Maine Coastal Fishing Report: Solid Tides, Mixed Bag Action, and Early Stripers on the Move

Artificial Lure here with your April 19th update for fishing the Maine coast and Atlantic inshore. Today, anglers woke up to a classic Maine spring chill, with the morning starting off brisk but clear. Sunrise was at 5:41 AM and sunset will be at 7:22 PM, so there’s good daylight for those hunting the early bite or sticking it out until dusk for stripers or groundfish action.

Today’s tides are solid for moving-water action. In Bar Harbor, the first high tide rolled in at 3:20 AM at just over 10 feet, with the first low coming around 9:50 AM at about 1 foot. The second high tide of the day is at 4:02 PM and hits just over 9 feet, so late afternoon into evening should see the best water movement and likely the hottest bite near ledges and creek mouths[4][5].

Weather-wise, expect mostly clear conditions, with a chance for increasing clouds toward evening, and highs reaching into the low 50s. Surface winds are mild, out of the southeast, keeping the ocean a bit choppy but very manageable for small craft and kayak anglers.

Recent catches have been promising. Groundfish like cod and haddock are being pulled from deeper ledges off Portland and down east of Bar Harbor, with some nice keeper pollock mixed in. Inshore, smelt and mackerel runs are getting underway, and there are whisperings of the first schoolie striped bass showing around river mouths and salt marshes south of Portland.

For lures and bait, jigging with 3 to 5 ounce metal jigs tipped with clam or mackerel strips has been producing for cod and pollock offshore. Sabiki rigs with small chunks of squid are pulling in mackerel around piers and breakwaters. If you’re targeting early stripers, soft plastic paddle tails in olive or bunker colors, or good old bloodworms either live or artificial, are working in the estuaries.

Hot spots today include the Saco River mouth, always a spring favorite for mixed-bag action, and the breakwater at Portland Head, where mackerel are showing. Further downeast, Bar Harbor’s Frenchman Bay and the ledges near Schoodic Point are giving up decent numbers of haddock on the outgoing tide.

With this tide schedule, you’ll want to time your efforts for a couple hours leading up to and after the high tide marks, especially late afternoon. The water is still cool but fish are starting to move, so be patient and work those structure edges.

Tight lines out there and see you on the water.