Reprinted from the October 2016 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal
Flowing water, open enough to swing a fly rod, and full of trout. Most streams in the Rocky Mountain West fit this category, but such waters in Maine are in high demand. A stream large enough to fly fish that maintains water cool enough to hold brook trout through the heat of summer is pretty rare in a region lacking summertime snowmelt, but a few of these gems exist.
On a work detail in the big woods recently, the boys and I crossed a stream that looked promising. I’ve gotten into the habit of carrying a pocket thermometer and checking stream temperatures more common than most folks would consider normal, and the results are mostly disappointing. Temperatures in the 70’s mean the trout are gone to the spring holes, and the stream can’t support many of them year-round.
But this stream showed some promise. A quick reading showed water in the 60’s, and we geared up with some enthusiasm. After a couple dozen small trout on the fly rod in the span of an hour or so, I remembered how much fun stream fly fishing could be.
It was just enough motivation to go back to the woods that weekend and try a different stretch of this newfound stream. Google Earth showed some nice looking habitat that was quite a hike from the nearest road access, in a place so far off the beaten path it may not have seen an angler in years.
A long drive and a mile hike brought me to a new slice of heaven. The cool water and numerous cut banks, scour pools and log jams produced trout much bigger than the size of water would indicate. Not having seen a fly before, they were easy to catch, and the beauty and solitude of the place made it that much better. I fished until I couldn’t see the fly anymore, and the trout never stopped biting. Scrambling through the woods and back to the truck in the dark, I vowed to return, and I made the couple hour drive back the next day, and did it all over again.
The satisfaction of finding such an incredible trout stream led me to look for more, and within a couple of weeks and numerous strikeouts, I’d found three. They all had a few things in common: relatively large drainage area and high gradient, few lakes or ponds in their headwaters, and flowing through rugged hill country with numerous springs and small tributaries.
It wasn’t trophy trout fishing – most of the fish were six to eight inches long, with the occasional foot long lunker, but for a fish that only lives three or four years in cold flowing water, that’s about as good as it gets. After buying a 3 weight fly rod, the brookies immediately seemed to grow a couple of inches.
Western fly methods worked well in these streams. The elk hair caddis above a dead-drifting pheasant tail nymph was probably the best, and the trout loved the big western elk hair stimulators and foam bugs I threw at them too. To be honest, though, maybe most fishing methods would work in a stream so full of trout that aren’t being fished. Regardless, it was a great feeling to catch trout drifting flies in fast moving water again.
You can find little bits of stream fly fishing heaven throughout Maine, but the search might not be easy and it sure could be long. Folks who know won’t be willing to give up their hard earned secrets easily, and it’s probably better that way. After all, finding such a place on your own is that much more rewarding.
You might see me out there next summer. I’ll be the guy stopped at the roadside with a thermometer and a fly rod, looking for that next great spot. Be happy to talk your ear off about fishing, but don’t ask for any specifics!
Jeremiah is an avid outdoorsman and fisheries biologist with the State of Maine. He can be reached at jrodwood@gmail.com.
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