I have been doing live fly tying sessions on Instagram recently. To help with those who are unable to watch, or want to check them out later, I have set up another camera to make edited versions of these sessions.
Here is the Mickey Finn I did the other night. It's a classic bucktail streamer.
INSTAGRAM: @allpointsfly
I have been doing live fly tying sessions on Instagram recently. To help with those who are unable to watch, or want to check them out later, I have set up another camera to make edited versions of these sessions.
Here is the Mickey Finn I did the other night. It's a classic bucktail streamer.
INSTAGRAM: @allpointsfly
I have been doing live fly tying sessions on Instagram recently. To help with those who are unable to watch, or want to check them out later, I have set up another camera to make edited versions of these sessions.
Here is the Hair (Dubbing) Caddis I did the other night. It is a variation of the famous Elk Hair Caddis but uses squirrel dubbing in the body.
INSTAGRAM: @allpointsfly
As a fly shop situated in South Portland, Maine near the coast of Casco Bay, a lot of what I get asked about are the fly fishing opportunities right here in the greater Portland area. With Portland being in the very southern part of Maine, we do not have the plentiful native and wild brook trout and landlocked salmon waters that our northern part of the state holds. But, our endless saltwater fishing opportunities for striped bass combined with some great options for freshwater trout and bass give local anglers plenty to keep them busy!
The following are very general areas and recommendations and are intended to give you an understanding of what this area can provide. Keep an eye out for future articles regarding specific species and areas to target in southern Maine. Also, if you have any questions please feel free to email me: josh@allpointsflyfishing.com
This is the most popular species to target in southern Maine. The vast majority of the striped bass in our local waters arrive via their annual migration. Beginning in early spring, they work their way up the east coast from the Chesapeake Bay, past the tip of Long Island, Cape Cod, and eventually arrive in Maine. Like most fish, their behavior is very dependent on water temperature, so when the local inshore temps hit around 50 degrees (F), we are confident that the first push of striped bass have arrived. This usually equates to about mid-May on the calendar.
Their first destinations are generally the estuaries and tidal rivers. This provides them with a good food source and more comfortable water temps. So these are the places where anglers should try and focus their attention during the early parts of the season. As the water temps rise and more/different bait arrives to this area, the stripers start to spread out. Some will still reside in and along the rivers and estuaries, but later most will be prowling along the beaches and rocks. This then starts to really open up the game and provides plentiful areas to fish. Your favorite beach which you frequent with an umbrella and cooler can also be one of the best places to land a big striped bass!
As mentioned above, the trout fishing in southern Maine is very different than it is in the northern regions. This is because a vast majority of the fisheries here in the southern part are stocked. Below is a map provided by the state which details this very well:
Within the immediate South Portland area, there are two rivers which are stocked regularly and provide good fly fishing opportunities. Those two are the Royal River in Yarmouth and the Mousam River in Kennebunk. If you are willing to travel a little further, the Presumpscot and Pleasant rivers which run in and along Windham and Westbrook are also good options. The Presumpscot is probably the most heavily stocked river in southern Maine. Further, seeing as it's in a fairly populated area, it's also likely the heaviest fished river in southern Maine. So FYI, you will usually not be alone on the river. The species stocked in all these river systems vary from brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, and landlocked salmon.
You can stay updated on the stocking here: Maine Current Fish Stocking Report
Every year, fly fishing for smallmouth bass and pike in southern Maine gets more and more popular. We have some great bass and pike water around here and for those who don't want to trek 3 hours (or more) to the northern region for wild trout, some of the best smallmouth bass fishing can be found right here in our backyard. The Saco, lower stretches of the Penobscot, and the Androscoggin are all rivers which are close and have great fishing (the Androscoggin also holds good shots at pike). For those who prefer stillwater smallmouth bass fishing, both big and little Sebago Lake can produce some opportunities, especially in the shallower areas. Also the Belgrade Lakes region is becoming a hot spot for bass and pike. Further, many of the small ponds in this region can hold largemouth and smallmouth bass as well.
Written By: Josh Thelin
Photos By: Andy York (main image), Josh Thelin (striped bass image)
There are very tangible benefits to fishing flies on jig hooks. This has been something which has increased in popularity especially with the techniques of Euro and/or Czech nymphing really taking off in fly fishing. For the anglers who do a lot of nymphing or fish their leeches and streamers down along the bottom, here are the added values of fishing flies tied on jig hooks. The benefits are also not exclusive to freshwater nymphs and can be certainly translated to sculpin imitations or even clouser or crab patterns in saltwater.
When fishing nymphs along the bottom, or dragging saltwater crab patterns along the sand, having your fly ride with the hook pointed up is clearly beneficial. This can be done with properly balanced/weighted eyes (or beads) on turned down eye or even straight-eyed hooks, but when weight is added to angled jig hooks, they will ride hook up and level and provide a much more stable position. This gives an assured drifting or "swimming" position along the bottom allowing you to not get hung up on the rocks, sand, grass of the water's floor. This also helps to keep your fly from tilting one way or the other and not scraping and dulling your hook point.
For the above mentioned reason, this also presents the ability for the fly to be set into the fish’s mouth in better way. Usually this means getting the fly set in the top or corner of the mouth. These spots in the mouth hold hooks much better and give you a better chance of not losing that fish. You also have better control when trying to turn the fish's head while fighting.
This is especially true when nymping on a tight-line or euro system where you need to really feel the bottom of the river. When weight is added to jig hooks the eye of the fly is what is bumping along the bottom, instead of simply the hook shank or body of the fly. This gives the angler a better feel of if/when their flies are hitting the bottom which in turn gives you feedback on where in the water column you are.
Similar to #3, but when a slotted bead is used in tying a nymph on a jig hook, the center of gravity changes. This helps to angle the hook in a position similar to the nymph in the main image of this blog which gives an even better feel for where the flies are in the water column and if/when they are hitting the bottom on rocks, etc.
We want all the advantages we can get when fighting fish, especially the big ones! When a fish has been hooked with a fly on a jig hook, the fly line (and leader/tippet) is essentially parallel to where the bend of the hook is. When this happens, the leverage that the fish has is reduced and can provide a much more certain hook set in the fish's mouth. This is especially true with our Landlocked Salmon here in Maine which usually go arial (at least once) during the fight. With all the head shakes and jumps, the jig hook can give the angler the advantage. When the hook is set properly, you will find the fly pops out a lot less.
Whether it's a straight eye, turned down, turned up, or jig style hook, all of these give the fly a particular movement or "swim" in the water. As fly anglers, we are always looking for interesting ways for our flies to appear or move in the water. Jig hooks are popular to tie on for streamer patterns as well. The angled eye gives the fly a very undulating movement when stripped. It's a very up-and-down appearance which can give the look of an injured or confused baitfish. It's also becoming one of the most popular ways to tie a sculpin pattern as it keeps the fly on the bottom, riding hook up, and "hopping along" when stripped.
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If you have any questions please feel free to contact me: josh@allpointsflyfishing.com
