Striper Fishing (Striped Bass)

Kennebec River / Midcoast,  Maine

Striper Fishing

Stripers from 24” to 48” long and weighing as much as 30 pounds spend the summer in the waters of the Kennebec River Watershed and surrounding beaches and islands. Striped Bass show up in good numbers usually during late May here in the mid coast area of Maine. The first to arrive are the smaller, younger fish. They show up in vast schools as the water temperature reaches the mid 50’s. These first arrivals are full of spunk and eat everything put in front of them. 12 pound class spinning gear and 6-8 wt. fly rods are the weapons of choice. Lures and flies vary from the smallest juvenile baitfish imitations to full sized offerings that mimic 12” Alewives and Herring.

Mid-July Striped Bass Fly Fishing on Kennebec River

Bill Farland joined me his past week for a few hours of striped bass fly fishing. We ended up catching 14 schoolies between 16" and 24". I love my summer office. Not sure if there's a prettier place this side of heaven. Its so easy to get focused on the fish and what it takes to catch them that I find myself missing the beauty all around me. This video captures some of that beauty. I hope you enjoy watching it.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec River Estuary / Eastern Casco Bay Fishing Report 07/08/2019

Fishing Conditions: Big tides this week has diminished the water clarity and increased the flow. Surface feeds have been less frequent. Type of bait fish are feeding on:... (continued)

We are settling into typical July fishing. Most of
the striped bass have now are staged along structure waiting for bait to come
to them.

Capt. Dave Pecci 07-08-19
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Fly Fishing for Kennebec Striped Bass with Woody and Ben

A combination of breaking fish and casting to structure provided a great morning on the Kennebec. The river was full of small herring which we were able to match very effectively with flies.

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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June Kennebec Striped Bass on Fly Rod

Paul and Mike fly fishing for striped bass. We love foggy mornings!

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec River – Casco Bay Fishing Report June 26, 2018

Conditions: There is a large abundance of bait in the Kennebec. Water temps range from 57* to 68*. Water clarity and water flow are average for late June. We are finding stripers feeding on the surface daily but the action is less predictable than in past weeks. The fish are ranging in size from 14"-30" with a few bigger ones here and there. We are averaging 20 fish per trip right now on fly and spinning gear.
Bait the fish are feeding on: Juvenile Atlantic Herring, Sand eel, Alewife, River Herring, American Eel, Mackerel
Target species right now: Striped Bass

The striped bass are becoming more selective due to the huge abundance of bit in the River.

Capt. Dave Pecci
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Striped Bass fishing June 17, 2918

John Kern and his niece Caroline fishing for striped bass on the lower Kennebec in June

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Striped Bass Videos - Week of July 23, 2017

Another incredible week on the Kennebec River! Pretty much nonstop action every morning on flies and lures. No bate needed. Catching striped bass up to 32" in many spots on the River. Here's three videos from this week:

Bill Farland joined me again on July 25th for a fantastic morning of striped bass fly fishing. We caught over 25 fish and several over 24" the biggest one weighed in at 7 pounds and was 28" long. 

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Fly Fishing for Kennebec River Striped Bass 07-18-17

Great fly fishing action on the Kennebec River is continuing into mid July. Carroll and Adam caught over 30 striped bass during their 6 hour morning charter. We're catching them on both floating and sinking lines. There's more striped bass in the River than we have seen in years. One of the clips in this video shows Carroll Ware from Fins and Furs Adventures catching a 20" schoolie striped bass on a colossal 13" bunker fly! 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec Striped Bass with John Albin

Long time client and friend John Albin making this Orvis fishing guide look good on a less than perfect day of fly fishing. 15mph NE winds, rain and a 3 knot moon  tide river current didn't stop John from catching over 20 striped bass. 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec River – Casco Bay Fishing Report July 10, 2017

Early morning surface action followed by fish stacking up on ledges and in rips. Water quality is good and water flow is increasing due to the big full moon tides.​..   Continued

"We are catching 20-30 fish per trip on flies and lures! Sizes are ranging from 12" to 32" with some fish over 36".​"

Capt. Dave Pecci
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Fred Bogue Catching Kennebec Stripers 07-02-17

Fred Bogue and Doug Bear catching a bucket load of striped bass on the Kennebec River

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Fly Fishing for Kennebec Stripers 07-06-17

John Shanely and Richard Riley enjoying a morning of July striped bass fly fishing 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec River – Casco Bay Fishing Report July 1, 2017

              Jerry and Karl had a fun morning catching 20+ stripers on fly in just 4 hours June 29th.

Conditions: The striped bass fishing is excellent both on fly and spinning gear. Lots of stripers in the River up to 32" with some biguns around. Water clarity is... cont.

"Fly and lure size matters more than color right now..."

07-01-17 Fishing Report - Capt. Dave Pecci
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Mike and Chris Durham Fly fishing for Striped Bass on the Kennebec 06-25-17

Mike and Scott Durham had a great morning on the Kennebec. Over 35 stripers on fly rod in 6 hours. 

Capt. Dave Pecci
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Tom and Naomi Nicoll Kennebec River Striped Bass Fishing

A fun morning of fly and spin fishing for striped bass on the Kennebec river 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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June Striped Bass Fishing on the Kennebec River

30 or so fish caught on this charter June 19th. 

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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Kennebec River – Casco Bay Fishing Report June 20, 2017

The schools of stripers are on the move throughout the lower Kennebec. They are feeding on a variety of baitfish ranging in size from 2" – 6". Success requires... cont.

We are averaging 30 fish per trip right now on fly and spinning gear.

Capt. Dave Pecci 06-20-17 Report
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June Striped Bass Fishing on the Kennebec

​On Fire! 40 Stripers in 5 hours. 

We caught fish ranging from 14" to 30" in 8 different locations this morning..

Capt. Dave Pecci - Obsession Sportfishing
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25 Years!

Kicking off year 25 – To my best estimate I have guided around 6,000 people since 1991. I am truly ... cont

The stripers are here - We're catching fish from 11"-25" with some 36"+ fish just showing up.

Capt. Dave Pecci
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Kennebec River - Casco Bay Fishing Report 05-29-17

Doug Bear from Orvis
The first of the striped bass have arrived in the River. Water temps are a bit ​...

The schoolies are feeding on the surface while the tide is moving.

​5/29 Report - Capt. Dave Pecci
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