Artificial Lure here with your Sunday, October 26th Atlantic Maine fishing report. Out on the water early today, skies are clearing after a patch of overcast, with calm seas and a light northwest wind rolling in around 5-10 knots per NOAA and local marine bulletins. Out of Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, and up toward Boothbay, visibility is excellent and temps are riding around the low 60s, shaping up for a comfortable fall day on the salt.

Sunrise was at 7:09 AM and sunset rounds out the fishing day at 5:41 PM, so plan to get your lines wet early and make the most of the daylight. The tide’s working in your favor for the morning bite: today’s high tides are at 2:54 AM and 2:52 PM, with low water dropping out at 8:40 AM and 9:15 PM, according to Tide-Forecast.com and NOAA tides for Kennebunk and Portland. That means the late-morning through midafternoon should bring a fair shot, especially on that rising tide around noon when groundfish like to prowl.

As for fish activity, the bite has been steady for pollock, cusk, haddock, some whiting, and a few keeper cod, as reported by Bunny Clark Deep Sea Fishing out of Ogunquit. Best boat catch this week was a 20.5-pound cod—a real steaker—plus pollock up to 19 pounds and cusk over 12 pounds. Most of the legal fish filling coolers have been *keeper pollock*, around that 3-12 pound range, and a decent mix of haddock and cusk. Mackerel are still around in smaller numbers if you’re looking for live bait, and the pesky blue sharks and dogfish have eased off lately.

For lures and gear, jigs and cod flies have hands-down been the ticket. Standard-issue diamond and Norwegian-style jigs, 8 to 14 ounces, with a teaser or cod fly above, have been putting the most fillets in the box. Bring a range of colors, but classic white, orange, and chartreuse have been working well as the days turn cooler. If you’re bottom bouncing, don’t be afraid to tip your jigs or rigs with a bit of clam or mackerel strip to sweeten the deal—especially for haddock, redfish, and cusk.

If bait is more your speed, fresh mackerel or herring chunks get bites all day. Clams on a high-low rig will pick up haddock, redfish, and cusk, especially as water temps stay stable and the fall schools bunch up. Remember, stripers have mostly moved south by now, but if you’re fishing closer to shore or up in the rivers on a sunny afternoon, a fresh sandworm or bloodworm could find you a late holdover or two.

The Farmers’ Almanac fishing calendar says conditions today are “fair” for the evening, so the dinner bell should ring around sunset through dusk, especially on that incoming tide. If you’re gunning for a full box, stay at it into late afternoon.

Hot spots right now include Jeffrey’s Ledge, for deeper water jigging that’s been producing the largest pollock and cod, and the edges off Perkins Cove for a mixed bag closer to shore. The inshore reefs just outside Kennebunkport hold decent numbers of bait and haddock with a smattering of redfish if you prefer less run time and a more relaxed drift.

That wraps up today’s report. Thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more fresh local fishing insight. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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