports of “bait sized” schoolie stripers being caught from the Mouseam River to the Kennebeck River. The offshore water temp has been reported as high as 50. 55 is what we really need. I have not heard of any mackerell showing up yet but it is still early for them yet. Have not put the boat in the water yet and this past weekend I worked. It was beautifull in Boothbay harbor. Also started a landscaping and fencing project that my wife keeps pestering me to finish. Hope to get out Mon or Tuesday either in Sebago or Royal River. Have seen many large groups of eiders doing there funky girations trying to get a piece of tail and also a lot of oldsquaw that are totally brown. I think this is a faze for them this time of year.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Grand Lake Stream 05-21-2007 12:06
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 40-45 Degrees
My father treated me to a Grand lake Stream fishing trip over the weekend. Left Thursday AM an came home Sunday evening. The drive was 325 miles one way but the scenery made up for it. We stayed at Wheatherby’s Resort a 2 min walk from the stream. This resort has been around for a very long time (couldn’t find a date to be exact). Fished Tursday evening for an our at a spot above the “Falls”. Saw a couple of salmon rising, taking emergers. There was a hatch of Olive Dunns but the fish were not taking them on the surface. Ended up with no fish for the hour we fished. On Friday we fished a spot below the “Falls” called the “Bath Tub”. This was a very nice deep long tapering pool with moderate current. My father landed 3 salmon about 12-15″ and a good size small mouth bass on an olive Woolybugger and a Black Ghost (chenile body with maribou wing). I landed a huge sucker and lost 2 decent salmon on an olive woolybugger with a beadhead prince dropper. We next moved down to a apot called the “Meadow” and my father caught 2 more salmon on a Black Ghost. Went back to the lodge for a great lunch and then took a canoe ride in a Grand Lake Canoe from Big Lake to the mouth of Grand Lake Stream. My first cast into a spot called the “Brick Yard” produced a 19 3/4″ salmon. I moved to a spinning rod with a silver and purple DB Smelt and landed 2 out of 3 salmon hooked. My father landed 3 salmon as well on a black ghost. It was a cold wet day but was a blast. Saturday we fished all the way upstream from the “Falls” and caught no fish. The wheather was warmer and brighter which made the salmon a bit particular. Sunday, our last day we checked out and fished from the “Bath Tub” to the “Meadow”. I hooked a 20″ + salmon on a golden stone that had a dropper of a beadhead prince. What a fight on a 5wt. Also missed 2 more fish in this same spot. My father landed 2 salmon with the same rig. The resort was top notch. It is Orvis endorsed. There are 15 log cabins to choose from all of which had electricity, hot water, 1 full bath with a sink in each room and a giant fireplace. All meals were included. Fresh baked muffins, rolls and deserts. Breakfast made to order and a set dinner menu that was awesome. You could also order a lunch to go (in a basket) so you would not have to miss any fishing or you could come back to the lodge for a warm lunch if you wanted. Off of the diningroom was a “greatroom” with a warm stove to sit around to have your drinks. There was also a small Orvis store with the esentials and plenty of guides to choose from if you prefferd. Check them out by Typing in Wheaterby’s Reort, Grand Lake Stream. I will post up some pictures a bit later.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2007-05-21 15:03]

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

05-11-2007 12:24
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 45-50 Degrees
I have been doing a bit of yard work at home and trying to get some work done on the boat every day I’m off. The wife wants a fence up for the dogs. Have cut about 3 cords of 4-6″ saplings down and cleaned up the woods of dead stuff and such on my .79 acre lot. Picked up my prop at H&H Propeller in Brunswick. Had a boo boo on it from last year. All that is left is to prime and paint the lower unit on the engine and splash it in the water for a shake down. The only things left are “wants”…am/fm antenna for the radio, sporttrac bracket for the bimini top. Also waiting for a livewell timer that burned out. I have heard of stripahs in Southern Maine but cannot confirm, wouldn’t be surprised! Took Murphy to the lake yesterday. He always has a blast but just does not want to listen to me. He gets calmer and calmer everyday. He was 2 yo in Feb. His brother Kirby 4 months is evrybit a puppy and instigator. Hope to do some fishing soon!

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern to Midcoast 04-29-2007 20:26
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 35-40 Degrees
It was a good weekend to be at work. Usually it is very nice when I’m at work. It will probably happen this summer when the stripers are runing…very nice when I’m working and crap when I’m off. Lately the boat has been heavily worked on. I feel guilty that my dog Murphy wants me to train him and I need to train more with the new pup and then please the wife all at the same time. Well so far the new better cleats are installed. I actualy choked when I saw the cast aluminum/choremed cleats..$12 (the ones I took off) more expensive that the 316 SS 6” cleats $8 at Wally World. Who knows? I also figured out why my Garmin 188C chart plotter and sounder was not displaying my position on the LCD of my Standard Horizon “Quest VHF”. Spent a few hours checking and replacing connections. Talked to the techs at Garmin and they finally told me to call Standard Horizon…they told me to hold down the H/L button for 3 seconds. Sure enough that was the trick. For those out there that don’t know what I am talking about it is called DSC. Digital Selective Calling. This is becoming more popular but has been around for many years. This is a way to call other boats or alert other boats around you that you are in ditress. What you need is a VHF with DSC cabability (most radios have this) and a GPS. Next you go to Tow Boat US or Sea Tow website and get an MMSI#. This number is registered to your vessel and will list your name. contact info and description of your boat. Also if any of your buds out there have this set up you can call them on CH 70 instead of calling on 16. It’s like making a phone call. When you get into trouble you press a speacial button on th radio and it transmits your position to your GPS and to other boats. Basically it’s like having a EPIRB except you dont have to spend and arm and a leg on it. Getting an MMSI # is totally free. It took a bit of time to wire everything in but I did it and I’m no electrical nerd. So after that I added 2 more rod holders on either side of the anchor locker, armoralled the tires and the vinal seats, cleaned the decks with Soft Scrub, Got my dead battery charged, greased the outboards, ans did some patch work on the vinal covered decks. Almost done. Just need to put my custom livewell in.

All for now.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Midcoast & Southern 04-17-2007 10:10
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 35-40 Degrees
The Noreaster from hell has passed. This is the worst storm I have seen in over ten years. For some miracle I did not loose power but other parts of Cumberland did. I just hope the snow is all done with. Turkey season is just around the corner and I think that it is an odd year that will start. If you were born in an odd year such as 1977 then you get first crack. Last week I got all my turkey gear rounded up and am ready to go. Need to get out and scout.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 04-12-2007 10:00
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Can’t wait fot this Noreaster to get here…not! Took a drive up to Richardson’s Boat yard off of White’s Bridge Rd in Windham. I needed some parts for the Lund. I was suprised to see that Sebago was still very much iced over. After speeking to the servive manager he told me the only part open is the North west corner and I’m not sure if you could put a boat in up there and even then drive around amongst the ice chunks. Maybe another 2 weeks or so will do the trick. I fishied the Southern part of Sebago on opening day last year. Ice is still being made on both fresh and saltwater during the nights. Meanwhile I have been getting the Lund ready for another year…replaced my livewell pump, took off old cleats to replace with nice stainless and so on. Not huge projects but time consumeing after you add it all up. The Bunny Clarke has been fishing since April 1st and doing ok on cod and haddock. Check there website out.

Later

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mid-coast 04-05-2007 10:39
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 35-40 Degrees
Lots of snow. About 12″ here in Boothbay and about 15″ around Portland. Lots of power outages. We are running off of our generator. There is a 12″ oak tree down across Mckown Point road along with phone and cable. There are lots of eiders in the harbor. Just have to wait for next season.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2007-04-05 10:48]

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mid Coast to Southern Me. 04-01-2007 13:25
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
I am working this sunny weekend, of course. While out on the water I have seen lots of eiders and ww scoters about. Also I have heard several large groups of honkers at night overhead and seen lots of flocks near small farm ponds. Am starting to think about duck hunting but I need to focus on this years fishing season frist and make lists for wants and needs for this Fall. According to Tim Towers the owner of the Bunny Clark, the ocean temp is warmer currently than last year which might mean an earlier start to striper fishing which usually kicks off as early as May. The 2007 open water fishing season opened today. Hope to get the dogs out Mon and Tuesday for some training if the rain stays away. Tuesday, April 3 @ 9 PM on the Discovery channel, season 3 of Dedliest Catch starts. If you haven’t seen this show before watch it! Lastly April 2nd is the last day to get your moose permit applications in, in person or online.

All for now.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

03-29-2007 14:44
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Spring is oficialy here although it does not feel like it today! have seen numerous species of fowl on my morning commute to work from just North of Portland to Mid Coast. There is still quite a lot of ice on the lakes and ponds. The rivers are broken up and jamed with ice flows. Today I sorted out my sea duck strings. I bought 3 large “Round Spring type” laundry bags ($14.95) to store my strings in. Have found that I can pull up the anchor end first, place it in the bag and then start pulling in all my decoys leaving them attatched. If you keep the lines neat you can put the strings out in less than half of the time as clipping them on individually. Two strings (about 12 decoys per) can be put in the bag. I mark the bottom of the last decoy with bright orange paint and turn it “belly” up so I know that that is the start of a new string. I am happy with this system as I can set up rather quickly and take in quickly as well. When you set a string you can deploy each decoy and then drop the anchor when you have towed the string into the right spot. There is a bit of work left to do on the Lund. I just put the hubs and tires back on after changing races and bearings. Yesterday was spent at work changing out rear brakes (drum type), and both bearings. It took a bit longer after I realized I needed 2 wheel cylinders and the stores were closed. Know I just need to replace the front rotors, replace the valve cover and 2 new sway bar links. Just takes time and $. Am up to $200 just on the rear brakes. This is for a 2000 Ford Focus. I do miss the old Chevy, parts are cheaper and easier to install!

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mid Coast to Southern Me. 03-16-2007 19:33
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
With this warm wheather ice out is near. Have seen several small ponds showing open water around the edges. Lakes are showing thin spots in them as well. Last March I was raking my yard, not so this March. While driving I have seen numerous flocks of Canada geese and lots of mallards. The other day while walking the dogs I jumped a Wood Cock aka “Timber Doodle”. Have also been to the Boothbay Fish and Game shooting range. My 30-06 and muzzle loader have been dormant for 2 years now. I need the practice anyway. My goups at 100 yds are improving. It is fun to go to a range and shoot, brings back memories. The open water fishing season starts April 1 and by May or so the stripahs should be showing up. It’s a vicious cylce!

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

02-28-2007 20:14
– – –
Have not been out on the ice despite the beautiful wheather we have been having since two posts ago. The Sebago tournament was last weekend and I think a 9lb laker won it. There were also 3 snowmobilers lost to the lake from MA. I heard second hand that one of them traveled on open water for 3 miles before he sank. No one lived and I don’t think any bodies were found but I haven’t been watching the news! Took care of bills today, put new bearings in the boat trailor hubs, changed my water filters in the house and have much better pressure, did laundry and just small stuff. Can’t wait for Spring. There is a “Maine Charter Boat Captains Asociation” starting up. There website should be done soon. They had a meeting in Yarmouth last week and I was unable to go. Hope to get out on the ice soon.

Later

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

02-21-2007 08:24
– – –
Well I have made it back to this frozen state. Flew out of Portland Maine on Blue Jet to JFK and then down to FT Myers. We landed in JFK right before the storm hit and made it out just as it was startring to snow. The Blue Jet flight behind us got stuck on the runway for hours. We came back yesterday which marked Blue Jet’s first day back in business since the cluster happened. Well Florida was nice the day after we arrived. A cold front settled in until Monday with 40 degree temps and very high winds. I managed to walk the beach and canals with my flyrod and ended up not catching anything. The instank Fisherman is crap. Ended up loosing several lures during casting, the line would just snap. Was a good trip. May be going back in April and hope to do a little canoeing in the Ten Thousand Islands.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

02-10-2007 19:34
– – –
Well I have my first flu for this winter and am taking it easy over the weekend. Will be going down to Florida to visit my wife’s Grandfater on Marco Island. Can’t wait for flip flop wheather! Will do some beach fishing near his condo. A friend at work gave me the “Instant Fisherman” which I will give a try. I will also bring along my trusty 3pc Diamondback fly rod. Hopefully Summer comes as quick as it did last year. I have been slowly buying things for my Lund. The cleats that came with the boat are about worthless. I can barley cleat off 3/8 line. Bought 4-7″ stainless cleats at Wally World for $7.67 ea. Also had to buy a new baitwell pump, fuse holder, 2 new rod holders for the bulkhead in the bow and some tackle consisting of ballons, christmas trees and a Penn Mariner 6′ shark rod. Almost done with my long list. Recently I pulled off my hubs on the boat trailor to replace the seal. I didn’t expect the bearings to be shot but figured I would take a look anyway. All the races and bearings showed signs of water damage with minor pitting of the roller bearings. So for $9.50 a hub I can have new bearings and feel better hauling my boat around. One item I just made today cost me about zip to make. I have a Garmin plotter sounder for the boat. One problem I have is not being able to see the screen on real sunyy days without blocking the sun with my hand. So I made a “visor/sunscreen” out of a bleech bottle and velcro. I cut a 4″ wide x 15″ long pc out of the bottle and then did some minor trimming so it would fit the GPS. Then applied the velcro. I looks ok but will work even better. Haven’t been ice fishing since my last report. Was going to have a big shindig at my lake but put it off to get over this flu. Will be back in a week.

later

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Bristol 01-30-2007 19:03
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
Fished this past Saturday in a small 5 acre pond with some friends. Had 15 traps out in about 8″ of ice. The yellow perch and pickerel kept us very busy the whole day using all but 3 of 5 dz shiners. Caught a very nice brown trout 14.5″. Was the best day so far this season. Hope to get out on my lake in Cumberland the next couple of days. Seaduck season will end tomarrow. I only went once in January. Call me a whimp but with this cold we have been having I’m calling it quits. FLG has been going!

Till next time.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Cumberland 01-26-2007 13:30
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – Below Zero
Today marked my first ice fishing trip for 2007. Walked down the lake with the pooch and set my 5 traps. The sun was out but with the wind blowing it didn’t matter. Very nasty cold today. Fished for about an hour and then went home to thaw out. The ice was about 4-5″ in the narrow part where I was. Didn’t venture out towards the middle. With all of this cold I was hoping for about 8″ of ice. Will be heading up to Bristol on Saturday to fish. It looks like it will be warmer? I am all done with seaducks for this season. Spent $50 on winterizing supplies for the Lund. Just need a warmer day to get it all done. All in all I shot 30 seaducks (eiders, scoters and oldsquaw)and lost 4 cripples. I was mailed a survey by the Feds and ended up using all the lines up. Went duck hunting a total of 16 times, 3 trips were for puddle ducks. Was a great year. Shot more ducks than ever before. Looking forward to summer and striper fishing. Hope to try more for sharks and maybe some tuna. Have some GPS #’s punched into the Garmin that I can’t wait to fish. Only 3 more months till warmer wheather.

later

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

atlantic 01-21-2007 07:53
– – –
Well it has been a below average eider year but is bound to be better next year. Have 3 hunts left for the season then on to crows and ice fishing. Will let my membership go and will not be renewing my banner either. Print addds work better then banners. Good luck all and be safe Andrew

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

01-17-2007 17:29
– – –
Well I have not been out since the 3rd or so and with this cold wheather I think I will hang it up for this year unless it warms a bit. My wife will be laid up over this weekend so I will be taking care of her for a change! Overall it was a great year of seaducking. Only went out for deer twice and saw zip. Now I an getting into the summer fishing mode making lists for boat and tackle wants and needs. Hopefully I can ice fish soon if this cold keeps up.

Later

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Casco Bay 01-04-2007 18:32
Cloudy, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Went out for seaducks this past Wednesday. The boat ramp I wanted to lauch from was iced over from the water to 20′ up and I decided not to live dangerously. So I found my way to the Falmouth Town Landing where the ramp was clear of all ice. Have not taken my boat out from this launch but my hunting partner had, so I was relying on my plotter and his knowledge. Didn’t have enough time to go to our intended spot so we winged it. There was another group launching as we were leaving. The tide was flooding and was about “mid tide” so we found a point of land with a bit of a lee and set up. There were lots of oldsquaw flying but none came into shooting range until we picked up to move which seems to be the norm. After picking up we headed NE and set up on the North end of Littlejohn Island. On the way there we kicked up about 100 canada geese, bufflehead and a hand full of black ducks. In total we only saw about a dozen eiders trading by in singles and pairs. This area seems to hold more squaws than eiders or scoters. We only shot one scoter that dove and never resurfaced. Not totally skunked. We did find some spots for next season and or the rest of this season. We had a run of about 2 miles back to the ramp with a SE 20 kt wind and 4-5′ chop. The lund went right through it at 20 kts and kept us very dry. I am impressed so far! Hope to get out a few more times before the season ends.

Happy hunting

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

C 01-04-2007 18:16
– – –

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern ME 12-31-2006 17:44
Arctic Blast – 10-20 Degrees – Ice
Arctic blast AKA “FRICKEN COLD!” 20 DF. Went out this past Saturday with my usual seaducking friend and my bro-inlaw who now has time for me since the deer season is closed! I thought I would try out my new high tide spot but when I got to the ramp at 0520 I was not the first one there (2nd) Now, I try to get at this particular ramp early on Saturdays to get the pick of the spots and last time I beat this one fellow so next Saturday its on! So we motored out in the pitch blackness (thank you Garmin!) and went to the offshore side of this one island. Saw some lights but were sure they were offshore. Ended up being only 200 yards away. So plan B was put into affect but was stoped when another duck boat zoomed by. Plan C was a winger so we got set up. By the sounds of all 6 duck hunters in the area the majority of the gunning was done on the offshore side of the islands and a fair share inside. The wind was 15 kts out of the SE and later switched to W and died right out by 1000. Seas were maybe 1′ and then died right out before the snow came. We did a lot of shooting at eiders and scoters both black and white winged. Saw one buffy. Mostly 2-3 bird groups were giving us action. They just didn’t want to come into the blocks. My lab made a nice retreive on an eider (no decoys this time). He did beeter in the cold wheather than expected. Hope to get out this Saturday.

Later.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

None 12-26-2006 14:28
– – –
I have not been out since last report due to wheather and Holiday company. Will try and get out Saturday for seaducks now that the regular season is closed. Has anyone been out?

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 12-21-2006 16:07
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Despite the wheather forecast it was a great day to be on the water, at least until around 11. We were set up a bit after legal time (inshore). There were birds flying..singles pairs, but nothing fast and furious. Shot 2 eiders and one scoter at our first spot and then moved about 9ish. Saw another hunter cruising around offshore and saw many eiders stirring about. Headed in that direction, didn’t see or here anybody close by so we set up and had better shooting, finishing up with 8 (total)..scoters and eiders. This spot was more exposed but offered many shots at decoying birds. Around 1115 the winds picked up to 20kts and the seas were 4-5′ in about one half hours time. They were spoda die down afternoon. Had a blast at some challenging passshooting. My full choke was in and, well lets just say I did a lot of shooting! For some reason half the birds would come in but then spook. Overall it was a better day. Have another productive spot to try at a different tide. The birds were around but less than past hunts in this spot. The squaw were around also.

Have a safe and happy Christmas.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-21 20:47]

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-23 17:05]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Ocean 12-21-2006 08:08
– – –
Funny season so far. On the 19th we got stampedeed (SP) by the Old squaws. 1000’s of them. Flocks of 4 thru 50 birds cruising at 30 yards some committing others offering challenging pass shooting. This went on from sunrise until done around 11. Next hunt is Saturday looks like the weather will cooperate finally.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

ocean 12-18-2006 16:12
– – –
Well Andrew we had 200 plus eiders, 40-50 scoters, 40-50 squaws on Saturday. Then today we had 100 eiders 50 or so scoters and 100’s of squaws. Dont hang your head low hold it high and relocate!

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern ME 12-15-2006 10:15
– – –
Went to some offshore sea duck spots I had scouted last summer. It was about a 5 mile run from the ramp. Wheather was overcast and AM fog. 2-3′ chop. Winds out of the West 10-15. There was a hi tide at 0635 or so and I usually hunt towards a low tide so it was a learning expirecnce. It cleared up for the day with a light 10kt W wind sunny, clear and about a 1-2′ chop. I tried some awesome looking ledges on the eastern most edge of the bay and didn’t fire one shot. We did kick up some small rafts of scoters on the way to our spot and were set up around legal time. There were a bunch of old squaw in the area and small groups of eiders. Picked up around 9 and moved inshore a bit to a lee and set up on a spot that was holding oldsquaw and eiders. The only bird that came in was a buffelhead but he snuck in and out under the radar. Our 3rd and last sport was more inshore. We tucked into a small cove. We had one nice drake eider come in. He stayed and gave my dog some fun for the day. After picking up we scouted out and finaly found a nice shoal holding several hundred eiders even farther inshore. Also noticed a few cripples in the area which we cleaned up with the help of my dog. He fetched one that was still very much alive and with very little hesitation. He glanced once back at me and then latched onto it. Ended the day with 2 nice drake eiders and one hen eider. I’m sure FLG will post up a more sucsessful report that will leave my with my head hung low. HA HA. Was a great warm December day, should have brought my sunblock!

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-15 10:15]

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-15 10:18]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Atlantic 12-13-2006 08:46
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Awesome day yesterday. All done at 8 am took only drakes and took my time. Great day off. Tons of birds around and looks like they are not moving off to soon. Great weather a little bumpy where I went but not bad. My dog did a great job. She did a couple of really long retrives with no problem. I hit a double at first flight and made her wait. Currents where moving the downed birds quite quickly but she got it done.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

biddeford 12-12-2006 07:36
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
12/09/06
Another banner day in the marsh. We had several good flocks of buffleheads come into the spread. One drake goldeneye came in on a string. The dog is working very well this is his second season and he retrieved all but one cripple I had to use the boat for. (9 birds for the day.) Earlier this season I bought three dozen diver decoys. Two GHG scaup and one Carry-lite goldeneye. These have made a big difference on the birds. Flocks that would give us a pass last season are dropping in. I hope to get out with the layout boat eider hunting soon.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 12-10-2006 11:02
– – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
Went sea ducking Saturday with my dog and friend. We had just launched the boat when 2 more trucks with boats pulled in. Had a total of 4 boats hunting in the same area. Traditions guide service was there. have met him once during last seasons opener. I had the pick of the area since we hustled out. We hunted a “pass shooting spot” and gave up my favorite productive spot to the rest of the crowd. Just trying out other spots and learning the area and birds more. By the sounds of it everybody had great gunning. We shot 3 nice mature drake ediers and on hen eider. Two of which “sunk” shortly after splash down and never resurfaced. The shooting was quick and accuracy was bad by myself and super horrible by my friend. Saw one black duck. The oldsquaws made a late apperance. Also had black, surf and white winged scoters come through. My dog has perfected his decoy retreiving skills which I hope to un-perfect. I think that on long birds he looses sight and then turns to the next best thing, my decoys. My Cabelas Northern Flight dog ladder was put to the test and worked well, except for the knob that fell off in the drink. It is bulky but if you take it apart (about 2 min) it can be stowed and takes up less space. The wind was SE most of the morning with a 1′ chop and then switched W about 0930 and blew every bit of 20 kts. NWS wasn’t to accurate. Headed in about 1030. Was a good day overall. Mostly singles and pairs gave us shots and very few birds came to land in the decoys. I had 4 layers of clothing on my upper body and 3 on my legs and still was chilled. Even my feet which had 2 pair of Smart wools and 1,000 gram thinsulate Ranger rubber boots were cold. Dress warm and birng plenty of spare warm gloves!

Later

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-10 18:18]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

North Atlantic 12-05-2006 16:07
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Great day over my way today Andrew! We hammered them. Fast and furious gunning. We took a triple on Old squaws and 2 doubles on eiders. Shot a Black scoter that skipped once at least 4′ up and at least 40 feet long. He never even twitched. Classic sea duckin. My dog finally looks tired first time this year. Thank god for the good weather. The cold did bring in a ton more birds and if this cold keeps up they will move inside more. I saw trains of eiders numbering in the hundreds if not more.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine, Ocean 12-05-2006 15:45
– – –
This am was a cold one. I hunted with WF.com member, Teal Tumbler from NY. It was overcast with 10-15 kt NW. Low tide at 0420. We were all set just after 6. There was a little chop on the water with a slight swell. The wind died down around 10 and was flat calm and sunny. There were some nice drake ediers buzzing around at legal time (but we didn’t shoot at any today). Mostly singles and pair. Had pairs of hen eiders and scoters coming into the decoys. The Oldsquaw was the primary duck today. They have teased me this year but today they gave us some fast shooting. My shooting was way off today and there should have been more ducks in the boat. Shot 2 nice drakes with long sprigs. unfortunately the one I shot was not recovered along with a white winged scoter. Not a lot of eiders around. After this cold wheather I had expected some fresh birds? Slow! Overall we saw good numbers of oldsquaw, black scoter, white winged scoter and very few eiders. There were around 6 big flocks of high flying canadas heading South. Had a great time today. Hope to be out Saturday. Should have some nice pics posted soon. I forgot my camera but Teal Tumbler had his.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-12-05 15:46]

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

biddeford 11-30-2006 20:00
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
We had a great day last Saturday. The new diver spread seems to be working well. We had lots of Buffleheads, mergansers and some scoters work the rig. Three mallard rounded out the day. There was a few flocks of geese in the area but they had a different destination on thier minds. I’m looking forward for some real winter weather coming in to start moving the birds down to the coast.
I hunted the two previous days in the Saco area. There were plenty of mallard and geese in the air. We shot a limit of mallards and some bonus geese. I was very disapointed to have another hunter in the area 1. shoot 10 minutes early and 2. shoot from a no discharge zone. Actions like that will close an area to hunting very quickly especially in tight urban areas.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Edgecomb 11-30-2006 12:38
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Hunted this morning for puddlers bofore work. I arrived a bit later than I would have liked There was one other hunter on the other side of the road hunting the marsh off the river. I set up 4 mallard dekes. Before I was set up a coulpe of low flying ganzers flew by. I sat at this one spot until a bit past 7 and then decided to try and jump shoot. Shortly after getting in tht yak There were some shots in back of me that put some mallards in the air. Took one shot and missed. After that I headed back to the launch and headed to work. Hope to get out Tuesday for some sea duck action. Hope this wheather pushes some fresh birds our way. Will see!

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Ocean 11-27-2006 13:41
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
It was blowing pretty good in the early hours then lighten up around 10. Quite a few more eiders around then on Thursday and previous hunts. Seems the eiders are finally coming down from the maritimes. Lots of WW scoters around this year also. The sprigs on the oldsquaws are really getting some good length. Thursday there was a distress vessel being directed by the Coast Guard. I could hear the station at Boothbay but not the vessel on the radio. Hopefully all turned out Okay.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

11-26-2006 14:07
– – –
Nothing to report on since last report. Have had inlaws up since Thursday and this coming week is out. I may try and get a puddle hunt in before work.. mid cost. Looks like I will be getting my smoke pole stamp. Haven’t tried real hard for dear this year. Chasing ducks has been more exciting. Teal Tumbler and I have a sea duck shoot coming up in December, just hope the wheather holds out for us. Hope everybody had a good turkey day and ate till it hurt!

Later

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

North Atlantic 11-21-2006 14:20
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Slow gunning today as well Andrew. 1030 before drake limits where met. Love the dog story. Seems like it 4 to 1 ratio hens to drakes this year. Hopefully the cold will bring in more birds. Saw a flock of teal this morning they just wouldnt come in to the eider tollers. Tons of black duck also I guess the black decoys will go back in the boat for Thursday.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 11-20-2006 22:39
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted this afternoon with a friend of mine and my lab Murphy. The tide had just turned and the winds were light at less than 10 kts NW. Mostly clear with light clouds. Seas were calm with a slight roll. The current was the strongest I have seen it at this one spot probably due to all the run off. My decoy strings were dragging quite fast and had to be reset several times before the tide slacked off a bit. I use 20″ sash weights that go about 5lbs or so. My friend was doing the shooting while I was keeping the dog under control. It came time for me to pick up the gun due to some bad shooting. I droped a drake eider and released the dog. He was coaxed to the bird with some thrown rocks and locked onto it. The bird was about 50 yards from the boat. He was 5′ from the bird and it twitched a leg causing my dog to put the brakes on and swim towards a decoy string. He picked up a decoy and swam over 2 more before coming back to the boat and swiming around the anchor line with the snarl of dekes. We all had a laugh. After all was reset he retrived his 2nd and 3rd birds with no problem. They were blinds which I lined him up on and were coaxed to by thrown rocks. The 3rd bird was a drake hooded merganzer which I have never seen out on the ocean before. Ended the day with 4 birds…1 eider, 2 scoters and 1 hooded merganzer. Was not the best day but was a good day for the dog. Saw smaller #’s of eiders and scoters along with squas. We shot small flocks mostly singles and pairs. The birds just were not inshore. There was another hunter on his way in (from MA) from offshore and he reported slow gunning also.

All for now

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Southern maine 11-20-2006 08:13
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
Took a regular duck trip first thing this morning. Buffies and goldeneyes. I was back home at 815 am. 3 buffs 2 whistlers 1 mergie quite fun just me and the dog on foot jumpshooting and pass shooting a local spot. Larry I sent you a pm. Back to eiders tommorrow.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Larry-Gausch
Field Editor

Berks County not Maine 11-19-2006 17:31
– – –
Any of you guys possibly up to taking some Pa. boys out for eiders this season? I would be willing to make the drive and would look forward to having some of you guys down our way for longnecks. “g”

Posted By:
Larry-Gausch
Field Editor

Berks County not Maine 11-19-2006 16:07
– – –
Any of you guys possibly up to taking some Pa. boys out for eiders this season? I would be willing to make the drive and would look forward to having some of you guys down our way for longnecks. “g”

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Midcoast 11-16-2006 10:26
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted new ground yesterday with a coworker about mid morning. Have worked in this area for about 3 years now and haven’t hunted or fished it yet from my boat so I finally gave it a try. Tired a couple of spots. Despite the forecast I was able to get out farther than I thought. Hunted an island and a large ledge. Had a low tide about 1230. Winds and seas picked up towords the end of the day. We shot at some ducks! The newbie I had in the boat just had a hard time letting them come in. Ended up losing one anchor to the bottom gods. Saw lots of squaw, black and surf scoters and eiders. Wasn’t enough lobster boats to keep them moving and due to the low tide the birds found other places to feed and stayed there.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-11-16 15:53]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Coast 11-13-2006 06:08
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Went Saturday very frustrating to see as many cripples as I did swimming around near shore. Someone is taking long shots and crippling alot of birds. Second trip in a that particular area that I have seen an overload of cripples. I get out away from shore and shoot ducks outside. It was slow but we got limits by 1030 one hen scoter got dropped. Another group showed up around 8 after the wind settled down and set up right around the point from us. Ignorant. Steel rain for awhile there. It is definatly slower than last year but is an average year. I am told by my cohorts that Bar Harbor area is very poor gunning this year, I also have been told by Maines biologist that Searsport area is very slow as well. I think December is going to pick up as we are still gunning local birds. The Canadian eiders just are not here yet, nor are the birds from even further north. Hoping for an arctic blast and setting up near shore this afternoon to try and clean up those cripples.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Saco 11-06-2006 18:05
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 40-45 Degrees
Had a great day of seaducking. 2 limits by 0830. Had a friend with his male lab Wiley who had not hunted out of a boat before and had not been hunting in two years do to his owners work schedule. He retrieved all but 4 birds. I personally was shooting only drakes today to try and make for a longer hunt. My shotgun had a malfunction during the first volly. As I found out later the magezine tube spring had commpressed and jamed when I loaded my 2 shells in and was causing my empty hull in the chamber to not fully eject and the new shell to jam in the feed well. Very frustrating! Also my GPS antenna is fried. I did see a lot of smaller (8 or so) flocks of squaw, common, white wing, and just a few surf scoters. For some reason there seem to be more scoter hens this year than I can remember. It must be from shooting all the drakes! Just kidding, FLG! Out of a flock of say 20 or so scoters there may be 2 drakes. All in all it was a great day…flat calm seas, SW wind overcast with a few sprinkles. Had a few tangles with the spread and had to move the anchors around when the tide changed.

Later

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

coast of Maine 11-06-2006 15:17
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
5-10 knot se wind today with 2-4 seas. Bumpy shooting as the 4 swells had 18″ waves crossing them quartering. Lots of White wing scoters around and the eiders are trading good. Saturday was nice but we hunted a sweet spot for bad weather mainly to check the bird locations, and the old squaw where coming in in flights of 30 birds and more. Good gunning so far and just the one juvenile scoter taken so far all others are adult drakes. It takes a couple hours longer to shoot only bull eiders and squaws but is worth it.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

North Yarmouth 11-05-2006 07:06
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Went deer hunting in North Yarmouth again from sunup to sundown. Was hunting with 3 others. Saw zero deer between all of us which is odd for this area. Two others in the group shot 3 yotes. Had one pop out in front of me but did not shoot. Beware of deer ticks. I pulled them off me all day. Be carefull and do a tick check at the end of each day.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Saco 11-03-2006 17:57
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted out of Saco this afternoon. Met up with a friend about 2ish. We had two limits in about 45 min. Lots of mature eiders and very few drake scoters. We did see a couple surf scoters, white winged and common scoters. Lots of scoter hens. No old squaw! The wind was NE @ 10 kts and then picked up close to 15+. Had a low tide about 1447 or so. Lots of birds!!! Action was fast and furious. No jewlery. Hope to get out there sooner than later.

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Southern Maine 11-03-2006 14:39
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Went eidering today, Still a ton of Juveniles here. It took from legal gunning until 10 am but I managed 5 drakes zero hens and zero juveniles. I let skunkheads, black scoters go on through. I managed one white wing adult but not prime. Only saw 2 gigglers and missed! Glad to have the missing out of the way. I would say the seaduck gunning is going now just take your time and shoot mature drakes unless collecting or if you see jewlery under mama eider. Still have 2 Saturdays open in December any takers out there give a call.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Central Maine 10-30-2006 15:52
Cloudy, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
Great duck weather on Saturday. Teal where flying like crazy, mallards, blacks and woodduck where decoying good. Quite a few flocks of scaup doing the worm across the lake. Nailed a banded goose around 10 am. Then flushed a raft of skunkheads on the boat ride in to camp.
Went out today extremly high water birds just had to many options and where not in the usual spots. I managed a pair of ringnecks and was pouring coffe heads down when a flight of blacks decoyed. On to seaducking!

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern ME 10-30-2006 10:27
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Hunted the opener (resident only) of firearms in North Yarmouth. The rain started around 0515 followed by the wind. Ended the day at 1000. Didn’t see zip. My brotherinlaw jumped a deer on the way to his stand. Among the 8 people I was hunting with, no one saw anything. Hope to get out for some sea ducks later this week. I’d like to know what kind of wind and seas Saco Bay was having on Saturday.

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

saco bay 10-29-2006 17:29
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Hunted Saturday morning. Very high winds and driving rain. Saw the first large flocks of eiders. There was several flocks of white winged and surf scoters. I also saw several flocks of Old Squaw. There was two flocks of mixed mallards and blacks of about 60 birds each. The birds were moving alot trying to find some calm water. When the wind dies down later this week the gunning should improve.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Merrymeeting Bay 10-25-2006 19:02
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Hunted Merrymeeting Bay yesterday afternoon. Needed a good tide to get to my not so secret spot. There were fresh footprints and hulls on the ground so I am guessing someone had some luck earlier on. I only saw one other boat close by and heard several shots down near Chops Point. Only saw one duck fly as I picked up the dekes. Did some scouting to the south and saw a handfull of ducks. Last year this time there were many more ducks. Hope to get up there again for the second season when it’s colder.

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Central Maine 10-16-2006 16:09
Cloudy, Heavy Fog – 45-50 Degrees
Man was it foggy Saturday morning. It took 1 hour to go 6 miles and get setup. It stayed foggy until 1030 then it lifted like a curtain going up. Had a flock of honkers go over a legal shooting time. They where barking their heads off. Right over us but we couldnt see them and they didnt come back around to our calls. Got a couple of mallards. Went out today and got 2 wood duck.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

scarborough 10-15-2006 14:45
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Hunted in Scarborough Marsh yesterday. There were quite a few birds in the marsh before first light. We had mallards and teal in the decoys before first light but as legal time drew closer more and more birds began moving out of the marsh. The birds in the decoys decided to join their feathered brethren and head out as well.
We had some blacks decoy but our shooting was way off and all that flew in… flew out.

There were a few other hunters in the marsh and back at the ramp I spoke with several who were outside eider hunting. I did hear a lot of shooting after first light coming from the ocean. This group said that they had shot at a few birds but only downed one bird.
We took a ride around the marsh after our hunt and saw three teal and several blacks.

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

Bar Harbor 10-15-2006 14:17
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 60-65 Degrees
Hunted Bar Harbor for Eiders. It was an incoming tide. Eiders were flying in smaller groups. The largest flock that came in was about twenty birds but most were much smaller. The birds were not flying steadily. I thought due to the lack of wind that the gunning would be slow. It was but it was also steady. Before I knew it we had three limits of eiders. We saw several small flocks of white wing scoters but no oldsquaw. There were larger flocks seen outside but they are slowy moving inside.

I hunted with Bill Pigeon of Eiders Down guide service. He has a first class operation and I highly recommend him.

[Edited By paul-reynolds on 2006-10-15 14:29]

Posted By:
paul-reynolds
Guest

Waterboro, Maine 10-15-2006 14:06
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Opening day there were few wood ducks in the area but after first light there were not many birds moving. We took a few woodies though. I saw a few flocks of mallards and blacks.
There has been a fair number of birds on the Saco river with some blue wing teal in the area. With this front moving through I expect that they will be moving out soon.

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

South and central Maine 10-13-2006 12:51
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
I have not been on much since before the moose hunt. 850 lbs 18 point bull. Yes my wife shot it. I missed 2 days ducking so far. 2 more than I wanted and 3 to many. It is definatly slower this year puddle ducking. Wood duck, teal, blacks, mallards in the bag. Divers in the bag are blackheads and bluebills. Took a scotch double on black head last week young drake for a target and his sister fell as well. Havent nailed any mergies yet and have been passing on the coot. Had some whistlers rafted on open water yesterday on the way back to the ramp. Still to early in the year for good sea ducking. I have been checking some spots someone is gunning them, saw some floaters in the area, mostly brown birds flying now and shooting hen seaducks is not neccessary. Drakes are around but not that great plummage quite yet. Couple of more weeks and that will get going good. It looks like a bluebird day for tommorrow so all will be out and looking forward to next week.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
3baydogs
Guest

10-10-2006 18:10
– – –
Keep the field reports coming Andrew.. I check for your reports everyday of the season…

I’ll be in Maine from the 4th. of Nov. Till About the 12th. or so….I’ll be talking to you again.. Thanks for Help Andy..

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Casco Bay 10-10-2006 10:11
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Hunted the Northeast corner of Casoco Bay this AM. First hunt out of the Royal river so I looked at a chart and went with a small island about 3+ miles from the ramp. Had a Low tide at 0742, 5+ kt NE wind, clear. Legal time was 0624. Was set up just after legal time and saw no birds flying. My hopes were down until I shot a double on eiders, ,then a single eider and then 2 scoters. All hens! I only had one mature drake eider come by but was well out of range. Picked up the dekes about 0830 and started scouting out new places. On the way back to the ramp I jumped small groups of drake surf scoters in the open water and some commom scoters as well. Was a good day over all. Found some new hunting spots that produced. Good day over all. My lab Murphy attempted his second retrieve on the 2 eiders but ended up grabbing one of my oldsquaw dekes along with the rest of the main line. need to work on blinds.

Later.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Saco & Scarbourgh 10-09-2006 12:17
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
Hunted out of Saco last Friday for sea ducks. The wind was 10-15 NE with 2-4’s. Temp was in the 40’s then warmed up to 60’s or so. The tide was low @ 0428. I set up between 2 islands and had very few birds work (Surf Scoters & Eiders). They were not flying as good as I have seen them. Mostly when a lobster boat came out of the river. The eiders came in mostly pairs and singles and I did see my first flock of surf scoters for this area. The boat did have a camo netting draped over the exposed side and stuck up 20″ above the rail but could have used some more since quite a few birds spooked when they started working closer. The wind and incoming tide also made it tough positioning the boat. I was also alone which made it even tougher. Had the dog with me for his first sea duck hunt, lets just say he staued in teh boat the whole morning.

This past Saturday I hunted out of pine point with my bro inlaw and the dog. Set up between 2 islands and saw some eiders, white wing scoters and black ducks work. It was a bit swelly and windy where we were as the wind had picked up, so we picked up and moved to the lee of an island and set a few strings out. Ended the day with 0 due to bad shooting and a restless dog. There was also a frost that morning. The colder wheather should help keep the birds on the move. Will put some finishing touches on the boat blind and hopefully flare less birds.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 10-04-2006 13:42
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
Well the opening day for pudlers was a flop. The spot I went to had a wire rope across the road. I did have permission to hunt this small 5 acre pond via a private road but did not want to overstep my boundarys as the road has always been open. So I went with plan B wich was an acsess to the same pond through a development. Well lets just say I would have been walking through somones yard were the road once was. Plan C worked well despite the fact that there were 2 tucks parked along the river bank. I put the kayak in the water, loaded up my gear and went up river. I found one hunter set up and asked if there was anybody else ahead of him. He said there was so I set up between both of them as light was approaching and I didn’t want to ruin opening morning for them. First light came and woodies were flying mostly up river. The other hunters shot some ducks. I didn’t even pull the trigger once. All out of range and high tailing it. There were 3 turkeys roosted on some dead pines located on a small island. If the the marine forcast cooperates I will try and get out for sea ducks tomarrow or saturday. The boat is all loaded up and ready to go.

Good luck!

Also I am looking for 1-2 people to go after sea ducks this week and weekend wheather permitting. I usually hunt out of Saco River and this year will be hunting out of the Royal river to. Give me a call…207-829-4047.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-10-04 13:45]

Posted By:
gearhead
Guest

Headed your way 09-29-2006 07:44
– – –
Headed to Maine sat. morning.Back home for 2 weeks.Probably get there sun. afternoon late. I have the wife and boy with me but the boat and mud motor on the back. Last year we shot some black ducks on the coast and some teal inland close to my hometown.My cousin and his friend and I are headed upcountry to partidge hunt for 3 days.We are staying in his camper.Probably freeze me out.I have a few days when I dont have anyone to hunt with.I dont like to hunt alone in the boat but I will. If anyone in central maine wants to hunt for a day give me a call.I have a 15ft boat and mud motor and all my decoys and gear.Might be able to work out something. My cell no is 270-871-2474.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mid-coast 09-24-2006 15:26
Cloudy, Heavy Fog – 60-65 Degrees
Took a ride from Boothbay up to Cox Head (outside route) saw up to 1000 eiders around Cuckolds Light! Seas were 4-5 with heavy fog, vis was 50-150 yards. Came back to Booth Bay via the inside route. Not to many people out but a few striper fisherman. Not to much longer until opening day. Still need to go through everything. Can’t believe summer is over! Oh well. Good luck to all this upcoming season. Be safe on the water i.e. File a float plan with someone, wear your PFD and engine kill switch. Check the wheather often. Why do I say this. Because this year I know of a man who was approaching the baot ramp, hit a log and was ejected from his boat and got sliced up when the boat came back around over him. He lost his right arm. Also the Jeanie B out of Booth Bay. 78 year old man who’s body is still missing. With the amount of boats that were searching for him that day I am sure he would have been located if he was wearing a PFD. Granted, the wheather for both of these tragic events was very calm anything can happen at anytime to anybody!

Good luck and be safe!

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-09-24 15:27]

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mass to Mid-coast 09-18-2006 11:57
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
This past Friday and Saturday I delivered a boat to Boothbay from Glouster. Left Glouster @ 0400 Sat am & proceeded North about 20 miles offshore. It was a beautifull day with zero wind and a nice lazy swell. I did see several center consoles shark fishing. Water temp was 60-62.5 F. We left Firhaven on Friday and the wheather was rather wet and dreary. Saw several minki whales and humpbacks. Didn’t see any tuna jump. Lots of porpoise! It isn’t over yet.

Andrew White
VFE Maine.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Damariscove Island/Bantam Rock 09-04-2006 17:55
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
Took a cruise this afternoon around Damariscove Island, Bantam Rock, and Pumkin Island. Saw 3 large rafts of eiders. Also noticed a large school of mackerell on the surface. Nothing appeared to be busting them. Soon! We are getting a light rain up here in Boothbay at the present time.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Casco Bay 09-04-2006 09:13
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
Fished out of the Royal river last Tuesday. It sure felt like fall! I hit some new spots with Storm Chartuse 3″ shads and bait and my last productive spot off Bates Island. No Stripers were caught! I was fishing a slack low tide which is not my favorite. I did have a school of tinkers swarm my chum bag, only managed to catch 2. They were very skididsh. Also caught a 10″ mack on a chunk of mack which was put out for stripers, that was a first. While tooling around I saw many smaller rafts of eiders, mostly hens and imature drakes. Not to long before the season opens up. Need to start clearing the boat of all fishing gear. The early honker season kicks off tomarrow. Will be heading up just North of Rangely for some camping this Thursday. I did spot a flock of geese coming from there roost to a local private field in Edgecomb. Not sure where they are roosting.

All for now.

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Sequin 08-30-2006 13:42
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
I had a charter on the lower Kennebec on Tuesday. Things are slowing down for sure. Only 3 fish on a 4 hour charter. They were happy thou. Tons of blackduck on the river now. Those fish where all caught in the salt not even a strike in the brakish water. Plenty of eiders around no geese that day thou. The regs for the state came out on monday. 10-02-06 is the opener for all ducks. We have the six bird limit this year but the bonus 2 teal is gone. The state is trying to promot taking more mallards. Still 1 blackduck 1 can 1 sprig 2 woodduck 2 hoodies 2 scaup . 5 additional merganser in the bag makes for an 11 duck day inland with an 18 duck day in the sea duck zone possible.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Mid Coast 08-27-2006 19:36
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 60-65 Degrees
I saw my first huge raft of eiders off the Damariscota river, maybe 500 birds. Have also been seeing resident honkers on my way to work in Edgecomb. Expanded archery opens the 9th (?). IF&W has not put out dates yet, not till September. Neither has the Feds. Will have to haul all my gear out and start going through it all soon. Can’t wait. I hate to see the fishing come to and end. Kind of feels likt it never really kicked off. As for sea ducks I hope to hunt new area this year.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Casco Bay 08-25-2006 20:36
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 50-60 Degrees
Took my neighbor and good freind from school out on Wednesday for some striper fishing, leaving from the Royal River. Had a little rain on the way to the boat ramp but had none once we got to the ramp. We headed out to Eagle Island to look for some mackerel. As we drifted and jigged we saw 2-3 minki whales (or what I thought to be minkis). After about an hour of getting no bait we went up to Bates Island and anchored up. After trowing over the chum bag and tossing some tasty mackerel chunks in the area I toosed 3 chunk baits in on balloons and then handed to casting rods to my comrads. The action was almost instantanious. We had shoolies on jigs and bait. The biggest for the day was 29.5″. My biggest for the year and for the boat. Total of 6 fish landed and one lost at the boat. I would like to thank Storms 3″ rubber “Bunker” jigs and chartuse curly tail jigs for our good fortune. The mackerel I used was caught about a month ago which I brined, vacuum packed and froze. It thawed out nicley and didn’t turn into mush. We only had a limited amount of time to fish but the day turned out great. One problem that I have run into with fishing this area is the weed. Makes trolling harder if not impossible and can move into an area rather quickly and just make things miserable.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-08-27 12:29]

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-08-27 19:25]

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Tantas Ledge 08-21-2006 12:57
Cloudy, High Winds – Over 70 Degrees
Took a trip offshore in my brotherinlaw’s Aquasport early sat AM. Went to Tantas ledge 17 NM out from Pine Point. Seas were 3′-4′ (forecasted)but more like 5′-6′, spaced just right for a wet ride out wind was 10-15 SW and picked up to 25 steady by afternoon. The seas calmed down also towards noon. Vis was great, could see land! (Portland). We were targetting Haddock, Cod and Sharks. We drifted for the day catching 3 Dogfish. The drift was fast despite having a bucket and drift sock out. We kept a shark rod out at all times and kept a good slick going. Caught one Blue Shark that was between 6-7′. I think we hooked the shark over Pollock Hub. Mackerell was the choice shark bait for the day. Also used jigs and bait for ground fish with no luck. Was a good day overall. Hope to get out next week.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-08-21 20:32]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Scouted Puddlers in Aroostook and Penobscot 08-20-2006 16:50
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – Over 70 Degrees
Got some serios scouting in this weekend. Local Canada geese are numerous should be a fun trip to Aroostook next month. I scouted a couple of teal holes in Penobscot county. Saw plenty of summer ducks a few mallards occasional blackduck and several teal. Looking good for the first week in October. Hopefully there will be a few bluewing still around. I still need a prime drake bluewing. I probably will need to travel to get him thou..

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Sequin 08-08-2006 16:16
– – –
I had a slow day today. Fished the mouth of the Kennebec, out to Sequin all around wood, pond, fox islands. Only caught 6 schoolies. 2 on the beach in the surf, 4 in the seafoam on the islands. More importantly I saw tons of eiders. Older drakes are starting in on their winter plummage. They still have a long way to go yet.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

OFFSHORE 08-07-2006 09:25
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Went about 6 miles offshore from the Royal river (was a mile West of the East Cod Ledge bouy) to try for sharks and maybe a tuna. Seas were about 2′ with a 5-10 kt NW. I saw and caught ZIPO. Not even a dogfish. I monitored the radio and found out that farther offshore (Jefferies and Stellwagon Bank) it was a slow day all around with one tuna hooked and several other tuna bites. I had 2 boats go by, suspecting they were going to Tanta’s. I had a water dept of 150′ +- with 67.5 F for a sea surface temp. This was the first offshore trip in my own boat and fourth overall but was a nice day for it. On my way in as I was passing Halfway Rock Light I trolled 2 orange big macks and a large mackerell Rapala with no takers. Once inside the islands the wind picked up to 10-15 with a 3-4′ chop. tried chunking next to some ledges and had no luck there. Ended up going in early. Other fisherman on the radio were having a hard time getting a bite form anything. This area is a new one for me this year so it is all a learning experiance, all in an effort not to spend gobs of my $ on gas going to my farther usual, familiar spots.

Tight lines.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-08-07 09:33]

Posted By:
flylineguide
Guest

Kennebec River 08-03-2006 12:24
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – Over 70 Degrees
Had a early morning charter today. We hit the outgoing tide and the low pressure system was right on time with the tide change. We used Atoms, sluggos, bigeye chug bugson open face reels. 27 fish the shortest was 15″ largest was 25″. After I dropped the party off I went back out for me and nailed 4 fish on the 8 weight using super sinking line and an herring pattern. One was 22″ (lunch) the others where all 20″. Not a bad 4 hour charter and 1 1/2 hour relaxing trip for me. I even got home and picked up before this rain started.

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a waste of motion. Action with vision can change the world! www.flylineguide.com flylineguide@outdrs.net

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Royal River 07-29-2006 19:33
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Launched my boat in the Royal River again but this time I went all the way out into the ocean and did a little exploring. The seas were choppy and there was a good swell coming in. Tried to troll for blufish and mackerell but there was to much weed in the water. I did manage to find the mackerell out by West Brown Cow Island and put about 40 tinkers in the livewell. Only caught about 5 clubs. After loading up I fished a bit more inshore and live lined 2 macks on a bridel rig (wich works great and you can chuck them a mile without the hook ripping through) and managed to hook a blufish until it cut me off. My next move was to the Cousins Island Bridge. I figured it would be a long shot due to a water temp of 70 F but I thought i’d give it a shot. No takers. The water temp out by W Brown Cow was in the mid 60’s. Hope to get out next week when the cooler temps roll in.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Royal river 07-19-2006 16:34
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Took my boat to the Royal River public launch yesterday about 0630. Fished around Cousins Island along a sand flat. The tide was ebbing and there was a very light 5 kt wind or so. Didn’t see any stripers busting bait on the surface. While jigging a 4″ Berkley shad I managed to hook a herring in the lips which quickly wnet onto the bait runner with a balloon which produced a 16″ schoolie. I had my neighbor with me. He had plenty of schoolies swim right up to the boat following his lure and managed to hook one, but the hook pulled. Didn’t have to much time to fish, the wife wanted to go to Sabego for a swim in the nice 83 degree water. Talked to a local fisherman at the boat ramp. He mentioned catching mackerel right by the marinas at the head of the river, other than that he said it had been hit or miss with a few big macks. Hope to get out this weekend.

Tight lines

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Sebago Lake 07-13-2006 10:15
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – Over 70 Degrees
Took my wife and lab Murphy out on Sebago yesterday before the rain rolled in. The surface water temp was 79 F. I noticed lots of fish stacked up on the “lee” side of shallow humps. I did not fish, instead I swam and trained the pooch to retrieve out of my bigger boat. He acts crazy around the water and on the boat. After a while he calms down and takes a nap. Had to keep him leashed on the boat or else he was jumping over. Will be putting in my VHF and AM/FM/CD player this weekend at work and hope to fish somewhere in the mid coast area.

Tight lines

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern to Midcoast 07-10-2006 20:21
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Well I haven’t been out in my boat for stripers since my last report but based on reports I have read and heard it is still hit or miss on the mackerel. Some bigger stripers have been caught up to 40″ off the Kennebeck and Saco rivers. Water temps are in the 60’s for the most part. Small “snapper blues” have been caught which could explain the shyness of the macks. I have been catching squid in Boothbay under a dock light at and around midnight. Have also caught some shoolie stripers in the harbor and seen some slot fish following my lures. Hope to get off shore soon as I have a fixed VHF radio now. Just need some nice wheather when I am not working. All for now. Hope to get out Wed and Thur. Tight lines.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Scarbourgh River, Pine Point 06-26-2006 15:52
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – Over 70 Degrees
Fished the later part of Sunday with some family on the Scarbourgh River/Pine Point. We had the boat in the water by 1245 and fished some red and pink tube lures with a blood worm flavored snythetic bait. No luck. Spent a bit of time trying to catch some mackerel for the live well. Managed to pick 2 up, real close to the rocks and that was it for the day. We anchored up on the ocean side of the rather large and poorly marked sand bar and caught a 20.25″ on chunk mackerel in 4′ of water. Lastly we moved up just below the dayboard and oposite the jetty and pulled in another on a chunk of mack, 25″ long. Had one rod rigged with a slip egg sinker and had one hit. The crabs ate most of our bait. Also saw lots os 3-4′ steurgon junmping clear out of the water. I have noticed this in the Saco, Kennebec and Scarbourgh rivers. Looks like it would be a fun fish to catch if it ever makes it to game fish status. The wheather was very overcast with no rain, temps in upper 70’s with a 5 kt NE wind that picked up to 10+ kts towards evening. Hope to get out again Wed or Thursday if it is not raining to bad.

[Edited By Andrew-White on 2006-06-26 22:46]

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Royal River 06-20-2006 08:12
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Fished the Royal river out of the North Yarmouth public launch. It costs $5 per launch and they will credit you what has been spent this season towards a season pass which costs $50. This was my first time on the Royal. Figured I’d try new water and save on gas money by fishing closer to home. The tide was ebbing with a slight SW wind. I found a large sand flat that had schoolies boiling at the surface chasing silversides. Managed to catch some on a popper and a few on the fly. I headed back around 10 or so once the sun started baking me. I fished as many grass banks as I came across with no luck. Ended the day with 7 schoolies. The water temp was 64 f.

Posted By:
Andrew-White
Field Editor

Southern Maine 06-18-2006 18:57
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – Over 70 Degrees
Fished the Mighty Saco yesterday. Launched at 0500. Fished top water and rubber shads on my way down the river along the grassy edges and landed a few shoolies. At 0600 or so I headed out of the mouth and trolled for mackerell for 2 hours. Headed back in with four macks in the livewell, they were on the large side. I live lined and chunked. Managed to take a 24.5″ striper and a schoolie on chunks. In all about 6 stripers were put in the boat with about half lost at the side. The mackerell were very sparse. This may be due to bluefish, which I heard were around! The sea water temp was 61 and the river temp was 66. The fishing slowed down around 10 when the sun started baking my brains out. I did mark lots of fish stacked up in the deeper holes in the river. Hope to go tomarrow.