Publication: The Maine Sportsman (September Issue)
Author: Robert Fernald

It’s the end of summer. The oppressive heat and humidity is waning. The sun is lower in the sky and its rays are less intense. But, before we turn our attention to hunting, there is one last hurrah, the fall run of stripers.

The fishing can be sizzling in September; so don’t put your fishing tackle away just yet.

The number of boaters is fewer once Labor Day is over. Generally speaking, we have the waters to ourselves. The fishing is great and it’s easier to get on fish busting bait without other boater’s or fisherman putting the schools down.

In the fall the rivers run clear. The debris typically found in the water in June has flushed out to sea. Late summer rains sweeten the waters and juvenile alewives begin dropping out of the lakes and migrating down the rivers to the sea. Schools of stripers are gathering, preparing for a massed migration south to their wintering grounds. Stripers take advantage of this abundant bait and feed heavily, bulking up before they depart.

Some of these fish began their fall migration in Canadian waters; others are local residents having stayed handy all summer moving from flats and runs to deeper holding waters along the coast of Maine. Many of these resident fish have taken on the colorations of the tidal waters in which they’ve lived and have a golden green hue to their normal silvery appearance.

Aggressive Fish
Fall stripers are plump and healthy, having lounged in the balmy waters during the summer slurping bait like children eat french-fries. In preparation for their migration stripers become aggressive, often chasing fast moving balls of bait. Dropping a lure in their midst produces fast action.

For those fishermen in the know, fall striper season offers one of the best chances for landing a real cow. Tidal rivers, such as those in the mid-coast region and the outer ledges are often full of fish. Targeting flats, structure and flows can produce great results.

This fall fishery differs from June. Stripers are often bunched and in fast moving schools. It’s therefore a good idea to stay flexible. Plan to try a number of spots. If the action is slow, move on. When you start locating fish, you’re in the money!

The fall is also hurricane season. It’s common for seasonal weather patterns to produce a series of storms that sequentially roll up the east coast. It’s these storms that can result some of the best fishing of the season.

Bait Bonanza
A few years back, a hurricane passed some 200 miles off shore to our east. The resulting swells pushed an enormous amount of bait onto the coast of Maine. From Kittery to Rockland, the beaches and coves were thick with bait. A band several yards wide lined the coast. Following the bait onshore were mackerel and stripers, who gorged on the four-inch long, silvery pogies. Stripers were everywhere, slashing into the bait. In the pandemonium, panicked bait skittered across the waters surface trying desperately to escape this feeding frenzy. The chaos was so great, bait literally jumped onto the shore to escape feeding stripers.

During that two-week period, we slammed the stripers. Our flies fell apart from use and the leader became ragged. And it wasn’t just schoolies, the big cows were right there in the mix. At times we’d see pods of 20- to 40-pound stripers prowling the shallows, right in the middle of the day.

I can attest, it was a terrible experience, but humbling too. Ever try to tie on a fly, when big stripers are aggressively smashing the waters all around you and bait is literally jumping across your feet to escape? When action is this hot and the water is exploding, it is hard to think clearly. Your hands shake and just picking a direction to cast can tax your mind.

Stripers in the midst of such feeding frenzies are sometimes so keyed in on the bait they won’t touch anything you throw at them. This can be an incredibly frustrating experience, but the anticipation of the next fish keeps you going. The reality is, you’re fishing over lots of fish, and that next cast might produce a monster that will test your tackle and possibly take you to open ocean.

17 Rivers Tourney
Every year is different. What will this fall yield? Some years the stripers are concentrated in schools and prowling very localized areas. A section of shore or river can be totally devoid of fish, but a half mile away, the waters are exploding. While other years the fish are everywhere. So, local knowledge is a key factor for success.

Local tackle shops represent a great resource for fishermen who can’t be on the water daily. Although these business-fishermen are reluctant to tell you where their honey-hole is, they’re often willing to point you to the general areas where the action is hot and tell you what bait or lures are working.

With striper fishing growing in popularity, the eco-tourism industry is maturing around this sports fishery. As a result, those making their living guiding anglers in the coastal waters of Maine have formed a professional organization, the Maine Association of Charterboat Captains. This organization represents professional saltwater fishing guides who primarily target stripers. They are knowledgeable about the coastal waters of Maine and their tactics yield results. Their often-daily forays, provide experience and intimacy with the waters that is necessary to consistently put their sports onto fish. It’s this type of local knowledge that can be invaluable to fishermen who don’t know the waters and want to catch big fish.

This September, the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament offers fishermen a month-long excuse to explore the mid-coast region and experience this world-class fishery.

If you haven’t fished the Kennebec, Sheepscot or Damariscotta rivers in the fall, this tournament is a reason to plan for some quality time on the water. So, get out while the weathers still nice and catch some great striper action before the snow flies.