With A Little With a little help from Capt. Barry Gibson, Travis Strammer, 12, displays a 33-inch striper taken on July 27 on the Shark Five. Also on board were Travis' dad, Eric, and grandfather, Fred, all visiting from Englewood, Florida.

Fishing action's at its mid-summer peak throughout the region, and striped bass are the headliners. "The numbers of fish have been phenomenal," said Capt. George Warren of the Charger (380-4556), docked at Tugboat Inn. "This past week we probably caught more bass than mackerel, including three over 40 inches. Macks have been kind of spotty, so on Sunday we jigged up some small pollock and tried them for bait. They worked fine, and we ended up getting our limit of keepers, plus a 38-incher."

Capt. Dan Stevens of the Blackjack (633-6445), berthed at Pier 7, had a similar report. "Mackerel have been scarce this past week, and the bass we've been seeing the past few days have been a bit smaller than ones we caught earlier, but there are loads of legal `slot' fish (20 to 26 inches). We've been limiting out nearly every trip." Dan also decked five nice bluefish on trolled plugs out off the Cuckolds Light the week before last, but the blues have been hiding ever since, except for a handful taken around the mouth of the Kennebec River. The most recent report is that blues as well as pogies are in the New Meadows River, and if so, they should work their way up off Boothbay shortly. Water temps are ideal (averaging 63 degrees) so area anglers are hoping for an early-August chopper blitz like we had in '04. I'll have a bluefish update in next week's column.

Offshore bottom fishing has been steady. "We're getting some nice haddock ranging from five to ten pounds," reports Capt. Jeff Ritter of the party boat Bingo (633-4902), docked at Tugboat Inn. "There are decent numbers of market-size cod mixed in, as well as cusk, redfish and a variety of other species." Capt. Jeff is also offering 12-hour "marathon" trips again this season, which give him the extra time to hit some hot spots farther offshore. "The marathons are probably the best trips if you want to target larger cod," he advised. Jeff told me his weekend bookings are a bit tight, but weekday spots on the boat are generally available.

I know I've missed several Boothbay Harbor boats in this first-shot column, including Capt. Mark Stover's charter boat Red Hook (633-3807) and Capt. Bill Cambell's popular four-times-daily mackerel party boat Miss Boothbay (633-2284), but I intend to follow up next week.

Where to fish? Private-boat anglers should be able to find mackerel off The Cuckolds, along the Cape Shore, off the southern end of Negro Island, and in much of Linekin Bay. When they're scarce, try chumming them in with inexpensive Hannaford-brand "ocean whitefish" cat food. I'm serious - it works! Stripers can be taken on live tinker mackerel as well as chunks and fillets along the edges and in the coves of Linekin Bay. I like to work water six to ten feet, at least for starters. Remember that there's a bag limit of one striper per person per day in that 20- to 26-inch slot. Smaller and larger fish must be released unharmed. However, there's a "trophy" exemption, under which you can legally keep one bass over 40 inches per day in place of a "slot" fish. But bear in mind that all the 40-inch-plus bass are females which help populate the species for the future, so most of us release these big stripers -- when we're lucky enough to catch one! Saltwater Tournament Slated for August 13 & 14

The Boothbay Region Fish & Game Association will be hosting its first-ever Saltwater Tournament on August 13 and 14. A $500 cash prize will be awarded for the largest striped bass and largest bluefish, with $150 and $75 going for second and third place in both categories. Kids (12 and under) can go for mackerel and harbor pollock and compete for cash prizes of $50, $25 and $10. Weigh-ins will be held both days between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Lobsterman's Co-op on the East Side, and a Special Grand Prize Drawing (among all registered contestants) for an 8 hp Yamaha outboard motor will be held at the end of the event on Sunday the 14th. Many thanks to my old friend (and high school tennis partner), Jeff Armstrong of Jeff's Marine in Thomaston, for co-donating the prize. Jeff has a long, shining history of supporting sportfishing tournaments and marine conservation in Maine, and many thanks to the folks at Boothbay Region Boatyard for their generosity in sponsoring the motor as well. Also, kudos to Carl Jordan of the White Anchor Bait & Tackle Shop on Rte. 27 in Boothbay for his terrific donation towards the cash prizes. Head to the White Anchor for striper and bluefish bait, tackle, and info on where they're biting. This should prove to be a great event.

Tickets to join the tournament (only $15 for adults, kids under 12 are free but need to sign up) are available at White Anchor, Grover's Hardware, Poole Brothers, Damariscotta Hardware, Johnson's Sporting Goods, Kennebec Angler, The Great Outdoors, Louis Doe Hardware, and Kittery Trading Post.

Get it done!