Artificial Lure here, giving you your Sunday morning fishing roundup for Maine’s Atlantic coast—straight talk, the hot bite, and all the details you need before you hit the briny. Today’s date is August 31, 2025, and if you’re already up before sunrise, let me set the scene.
Sun popped over the horizon at 6:02AM and will tuck under the Atlantic waves tonight at 7:16PM, giving plenty of daylight to get after the fish. Tides in Small Point Harbor are running high at 5:12AM (7.36 ft) and 5:22PM (8.24 ft), with lows mid-day (11:07AM at 2.15 ft). That early high tide sets up a sweet window for morning action along the ledges, beaches, and nearshore rocks. According to the National Weather Service, it’s real comfortable out there—expect balmy air warmups into the mid-80s, minimal wind, and some cloud cover rolling in late. There’s a slim chance of showers after midnight, so keep your slicker handy if you’re on a night bite.
Recent outings offshore and inshore have been productive. Charter captains report “very good” catching, with landings dominated by **pollock**, followed by good numbers of **cusk**, **haddock**, and the occasional **redfish** and **whiting**—according to Tim Tower’s Bunny Clark Fishing Update. Some monsters didn’t make the legal list—dogfish were fewer this week, but blue sharks are making cameos mid-day, especially heading into the deeper water. Cod are still mostly released, but look for rules to possibly change in September.
Groundfish fans, bring the **cod flies and diamond jigs**—they’re putting up numbers on the drift, with jigs and cod flies outproducing bait rigs. Pollock jigs fished mid-column are hot, especially early and late in the day over deeper structure. For shore and pier anglers, small bucktails and classic metal spoons like the Crocodile Spoon in silver or pearl red head are solid choices—these reflect light perfectly on a sunny late-summer morning.
Off the big ledges and deep wrecks, tuna season is peaking. Boats running out of Kittery, Mount Desert, and South Portland are chasing “giant” **bluefin tuna**, some pushing the 1000 lb mark. Bluefin have been taken on heavy tackle, with mackerel, herring, and live pollock used on chunk and kite rigs. If you’re booking a trip, pay attention to size retention rules—tuna over 73 inches belong to the boat per NOAA, but anything smaller gets split with the guests. Some charters specialize in shark trips as well, averaging multiple hookups of blue sharks and makos on cut bait and chum slicks.
For those fishing from shore or kayak, bass are on the prowl early and late in the rivers and estuaries. Soft plastics imitating sand eels, 1/4 ounce bucktails tipped with squid, and live seaworms are putting linesiders in the cooler. Bluefish are sporadic but showing on tide rips from Portland north to Penobscot Bay; metal lures and topwater poppers work best when blues are cutting through the bait schools.
Best local spots depend on your approach. If you’re in Mount Desert or Bar Harbor, the rocky shoreline at Otter Cliffs and Schooner Head is producing well on the outgoing tide for pollock, mackerel, and even the occasional striper. Offshore, Old Anthony’s Ledge and Jeffery’s Ledge are staples for groundfish—drift over the deeper edges for your best shot at a mixed bag. In South Portland, Willard Beach and Spring Point Ledge are hot for surfcasting, with macks and schoolie bass coming in during the twilight bite.
Bait shops are recommending fresh mackerel strips, seaworms, and clams for bottom fishing. For artificials, it’s tough to beat a pearl red head spoon, bucktail jigs, or a classic cod fly in orange or chartreuse.
Don’t forget, September rules are right around the corner, so check your regs before hitting cod and haddock hard—they’re on the move and September usually means new limits and slot sizes.
Thanks for tuning in to the Maine coast fish report with Artificial Lure. Good luck, keep your drag set and your hooks sharp! Subscribe to get tomorrow’s update, and stay connected for the latest hot spots and tactics. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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