To say that we found the fish is an understatement. Dave (Headrush999) flew in from Florida on Sunday. We fly fished for Stripers on Sunday night and then packed the truck full of trout/salmon gear. We hit the road in the morning and arrived at our destination. The Brookies were taking everything. Nymphs, wet flies, cone head leach patterns, dry flies and streamers. The water was cold, the flows were a little high and life was good. Then we got blown out of our first river. So, we went to another river. The Salmon were all over the place. Dave loves to dry fly fish and he got a bunch on top. I love to swing wet flies and I got a bunch of heavy hitters on the wet fly swing. Early morning was best. The pools looked amazing as the morning light shined its first rays on the water. The Salmon just could not resist big flies in the early morning hours. Big Black Ghosts, Cone Head Leach patterns and Funky Spider flies were the winners. Long cast, let the fly sink, start a steady 3 inch strip and WHAM! The Salmon would hit hard and jump clear out of the water. We were in heaven. The rivers were ours and if we saw anybody we would simply move to other locations. The Landlocked Salmon that we were tricking were world class fish and they made me proud to be from Maine. Yup, Dave came to Maine after a recent trip the Delaware River and I was a little worried. I thought that we might have a tough time finding fish and an even tougher time finding sizeable fish. Thankfully, for both of us, the opposite was true. We had a phenomenal trip and Dave got to experience Maine for all of its wonders. 16 Moose, 4 fox, 1 bear and lot’s of big Salmon and Brookies. Now, when I say big, everything is relative. Are they as big as Steelhead or other types of Salmon. No. But they are big and beautiful fish in their own right and I have come to greatly appreciate the Landlocked Salmon. They are such a great fish to target with a fly. They can be elusive and tough to trick but when you hook ’em they certainly put on a show. One of the most memorable parts of this trip was when Dave said, “Do you think we can get them on a dry fly?” Now, keep in mind he was just at the Delaware River where small flies and light tippet are the name of the game. I replied, “sure, we should be able to trick them with the dries.” Then, I tied on a huge stimulator and threw out a ton of line. The Stimulator hit the water and Dave and I watched as the tennis ball sized fly drifterd down river. Out of nowhere a mean Salmon attacked the fly with hatred. Immediately the fly and the fish were out of the water. Dave and I were laughing as the dime bright Landlocked Salmon put on a show. We caught countless Salmon and Brookies and we had a great time fly fishing the state of Maine. I am certain that Dave will be back. In fact, he has not left. The fly fishing was so good, he cancelled his flight home and is staying in Maine for a few more days of fly fishing. Our bags our packed again and the fly rods are in the car. We are not sure where we are going in the morning. I guess we will figure it out when we start the car.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
we got some really nice footage and photos that we are looking forward to sharing with everyone. dave or i will put something together sometime this coming week and post it up.
cya…
Sounds like you had a great time and Dave must have loved it. I see now why Pat calls you Mr. Fantastic!
those are 2 of the finest looking landlock salmon you will see in Maine. The look like the fish that made this State the mecca for landlocks. Nice job.
NO WAY!!!!
Nice fish guys.
Austin
I would love to venture up that way someday. Sounds like fun.
ALSO, if you get or can pick up Fly Tyer magazine, the latest issue has an article on The Landlocked Salmon of Maine. Some great looking patterns, and Surface patterns also. Check it out.