At long last, all three of my books are back in stock, including my hot-off-of -the-press Fly Fishers Guide to New England, 2023/24 Edition. You can purchase directly from me (signed) from this website. I am gradually increasing distribution again. You can now find my books at Royal River Book Store in Yarmouth, The Fly Company in Yarmouth, Rangeley Sport Shop in Rangeley, Brickyard Books (on-line), Selene’s Fly Shop in Gardiner with more to come.

It’s a good thing too, last week my Fly Fishers Guide to New England was selling used on Amazon for $ 120 dollars and more on Ebay.

I was on a West Coast swing last week and couldn’t resist a quick stopover on the way back to Spokane, Washington, where I rented a minivan and drove three hours up into the Bitterroot Mountains to car camp and fish the Saint Joe’s for Cutthroat trout.

Plenty of people have moved to Spokane and Couer D’Alene in the last few years, and I saw hundreds of RV’s camped along the river. But I still found water all to myself and the cutthroat were willing if not quite so naive as they can be. They really prefer softer water with less flow and will not take a fly that isn’t drifted drag free. It was all quite enjoyable and minivans are comfortable, with heated seats that recline into beds!

By the way, people have asked me how the striper fishing was in Maine this year, and the answer is quite good early on. Anglers had good luck almost everywhere, starting in early May. By mid July the fishing seemed to taper off dramatically in Casco Bay proper, I don’t know if the water got to warm or not.

Stripers have certainly moved north, however. Seth, who runs the fishing department of Maine Sport on Route 1 in Rockland tells of sight fishing for stripers around Thomaston and adds that in recent years the striper fishing in the area has improved greatly, particularly early in the season. I would stop in and ask him for recommendations.

Thanks to Izzy Hudnat and her dad, Steve, I did get out on Casco Bay in mid- July, saw fish working, and managed to land a good one. Izzy is a rod builder extraordinaire for Maine Fly Company. If you are not familiar with them, check them out at www.maineflyco.com