This spring has been without a doubt one of the best we have experienced in a long time.. The river is not running at flood stage, it has been warm and pleasant most of the time, and the flowers are at least a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The only down side is that we have had lots of wind.
The low flows have made for some nice wading levels in the freshwater part of the Saint George River. I fished on Saturday and found the river at a near perfect level. The fish were very cooperative and were taking flies on the surface even though it was windy (I think that the wind discourages emerging bugs) I managed a number of brook trout and two very respectable brown trout of around 16 inches.
Today even though breezy was a perfect spring day, warm with a crystal clear blue sky to set off the apple blossoms and lilacs. I will be fishing most of the coming week and will post on my blog about the results. Plan to join me this spring, if nothing else to sit under the apple tree and admire the view.
Ospreys and Eagles Galore
But no stripers yet. Captain George Harris of Superfly Charters and I make our early trips searching for fish together. Saves gas and makes for a much more enjoyable outing. Not to mention we each solve the same problem of catching fish for clients a little differently. So it is a gret chance to learn from each other. While there were no stripers to report this morning we were treated to the early season Saint George River wildlife show.
Because the alewives are staging for their spawning run just at the head of the tide, all of the fish eating birds are there in numbers. This morning we saw several hundred cormorants, a dozen or so ospreys, a half dozen eagles (and spent more than a little time near the nest with an adult eagle watching carefully to be sure we were not a threat to the chicks) a hawk or two and last but not least a turkey flew across the river right in front of us. There were also red winged blackbirds in full color and more than a few yellowlegs along the shore. The last several are not fish eaters but still worth seeing.
While not a successful fishing trip it was a bird watching home run! If you would like to experience this amazing osprey and eagle show make your reservation today for a nature exploration trip by boat. I expect that the show will last until early June.
Smallmouth Bass in Rockland?
Last winter and early this spring part of my role as the Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association had me working on the fishing part of the Maine Office or Tourism website. Part of that effort has me working closely with Mac McKeever from LL Bean. Mac grew up in Camden and has a great love for smallmouth bass fishing. Whenever you get folks that fish together we always talk about places we have in common.
Mac asked me if I had ever fished Chickawaukie Lake in Rockland I have to confess that I had never even launched a boat there. The highway runs the length of the lake and it never looked very appealing to me. I have of course towed the boat past it hundreds of times on my way to the Samoset or one of the Inns in Rockland to pick up or drop off a client. I have even had a few ask about fishing there.
After hearing his description of the smallmouth bass fishing we agreed to fish it together someday. Yesterday was that day. We launched early hoping to avoid the wind and rain that were in the forecast. I have to confess that as a guide I am on over a hundred fishing trips a year but only occasionally pick up a fishing rod and never for the entire trip. I am there to help you enjoy the trip and catch a few fish.
This trip was a complete turnaround for me. I showed up at the appointed hour and stepped aboard the boat fly rod in hand. What a treat to fish, not worry about making sure the boat was in easy casting distance of the structure, if the right fly is in the water or any of the dozens of other variables that I worry about when guiding.
We fished four hours or so and each landed several nice smallmouth bass, all on flies. The fish were still a little sluggish, it is early even though this has been a warm spring. There were a few preliminary spawning beds so it won't be long until some of the best smallmouth bass fishing of the season. A very pleasant morning and I have added a new water to my list of guiding possibilities.
