I'n confused. Stripers show up in the warmer rivers of Maine before they appear on the beaches. Don't they have to go through the colder waters near the beaches in order to reach these rivers? The rats will be showing up any day now in the Kennebunk River which is 30 miles north of me. It's only logical that they have to pass me to get there, but I can't catch fish until they start coming out of the rivers. This makes no sense. Can someone clarify this for me? Thanks.

Most places tend to kick off where a salt pond or river meets the bays. It hits several of these similar places within a week. Example, one of the early schoolie spots in the Quincy area is Black's Creek at the end of Wollaston Beach. But it is at the mouth of this creek to Quincy Bay that you find the Fish. That seems to be where the strongest concentration of bait is located. The water emptying into the bay is warmer as well.

Now my time fishing the Saco River, Camp Ellis, Maine has the best early action happening also at the mouth of the river, usually inside the jetty to the dock. The marsh area just up river is good as well but we don't head way up river to get them.

MartyK, are there any small rivers or salt ponds that empty out near you tat you can access??? My most deadly Maine schoolie taker is a small unpainted 1/2 oz bullet headed white bucktail jig. This was incredible every year when the brighties come in....


Hope to see you up there this year... I'll also let you know when we get some around here...

HI MARTY,
Thease could also be hold overs, or I hope this is not too radical of a thought for some folks these may come from "NOVA SCOTIA" or even above that.

Marty,
I hade another thought that is a possible anser to your question, after I went off line last knight.
Thease fish could be our own bred fish from our own local waters. I dont think even the best minds know what the h--l, (heck) thease fish are doing, I even think its possible for thease fish and larger ones could be here in the cold water. Not just power plant water, after all who is fishing stripers thru the winter up here any way??????