Plugs, Flies, and Baits for Summer StripersAugust is incredibly lively in Maine. This time of year, we’re seeing sand eels, silversides, alewives, mackerel, pollock, pogies—and at times crabs, shrimp, and eels. If mackerel are feeding on sand eels and silversides, targeting bass with a presentation that imitates those larger predators can be the key to triggering a strike. Standouts include the Rosa Eel (developed by Captain Bryan Rosa), Cordeiro Flatwings, and—when fish key in on smaller bait—a Coop’s Floating Sand Eel. They’re aggressive and opportunistic, feeding heavily on mackerel, herring, pogies, and larger sand eels.