They're here....

[BugChucka]

Stripers caught in Hampton Harbor!

[Solid]

ohh man I am so excited to go catch my first striper on my fly rod!

[Blake P]

Ok.. Now they are really here. Ater speaking to a lot of fisherman and somehow I always seem to be around them. Fish were landed all over the Picataqua feeding on Elwyies. From Exeter to South Berwick.
Reports of fish between 30-40 inches and loads of fat liilte ones. :D
For those of you who don't wnow where Behind Joyces Kitchen in Newmarket and behind the public pool in Dover. Both areas are accessable from shore.
Good luck

[BugChucka]

I have a place booked in Southern Maine right now for a little getaway. 4 NIGHTS AND 4 DAYS!!!!!! And we'll definitely be fishing at night...

[BugChucka]

Bad news is the weather is going to stink! That mist and rain paired with 40 degree nights is going to cut through my bones!

[BugChucka]

check out my report to see how we did!

[fessiewig]

Why don't you post the Salt portion here as well.

[BugChucka]

Friday 26 May- Fished with my friend Louis in Southern Maine for Striped Bass in one of the popular coastal rivers. The low temperatures and chilling winds cut through our clothes. The outgoing tide proved to be more productive than the incoming. The stripers were mostly small fish but an occasional larger specimen or two was brought to hand. Productive flies were chartruse or blue clousers or deceivers but these fish were actively feeding and pattern selection wasn’t much of an issue. The fishing at times was very productive. We also fished around 1:00 AM on the incoming tide but failed to hook up. We did manage to catch a buzz however. Both of us used 350 grain sinking/running lines throughout the week.

Saturday 27 May- Fished the same river again throughout the day and night with Louis and my brother. The fishing was awesome. At times we would hookup every cast and the fish we were catching were larger overall than the previous day. A few fish went 25” and one at 27” Once again, we failed to hookup at night but did catch a good buzz. The hours and hours of casting and battling the tides was starting to take its toll on our aching bodies, but we kept at it as did other fishermen we met. I altered my casting stroke a bit and rested the reel seat along my forearm which proved to be very valuable.

Sunday 28 May- We encountered much of the same as the previous days and got into more 25” plus fish and witnessed a few 30 inchers landed also. At this point, everyday the fish were appearing bigger and bigger. After darkness had fallen the three of us were wading out slowly as well as a couple of other fisherman when we heard the sudden scream of an angler…..”Call the coast guard!” People continually yelled back at him and one man did call the coast for help but it was a good 20 seconds before he responded back. He had no light and with the North Atlantic mist and complete darkness, I figured for sure he was a goner. We cautiously made our way toward his direction but his shouts for help were inconsistent and muffled. We reached the point where water began coming into our waders and made contact with him again. The guy was completely frantic and it was obvious that we couldn’t get to where he was. 5 minutes or so of back and forth communication and periods of silence went by. We were left helpless not knowing when he stopped talking whether or not he went under for good. It was as if we were helpless. We established communications, called the coastguard, and positioned ourselves in a position where if he drifted in we could grab him. We all had lights and made ourselves visible but if we attempted to swim out for the guy in the rough 50deg current we’d have been in as much of a predicament if not worse from where we were. Finally we heard a shout and the guy informed us that he washed up on shore. He waded out onto some rocks and the rising tide trapped him (or so he thought), before he lost his footing and the tide started washing him around. He lost all his gear and car keys he explained and was “going to warm up in one of those houses up there!” The guy turned out to be 21 years old and my guess is that he wasn’t familiar with the spot. He almost lost his life and could have caused others to lose theirs as well. Night fishing in the North Atlantic can be very dangerous and unless you’re an old salt, you should always have a buddy at the very least. Most guys equip themselves with inflatable vests and at least a light. I carry a strobe light as well.

Monday 29 May- Fished for a couple hours at this same river with similar success before the downpour. We then headed to Hampton NH and fished there with no success. Reports of a few schoolies here and there didn’t sound to promising so we headed home.

Tuesday 30 May- Headed up in the daylight to fish Southern Maine once again. I decided to throw bigger flies and used a large flashy blue back tied on a 3/0 hook. Landed 8 good sized stripers including a 28 incher in about an hour. The weekend had caught up with me and I could feel the effects of long hours spent wet and in the surf.

Sunday 4 Jun- Fished Plum Island at the river for a while with no luck. Schoolies being landed every half an hour or so but that was about it. Lots of small baitfish observed. Decided to had up to NH and was stuck in traffic from Newburryport to the Hampton 101 junction. No lie, it took us 2 and a half hours, and if I didn’t know any better I’d have guessed I was in hell.