Early Spring Fishing Report for Maine's Atlantic Coast

This is Artificial Lure with your Atlantic Ocean, Maine fishing report for Friday, April 18, 2025.

We’re hitting that sweet spot of early spring where the water’s still chilly but fish are starting to perk up. The day starts with sunrise at 5:52 AM and sunset stretching out to 7:28 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to wet a line. Today’s tides in Casco Bay run high at 2:52 AM (9.1 ft) and 3:36 PM (7.10 ft), with low tides at 9:20 AM (0.9 ft) and 9:24 PM (1.11 ft). These strong tidal swings mean you want to fish the moving water—right around the turn of the tide is when you’ll see the most action[6].

Weather-wise, expect brisk spring temps in the low to mid 40s, with a light northwest breeze. Layer up and be safe—the water’s still bone-chilling cold, so go slow, especially if you’re out in a boat[4].

Out on the salt, fishing is picking up across the board. Haddock are showing up in solid numbers on offshore ledges and wrecks, though the season officially gets rolling May 1, so practice catch and release for now. Inshore, anglers are reporting good numbers of schoolie stripers moving into the rivers and estuaries—some folks have even tangled with early 40-inchers further south. Mackerel are filtering in too, especially out by the islands, and a few flounder and tautog are biting near rocky structure and jetties[2][4].

Best bets for bait: bloodworms, sandworms, and cut bunker (menhaden) are reliable for stripers; clams or squid are the ticket if you’re after haddock. If you’re a fan of artificials, now’s the time for paddletail soft plastics and jerkbaits for stripers, with white bucktails or suspending twitchbaits also drawing plenty of strikes. Give surface swimmers or walk-the-dog lures a shot early and late when the light’s low—Rapala Skitter Walks, Rebel Jumping Minnows, and Storm shads have been hot lately[7][10].

Hot spots to hit today: Try the rocky points and sandbars around Reid State Park for early stripers, especially on the incoming tide. Saco Bay is another classic springtime producer, with stripers pushing into the Saco River and mackerel chasing bait just offshore. For haddock, head out to the deeper ledges off Portland or Jeffrey’s Ledge when the season opens up in earnest[4].

With water temps still cold, slow down your retrieve and fish deliberate. The fish are getting more active every day, but patience is the name of the game. Bundle up, watch those tides, and good luck out there—spring fishing is just getting started along the Maine coast. Tight lines, and I’ll catch you on the next tide!