I had fished for and caught some striped bass during our visits out to Maine before the move, but as far as home water was concerned, I was starting from scratch and these waters no longer flowed in only one direction. New challenges were added—tides, bait migration, discoloration from river runoff, more extreme shifts in the weather. Add to this, that there are truly hundreds of access points to learn—from beaches, mud flats, rocky outcroppings and river mouths.