Maine Fly Fishing: September Rules!
Time flys… this update is long overdue, but for very good reasons. The fishing has been incredible on the West Branch of the Penobscot as well as area ponds and smaller rivers and streams. The high flows from Mckay Station on the West Branch of the Penobscot have dropped considerably along with the water temps, and the fish are responding well to stripping and swinging streamers. The retrieve seems more important than the pattern right now, all I will say is “make it move!” But it is not just a streamer game right now…in fact within the last week and a half I have witnessed two of the best late afternoon caddis hatches I have seen all season. These hatches are bringing up a lot of fish, including some really big ones just before dark. Try brown tan and black caddis sizes 16-20. If you are hiking out without a headlamp, you probably left too soon to see the big fish feeding on top. Blue Wing Olives (BWOs) have also been making appearances almost daily along with good spinner falls in the evening. The naturals have been small size 20-24 and we have been boating some good sized salmon on all phases of the hatch. Try parachute BOWs, barrs emergers, and wd40’s when you see these guys come off. If you can’t deal with the frustration of fishing (and seeing) these tiny flies I have good news! We are still seeing some action on big stone and hopper dryflys in the choppy water and along the foam lines, especially on the fair weather days. So enjoy fishing dryflys while you can…
I will be busy guiding on the West Branch of the Penobscot and Kennebago River in Rangeley through the end of September. Come October, I will be guiding Float trips on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River, The Dead River, and a few more extended season waters. If you want to get one more quality trip in before snow flys, give us a call or send an email. 207-749-1593 This is a great time to enjoy the splendor of Maine’s fall color, while catching some of the best fish of the season.
Have a safe fall on the water!
Fall Landlocked Salmon
Slippery…
