There are a million ways to have a Swell Time on Casco Bay. Each trip is bespoke and based on your group, goals, timing and mother nature. Below are some ideas of the many great ways to enjoy time on Casco Bay and surrounding waters. Most of these itineraries can be combined and tweaked to meet your preferences.
Casco Bay Fishing Itineraries
The vast majority of our trips are inshore. That gives us the chance to target everyone’s favorite gamefish, striped bass, and soak in the beauty of Maine’s coastline at the same time.
Striped Bass Fishing in Portland, Maine
There are many different ways to fish for striped bass, including live bait, artificials, anchoring, drifting and trolling. Generally speaking we want to fish when the tide is running, as the moving water activates the bait. Often we will anchor or drift along rocky shorelines with some deeper water, structure and crashing waves which disorient the bait making for an easy meal for the stripers. Trolling or drifting the rivers and along the beaches can also be very productive.
Sunrise Striper Fishing in Portland, Maine
Sunrise on Casco Bay is beautiful, typically calm and very productive for fishing. Weekdays are especially fun; we can pack a lot in from 5am to 8am and have you back in time for your 9am meeting. Enjoy your coffee and breakfast while taking a short run to some favorite spots around Mackworth, Peaks or Cushing Island. Cape Elizabeth’s rocky shoreline is full of good structure and fishing spots as well. As always we’ll keep an eye out for bird activity which will point us toward any schools feeding on the surface.
Night Fishing in Portland, Maine
Our reward for the long Maine winter are the endless summer days, with sunsets as late as 9pm. But why stop at 9? Swell Time is fully equipped to make night fishing safe, including Garmin GPS and radar, integrated night vision camera and spot light. Watching the sun drop behind the white mountains in the distance, revealing a sky full of stars makes the trip worth it. It also happens that some of the best striper fishing, particularly for 40” plus trophy fish, occurs during this time. Turning on the underwater lights at night will make the bait fishing excellent as well, especially squid.
Mackerel Fishing in Casco Bay
Mackerel fishing is the ultimate family friendly adventure. Last season there were many thousands of mackerel throughout Casco Bay. I don’t want to say catching mackerel is guaranteed, but the odds are definitely in our favor. We can be fishing within minutes of leaving the dock, using sabiki rigs with multiple flys and hooks. We utilize special hollow rods to help manage the hooks and typically also remove a few hooks, as you’ll often pull up multiple mackerel at once. While reeling in beautiful mackerel you’ll enjoy the scenery such as lighthouses, forts, and the bustling activity of the harbor. It’s loads of fun for all ages, and an easy activity to pair with some cruising and sightseeing.
Southern Maine Offshore Fishing Charters
Ground Fishing in the Gulf of Maine
We only have to go a few miles offshore to enter a totally different fishery that includes a huge variety of species such as cod, haddock, pollock, redfish, whiting and much more. This type of fishing involves dropping a rig to the bottom with a heavy weight and a few hooks and teasers, sometimes tipped with bait. We’ll position the boat above the ocean bottom characterised by rapidly changing depth and drift over these spots, jigging our rigs just a couple feet off the bottom.
Typically the action is consistent and the variety of species keeps it exciting. As an added bonus, we can retain haddock year round, as well as cod later in the season. Both of these flaky white fish are exceptional eating. Haddock fishing is very good early in the season, which makes a great opportunity to fill up the freezer. Ground fishing is productive anytime except slack tide.
Shark Fishing Charters in Portland, Maine
If you’re looking for an offshore adventure full of adrenaline and the opportunity to see apex predators up close, this may be the trip for you. Chum is our secret weapon to draw the sharks near the boat and live or chunk bait to get them hooked up. Then it’s up to you to battle these powerful creatures by rod and reel. When we get them alongside the boat, we’ll snap a photo and cut the hook so the sharks are released unharmed. Shark species we may encounter include blue, porbeagle, thresher and mako.
Tuna Fishing Charters in Portland, Maine
Bluefin Tuna are some of the fastest, biggest and most impressive species of fish in the world. Prized for their valuable meat, which you’ll find on the menu of maine fine restaurants, fishing for them can be a labor of love. We typically leave in the wee hours of the morning, and it’s not uncommon to spend 12 hours without a bite. However, when you do hook up, it’s hard to imagine anything more exciting. Landing a bluefin is highly technical, requiring gear such as a harpoon, gaff and tail rope. We use large Penn reels, heavy test line and swivel rod holders to leverage the weight of the boat in fights that can last hours.
Casco Bay Cruising Ideas
Maine Cruising is world renown and for good reason. Over 4,000 islands dot the dramatic coastline. Dozens of historic lighthouses are still operational, including five visible from Portland Harbor. Downeast Lobster Boats and commercial fishing vessels work alongside the pleasure craft. More recently, Portland has become a hub for impressive yachts and mega cruise ships which dwarf our modest skyline. Abundant wildlife is present at every turn, ranging from seals and dolphins to osprey and loons. Below are some ideas to make the most of your time on Casco Bay.
Sunset Cocktail Cruise
It doesn’t get much better than golden hour on Casco Bay, except maybe the vibrant sunsets over the mainland. We’ll arrange to have your favorite beverages and hors d’serves on hand, which always pair well with the salty air and summer breeze. Typically our trips are a 3 hour minimum, but we can make exceptions for this itinerary if you have a dinner reservation to get to!
Lunch, Dinner or Ice Cream on the Islands
There are over 400 islands in Casco Bay. They are sometimes called the Calendar Islands, because it used to be thought there were 365 of them. Six of the islands in Casco Bay have year round communities. Many adults commute by ferry to Portland for work. Similarly, high school students take the ferry instead of the school bus! In the summer these islands are full of energy and events, offering activities such as biking, golf cart rentals, live music, ice cream, art studios and much more.
Some of the more popular islands are Peaks, Great Diamond and Chebeague, each of which have great restaurants. Chebeague even has a 9 hole golf course! They’re all worth a visit, whether it’s for a meal, ice cream or just a scenic stroll on the beach to stretch your legs. If you happen to be staying on one of the islands, we can arrange to start and end our trip from there.
The Dolphin in Harpswell
If you like the idea of stopping somewhere for lunch or dinner, it’s hard to beat the Dolphin in Harpswell. The cruise there and back features protected waters and captivating scenery. Each leg is about an hour at a comfortable speed.
Lighthouse Tour
The crown jewel of Maine lighthouses is Portland Headlight which proudly marks the entrance to the harbor. An easy 15 minute cruise from the dock gives you a unique perspective of this famous landmark and perfect photo opp to remember your time in Maine. Across the harbor entrance is Ram Island Light, perched on a rugged outcropping, often framed by crashing waves and sea spray. And if you look south from the harbor entrance down the shoreline of Cape Elizabeth you’ll see two more lighthouses, descriptively referred to as Two Lights.
Historical Forts
You can’t miss the iconic forts as you cruise around Casco Bay. The first one we’ll encounter is called Fort Gorges, built to defend the harbor during the Civil War. Also nearby is Fort Scammel, built in 1808, which is the only fort to see military action, trading fire with the British during the war of 1812. Other Forts we can see include Forts Williams, Mckinley, Preble and Levett.
Wildlife
Harbor seals are constant companions in Casco Bay. We will commonly see their cute sea dog faces pop up around the boat. For a more intimate experience, there are several rock piles where seals tend to congregate that we can visit.
Other diverse wildlife abounds, including seabirds diving, sturgeon jumping and, if we’re lucky, whales breaching.