People frequently greet me by asking if I have been fishing this time of year. It never seems like enough of that takes place but for the past couple weeks, there has been a fair amount of fishing done by this writer. Last week was spent in Maine at Whisperwood Lodge and Cottages in Belgrade. My brother-in-law Norm McDade joined me fishing Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond, both providing a combined 1,000 acres of great fishing and we targeted largemouth and smallmouth bass.
It was post-spawn and the bass had moved out of the shallows where they spawn. It took us some time to prospect and figure out what the bass might be taking, and we threw all the usual baits. Crankbaits like the Rapala Shad Rap and old reliables like the Mepps #3 Fire Tiger were thrown as were a myriad of Gary Yamamoto soft baits, especially Senkos in every imaginable color and also cut-tails salamanders, and crawfish imitations.
The fishing on the first sunny day was slow. My Shad Rat took a couple of big yellow perch and the first largemouth came when a “bubblegum” pink Senko was tossed in 10 feet of water with emerging weeds. Unfortunately, in landing that fish my clumsy feet got entangled in the power cord for the MotorGuide Xi5 Great White trolling motor and the connector was pulled apart. That required a trip back to the lodge and a drive to the NAPA auto parts store for connectors. In less than an hour, we were back fishing.
It was not until Thursday, when clouds and light rain arrived, that the really good fishing took place. We had caught bass but not a lot and no real big ones. That changed quickly as Norm boated a big female that weighed five pounds on the Berkley Digital Scale and 15 minutes later, my green Senko was gobbled by another largemouth that was a shade under five pounds. We had figured out depth and structure patterns and found colors the fish were eating, and the fishing was fast.
Unfortunately, the low-pressure area that seemed to be turning the fish on was bringing miserable weather that included high winds and downpours. We put the rods away and headed back to the lodge, grudgingly. Friday morning was “getaway day” and a very stiff breeze cut our fishing short. It had been a terrific trip with great fishing, food, accommodations and relaxation!
This Wednesday, another fishing trip was on the calendar. In April, Paul Rouleau had asked me if I would be interested in a float trip on the Deerfield River. He did not have to ask twice. Jonathan Bunker of Squaretail Anglers had one June date open, and we booked it. Jonathan provides everything and we met him in Deerfield at 7 a.m. The inflatable drift fishing boat was already upstream. We left a vehicle downstream where the trip would conclude and drove to the launch site. Almost immediately after Jonathan anchored us next to a swift run, we had “takes.” The most common trout fishing technique in the Deerfield is a tandem rig with a big dry fly pattern floating above and a tippet with a small nymph tied to the shank of the floater. In essence, the top fly is really an indicator as it will stop and that was the cs or submerge when a fish takes the nymph. You have to be quick! It usually takes a few misses to get the hang of it and that was the case with Paul and yours truly. Trout do sometimes hit the dry fly and that happened to me right off. The 10-foot Cortland 4 weight rod was a perfect setup for the type of fishing we were doing, and the fish was hooked! It was a big rainbow and really bent the rod as it fought. Unfortunately, the lower hook got tangled and the fish turned and got off. Damn! It was nice trout!
As the morning progressed, the sun beat down on us and that never is a good thing for trout fishing in clear water like the Deerfield. It also warms the water. There were not large-scale insect hatches, so the trout fishing was understandably slow. There were some cooperative smallmouth bass and American shad finishing their spawning run, and they kept us busy. At least five bald eagles were constantly in view, and it was spectacular day on a beautiful river. A nice native brown trout did give me enough time to hook him, and a very nice rainbow ended our day on the last fast water above the take-out point. We pulled over to a riverside picnic spot for lunch and the day was filled with pleasant banter as Jonathan tended to the two of us, we tangled our lines like 6-year olds. All in all, a great trip and I heartily recommend it to anyone. Jonathan is skilled and his ability to read the water and position the drift boat make it possible for anyone, regardless of flyfishing skill or experience, to catch fish. Do it!
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.