Posts tagged: Landlocked Salmon

Fly Fishing in Maine: April

Fly Fishing in Maine: April
Written By: Joe Webster // Photo By: Josh Thelin

April is the month where things come alive in Maine. Our open water season begins on the 1st and creates endless freshwater options for trout, salmon, pike and more. Plus, the Striped Bass get closer to showing up to our coast towards the end of the month. Most of the action will still be revolved around freshwater fishing, however the amount of places to go with quality fishing opportunities greatly increases compared to the difficulties that deep winter fishing involves.

The southern portion of the state will be your best bet at finding ice free water. Ice out is when a body of water is declared ice free, and this usually does not happen until May for many of our northern fisheries. As far as southern Maine, this usually happens sometime in April, and fishing can phenomenal when ice begins to recede. The big phenomenon that occurs in April is our smelt runs are in full swing, thus providing our trout and salmon with a plentiful source of food to bulk up on after a long winter. If targeting trout and salmon, smelt patterns will generally be your best bet at getting a bite where smelt are present. Although limited, bug life is present, so nymphs, and in even certain instances dry flies, will also produce, especially as smelt runs wind down. Great fishing can be had in the southern part of the state for trout and salmon this time of year.

As smelt runs wind down in the southern part of the state, usually things are just starting to begin up north. Everything varies year to year, but towards the end of the month, you can start to consider more northern opportunities. Always check conditions as it is very possible to venture north to find your desired destination to be too iced over to fish. Early season up north is always quite a gamble and rarely results in hot and heavy fishing. Most fish will be taken on streamer patterns imitating smelt if you are lucky enough to find one. That being said when fish are found, they are usually pretty willing to take a fly. You will still need to be prepared with cold weather gear if venturing up north in April.

Check out our how to stay warm article for tips and tricks on how to stay warm on those cold days that are still so common during April in Maine -- HERE

Another option that fly anglers have in April is to target Pike. Every year this becomes more and more popular for good reason. Pike are ferocious predators that will explosively take a fly. For those who may not be outfitted for pike specifically, the rod, reel, and line set up you use for Striped Bass can often be successfully applied to Pike. Pike can be targeted with rods as light as a seven weight, however the bigger the rod, the bigger the fly you can throw, and Pike love big meals. Articulated bait fish patterns, poppers, and sliders can all produce fish. Pike flies are not all too different than striper flies. Floating, intermediate and sinking lines can all work under different circumstances and with different fly patterns, switching things up and staying versatile is key. 

We hope this helps you get an understanding of our Maine fisheries during the month of April. Please feel free to reach out to us at the shop for any questions you may have about early season fly fishing during the month of April in Maine.

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Fly Focus Friday: Caddis Larva

Fly Focus Friday: Caddis Larva

In many areas, especially here in the rivers of the Northeast, caddis is king. We certainly have great hatches of Mayflies and Stoneflies, but purely based on numbers and variety, caddis will be prevalent almost all season long. For many fly anglers, the thought of finding yourself in the middle of a caddis hatch is what keeps us up at night during the long winter. Trout and salmon will happily sip flies on the surface and go out of their way to intercept an emerger or nymph during an active caddis hatch. This caddis larva is a straight forward nymph tied using common materials and can be sized up or down but usually within the #18-#12 hook range. They can be fished tied off the back of a dry fly or dead drifted deeply under an indicator or tight-lined.

Material List: (click to go to product page)

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Video: Fly Tying - The Wood Special

Video: Fly Tying - The Wood Special

A classic Maine fly, the Wood Special was originally tied by Joe Sterling in the 1960's. Since then, it has found a place in many fly anglers boxes as a choice pattern for trout and salmon. Fly fishermen have found it successful in not only imitating small baitfish and young brook trout, but also as an October Caddis as well. Most anglers find the best way to fish this is "down-and-across" and slowly stripped back.

Check out the material list below the video!

Material List:

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Fly Fishing in Maine: February and March

Fly Fishing in Maine: February and March

February and March are notoriously the hardest two months in Maine to catch a fish on a fly rod. Cold weather produces iced over stillwaters and rivers and streams that are often much too dangerous to fish due to unpredictable and dangerous shelf ice that forms on the banks. This is especially true recently with the very cold temps and then shortly afterwards a swing of 20 degrees warmer. Opportunities at fish will be totally dictated by weather and it is not uncommon to go long periods of time during these months where absolutely nothing is fishable. Always keep an eye on the weather patterns, and river flows to find those few opportunities that may pop up.Use great caution when fly fishing out on waters where unstable ice may be present.

Fly Fishing In Maine February March Fishing Report

Trout and salmon will be the name of the game, as they will actively take flies throughout the winter months and are often found in moving water that is less likely to freeze. For fly selection, streamers fished slow and low will produce bites, as well as nymph rigs that can get the flies down in front of the fish's face. Streamer selections should consist of Woolly Buggers in various sizes and colors, as well as smelt and other small baitfish imitations. For nymphs, small Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ear, and of course midges are reliable bets.

Check out our Winter Fly Fishing: How to Stay Warm Article for tips and tricks to stay warm on even the coldest of days.

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Fly Fishing in Maine: January

Fly Fishing in Maine: January
Words + Photos: Joe Webster

January in Maine for most fly anglers is spent at the tying desk preparing for the next season's adventures. However for those that are brave enough to bundle up and find what little open water may be available, there are some opportunities to be had. Most of these will be stocked trout and landlocked salmon fishing in moving water. To find water that is open year round consult the IF&W law book. The next step is going out and finding ice free water. The combination of those two steps can often be limiting and has a lot to do with weather. The southern part of the state is often more reliable at producing fishable water that is open year round. Northern Maine has very limited year round trout and salmon. Do not expect the January bite to be red hot, but getting out in the solitude of winter can be rewarding in and of itself. If you are lucky to catch a fish in the dead of winter in Maine, it can be incredibly rewarding. Never stand on shelf ice on the banks of a river as it is dangerous and unpredictable. Always be aware of ice chunks floating down river, they sneak up on you more often and faster than you think. This happens when shelf ice breaks off on warm days, which are usually the days anglers would be out. For fly selection, streamers fished slow and low will produce bites, as well as nymph rigs that can get the flies down in front of the fishes face. Streamer selections should consist of Woolly Buggers in various sizes and colors, as well as smelt streamers and other small baitfish imitations. For nymphs, small Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ear, and of course midges are reliable bets.

Check out our Winter Fly Fishing: How to Stay Warm article for tips on making winter fishing comfortable.

Fly Fishing In Maine In January

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