We have some great lodging deals for the anglers coming from out of state. When you book a trip with Coastal Fly Angler You Can add a room at the Applewood Inn B&B for $125/night (and they pack you a lobster roll lunch).

Harraseeket Inn Discount
A member of the Conde Nast Gold List of the top 50 resorts in the United States, the Harraseeket has offered special pricing for anglers fishing with Coastal Fly Angler.

Lodging Package: Applewood Inn B&B
Fish for stripers and bluefish on Casco Bay by day, relax at the charming Applewood Inn B&B in the Freeport village by night. Delicious lobster roll lunch and fishing gear included.
LODGING PACKAGE PRICING
$550 - one day guided fishing, one night
$1050 - two days guided fishing, two nights
(Add 40.00 a night on weekends)
$200 deposit required at time of booking.


If you're gearing up for your next trip, then we strongly recommend that you support your local fly shop and buy through a specialty retailer! If you need assistance locating the right retailer, we will be happy to help. However, if you are thinking that you do not want to buy a new rod and reel set-up (or multiple rod and reel set-ups), then we can also help.

Coastal Fly Angler has an equipment demo and rental program that we offer as a service to our customers. You can rent high-end, top-of-the-line rod and reel set-ups that include Scott Rods,Sage and Winston , Hatch Reels,Tibor and Able and Air-Flow fly lines. For approximately $100.00 per rod/reel set-up, we will ship you what you need for your upcoming trip. Rod and reels combos from 6 wt. through 12 wt. are available. Please feel free to contact CFA by phone at (207) 671-4330 or via email for more information. Note Any trip you are fishing on our skiffs there is no Fee this use.

May 6, 2010

Stripers arrive in Merrimack River slightly ahead of schedule
By Peter Prybot
Correspondent


PLUM ISLAND — Fishermen rejoice. The stripers have arrived.

According to fishing reports posted on Surfland Bait and Tackle's Web site, fishermen on Plum Island in recent days have been catching "schoolies" — the term for smaller fish under 28 inches long that must be thrown back.

Local striper hunter Don Lappin caught a number of fish from the beach on Monday, according to the posts, the biggest measuring 26 inches.

Each year, the fish migrate north from their winter home in and around Chesapeake Bay. The return of the striped bass in great numbers by regulating the size of fish that can be kept all along the Atlantic seaboard has been lauded as one of the most successful fishery management efforts ever undertaken.

In an effort to increase data on the recreational striper catch, fishermen this year must obtain a federal permit, at no cost. Fees may be implemented as soon as next year as Massachusetts prepares its own licensing system to comply with new federal regulations.

The arrival of the bass to local waters is a bit earlier than in recent years. Last year, the first striper landed locally was caught on May 8 when Bob Smith caught a 34-inch keeper on his first cast into the Parker River. In 2008, the first striper off Plum Island was reported on May 6.

Though there are no reports of "keepers" just yet along the North Shore, a Gloucester fisherman reported catching a 271/2-inch fish last Friday, believed to be the first striper of the year on Cape Ann, an annual foreshadow to their arrival in the Merrimack River.

Matt Tallgrass, Cape Seafood Inc.'s logistics manager, has hooked and landed the fish from the banks of the Annisquam River.

"I haven't heard of anyone else catching a striper yet," said Tallgrass, a veteran recreational bass fisherman, who fishes exclusively from the shore and landed the striper Friday around 10:05 p.m.

That night, he said, "I chummed with herring, and the fish bit on a chunk of herring."

Unfortunately for Tallgrass, the fish's overall length was 271/2 inches, just a half-inch below the legal size.

"It was so close to being a keeper," he said.

This bass, Tallgrass said, "lived to swim another day."

"Last year, I got my first fish in June," he said. "It was so exciting to see that big a fish so early."

— Staff writer Will Courtney contributed to this report.