CCA Maine

Captain Carle Hildreth

Captain Carle Hildreth, the owner/operator of No Slack! Sportfishing Charters based in South Portland and a specialist in live-lining and chunking mackerel for striped bass in Casco and Saco bays from his 21-foot Parker, is our “Snap-A-Striper Man of the Year!”

With a clientele that includes many family groups new to saltwater fishing in Maine, Captain Hildreth released more than 200 stripers up to 43 inches in 2015 and managed to email photos of 90 of those fish with Snap-A-Striper catch data cards in place to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) where researchers are collecting the data to learn more about striped bass in Maine waters.

Snap-A-Striper is a collaborative effort between GMRI and CCA-Maine and local anglers, captains and guides. Body shape data collected from striper photos as well as data from the otoliths (ear bones) of legally harvested fish can help GMRI scientists determine the origin (locally spawned or migratory) of stripers in Maine, information that can improve management of the resource.

Captain Hildreth encourages everyone who fishes for striped bass in Maine to get involved in Snap-A-Striper. “The striper biomass in Maine and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast is not in great shape,” Hildreth says. “So it’s important for all of us to learn as much about stripers as we can in order to manage the fishery sustainably. I think the best way to do that in Maine is to be active in the Snap-A-Striper program.”

CCA-Maine is a founding partner with GMRI in Snap-A-Striper. Some 280 striper photographs with accompanying catch data have been submitted to GMRI during the 2014 and 2015 seasons and the Snap-A-Striper program will be continued in 2016. For full particulars on Snap-A-Striper and how you can get involved, go to Snap-A-Striper on this website or email stripers@gmri.org.

To reach Captain Hildreth, go to  captain@noslackcharters.com or call 207 450-9428.

Stripers are back in Maine waters and we want to remind you that Snap-A-Striper (SAS), the striped bass research project on which CCA-Maine and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) are collaborating, is on again for 2015.  We need your help to make this important conservation project successful!

The SAS program is designed to further striped bass research in Maine by encouraging anglers from Boothbay to Kittery to take fish photos (with special downloadable data cards in place) of stripers that are released and those that are legally harvested and email those photos to GMRI. Scientists at GMRI will use the photos as well as otoliths (ear bones) taken from the heads of harvested fish to analyze the morphometrics (body shape) of stripers caught in Maine and determine the origin of those fish – whether they are “resident” fish spawned in the Kennebec River or migratory fish spawned in more southerly waters. This is important information that could lead to better management of Maine’s striped bass resource in the future.

The following attachments explain how SAS works and how you can play a key role in this ongoing fishery science program. Many thanks for your help!

*How to Join the Snap-A-Striper program

*Download SAS Data Cards

Note: if printing your own data cards, be sure to turn off print scaling in your pdf reader.  If you continue to have problems, please contact us at ccamaine@gmail.com.

*Fish Photo Tips

PLEASE JOIN US. MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, THE FISH NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Our Friends at the Dolphin Inn and Marina are opening on 4/3/2014!

Visit them on Basin Road in Harpswell, Lat: 43.44N  Lon: 70.02W or online at http://www.dolphinmarinaandrestaurant.com/

                   (L-R) Dave Huntress, Ben Redmond, Dominic Vella

The L.L.Bean fishing weekend was a great success with many people in attendance.  There were a lot of great exhibits, presentations and lots of great gear to get ready for spring!

CCA-Maine had the opportunity to talk with folks about the Snap-a-Striper Program at their booth.

During the event, CCA-Maine was presented with a generous donation from Dan Tarkinson and Fly Fishing in Maine for the Snap-a-Striper Program. Ben Redmond of Fly Fishing in Maine presented a $500 check to CCA-Maine Treasurer, Dominic Vella and CCA-Maine Board Member, Dave Huntress.

Fly Fishing in Maine is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving Maine’s fisheries. It does this in a variety of ways, primarily sharing its passion with others, introducing new people to the sport, and conducting and funding conservation projects through the state.

Each year Fly Fishing in Maine hosts “The Fly Fishing Film Tour”, a series of short, action–packed films whose main characters include tarpon and brook trout with winding rivers, Caribbean flats and other locales supporting the main cast. Always entertaining for both plot and action, the tour is a different entity each year, varying in film destinations and film subjects.

This year was the 5^th year the event was held at the Frontier in Brunswick and it also included an “Iron Fly” fly tying contest.

Check out their website next winter and watch for the announcement.  This event sells out fast every year so be sure to follow Fly Fishing In Maine on Twitter or look for information on their website at www.flyfishinginmaine.org.

Join Us at the L.L.Bean Spring Fishing Weekend – March 14 – 16! Fishing season is almost here!

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Visit the 24th annual Spring Fishing Weekend, March 14-16 at the L.L.Bean Freeport Store! It will be a great weekend of hands-on activities for adults of all skill levels, plus fun activities for kids. There will be special guests, casting demonstrations, fly-tying lessons, visits from top vendors and expert instruction. CCA-Maine will be hosting a booth. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

More Info

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is coming February 28th and March 1st!

Dan Tarkinson (CCA-Maine Board member) of Fly Fishing in Maine will be hosting its 6th annual film tour that is a series of short, action-packed films whose main characters include tarpon and brook trout with winding rivers, Caribbean flats and other locales supporting the main cast. Always entertaining for both plot and action, the tour is a different entity each year, varying in film destinations and film subjects.

The screening locale will be Frontier in Brunswick.

This year there will an additional film showing, bringing a total of four film times to Brunswick. Every year each screening has sold out, so another show has been added to the slate. The fun starts with two screenings on Friday at 5 and 8:30 p.m., and two shows on Saturday, also at 5 and 8:30

Tickets for the Brunswick shows can be purchased on the Frontier website or on the Fly Fishing Film Tour site.

Read More…

Thank you to all who participated in CCA-Maine’s annual fundraiser.  It is because of the support of our friends and members such as yourselves that we are able to continue to help conserve Maine’s beautiful coastal waters and shoreline.

GMRI’s presentation on the Snap-a-Striper program was very informative giving us all some knowledge about what the program will be doing with the striper data being collected.  We look forward to the new “app” that will make it easier to participate in the program that CCA-Board member, Matt Boutet, is working on.  Stay tuned for more information on this.

Special thanks to our donors…

The Harraseeket Inn,  for providing us with a wonderful venue.

L.L. Bean, provided us with MANY of their wonderful outdoor quality products all with their long standing 100% satisfaction guarantee and legendary customer service.

Dick Anderson, long time CCA member and well known outdoor enthusiast, donated a surf clamming and a striper fishing trip!  Anyone who has ever been on either of these two excursions with Dick, knows how much fun the lucky winner will have!

Jeff Peacock, Gyotaku Artist, of Fish Art Maine, delivered a unique brook trout print that will be beautiful hanging on the winning bidder’s wall.

Jerry Vella, who is Dominic Vella’s son (CCA-Maine Treasurer), donated his unique hand made plugs.

Matt Bolinder brought some of his delicious wood roasted organic coffee from Matt’s Coffees.

Kittery Trading Post, a family-owned full line outdoor retailer in Kittery, Maine, recently presented a check for $1,250 to CCA-Maine in recognition of CCA’s contribution to marine resource conservation in Maine.

The conservation-minded retailer actively promotes a “round-up” program which encourages customers to round off their transaction totals to the next highest dollar amount. All monies raised through the program are distributed quarterly to non-profits and industry partners that share Kittery Trading Post’s mission of habitat preservation and natural resource conservation.
Jeff Verrill, Vice-President of CCA-Maine, received the check from John Peterson (at left), Events Coordinator for Kittery Trading Post, and Jon Morrill, Vice-President, Events & Promotion for the retailer.