From Rangeley to Mount Katahdin

Been a wild ride lately from a few days guiding for Grants Camps up on Kennebago Lake back to the West Branch of the Penobscot where I will be guiding and fishing through July. Had a lot of fun with a good group of folks up at Grants Camps, and got to spend some time with some good friends and fellow Maine Guides. My friend Tony had a rough commute in to the Camps when a Big Maine Moose decided to run into his truck, folding his mirror in and leaving behind just enough fur to tie a fly or two. On the fishing front, flows on the Kennebago River went from too low to too high, so we spent most of our time looking for windless waters and rising fish on Kennebago Lake. Although fishing was a bit tough, we got some feisty brook trout in the net and the hospitality at the Camps was exceptional as always.

The West Branch of the Penobscot greeted us with huge numbers of caddisflies and the fish have been hot on their tails. We have been seeing a good mix of caddis species as well as blu winged olives, Cahills, March Browns, Golden Stoneflys, and Yellow Sallies in the air. This big bug buffet has had some evening anglers scratching their heads, while those willing to look closely, and keep changing flies have been rewarded.

Last week we fished the river hard from Ripogenus Dam to the Abol Deadwater, and found some awesome dry fly fishing and solid fish throughout. Spent a day chasing fish from sunrise to sunset with friend and photographer Matt Boutet. He picked the right day for epic caddis…and got some amazing shots…Check out some incredible photos from the day along with many other stunning images at Matt Boutet Photography

The way things are going up here the big bugs will be here very soon, so have some Big stonefly imitations in the box if you are heading up. Stimulators, Sofa Pillows, and Bugmeisters get it done. For you Pond anglers, Hexes will be showing early this year too. Get on it…Prime Time is here.