Carter stands on the deck of Hardcore Angler’s boat, while bearing his 26-inch striper that was caught in Kittery, ME
I love to fish. I’ve been fishing since I was two years old, and I can fish from almost anywhere – the shore, a boat, or a kayak. I even fish in my sleep! I’ve spent most of my life practicing this sport on lakes, so this year when I had the chance to go fishing in saltwater for striped bass (known as “stripers” in New England), I took it. I couldn’t wait to catch a bigger version of the bass I was used to catching in fresh water!
I headed out on two different trips. The first was on a kayak with Joe Gugino, Matt Zimmermann and the Why Knot Fishing team at Little Harbor Boathouse in Marblehead, MA. This was for their first Take A Kid Fishing event of the season.
Joe took me out on a Hobie Mirage Drive Kayak in search of my very first striped bass. The Hobie proved to be a really different kayak – it has petals that make it move through the water and areas to store your fishing rods. After just a few casts, I caught my first striper on a red tube tipped with a sand worm. Not long after this, I got a second one!
A couple of weeks later, we decided to try our luck on a charter boat, heading up to Kittery, ME. We went out with Larry Dennis of Hardcore Anglers (he had put us on some amazing haddock this past spring), and we found some stripers. Larry used balloons as “bobbers” and live herring and mackerel as bait.
While aboard a striper kayak, Joe Gugino of Why Knot Fishing & Little Harbor Boathouse gives a big thumbs up as Casting Carter poses with his very first striped bass.
When the bite died down in the bay, we decided to troll for fish for a while. We used the motor and slowly moved the boat while our bait trailed behind – we even caught a few schoolies (small striped bass).
I’m glad I got to fish for stripers this year, and if you live near the ocean, I would recommend trying it! Kids would have a lot of fun, although like with most fishing, it does take a good amount of patience. You can fish wherever you can – from the shore, a bridge, a boat or a kayak. It’s allowed to keep 1 fish a day, and it must be over 28 inches (at least in Maine). But I recommend “CPR” which is catch, photo and release. For me, it’s now back to the lake where I will keep fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass until the next time I get to go ocean fishing!
FORECAST BY: Casting Carter founded Kid In Outdoors, LLC, with the mission to get kids off of video games and outdoors. He has built his passion into a nationally recognized brand known for fishing, outdoors, and conservation. As a spokesperson and advocate, he works both online and offline to help bring attention to youth outdoor activities. For more information, email carter@castingcarter.com.