Four o’clock Friday after noon I picked my wife up from her office in southern Maine. The fall colors blurred by as we wound our way along trout filled river valleys, both knowing that the best spots are furthur down the road. We arrived after nightfall settled into camp and proceded to rig our rods, repair leaders and discuss the morning attack. We went to bed with thoughts of fall salmon and trout swimming in dark pools in our minds. We awoke at 5 am to a low fog rolling across the lake as we brewed up some thick coffee to fuel our quest. We motored across the lake and cast into the fog both hooking a few small but beautiful Maine brook trout. After catching our share of smaller fish I could tell it was time to seek out the big dogs! We motored back to camp jumped in the truck and took a quick bumpy ride down the road to my favorite pool on the river. We rigged up in seconds flat and beat down the trail. We broke throught the brush and silently slipped into the pool barely able to see the other side throught the fog.”Marabou” Emilia giggled as she tied on her favorite streamer I had tied for her. We began working the water methodically covering every lie until a half hour had passed. We regrouped after fishing hard without a strike, and decided to try another spot. After bushwacking through blowdowns mudholes and alder groves we came to the river’s edge. “Wow” was the only word spoken as we quietly waded into postion in silence. Before I could even get good position Emilia was already making her third cast! A tight loop going long landed softly near the other bank…strip strip BANG! A big salmon shattered the morning calm and took to the air of the colorful fall sky. Her rod doubled over and bounced as he fought to throw the hook running and leaping five times before finally tiring and coming to hand. She held that bright beatuiful salmon up with pure joy as I snapped a quick photo. grinning ear to ear she gently slid him back into the water to swim off and seek out a spawning partner. We continued to work the slick hooking and landing salmon after salmon until finally it was time for a break. We sat streamside soaking in the sweet September rays as the trees swayed in the breeze we decided to try another spot that holds some nice Brook trout. Another brutal bushwack put us at the tailout of a deep cut in the granite boulders at our feet. Four casts later just as she was lifting her rod to cast again he took! A eighteen inch native brook trout bulldogged for the bottom putting her five weight to work. He fought desperately trying to throw the hook fighting harder and harder as she angled him into the shallows. I scooped him up and managed to get one quick picture before he flipped out of the net and was swimming back to his hole.I stood breathing in the crisp fall morning air beside my smiling wife I thought that good fishing is always better when you share it.
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
Excellent story Boz, you and Marabou had a fine outing together. Special time on a great river.
Marsh
Great read. That is a special place you have up there. Wonderful looking salmon. Be sure to look me up if you get the steelhead itch. It would be my pleasure to show you around and return the favor.
That’s a great story and a great catch you have there. Nice fish too!! haha
Sweet trip. Congrats on Quality time on the water
Very nice! Thanks for a well told & written story. May all your weekends be full of ear to ear grins !