Summer Rules.

Most think of summer as the end of the trout game until fall. That is soooo wrong. We have more than a few cold waters that we visit every week during the "off season". There are a couple things to keep in mind to make the most of summer sessions.

• Hydrate. Water. Drink it pre session, during and after. We see clients crash all the time due to simply not staying hydrated.

• Toss the waders. Shorts are cooler. Pants for the evening hatch. 

• Dry fly presentations need to be your best. Long leaders, light tippet and a smooth drag.

• Buff, high colared shirt and sun gloves go a long ways in keeping the sun at bay.

• Start either in the dark or finish in the dark. Invest in a good, solid headlamp.

• After fishing a deep attractive looking pool. Swim in it. Hey it's summer right? Take advantage of instant cooling.

• Stash a few barley pops in the cooler for post fishing B.S. meetings.

 

 

Dry Fly Habits.

Dry fly bliss is upon us. The search for snouts. The drift. High floating or low riding top water patterns. 5X. Long leaders. Dedicated dry rods out for awhile. The dry game is demanding and rewarding. Increase your production with second nature habits.

• Observe. That riser is usually not in a hurry. You shouldn't be either. Watch the rise. Taking a adult? Emerger?  Get your nose water level to get the goods from the food conveyor. Tough to see small ants and beetles without checking the surface up close.

• Make a plan. Are there conflicting currents? What cast is the best for presentation? Can you false cast away from the fish. What's my best position?  Where will I land this big dog when I hook it?

• Easy question. When was the last time you cleaned your line? Take care of the delivery system for great performance.

• Use a long leader. How long? One you can cast accurately and control. It's that simple. A four foot length of 5X is great if you can turn it over and put on target consistently. If it's piling up or splatting on top risers then it is useless. Find what works for you.

• Wade quiet and cast closer. Cast what you can control. Both distance and mending control are essential skills. Everyone has a limit. Being a sneaky, sniper type wader easily closes the gap.

• Keep casts to a minimum. Wait between casts. Don't keep throwing crap over a rising fish as fast as you can. This is the best way to put fish down.

• The reach cast is quieter than a water mend. Easier also. Learn it.

• Keep your flies up. Take the time to change out flies when they no longer float the way they did before all those pesky trout ate them.

• Stretch your line before heading to the water.

•  Moving a small amount can dramatically change your drift. Either left, right, forward  or backwards. These small adjustments can make a huge difference.

We say this everyday. Your first cast is your best cast. Make it happen on top this week.

Summer Report.

It's here. Summer and all it's short glory. This week marked the official start of the summer season for us. Hung the waders up for a while, restocked the missing rows of dries, filled up on terrestrial patterns and took a solid look at the gin and tonic supply.

The dry game is anywhere between good and lights out. Yellow/Golden stones, Zebra caddis, Black caddis, Damsels, PEDs, Yellow Sallies, the last of the March Browns and new Slate Drakes. That doesn't take in consideration the terrestrial feed or the almost daily/nightly spinner fall. Size10 -12 Flying Ants showed up well on a few occasions this week.

Nymphing was largely ignored due to the amount of snouts sticking up. Why nymph when you can fish a dry....Never mind. We're sure it's pretty good now.

We keep fishing wets to stay in the game. It's like having a knuckle ball. If you don't throw it occasionally you'll lose it. Very good with caddis patterns. Caddis rule by the way.

Streamers filled the between hatch period nicely. Whether floating or wading we racked some pretty impressive fish this week. Large stuff and the smaller soft hackle style streamers got the rod bent. Love the streamer game. Even for only a short while during the day.

Small streams with lots of canopy are huge fun right now! A three weight, shorts, one box of dry attractors/terrestrials and a appreciation of wild small water will keep one busy until September. No shortage of small streams in Maine either.

Medium sized rivers getting the dawn or dusk time frame. Early morning dry searches with a spinner or spent caddis pattern has been standard. Evening the caddis hatches have been boom or bust. If it looks like prime water it is. Approach quietly. Observe. Wait for the rise. Make that first one count.

Enjoy the summer season. It's one of our favorites. The glamour hatches of mayflies are over. Caddis are taking over. We love caddis . The blue collar bug. Shows up early and works late.

Many think the season is over until September. Let them think that. We know water that produces all summer long. Come January you'll wish you spent a little more time on the water, wading around in shorts, casting dries and working that rise. Feed that jones.

 

Drift Boat Essentials.

We spend a fair amount of time in a drift boat during the season. There are a things you need to have and others that you don't. A few of our favorite essentials.

• Two rod set ups. One for dries and nymphs. One for streamers. One or two sink tip lines and you are good to go.

• Sun pro. Long sleeved shirt, sun gloves, Buff, hat and good sunscreen. We prefer Dermatone.

• Quality polarized sunglasses with lanyard.

• Long handled net. Don't bring that small handled brookie scoop.

•  Beer. In a can. PBR might be the height of outdoor foodie fashion right now. We see way too many posers quaffing this brew for us to part take in the "I'm cool, look" beer.  We would rather support a local company. Our choice is Baxter Brewing Co. 

• Camera. 

• A box of large streamers. Articulated, dumbell eyes, deer hair and rabbit concoctions. If you're not throwing these, you're missing out on some of the best opportunities of the day.

•  Some really good companions. Whether it's family, friends or your dog. Share the day.

Summer is coming, make a plan now before it's gone.

This And That.

 

Our flows have stabilized to the point of near perfect volume. The last five days were spent doing floats. Some days rocked,  some days were tough due to wind. Real tough. Like "don't stop rowing or you go back upriver" wind.

But we adapt and overcome. Find the lee side of a channel, a cove or that sheltered island nobody fishes around. Deal with the wind, everyplace we've fished that was decent had wind. Make the most out of the hand you're dealt. We had a few dry fly addicted clients that were disappointed with the conditions this week. They made the most of their days by making the best presentations to every rising fish we worked for. We really appreciate that kind of effort. Better than the useless bitching and whining about things one can't control.

Anyway here is the skinny on the scene this week.

DRIES: Yes. The dry. One can confidently search with a dry now. That spot look fishy? Throw that floater in the lane, mend, watch and pick up quietly. Search as if you see rising fish. Make that first cast your best.

Our top dry for the week: The Adams Parachute. Size 12-18. We have seen ten different mayflies this week. So have the fish. It's not about the fly, it's about the drift. Period. Watch a couple hundred dry fly drifts a week and you'll know what's going to get the eat and what's not.

NYMPHS: Started fishing the drop with the ten foot high and dirty rig with good results. Medium rig in use now. Medium bobber. Large dry and dropper rig working with enough drop/weight.

Top nymph is Kauffmann's Yellow Stone. Size 8-10. Not a subtle take.

STREAMERS: We are on the scoreboard in the a.m. with the streamer. Again in late afternoon if the hatch is weak. Large, articulated concoctions working well. Small olive and black rubberleg Buggers showing their value. White Zonkers getting wacked in the shade.

Get on it before the change comes. That change isn't all that bad. But if you really like fishing mayflies this might be last call. Caddis take over within a week. Then again what the hell do we know.

Dropping Down.

It's dropping. Clarity is improving. Temps stable. The feedbag will be on. We have taken this off time to catch up on paperwork, communications and gear maintenance. A couple new lines rigged, refilled the leader wallet, restocked the fly boxes and we even cleaned the coolers. We are ready for round two.

We expect to use the deep nymph rig and streamer set ups. Large and in charge delivery systems. Six and seven weight streamer rods are our preferred weapons of choice for high water streamer sessions. DC 3s and 6s. Full sink lines in 6 and 7 ips. 0 and 1X. The 1-1.5 bobber. The nasty Hellgramite patterns on deck. We are still opportunistically hoping for the dry game to appear once again. It will. When? We don't set that schedule. The bugs come when they want to. We certainly are not going to set out with only a 4wt. and hope to see a nose. Better to have the whole arsenal ready to roll.

Small rivers and streams are turning on right now. Displaced fish and new structure give the willing to walk angler the upper hand. Smaller sized streamers (8-12) work very well for those small stream fish during this transition.

If you are thinking of adding a trip this season now is the time to start finalizing your plans. We have still have room in our two day spey trip on the West Branch. The flyfishing school with Maine Huts and Trails has space in both July and September. There are a few dates for the end of this month also. We are already starting to fill both September and October, don't miss out on this time of year! And if you think it all ends at the end of this month you're wrong. Some of the best dry fly fishing happens in July! If long, fine leaders and fussy trout are what you crave, we can help you with that craving.

Feed it.

Higher And Higher.

Just like Toots says "Everything is going higher and higher". Moving waters are blown out for now. The drop has already begun on some smaller streams and rivers. When will we see fishable flows? That is the thousand dollar question. Maybe by the end of the week, maybe not.

The long leash nymph rig will return. 10'x2X, 1"Thingamabobber and B shot. Large nymphs (sizes 2-8) matched with a smaller size 10 nymph will help with our depth obsession. Rubber leg stones, San Juans and Czech nymphs in the line up.

Streamer rigs out front. Heavy, fast tips paired with dark and loud streamers will see the dark soft side of the seam. Full sinking lines are not to be overlooked. 0x standard. Nice not to worry about that flotsam you've hooked up to.

Fish the drop wisely and safely.

Welcome June.

 

June. Part two of a fantastic spring. The caddis month. The Golden Stones. The longest days. The anticipation of wet wading. Evening dry fly sessions. BBQs riverside. That apres drift boat cocktail. Great month to be a fly fisher in Maine.

Conditions have been excellent as of late. Today we are in line for 2-3 inches of rain. That amount will blow out many of the rivers and streams we fish for a few days. Some floats we do will not be affected that much. Waders will bitch and floaters will smile. This rain is a good thing. We can work with more water than less water. Bring it and fish the drop.

The mayfly continues to hold the title for dry fly addicts. March Browns waning. BWOs steady. Sulphurs and PEDs coming stronger everyday. Baetis occasionally. Caddis will take the crown soon. Size 12-18. The dreaded black was out on yesterday's trip in the morning. Midge in the a.m. still. Spinners also on the breakfast buffet. Golden Stones shortly.

Nymphing is still very productive. All the usual ammo. Starting to tie on more Rock Worm patterns lately. Smallish Copper Johns. Huge Hellgramite patterns in the right water. That's a grab you don't wonder "Was that a fish"?

Wet flies fill in the dry sessions well. Especially for those who abhor the nymph game.

Streamers pretty much took the week off. Most clients opted to stalk for heads than throw the small mammal. Got to respect the guy/gal willing to wait for the rise. Not enough of those folks in our experience.

One piece of advise for those looking to increase hook up rates in the dry game. It comes down to two things. The cast and the presentation. We work some pretty tough dry fly waters where the fish don't put up with shitty presentations. They don't eat Hornbergs. They don't like 3X tippet. They hate drag. And they simply leave when the cast crashes on top of them.  They hate false casts also. They are a bunch of haters.

You hold the keys to unlock the code. Work on that reach cast and those mends. Line control is paramount in the dry game. Read the water and study that rise. Try every time to connect on the first presentation. You've heard it here and all over: MAKE YOUR FIRST CAST YOUR BEST CAST.