Harbor Park, Rockland, ME

When:

August 9-11, 2013

More info: maineboats.com/boatshow

The folks at Maine tourism could not have written a better script: Spotless sky over a still, serene sea; finback and minke whales surfacing, blowing, gliding; sharks darting through the chum; potential state-record blue shark on fly; not one but two thresher sharks — estimated at 165 and 360 pounds.

About the only thing missing that August day was a mako. But let’s not get greedy. To top it all off, for the first hour or so, all the fish came to my boat. As the saying goes: I’d rather be lucky than good.

However, last summer, I had both fortune and skill working for me. I had come to Bath, Maine, to target sharks and striped bass with Capt. Dave Pecci of Obsession Sportfishing Charters, and an assortment of industry friends from Southport Boats, Seaguar, Navico, and L.L. Bean. This outdoor playground at the country’s northeastern tip combines visual majesty, seafaring history, and a healthy dose of offshore and inshore action.

Second Wind

But the trip didn’t start out all textbook and perfect. The outboard on Pecci’s boat died, so he borrowed his friend John Fitzpatrick’s 23 Seacraft. Then the crew on our second boat, a Southport 29 CC, found thick fog on their trip to our berth at the Kennebec Tavern & Marina.

That goes to show you that even seemingly dark clouds eventually part. Our second day dawned with sudden gusto.

After shooting some photos of the new Southport, our group of nine anglers in the two boats settled down for the offshore trip. Our captains hammered the throttles — though as you might expect, the single-outboard 23 quickly fell behind. Still, the 18-mile run from the mouth of the Kennebec River took minimal time, and soon Pecci had set up a drift offshore from a commercial bluefin tuna fleet in 450 feet of water.

Although we were over a spot Pecci called the Elbow off Murray Hole — where the bottom rises from 450 to 360 feet — he added that the sharks react more to tide lines and current rips than structure. “I’d also like the temperature to increase a couple of degrees,” he said, reporting that the gauge read 65.5. “That would concentrate the sharks more.”

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Hingham Shipyard Marinas
24 Shipyard Drive
Hingham, MA

When:

April 28th & 29th, 2013

More Info: southshoreinwaterboatshow.com

Brewer Dauntless Marina
9 Novelty Lane
Essex, CT

When:

April 26-28, 2013

Navtronics Marine
15 Hannaford Drive
York, ME

When:

April 20, 2013

Waterfront and City Commons Area
West Palm Beach, Florida

When:

March 21-24

Show Info: www.showmanagement.com

Puerto Del Ray Marina
Puerto Rico

When:

March 8 – 10

Garden State Exhibit Center

(Off Interstate 287, via Exit 10)
Somerset, NJ

When:

March 15 – 17

Connecticut Convention Center

100 Columbus Boulevard

Hartford Connecticut

When:

January 24-27

SL08 – Near “Fisherman’s Village”
HMY’s Waterway Marina
290 N. Dixie Highway
Stuart, Florida 34994

When:

January 11-13, 2013