`Stripers and Sharks’ seminar will help `put you on fish’

Have you ever felt – heard? – your pulse pounding as the boat eases to within casting distance of big stripers blasting holes in swarms of baitfish? Or, perhaps, when a shark’s fin cuts the surface in a savage rush to smother your bait?

No, you say? Well, Sport, let me say it’s high time you did. In case you haven’t heard, the challenge and excitement of saltwater sport fishing is rising along Maine’s coast like a new moon tide. And I’m willing to bet that once you arm wrestle with a saltwater brawler big enough to tie your tackle in a knot, you’ll be hooked.

Could be, though, that you don’t have the equipment or knowledge to begin fishing in striper strongholds such as the Kennebec and Sheepscot river estuaries and their sprawling tributaries. Let alone go cruising offshore in quest of sharks longer than you are tall. But if you’re interested in landing such information, I suggest you set a course for a saltwater sport-fishing seminar christened, “Stripers and Sharks.”

The timely – stripers begin arriving in Maine rivers during May and June – two-hour event will be held May 7 at the Ramada Inn, 357 Odlin Road, Bangor. Castoff time is 6:30 p.m. Captains Dave Dooley, Dave Pecci, and Mike Augat, three of the most successful charter boat skippers operating on Maine’s midcoast waters, will be at the helm.

Mike Augat is addicted to striper fishing and has fished the hard-hitting “linesides” from stem to stern and port to starboard. By that I mean the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, including the Columbia River. He says without hesitation, though, that the best overall striper fishing in the world is on Maine’s midcoast waters. In describing some of the striper spectacles he has witnessed, Mike said, “I’ve seen somewhere between 5-10 acres of surface frenzy that would make a bluefish turn tail! I’ve never seen concentrated numbers of fish like this.”

No wonder he launched his sport-fishing business, “Striper Quest,” in Bath, the shipyard town overlooking the Kennebec. To ensure the ultimate in sport for his clients, Mike’s boats are equipped with fly rods, light spinning rods, and all the necessary lures and tackle. Most of his fishing is done on the Kennebec and Sheepscot rivers and their connecting estuary systems. In other words, from May to October he fishes where the fish are and his shallow-draft boats can follow swirling stripers on tide-flooded flats.

In addition to advice regarding equipment and how to rig and use it, Mike’s side of the seminar will include presentations regarding the spawning grounds of East Coast stripers, influence of bait patterns and water temperatures on migrations, holdover populations, and how to make the transition from freshwater to saltwater fishing.

Dave Dooley and Dave Pecci also operate their “Kayla D and Obsession Charters” out of Bath. Dooley’s boat, “Kayla D,” is a 29-foot sportfisherman, Pecci’s is a 22-footer. From that you can judge they’re not going to be blown off the water when it starts making whitecaps.

Both men see sharks as an exciting alternative to bluefish and striper fishing. But they feel Maine has yet to realize the value of the much-maligned ocean prowlers. In recent years, a large influx of sharks has been noticed in the gulf of Maine.

During their share of the seminar, the Dave and Dave duo will discuss the species of sharks found off the Maine coast and the tackle and methods used to catch them. A slide presentation will focus on fishing for BIG sharks and features a 400-pound blue and a 960-pound Mako, both caught in midcoast waters.

Although the skippers of the Kayla D and Obsession offer everything necessary to an enjoyable day on the offshore fishing grounds, their seminar is intended to provide information that will “put you on fish” when using your own gear. They’ll tell you all you want to know about baits, chum, boats, trailers, marinas, tackle shops, public landings, and lodging.

Because Dooley and Pecci are professionals with 30 years of combined experience, they also are conservationists. That, of course, means they are committed to the catch-and-release ethic. Accordingly, they emphasize the importance of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s shark-tagging program and will offer instructions on how to handle sharks safely relative to catch-and-release.

All that remains to be said is this: if you’d like to probe the Kennebec’s rips and pools for stripers or search for sharks among the ridges and valleys of offshore swells, look no further than the Stripers and Sharks seminar that will drop anchor in Bangor on May 7. A $5 “dock fee” will be charged to cover the costs of the Ramada Inn facility. For more information contact: Striper Quest, 60 North St., Bath 04530. Phone: 443-5941. Or, Kayla D and Obsession Charters, 173 North St., Bath 04530. Phone: 442-8581 or 443-3316.