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Unfortunately, our camera skills are nowhere near our fishing skills, but we're working on it! Check out some shots from 2017. We have many openings for 2018. Book a trip with us and see what the buzz is all about!
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First of all, thank you to all our service men and women who have served and continued to serve! We're grateful for the opportunities that we're allowed to have due to you. So again, thank you! Another season is winding down here in the north country. I guess technically we're fishing in the southern part of the state, but there are still opportunities to get out there. The drift boat had a successful, first full season and will be under good care for the winter. Can't wait to crack it out in the spring!  With the low water that we had for most of September and October, November has become the month for fishing. If you can brave the air temps, the water is still pretty warm and fish are very active right now. Make sure to check the law book before you go out and fish on the waters that are still open. The Mousam, Androscoggin, and the Presumpscot are all open and fishing well. Trout are still taking small BWO's and black ant patterns on top. Nymphs and streamers will be your best bet this time of year. Both stocked and wild fish are active in the rivers right now. We've also had some great reports from recently stocked ponds about big browns! Get out there before winter has you cooped up and dreaming about warmer weather! Western Maine: There are still some opportunities to get out and fish in the Western Mountains. The foliage is peaking right now, so it's absolutely beautiful when we get these bluebird days. With some increased rain in the forecast this week, we could see some bigger fish start becoming more aggressive and feeding before winter gets here. We have a couple of November dates available for anybody looking to get up to Bethel and fish the Upper Andro for some trout! Southern Maine: With the forecasted rain and stocking trucks out on the road, Southern Maine is going to be the place to fish for the remainder of the season. As hunting season starts, we'll start to see less folks on the water and more opportunities to fish prime spots. November has really turned into a great month to fish, as the trout are spawning more during this time and become more aggressive. Vince had a couple of clients get into over 20 brook trout last year in early December. They'll still feed on BWOs and other dry flies, so topwater action is a possibility and can still be a lot of fun. Smallmouth bass are hanging in the shallows as they load up on baitfish this time of the year. We'll continue to run float trips until the weather dictates that we can't.     Western Maine Report: If ever there is a time to hit Western Maine rivers, it's right now! Big trout and salmon are moving into the rivers to spawn and this is the time of the year when you can land a trophy brook trout or landlocked salmon on the fly. Just because summer is over don't overlook dry fly fishing. We landed 18" salmon on size 18 dry flies this past weekend. Parachute patterns like black ants and adams are good bets. There are still a good number of caddis on the water. Soft hackles do a great job of imitating emerging caddis. Nymphs that have been working are pat's rubber legs, copper john, black zebra midge and green caddis larva. Lastly, those big streamers may not produce a LOT of fish, but they can entice a big fish! We have a few spots available still this fall, but remember that a lot of rivers close on September 30th. Get out there! Southern Maine Report: Smallmouth bass are starting to work back into the shallows to beef up on baitfish before winter time. Poppers are still producing. Bass fishing will stay hot through October. Trout and salmon fishing will start to heat back up in about a month. We guide in Southern Maine right through Christmas time if the conditions are right. We don't have any trips booked for November. With many people hunting this time of the year, you can find a lot of serenity and trout in Southern Maine, which is rare! It's been a while since I've posted! We've been on the Andro a lot churning out bass trips. The dog days of summer seem to be on the tail end. Bass are down deep in very rocky areas, so getting down with rubber leg flies or clousers has been the ticket. We have left the trout waters alone, but will be getting back out in the next couple of weeks as water temps are starting to drop. The last trip to the Magalloway was productive, but fish needed to be quickly released. We have a few dates left between now and Labor Day weekend if you're looking to get out there! After Labor Day, we'll only be guiding on the weekends and still have some dates available.     The big bugs are here! Summer is also in full effect. Find the shade and cool water temps and you will find the fish if your presentation is good. There's a LOT of good fishing going on right now. For trout waters, think big AND small. Big stonefly dry patterns, small tan caddis patterns and small black/brown ant patterns are deadly right now. Don't be afraid to bring a bunch of tippet and try lots of different patterns. If you need to get deep, we've been using a new type of nymphing rig called "the drop shot rig". This rig consists of about 4 feet of 12 lb mono with a tippet ring attached to it. Then add 4 to 5 feet of Rio Fluorocarbon tippet, tie a triple surgeon knot to 12 inches of fluoro and put a small fly on the tag end. Repeat this process and tie on a bigger nymph, like a Pat's rubber legs on the tag end. At the very end, tie a knot and put one or two split shot above. Move your indicator above the tippet ring depending on the depth of the water. One and a half times the water depth is the best placement for your indicator. I know it's a lot, but fish are on the bottom and this where they feed a majority of the time. Summer smallmouth fishing is also going strong. Poppers in the shade or chartreuse flies near the drop offs are the ticket. Get out there and enjoy! We have some dates open for August and September. Give us a call and let us show you how to get the job done! Fishing is great right now. We've been on the water everyday for the past week. The Magalloway and Western Maine rivers are all about caddis and stoneflies right now. It's a lot of fun to cruise up and down the rivers, find fishy looking spots, twitch a caddis patter and hook up with big brook trout. One client landed around 20 brook trout in 3 hours of fishing. Nymphing will be the ticket as the water temps warm up. Look for deeper runs and shaded pools as the heat moves in on us. Stimulator and hopper season is upon us! Smallmouth fishing is prime right now. Even when you don't see anything on the surface, they'll come up and hit a popper pattern with full force. Gorgeous, sunny float days on the Andro are what we love to do most this time of year. We still have some openings later this month and some weekday openings in August. Give us a call!   Fishing is getting hot! Trout, salmon and bass are all starting to look up. If you're in the Western Mountains, caddis, caddis, caddis. Dark brown bodied Elk Hair Caddis and Green Caddis Larva nymphs have been the ticket. There are still some Hendricksons hanging around, but I can't imagine they will stay much longer up there. Onto the Light Cahills next, but you'll find us fishing caddis. Love this time of year! Bass fishing is the same, but not quite looking up yet. Any day now that will change, especially with these hot temps. We're going to be doing some bass fishing in Southern Maine this week, so I'll put a report out later this week. Clousers and Woolly Buggers will get the job done. Fish 'em slow and set the hook! Get your poppers ready... it won't be long! All of the pics below are from a couple of guide fish days. Fun to get out with the boys and do what we do!  I'm pretty sure that I don't even need to post a report with words in it. The picture above sums it all up. This is what fishing is all about. As our kids get older, it makes me think of the little things when I'm on the water. Do everything possible to conserve these waters so that our kids can enjoy the same splendors that we have. Crimp the barbs, stuff excess tippet in your vest, put fish back quickly, etc. These are all small things that we can do that will have a big impact on our waters. We've mainly been in the North country as fishing has been awesome. Hendricksons are still hanging around, black caddis are on top and green caddis larva are starting to pop on the riverbeds. There doesn't seem to just be one fly that is working, which can be rewarding or frustrating. The beauty of this time of year is that if all you want to fish is dries and emergers, you have that option most days right now. If you want to nymph and chuck streamers, you can do that as well. There are lots of options right now! Take advantage of the nice weather on the horizon and get your ass out there!!  How can you top that?!   This will be a down and dirty report. Things are really starting to heat up! Nymphs are still the ticket in the North country, but fish were taken over the weekend on emergers. Klinkhamers are a great imitation this time of year for emerging mayflies and caddis. We caught some fish on a pond on Hendrickson patterns. Those little buggers are hatching in full effect up north. We spent time in the Western Mountains and Central Maine over the Memorial Day weekend. I'll put a Southern Maine report out this weekend as we'll be guiding down here this weekend. I have to imagine that dry fly fishing will be in full swing down here. Elk hair caddis and appropriate mayfly dries will be the tickets for trout. Hopefully the smallies are looking up and ready to pounce on topwater offerings! Flows are stabilizing in some areas and great in others. Please wear a life jacket on the quicker rivers, especially if in a canoe. Too many tragedies already this spring. I'll let the pictures from this past weekend do the talking! - Aaron |
Headin' North just always feels right