June fishing was good, but also felt the loss of a good fishing friend and client, Van Schenck. At the news of his passing, I knew there was only one thing to do…fish. Rest in Peace my friend, cheers
Van with a good bow
The great fishing is here (in case you thought I was referring to the delay since my last post!). We had some great fishing last week, boating many trout, some of which were trophy class rainbows 17″-18″. I guided some good friends, Bob and Charlie, who boated over 30 trout in one day. Brothers Doug and Tim also doubled up on big fish. The caddis are active, and the good fishing should last a couple more weeks, so get after it.
I have done some saltwater fishing as well, and have caught stripers on every outing. Although the shore fishing is good, but challenging, you can’t beat fishing from a boat, especially an Action Craft like the one owned by Zak Robinson at Rising Tide Angler. My brother and I boated around 30 stripers in a few hours with him last week. Check out the video here https://www.facebook.com/Risingtideanglers . If you need to get your saltwater fix, book a trip with Zak and you will not regret it.
Here are a few pics from the last week,
roughing it!
Bob tight with a good’n!
love that stripe
Tim with a trophy
Doug getting it done with an 18″ pig!
After some good fall fishing and hunting, it is time to close the books on a great year. This is the season for tying flies, cleaning and taking off lines (especially dry lines), and hopefully, adding some new gear to your arsenal, courtesy of Santa or otherwise. Also, its show season, with the nation’s biggest show visiting Marlboro, Mass this weekend. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend, but mark your calendars for the Bethel Fly Fishing Show on March 18th. I will be there will tying flies and telling lies (that’s a lie, but all fisherman are liars except me;), and booking trips for the upcoming season. I know it seems far off when you are looking at a foot or two of snow in your yard, but I promise it will be here in a few months. I always tell people that June is the best month, so consequently, I book up that month so don’t procrastinate, you won’t regret it when the day finally comes.
Best fishes in the New Year, Cheers!
Brian
though, hard to believe with the summer like conditions, many waters close for the season in less that 2 weeks! Crazy. Fall really flies by as it seems to be a busy season for most, but don’t let the most under-rated fishing of the year get away!
Though most rivers and streams are low, the good news is they have been cooling off fast, with the Andro at a solid 64 in the Gilead/W. Bethel area. We landed a few nice fish over the weekend, including a nice 15″ brookie. It should only get better, and with the Andro being open year ’round, we plan of fishing into November.
Fall fishing, it doesn’t get much better than this!
!
That’s right, as we near the dog days of summer, the trout fishing will be winding down the next couple weeks, with best chances at dawn and dusk. The low water (around 1400 cfs in Gorham), has warmed faster than normal with these hot days, and its vast approaching the evil 70 degree mark. Soon we will turn our attention to bass.
Last week was productive and we caught fish on #18 dries to streamers, and netted over 100 trout! Guided fisherman from 14 to 70 years old last week, and no matter the age, you can’t wipe the grin off a fisherman that is tight to a fish! gotta love it…
So don’t procrastinate any longer, go fish, BUT be mindful of the water temp- don’t play fish too long (use a size heavier tippet), keep them in the water as much as possible and release asap. If you want to go real easy on them, pinch the barb.
Also, if you are on waters with special regs that you can clearly see are being violated (aka worm container), don’t be afraid to let them know what the laws on the water are. I saw several bait fisherman on Artificial Only water last week, which takes away from everyone else and compromises the management of the river. Needed to vent that…
Here are a few trophy shots,
Brian
Yep, the best fishing month is just around the corner, and the last week did not disappoint. One angler Saturday picked up 20 fish on a half day float, including two 19″ rainbows, and a couple 15″-16″ browns, not too shabby. We have been getting bites on streamers and dries mostly, picking up the dry rod when we see surface eaters. Caddis, mayflies (hendricksons, march browns) are about, and soon, stones, will all be fair game for our cold water friends.
June is the best month to fish, so don’t procrastinate. Still a few dates open. Here are some teasers from the last week.
Best Fishes,
Brian
You know its going to be a good day when this is the first fish in the net
butter belly
The fishing, red sox, black flies, and the last of the fiddle heads that is; the 3rd week of May is showing changes. Caddis have started in Southern Maine and I got my first few dry fly fish of the year yesterday. Streamers and nymphs ruled on the Andro last week, as the river is still surprisingly high. There are wading opportunities, but lots of water, and the boat can cover it all. And it took some rowing to find them on Friday (no thanks to a strong headwind), but when we did, and dialed in on the fly, my sole angler brought 15 fish to the net; 14 browns and 1 rainbow. See pics below for evidence.
Dates are filling up for mid June, but plenty of dates still open. Book now, the best fishing is coming!
Although on time with the baseball season, its about a month earlier that my usual spring maiden voyage. The water temp was a consistent 48 degrees, a little less than the air on Saturday. We picked up where we left off, with a nice brown in the net early in the game. We had a few other hits, but nothing more to the net. Things will obviously just get better from here, but off to a good start!
…and a brown, that was the story last weekend. It was the last trip of the year, and it did not disappoint. We boated fish slow, but steady through the float, and got the best fish of the year to end it; doesn’t get any better than that. Can’t say too much; drifting, pounding the banks, and boom, fish on, and soon, and after taking all the line off the deck, a 18 1/4″ brown was in the net. A fine way to end the season…
The drift boat is heading for its’ winter home next week, and the raft will stay inflated for a few weeks…just in case, but will be put away before snow flies. I plan on having a booth at the Bethel Fly Fishing Expo in March, so stop by and book a trip for next season.
Best Fishes,
Brian
This title best sums up the fishing we had last weekend. Cold nights and low water levels have dropped water temps on the Andro in the low 40’s (dropped about a degree a day since late Sept.!). The fishing was slow to start, but once things warmed up a bit, they started to bite, and we even saw a few risers. Streamers were the ticket though, and most fish fell to bright colored ones. It was a day of quality fish, and the last fish of the day, a 16″ butter-belly brown, was one of the nicest to reach the net this year.
With October coming to a close, all but a few waters will be open through the winter. I have one more float, weather permitting, then will chase whitetails most of November. Tight lines to the dedicated few fisherman out there willing to give it one more cast;)
PS- Looking for a good Christmas Gift, or better yet, want one? Book a trip early for next spring, gift certificates available for those that don’t want to commit to a date just yet.
As usual, here are some pics from last weeks adventure.
colored up rainbow,; don’t come any prettier
fatty brown
an aggressive streamer eating brown, one of the nicest specimens of the season
