I was purely a freshwater angler until the early 1990s, when I began to hear tales of striped bass…read moreand bluefish being caught in the New England surf. Historically speaking, these fish had been pursued with a fly long before then, but it was around this time that the fly fishing media began to give them their due coverage. I spent one entire winter preparing my mind and my equipment for the upcoming fishing season, and in early June, I packed my truck for a journey to the southern Maine coast. I had a Fisher rod that I purchased from a shop in Florida, and an over-sized Medalist real that was dead before season's end. I had an atlas to guide me, and information gleaned from the sparsity of relevant articles published in Flyfisherman and American Angler. But beyond this, I was a babe in the woods, and not at all prepared for tides, surf, estuaries, bait fish, strong winds, heavily weighted flies, and fish that were almost impossible to stop without a strong drag. I needed advice, and fast.
I mapped a course that would take me up US Route 1 to a few prospective places that I had heard or read about. I knew nothing about this area, and as I passed through York, ME, summertime traffic crawled along at a snail's pace. I noticed a sign for a fly shop, so I pulled off the road to take a look. It was Eldredge Bros Fly Shop in Cape Neddick, ME, and the advice they were about to give me propelled my fly fishing into an exciting new chapter.
I entered the shop and was greeted by one of the employees. I explained that I was about to wet a line in salt water for the very first time. The gentleman was incredibly supportive, and he set me up with a selection of flies that should have as good a chance as any of catching fish. I told him of my destination and plan, and he provided me with a wealth of information that caused me to rethink my strategy. More confident than ever, I left the shop ready to catch fish.
I arrived at the estuary, or at least according to my atlas. I parked my truck, geared up, and began to walk the river bank toward the distant beach front . As I stared at the slowly moving river (it was slack low tide), I realized that I forgot to ask about techniques. Without any additional information at hand, I tied on a white deceiver. I slowly worked my way down river, casting across each pool and mending line as if I were fishing for salmon. My third cast landed me a small 18" schoolie striper, and my fifth cast a 20" fish. By the time I reached the river mouth, I had hooked and landed five striped bass...not bad for a newbie. I returned to the southern Maine coast almost every weekend that year, and in one memorable outing I had two 50 fish tides over the course of a 24 hour period.
I mention all this because none of it would have been possible without the advice and assistance of the folks at the Eldredge Bros Fly Shop. Since then, Eldredge Bros has continued to be my most trusted source for information and saltwater fly fishing equipment. Whether you are pursuing fresh or salt water species, they stock everything you'll need to successfully catch fish. The staff is friendly, informative, and possibly some best anglers I've ever met. If you are in the area, stop by, purchase a few flies or tying materials, and chat with the staff. You never know what a conversation might mean for your fishing.
