The sucker spawning activity has come and gone but there was good fishing to be had while it lasted. Lots of fishermen around too. One morning at the #10 bridge on the Magalloway River I counted 7 cars fishing there and another 5 cars parked at “the snowmobile bridge” trail. That is a lot of fishermen for a small area. The parking area at the Rangeley River by that snowmobile bridge was also full of cars. My clients during that week caught a number of fish on sucker spawn imitations but also green-colored nymphs such as a green copper john. I had someone slip in the Maggalloway and when he pulled himself up his waders were covered with olive green caddis larva so It is no mystery why green is a good color. Salmon were active up and down the Magalloway and were still whacking streamers –so were the big fallfish that were starting their spawning activities. Many fisherman, particularly beginners enjoy catching the two to three pound fallfish. It is good practice for setting the hook and playing a big fish – the larger ones fight pretty well.
Fishing the sucker spawn is always interesting – on the upper Mag (above the gates –have to stay at Bosebuck to access) – one riffle runs into a pool in five distinct mini current streams. Fish were stacked up in only one – the others were vacant –even though each current looked similar. Sucker eggs must have been drifting down there and nowhere else.
The first hatches started in the logan on Kennebago Lake with very few anglers around. Brook trout in the 12-16 range could be taken on dries which is always a treat. These early mayflies actually start to emerge under the water, fly rapidly away, and don’t linger at the surface, so emerger patterns work better than traditional dry flies, particularly for larger fish. Here is an excerpt from my upcoming book –from the chapter on spring hatches…
Ahh… the warmer days of late spring and early summer – the season of mayfly hatches – the foundation of fly fishing, and for many, its soul. Consider all the bank-side discussions shared, the flies tied, and even many a book written, waiting for the hatch to start.
Usually, men with ED are prescribed to the ED patients with a common suggestion that use it only when buy vardenafil levitra a male is unable to attain enough erection to engage in sexual activity, take it as soon as you remember. Some cialis 20 mg enzymes that are inhibited by these drugs (Sildenafil and Tadalafil) also include Phosphodiesterase- 1 (PD-1) ,Phosphodiesterase 6 (PD-6), and Phosphodiesterase 11 (PD-11). This anti-impotence pill proposed for the men suffering with erection issue. levitra canada pharmacy with discount aids appease the concern of erectile dysfunction occurs. Every disease can be managed with proper treatment and live a normal sex life forever. cheap tadalafil tablets There is, however, one inconvenient reality – in most northern New England waters, hatches of mayflies occur briefly, sporadically, unpredictably, or not at all. One year, mayflies blanket the water, while the following year brings nothing. Or one cove has a great hatch one evening while the rest of the lake might as well be a desert
The biggest key to success is also the most difficult to pull off – be on the water when a hatch occurs. Since hatches are very unpredictable, it is best to keep your fishing schedule flexible, be around the water as often as you can to observe what is happening, and fish when you see evidence of a hatch, regardless of the time of day. Very difficult to do when you have conflicting needs on your time – little things like a job or a family. Have you ever noticed that many successful and/or famous fly fishing “gurus” don’t have wives or families? At least not for long, and I don’t think it is a coincidence.
I hope to get videos from the smelt run and sucker spawn up on the sight soon. Check back next week.
Welcome to the Mainely Flyfishing website, your source for guiding, instruction, fly fishing information, books, videos, and more. My name is Lou Zambello and I am a guide, instructor, writer, speaker, and columnist. Please explore this site or email me to learn more.
Smelt gone – Suckers starting soon
The smelt run ended a little over a week ago but people caught a lot of big fish in the Rangeley area. It seemed like the smelt run lasted longer than normal and since the water was lower almost everywhere, it was easy to reach the big trout and salmon that were feeding on the smelt. I saw more large (from 2.5 to 4 pound) trout caught in a few days than I have ever seen. I guided a guy who caught 6-8 (I lost count) trout over 2 pounds in two days. I fished several days as well and caught two trout on successive casts that were over four pounds. Of course my video camera ran out of memory right before I landed them so I have no photographic evidence – but my buddy saw them. Most all the fish were caught on a certain smelt imitation pattern that not too many people use. But people were catching them on a variety of patterns. When I get a break from guiding I will post videos of the smelt run so you can get a sense of it. Because of the early warm weather there were some good hatches as well of blue-winged olives and plenty of fish caught on dry flies and small nymphs that imitate blue-winged olives. The Rangeley River and the Maggalloway river above Parmachenee (have to stay at Bosebuck camps to fish there) had anglers with 15 fish afternoons. The Rangeley river had some really fat and strong fish that fought hard, although I did better nymphing than with dry flies, but the fish were rising.
Now it is time for the suckers to start their spawning run and if one is in the correct spot, nymphing with sucker egg patterns can be very productive. Here is an excerpt from my book on the subject…
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Although smelt runs get most of the attention, as spring progresses and stream temperatures increase and water levels drop, other spring spawning runs can bring outstanding fishing. Following the smelt (about two weeks later) are the suckers, followed one or two weeks after that by fallfish (some call them chubs) and black-nose dace. Sucker spawn is small and varies in color. Most that I have seen are pale to medium yellow in color. Eggs leak from female suckers before and during the actual spawning activity. Trout and salmon line up behind sucker schools, feasting on the yellow eggs. I have caught a salmon, opened its mouth to remove the fly, and its gullet appeared to be full of lemon jello because it had swallowed so many eggs. Fishing can be so good during the sucker spawning run in the Rapid River that several guides I know turn down guiding jobs (even knowing there would be large tips involved) to fish themselves for brook trout up to 5 pounds. Believe me; I have seen the pictures (carefully edited to remove any landmarks that might reveal the exact location). Fishing the sucker spawn is not easy – it took me ten years to learn the intricacies of it – those that have figured it out don’t share readily. I can’t really blame them.
What happened to Spring
Well, we had July weather in March and now in late April we are having early March weather with cold wind and night time temps back in the 20’s. I will be fishing and guiding the Rangeley area waters next week and then will give you a full report. Here is another book excerpt from the Spring Ice-Out to Leaf-Out section:
Book Excerpt:
On water that sees some fishing pressure, it is also a good idea to throw something that is smelt-like but perhaps the fish haven’t seen recently. Two streamers that have worked extremely well for me and aren’t fished as frequently as others are the Kennebago smelt, and a Mylar “Match the Hatch” minnow series originally created by Dave Whitlock, which includes a purple-feathered alewife version that works extremely well as a smelt imitation.
Over dosage of the tablet can result in certain purchase generic viagra complications. Researches have shown that quality of life and healthy and balanced habits like eating food at the right time and having correct viagra tablet naps can assist individuals a whole lot in keeping healthy and balanced. Although a small number, the researchers emphasize that this viagra shops foea.org change packs a big punch. The scientists emphasize that although complications are price of viagra tablet a common issue little is known about how they can be applied for treatment of MND. The Kennebago Smelt is a hair wing fly that is easy to tie and with its white, yellow (dyed) and blue (dyed) buck tail and peacock hurl wing, and silver-tinseled body, it imitates the rainbow iridescence of a smelt well. It works better than all other streamers in the Kennebago lakes area and is effective in other bodies of water as well. Because it is easy to tie, I can fish it on the bottom, lose a number to snags, but can always quickly tie more and be back in business. I tie it with a small hook so the hair can pulsate in the water even when I tie it sparse. It is easy to over tie. Decide how much hair you want and then tie on about one-third less. I don’t usually get short hits on this fly because I believe the trout strike hard at the head to stun its prey and then swallow it.
One early and very cold morning my friend Dave Van Wie and I were casting Kennebago Smelt streamers in a sunken creek channel, both of us being too macho to admit we were freezing to death, and not willing to quit while we were skunked. If I had been by myself, I definitely would have quit an hour earlier. After every cast we had to stick our rods in the water to melt the ice on the guides. About the time it started to feel hopeless, I hooked a very fat 16-inch brook trout. I was still reminding Dave of my obviously superior fishing prowess, when he hooked and landed a larger trout. With both of us successful, we looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Let’s get the hell out of here” Actually, our lips were frozen so it sounded more like, “Lef’s git ta hell o’ of ere.” The Kennebago smelt probably saved us from a macho-induced case of frostbite.
Dave Whitlock’s “Match the Minnow” flies are weighty Mylar and epoxy creations with a feather tied lengthwise on top that have a flash and scaly look that other streamers tied with traditional feathers can’t duplicate. The first fish I ever caught in Kennebago Lake, was right after ice-out, and was a 20 inch, three pound female brook trout that slammed a Mylar minnow alewife imitation in purple. Dave Whitlock developed this minnow series over twenty years ago, but they still work and can be easily constructed with the wide range of materials available today. Part of the advantage of this fly is it sinks fast and if you bend the body of the fly slightly and retrieve it erratically, it moves through the water unpredictably like a fish that is injured and can’t control itself. This seems to bring out the predatory urge in trout and salmon. Often a fish will flash at this fly without taking it but you can then follow up with subsequent casts and other streamers once you have found the fish.
ice out
Ice out occurred on the Rangeley area lakes last weekend on April 13-16. This is among the earliest on record. I actually caught a 13 inch trout on Kennebago Lake on April 14 – must be one of the earliest catches on the lake ever.
Since Kennebago Lake did not freeze until late December, Kennebago was ice covered for less than four months. This all feels like global climate change to me. Rivers and streams in the area are very low – at mid-summer levels. The Rapid River is running at below minimum levels. With the lack of rain and snow, the dirt roads are all in good shape. People have been able to get to # 10 bridge from all directions. Sporting Camps are going to have to open earlier in the year if this keeps up. On Monday, April 16th it was 82 degrees at Kennebago and I was being bitten by mosquitoes.
People have been asking me about timing of hatches and things and I believe everything will be at least two weeks early. We hopefully will be getting some much needed rain this weekend. We could use 3 or 4 inches. Here is another excerpt from my book…
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Regardless of whether you are fishing a river or a lake, if you are fishing near a smelt run, streamer selection is a matter of choosing your favorite smelt imitation. There are a myriad of smelt imitation flies. Some of the old patterns are as much a part of the history of the North Woods as their tiers, like Carrie Stevens, and the “sports” whom came by train from Boston and New York and are now immortalized in black and white pictures standing behind stringers of many huge, dead fish. All of the classic streamer patterns, as well as the newer creations work, at least once in a while.
Streamers are tied in a variety of colors, probably because a live smelt will reflect a myriad of tones depending on the light. Sometimes you will see a dead smelt floating on the surface and wonder how all of those gaudy streamers fool fish when the smelt appears a relatively drab gray. This is misleading. Dead smelt lose their color immediately, while live smelt have an iridescence along their lateral lines that reflect the sky and the water, every hue from pink to blue to purple to silver. When you see a school of smelt in a glass tank under low light conditions, what you see is not the complete outline of a fish but a thin iridescence that changes colors subtly as the fish move and turn…
Welcome to the Mainelyflyfishing blog.
Welcome to the Mainelyflyfishing blog. I will update this blog frequently to keep you up to date on the latest fishing information and to pass on fishing tips and techniques. I will excerpt parts of my flyfishing book that is coming out this year (I hope) by the title of “The Five Seasons of Northern New England Flyfishing”.
This is the time of year when everybody starts to anticipate ice out but the date varies widely. For example, from 1880 to 2010, ice-out on Rangeley Lake has ranged from April 14 to May 24th – a range of 41 days! This late winter has brought us historic warm temperatures with Rangeley getting into the upper 70’s last week and even more importantly, having a large number of nights when the temperatures do not dip below freezing. The earliest ice-out record in Rangeley of April 14th is certainly going to be threatened unless the weather changes drastically – I am thinking sometime the first week of April. There is also very little snow left. This will undoubtedly move the entire hatch calendar up.
Here is my book excerpt for this week…
Ice Out is the real start of the fly fishing season in northern New England, even if some streams and rivers might be fishable when the season opens on the first day of April. Although some hardy souls fish the traditional opening, it is an exercise that reminds me of pre-season major league baseball. Good for getting the equipment ready, and loosening up the old muscles, but not really the main event.
I consider spring fishing to be the time from ice-out to when water temperatures rise into the 50’s and the trees leaf-out. This is generally the period between late April and late May, but it can range from early April to late June depending upon latitude, elevation, and weather conditions. Spring fly fishing in New England should not be confused with other traditional spring events in other parts of the country, such as the Kentucky Derby or the Masters Golf tournament, where there is plentiful sunshine and warm weather. You won’t find mint juleps, bluebirds singing or azaleas blooming. You are more likely to see sleet and snow, and the land is not really green yet. There are just hints here and there; small willow leaves, a few trillium, and perhaps, the first lily pad.
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The first key to successful early season fishing is being on the water shortly after ice-out but predicting when that will occur is not an easy task. How best to predict when the ice will go out on a particular body of water is a widely debated topic in New England. (Of course, almost anything in New England is debatable and can be debated – just sit in a few town meetings and you will know what I mean.) There is wide agreement, however, about two facts: (1) your ice out prediction for any lake or pond is going to be wrong more often than it is going to be right, and (2) when the ice does go out, the fishing can be superb.
It is getting increasingly difficult to predict the month that the ice will go out, let alone the week or the day. Maybe global climate change is creating some truly bizarre weather relative to historic averages. In Rangeley, Maine, ice out has recently occurred as early as mid April when historically the date has been well into May. There are now some years when Sebago Lake never freezes, yet at the turn of the century Mainers drove their model T’s from town to town over the ice in the Gulf of Maine! Erratic weather is yet another variable fisherman may have to deal with in the years to come.