Oh, how things change. In years past , when the river flows dropped, we continued to catch Penobscot smallies along the banks and drop offs. Now with juvenile alewives departing their natal lakes for the ocean, we are beginning to find large numbers of bass busting bait wherever the alewives are found in numbers. While we didn’t intercept any monsters during the last trip, the top water action for the 12″ to 14″ smallies was excellent.  There is little doubt that the Penobscot’s small mouth population will benefit from the hundred of thousands of juvenile alewives that will be making their way to the ocean.  More importantly, the migration of these little fish occurs when the bass desperately need to bulk up before the arrival of the so-called winter starvation period.  The Penobscot River Restoration project’s primary goal of restoring diadromous fisheries has lots of unexpected benefits.  During the next few months, as the juvenile migration continues, I expect to encounter lots of smallies enjoying the taste of alewives.  Oh, how I am going to miss summer when she leaves….