What’s Biting in May in Maine?
March to the Marsh in May
Welcome back, Maine anglers! We made it through another winter. I hope you were able to stay motivated this offseason by hanging out at local shops, attending film events at local breweries, or by sitting in on online events centered around the sport and fish we all love. I spent the winter at my local shops and at fishermen’s dinners put on by Ron McKee and the Striper Maineiac crew. Great times, and refreshing to hang with like-minded guys.
That said, now is the time. The water temperatures are right, the bait has arrived, birds are lining the shores, and the lilacs have bloomed. The social scene has shifted from plug-builder’s workshops and brew pubs to small parking lots where pleasantries and colorful banter take place before and after sessions.
May in Maine offers a ton of opportunities. Freshwater anglers can target early-season pike in the shallows. Smallmouth bass are in their pre-spawn routine, and various hatches have trout streams alive and active. If you are an offshore aficionado, May is a prime month for haddock. These fish can be found on relatively shallow humps, following bait moving in from deeper water. Along with filling a cooler with haddock filets, it is a great time to target porbeagle sharks. They prefer cooler water and will happily attempt to take a groundfish off a jig on its way up.
While it’s fun to mix it up, let’s be honest. The striped bass is really what we hold near and dear to our hearts, and May is when they return to our waters, taking up residence in marshes, back bays, and rivers. Each piece of water has its own special way to fish it, though it’s standard for anglers to start in the salt marshes, so let’s start there. These nutrient-rich waters are typically protected, provide ambush spots for predators, and offer constant moving water. One of the great things about fishing a marsh is accessibility. With a little hopping around, getting to spots away from other anglers can be done without fear of falling on sharp rocks or filling your waders with 50-degree water.
The marsh is also a great place to bring young and inexperienced anglers. I always recommend setting up on a point or in a bowl, and using the current to your advantage. Most of the time, the bass will be positioned with their faces in the current, so the best lures are soft plastics, primarily rigged on jigheads. The weight and style depend on the depth. Some of my favorites are the Gravity Tackle and Lunker City Salt Shakers. For fly anglers, it’s hard to beat a black Clouser in size one or two, though small, sparse Hollow Fleyes and Flatwings are also effective. It’s always going to be a good call to keep a setup handy for throwing a Gurgler around the edges.
Soaking bait on the bottom can also be a fast-paced way of fishing. Sand and blood worms are your best options, with strips of clam a close second. The trick is to use the minimum amount of weight that allows the bait to hold bottom. Some perennial hot spots include the marshes surrounding the Laudholm Reserve and those off the Eastern Trail.
Targeting schoolies is great, but if you hope to come tight with a larger specimen, rivers with prolific herring runs are where you should be devoting your time and energy. These areas require a stout rod with a soft tip, usually no longer than 8 feet, a reel with a strong, smooth drag, and a leader of at least 30 pounds. A large landing net is also essential in helping land and easily release these fish.
Maine has made some impressive strides when it comes to dam removals and restoring historical fish runs, which means more access for anglers and the ability to avoid combat-style fishing. There is now a strong fishery as far inland as Waterville. Live-lining alewives and herring should be very effective, but check local regulations since there are special rules for certain water bodies when fishing live bait.
Real excitement comes in the form of throwing oversized plugs and soft plastics at these fish. A big metal lip, like a Gibbs Danny Deep Diver, or a glider-style bait, are great subsurface plug options. For topwater action, a pencil popper will elicit some hellacious strikes, so every angler should have one at the ready. I prefer a canal-style pencil because its flat bottom is often easier to work in heavy current. Lastly, and probably the most cost effective, is using soft plastics. A paddletail swimbait does an excellent job at mimicking the real thing, and it stings a lot less when you break off on a rock. I prefer paddle tails from Gravity Tackle and Tsunami.
My final piece of advice is that proper fish handling should be the highest priority. It is no secret that the stock up and down the coast is in trouble and post-release mortality is a leading contributor to overall fishing mortality. So, take the extra minute to find the right spot where you can safely land and release a fish before you launch a plug into the water.
Related Content
Kayak Fishing for Stripers in Maine
Patterning Spring Bass in Maine
Source: https://onthewater.com/whats-biting-in-may-in-maine
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