What a great State the State of Maine is. Even though I have fished and hunted all over the state of Maine for my entire adult life, I still find places that I have not seen. Such was the case this past Sunday. Greg had told me about a secret spot that held an impressive number of brookies and landlocked atlantic salmon. The best part was when he said is no one else would be there. I have to admit, I was skeptical. I figured the only reason no one would be there was because there were no fish there. Perhaps this was a spot that Greg had fished when fiberglass was the rod material of choice and he only hoped the fishing of days gone by was still there. After a reasonable drive from my home we arrived at our destination. You know how you look at water sometimes and just know that it is either dead or alive. This water was alive. You could just sense fish as you looked into the clear flowing water. As we geared up Greg told me stories of the past conquest he had at this secret spot. After seeing the water I was more inclined to think we were in for one of those days. Once rigged we walked up river to a hole Greg was sure would be holding fish. As we walked up river I was taken in by the shear beauty of the area. I thought how can something this beautiful be in my home state and it has taken me 59 years to see it.Greg was gracious enough to allow me to the first cast in a run that he was certain would hold fish. It took about 5 drifts before I had my thingamabobber show the slight hesitation that indicated a strike and I set the hook. A salmon of about 16” bounded out of the water and somersaulted trying to rid its jaw of the hook. The fish played out quickly and was released to be caught another day. Greg then stepped into this run and was soon hooked into a strong fish that refused to budge from the bottom. I watched Greg try to coax this fish into calmer water, but with the current, the fish and the 5x tippet it was not long before Greg was looking at a slack line.Throughout the day we explored new runs and found fish in most of them. Our day couldn’t have been better. Greg even allowed me drive out of the secret spot without a blindfold on, which was a requirement for the drive in. So now I have a secret spot that I feel confident I will be able visit again on a day when I just feel like catching fish.
Hey Pat! Great to see you got a chance to get out on the water and have such a great day. Loved your fish tale! Now, the trick is keeping your new “secret spot” a secret. You are so right .. every year in the state of Maine .. I fish some new locations and I think to myself, “Wow! I can’t believe I never fished here before!” And I always love to find a new “secret spot.” I think that is part of the fun of fly fishing for me .. always looking for new water, new drifts, new spots to try to figure out and add to my personal collection of “secret spots” … Thanks for sharing the story and not sharing your “secret spot.”
Nice..!, If I ever find myself in Maine, I might need Greg’s number on speed dial, sounds like a pristine place, hopefully it stays that way for a long time.
Nice fish Guys! Now all we need to do is to work on getting the secret spot fly fishing only! Keep up the great work Boz!
That was a really great day of fishing, consistent takes, breight Sun in the afternoon and beautiful maine Brookies. We need to do that again and soon.
Pat great story. Looks like greg has some nice hidden spots. Although I am suprised that he allowed you to drive home….haha. Thats a silver bullet your holding there. I am looking forward to chasing Landlocked salmon in a few days.
Beautiful. I’ve never been to Maine but it sounds gorgeous. Those secret fishing holes are some of the best places on earth. Maybe it’s because what we associate with those places, but I think that there is something more to it.
Not to knit-pick, but I think that the “Secret Spot” is probably best as is. Sometimes making a move like that could draw unwanted attention to the stream. Believe it or not, even us fly-fisherman, in numbers, could do some damage to that gorgeous river.
Nice job guys! And he blindfold came off! That’s a good friend there.
Mike
LOOKS LIKE GREG WALKED YOU UPSTREAM FROM A CERTAIN POWER-STATION ON THE PENOBSCOT THAT BEGINS WITH AN “M”. This is not a secret, and has been fished by hundreds for many, many years before Greg could count to 5x.
“So now I have a secret spot that I feel confident I will be able visit again on a day when I just feel like catching fish”, and posting photos of the gorge and spreading the word all over the information superhighway. Maybe this thread should be titled: Yippie, I can’t keep a secret!!!
Rough day fightingbutt? You must be a pretty baller guide or expert or something huh? Mad respect bro, you burnt a fellow angler for sharing his experience on the water. You rebel you.
Good stuff Greg, Gotta love a day where everything seems to come together. Secret or not, this area clearly supports a healthy fishery to be enjoyed by few, or many for years to come.
Tight Lines,
Ben