Introduction - Adventure Guide to Maine - page 95

Fishing
Fresh or salt? That is the question that confronts anglers in Maine. The
state maintains more than 130 launching ramps on lakes, rivers and
along the coast to facilitate recreational boating and fishing.
Saltwater
No license is needed to fish in the ocean. Most saltwater fishing is done
from boats. Fishing from shore, which includes dropping lines from
bridges, wharfs or rocks, is seldom productive. Sure, a harbor pollock,
passing mackerel, or even an occasional flounder may be hooked, but
pollock are not considered good to eat. Still, most anglers consider just
catching something, anything , worth the time spent savoring the fresh
salt air or watching the sun dance on the water.
In Southern Maine traditional surf casting can be done from the broad
sandy beaches, provided it doesn't impinge on swimmer safety. Striped
bass and blue fish are the favorite targets here.
Is This Beach Private?
Many beaches may be marked private, but laws harking back to
Colonial days prohibit barring the public from the intertidal area
(zone from mean low to mean high tide) for the purposes of “fish-
ing, fowling or navigation.” Basically, this means that shorefront
property owners don't have to give you access to the shore, but
once you are there, provided you stay below the high tide line
(usually a line of seaweed) they cannot force you to leave. Con-
stant respect for privacy and private property, however, make for
the best landowner relations.
Fishing near shore is a favorite pastime, with mighty striped bass being
the quarry of choice. They can be found well into rivers and estuaries
and, like their predatory neighbors, the blue fish, often terrorize schools
of bait fish, occasionally even driving them right up on shore.
Nothing beats a good “mess” of mackerel , usually caught by trolling
with multi-hooked jigs. When a school is crossed it is not unusual to have
three or even four strikes at once. When the mackerel are running, the
fishing is fast. Children especially like the fast-paced action. Because
mackerel are an oily species, they are usually served fried.
Flounder , which frequent muddy bottom in coves and harbors, are usu-
ally hooked on hand lines dropped from boats at anchor or on a mooring.
Watch for a subtle tug on the line - this savvy prey will easily steal the
bait off the hook of the unwary angler.