20 inch Schoolies this AM

[OTTER]

Got up at 4:30AM this morning. Made my first cast at 5:30 AM. In 20 minutes landed three 20 inch schoolies. My buddy arrived and made his first cast at 6:15 AM; too late.

TIDE CHARTS:
Sunrise at 5:06 AM
Low at 8:19 Low
A plus 0.1 feet low

Weather was calm and partly sunny.

Last night, we talked about meeting at 6:00 AM at the spot. I thought that was a little late so I arrived at 5:15 AM to start casting at 5:30 AM. Why? Because I checked my notes for the past 5 years. Yesterday with the low an hour earlier arriving at 4:30 AM would have been even batter. Tomorrow with a later low probably not worth going. I would not bother to fish here for another week or more.

A few of us share about a dozen favorite spots to hit along the shore between Rye and Kittery. Each spot demands arrival at specific times and seasons and tides and weather. That means there is only a few times per month that it is worth going there. And wind direction for casting is important if the wind is 20 knots. In general, Predawn, dusk, heavy fog or dark rainy days are always preferred for us wade fishermen.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Spot One: TODAY. Fish move out as soon as the sun hits the water. This occurs 40 minutes after sunrise because a modest hill shades the area and delays the sun hitting the water by 40 minutes Which is why today fish moved out at precisely 5:55 AM. At this place you can almost set your watch when the last fish jumps. ( A dark rainy day delays the move.)

Spot Two: Don't bother going until September. Any time of day is OK. Must be there at dead high and just before and after the tide turns; which at this place can be seen clearly to occur in the span of one minute.

Spot Three: Can only reach this area wading at low tide when there is a very negative low; at least minus 1 foot. Best time is either side of dead low. Best time is morning.

Spot Four: This spot is good from June 1st to Sept 30th. With the tide ripping out down the Piscataqua as it nears low tide, a counter clockwise circulation occurs on one side of the river because of structure. In the center of this large whirlpool; fish, birds and bait often concentrate. Great fishing from a boat. Again can only be reached fly casting while wading when there is a negative low tide; at least minus 0.2 feet. The lower the better.

================================================== ========

With the striper fishing off so much the past couple of years, referring to notes or memory, require taking all these factors and others into account is important to me if I wish to have at least a 50/50 chance of catching fish. At least for me, 50/50 is pretty good this year. Five years ago odds of catching fish wading along the shore were about 90% unless I was exploring new territory.

[eturc]

Otter,
Very nice...
As a salt water newby, I didn't realize there was this much of a science to planning the outing against the tides, moon phases, etc... Experience is always best though as you know what works best and when based on patterns.

Thanks for the great insight. It is much appreciated.

[OTTER]

The nights of June 3rd and 4th and 5th, the low tide at Portsmouth Harbor was a plus 1.6'.
On the morning of June 15th, the low tide was a minus 0.9 feet.
That is a difference of 2 and 1/2 feet in only 10 days; or 30 inches.

So as you can see, a place you could comfortably wade on the 15th would be impossible to reach on the 5th. ( Not taking into account wind which not only produces waves but adds to or subtracts from the mean tide posted in the charts.) So the difference could be much greater.

Similarly a spot that held fish (at some structure) at low tide on June 5th would be a sand flat; no water, on June 15th. And yes I have caught schoolies at dead low tide in one of my favorite places in water that barely covered their backs.

For the shore fisherman in the many salt water tribs and coves; this difference in tide is very important.
Check out: http://www.maineboats.com/tide-charts/nh

[eturc]

I went for stripers saturday for the first time on the Mousam River....
I hit there about an hour before the tide went out to about an hour and a half after low tide...
Man did that water come up quick- I almost had to swim in from the sand bar I was standing on at the mouth of the river... LOL

I saw a couple of jumps including a beauty about 15 feet from me, but nothing biting...

I have been doing some research on the subject and I am probably going to try a couple of more times this summer for them. It just sounds like fun...

BTW- Otter- it's nice hearing you getting out- One of the guys I work with just went through 4 rounds of chemo and he still is a hurting puppy after 2 months. It takes guts to do what you are doing knowing what you have been through- I admire the determination...

[mattawamkeag]

Got up at 4:30AM this morning. Made my first cast at 5:30 AM. In 20 minutes landed three 20 inch schoolies. My buddy arrived and made his first cast at 6:15 AM; too late.

TIDE CHARTS:
Sunrise at 5:06 AM
Low at 8:19 Low
A plus 0.1 feet low

Weather was calm and partly sunny.

Last night, we talked about meeting at 6:00 AM at the spot. I thought that was a little late so I arrived at 5:15 AM to start casting at 5:30 AM. Why? Because I checked my notes for the past 5 years. Yesterday with the low an hour earlier arriving at 4:30 AM would have been even batter. Tomorrow with a later low probably not worth going. I would not bother to fish here for another week or more.

A few of us share about a dozen favorite spots to hit along the shore between Rye and Kittery. Each spot demands arrival at specific times and seasons and tides and weather. That means there is only a few times per month that it is worth going there. And wind direction for casting is important if the wind is 20 knots. In general, Predawn, dusk, heavy fog or dark rainy days are always preferred for us wade fishermen.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Spot One: TODAY. Fish move out as soon as the sun hits the water. This occurs 40 minutes after sunrise because a modest hill shades the area and delays the sun hitting the water by 40 minutes Which is why today fish moved out at precisely 5:55 AM. At this place you can almost set your watch when the last fish jumps. ( A dark rainy day delays the move.)

Spot Two: Don't bother going until September. Any time of day is OK. Must be there at dead high and just before and after the tide turns; which at this place can be seen clearly to occur in the span of one minute.

Spot Three: Can only reach this area wading at low tide when there is a very negative low; at least minus 1 foot. Best time is either side of dead low. Best time is morning.

Spot Four: This spot is good from June 1st to Sept 30th. With the tide ripping out down the Piscataqua as it nears low tide, a counter clockwise circulation occurs on one side of the river because of structure. In the center of this large whirlpool; fish, birds and bait often concentrate. Great fishing from a boat. Again can only be reached fly casting while wading when there is a negative low tide; at least minus 0.2 feet. The lower the better.

================================================== ========

With the striper fishing off so much the past couple of years, referring to notes or memory, require taking all these factors and others into account is important to me if I wish to have at least a 50/50 chance of catching fish. At least for me, 50/50 is pretty good this year. Five years ago odds of catching fish wading along the shore were about 90% unless I was exploring new territory.



I don't get to fly fish salt water nearly enough to know what I need to be doing, so your Striper/ tide primer is a great read! Thanks for imparting a little wisdom on us, it's appreciated.