If you're traveling to southern Maine don't miss the chance to go fly fishing for striped bass!
You can see bass popping bait fish as you cross any of the bridges over the Piscataqua River going from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Kittery, Maine. There will probably be stripers blitzing bait fish around any pier you may visit.
Excellent striped bass fly fishing can be had among the sailboats on their moorings in the river and around Kittery Point. But if you want to follow the schools of striped bass as the tides ebb and flow you'd better go with an experienced fly fishing guide that knows the habits of the stripers as well as the contours of the bay and open coastline.
The bigger striped bass are often taken fly fishing off the jagged and rocky shoreline up and down the coast and out towards Isles of Shoals. You had better have a stable and dependable craft when fly fishing that close to the breakers and a skipper that knows what he's doing. Even better if the boat has lots of open space to throw stripped fly line so that it won´t get tangled when it goes ripping back out with a 40-incher charging towards Nova Scotia.
Soft spoken (no brag, just hook-ups) Mark Drummond is your man. Mark, a native of Maine, has been fly fishing for stripers all his life and has been a professional striped bass fly fishing guide for the past 16 years. When not fishing Mark can be found restoring sailboats as he is also an accomplished woodcraftsman.
Contact Mark at Drummond Fly Charters
Phone(207) 337-3214
Email: fishlikemad@myfairpoint.net
Mark will have the appropriate flies or you could stop by Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop on Highway 1 north of York and south of Cape Neddick where Tom or John will get you fixed up with all that is needed for striper, bluefish or trout fishing in Maine. They can also help you book a trip with Mark Drummond. These expert striper fishermen, who are out casting themselves when not at the shop, will also tell you Mark is the best striped bass and bluefish fly fishing guide in southern Maine.
One great thing about fly fishing for stripers in Maine is that there is so much that non-angling members of the family can do while the anglers go for some quick tugs. There are more outlet stores than one could check out in a week if shopping is of interest. There are miles of beaches at different points on the coast and historic Portsmouth is definitely worth a visit. But, as always, the best scenery and experience is out there fishing for the stripers and bluefish.
