A Fresh Look

Topped off and ready to go...

Over the past week we've learned more about web design/hosting/mastering/insanity than we ever cared to know. 

The good news is we are all fixed up and the new site is up and running. We cleaned it up a bit, consolidated things, got rid of some old stuff, and are pretty happy with the new look. It's not a radical departure from the old, but it seems to have a cleaner and more streamlined feel. Find our new site here...

On another note, the fly boxes are full and some warm days have reminded us that we seem to have rounded the corner and are heading toward another spring. I've got to say, we got off pretty easy this winter. At this rate, barring the epic rain that we saw last year, it could be a short run-off season and things could pick up pretty fast. 

Tyler

Changes.

"What are you tying on?"

It looks like Wild River Angler is going to be moving its base camp...

Stay tuned.

By the way, our website is toast at the moment. We are working on that.

Technology- the bane of our existence.

Cabela's & Maine

Maine Brook Trout- Seriously...

If you get a chance  to check out the Cabela's 2012 Fly Fishing Catalog you might notice a pretty thick brook trout gracing the cover. Well, I can tell you for a fact that the fish is indeed a Maine brook trout.

I know, because that's my hand holding the fish.

Earlier this summer I was contacted by Maine based photographer Dennis Welsh who was  looking to set up a freshwater fly fishing photo shoot for a "client". The deal was pretty simple. Help set up a location, and stand around and have photos taken of me while I "fish"- and I get paid.

After scouting some locations with Dennis we settled on the Upper Andro at a spot between Gilead and W. Bethel. The location had certain advantages: easily accessible, beautiful surrounding landscapes with dramatic cliffs and mountain views, and within striking distance of the coast, where they also planned on doing a saltwater shoot.

The whole process was definately a unique experience and I think I even managed to pick up a few photography techniques. According to Dennis, this was the first time that Cabela's had done a photo shoot for their fly fishing catalog on the East Coast. It was cool to be part of that.

"You want me to cast with what hand?"

On the inside of the cover there is a shot where I'm throwing a cast with my right hand-  except I'm a lefty.

Photographers (good ones that is) are constantly worried about the direction of the light and how it interacts with the subject. In this case, they were looking for a dark back ground with back light to illuminate the line in mid air. To get it right, Dennis asked me if I could cast with my right hand. "Huh?" I've done it before messing around, but I wasn't sure what the results would be. So I gave it a shot- and I've got say it looks like I even managed to get a haul in there resulting a fairly decent loop for the shot. No doubt the presentation on the water probably looked like a I was beating the water with a bullwhip.

So there it is, the beginning- and most likely the end- of my "modeling" career.

Definitely a fun experience, and I'm proud to have been a part of helping Maine's exposure in the fly fishing world. A big thanks to the Cabela's, Dennis Welsh, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries for their support.

Best,

Tyler

Wiggle Your Dub

Harline Hare's Wiggle Dub

I've been messing around with some new tying material lately. One of my new favorites is Hare's Wiggle Dub from Hareline. This a basically a hare dub that has tiny little stretchy rubber legs mixed in. The little rubber legs actually appear to be tiny shreds of Spanflex or Stretch Floss, which means they won't dry out and crack like traditional rubber legs.

Buggy Mix.

I've found the best way to dress with this stuff is to make a dubbing loop, spin a dubbing brush, and wrap. Sometimes the rubber legs can be a bit long, depending on how they are captured in the dubbing loop, trimming to length helps get the proportions right.

Here is one use I've found for it. Sort of a take on the venerable Guide's Choice Hares Ear. Instead of using peacock for the thorax, Wiggle Dub is substituted. Kind of a cool, buggy effect with a lot of life. I can see this stuff being used in a lot of patterns- stonefly nymphs anyone?

Check your local fly shop, if you are in Maine, check Eldredge Brothers in Cape Neddick. Eldredge might just be the last best fly shop in Maine. Those guys are serious about their business and stay up to date on the latest patterns and tying materials. They are definitely not centrally located, but it's worth the trip. If you haven't checked them out, do yourself a favor and get down there!

Best,

Tyler

Spinners

Tying 24's, not recommend after a couple of cold ones.

Since it's winter, and there isn't a lot of angling going on, and there is a lot more tying taking place, we figured it would be fun to share some of what we've been working on. I actually enjoy winter, because it's a bit of break from fishing and a chance to focus on tying. To me personally, tying is the other part of being a fly angler. An important part. Do I tie all of my own flies? No- I'm not that fast. There are certain patterns that I purchase by the dozen. Then there are times when tying feels like a chore- like in July, at 9:30 at night, when I need to slam out half a dozen Slumpbusters and get lunch together for a trip the next day. 

But winter is a chance to sit back, and enjoy the process. Brew some good coffee for an early morning session, maybe get together with some friends in the evening and crack some cold ones and fill the empty spots in the boxes, whip up some hot new pattern, and maybe even dream up the next fishy concoction that just might be THE ONE. 

With the streamer boxes full, lately I've been cranking out some bugs on the vise. Spinners. Don't underestimate them. I like to carry them in a range of sizes. Rusty colored ones cover a pretty wide range of bugs. Make sure to carry some small ones like those above to cover trico and BWO's. I tie them in a bunch of sizes, colors and styles. Dubbed bodies, quill bodies, thread bodies, micro-fibbett tails, hackle tails, yarn wings, poly wings, hackle wings. They all work. Spinner wings are generally clear, and the spent egg layers usually lie flat on the water, wings extended out to the sides and flush on the water, as opposed to upright like a recently hatched dun.

The easiest to tie might be the Compara-Spinner as described in Caucci and Nastasi's classic Hatches. Real simple, tie in tail fibers, dub a tapered body with some super fine, tie in a dry fly hackle in a light dun or cream color (spinner wings are clear), dub to the eye, wrap the hackle over the thorax dry fly style, tie off the head, then clip the hackle flat on the top and bottom so the fly rides low on the water (hackles only extending off the sides of the fly). Fish them on top or just below the film. Can't see them? Add a small dab of strike putty two feet up the leader, or fish them as a dropper off a visible dry fly that acts like an indicator.

Think spinners aren't important? One of the better browns that I've seen come out of the Kennebec in the last couple of years (a solid 20" fish) sipped a size 12 Compara-style March Brown spinner on a bright sunny afternoon in May. 

Spinner Sipper.

The next time you run into rising fish eating something "invisible" on top or in the film, pay close attention. Are there mayflies hovering en masse above? Look in the scum lines where the garbage collects. Look closely at the water. Usually a spent mayfly is flush in the film or subsurface and very hard to see on a casual glance. And finally, break out a seine. A small piece of screen works fine and can save you some fly changes as you start dialing in the code. 

Have fun out there!

Tyler

The Dog Days... Of Winter

It's official, the first fish of the year were landed today, a couple of decent browns- with a fly rod, not an ice trap. It was cold, and a few hours were plenty. Followed by a good bottle of wine, a fire ripping in the stove, a couple hours of tying, some good company, and some good food. This is what makes 5 months of winter tolerable.

And those new sculpin patterns are going to be a whole lot of fun to throw come May.

focalFISH

Men at Work

I had a chance to share some photos via the focalFISH photo blog run the by Mark Raisler and John Arnold, the honchos at Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, Montana. focal is a great place to take in some fishy imagery, especially in the dead of winter here in Maine.

Frankly, it's a little humbling to have some of my images up there with folks who actually have talent.

The first photo essay I submitted was all about Maine landlocks, and features water from around the state, and admittedly, one fish from Massachusetts. More recently I submitted a piece in black and white from a steelhead trip last season. The black and white worked, especially since it was the dead of winter and there was no real color to capture anyway. The land lock essay can be found here and the steelhead essay can be found here.

If you ever have a chance to visit Craig, MT and fish the Mighty Mo', do it.  It's an amazing place and will likely leave you shaking your head wondering if what just went down was for real as your whole trout fishing schema makes a radical shift.

If you find yourself there, don't forget to visit the Headhunters and buy a fly or two.

Best,

Tyler

Happy New Year!

Yes, we are still getting rid of gear... Find a sweet Fishpond Gore Range Tech Pack here.

Also, we had a chance to check out the latest RA Beattie film, Off The Grid. Features locales that are slightly off the beaten path, including the steelhead streams near Cleveland where our good friend Mike DeCoteau has been getting well aquatinted with some hot Great Lakes chromers. Also features a short section featuring our favorite destination in Montana, The Stone Fly Inn and Outfitters in Twin Bridges.

It's cold- go tie some flies, fire up the DVD player, and think positive summer thoughts. And if you want to get your hands on a copy of Off The Grid, call or swing by Eldridge Brothers Fly Shop, they have it in stock.


Off the Grid Fly Fishing Trailer from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Best,

Tyler

Cleaning Closets

Yup, we are cleaning out the closet. Patagonia Guide Water Jacket in great shape. This jacket has spent most of its time in the row bench as I find myself reaching for a softshell most days when a jacket is needed. Find it on eBay here.

Also selling a Scott A3 907/4 fly rod. Perfect streamer rod for throwing heavy sink-tips and big flies. Perfect warm water rod for bass. Good light saltwater rod and not a bad steelhead stick. I used to think of 7 weights as kind of niche rod- now I know better. Find it on eBay here.

Now go hook yourself up with a sweet new jacket and a sweet new rod for el cheapo'.

Road Trip!

Spot the rainbow.

It is officially the off season for us; and that means time to take care of those projects that we have been put off since spring, including a promised kitchen renovation to Mrs. Cote ... But that's another story.

But it also means that its time to check out some rivers that have been on the bucket list.

Destination: Swift River in Ware, Massachusetts.

Ok, so driving to a small town west of Worchester, Mass to go trout fishing seemed a little weird. But the  fishing didn't disappoint. For those unfamiliar with the Swift, here is a quick overview.

It's a tailwater, as in a real tailwater, that feeds from 70 feet below the Quabbin Resevoir. The water is Gray Goose Vodka clear and runs Eskimo cold year round below the dam (a.k.a. the "Bubbler"; in Swift River speak that is). The section from the dam to the Rt. 9 bridge is fly fishing only and catch and release. The result is a lot of fish, some really big ones, and some damn well-conditioned fish. In fact, the rainbows are trained professionals. As you wade, they literally stack up below you and feed on the micro-midge larvae that you stir up. The more you kick up, the more they stack up. The crunch of gravel under foot is their version of a dinner bell. We joked about how we all had a little pet rainbow that followed us around the river, and how they made the perfect pets since they needed little in the way of care and maintenence. Just keep fishing and wading, delivering them a steady stream of size 26 midge larvae and they were happy. If you are familiar with the "San Juan Shuffle," well, there is also the "Swift River Shuffle." It's illegal on the SJ; not sure about the Swift.

The bonus was the big landlocks that had dropped down out of the Quabbin for the fall spawn. The salmon needed to be force fed. They would eat, but it had to be right in their grill. Typical spawners. The rainbows... bring your midge box and your 7x flouro; these fish will laugh at your well-tied size 14 Prince Nymph, they have seen it all.

Here is a vid... Go ahead and try to count 'em. You can sight fish on the entire stretch from Rt 9 to the dam. Fish numbers were high on the entire stretch. Catch and release really works, imagine that.

And some stills of those nice salmon...

As a bonus, we found a local who was willing to work as a rod caddy for us... He was quick with a joke and worked for cigarettes and cheap beer. Apparently they all wear camo to get an edge on those well trained rainbows. Photography skills with an iPhone were a bonus.

Bobbing indicators, screeching reels, tight lines, and all that!

Tyler

Trick or Treat

Trout Candy

The Juju and the Two Bit Hooker have been the trick thats been earning the treat lately. Those names may sound like a gummy candy and your sister-in-laws Halloween costume, but are actually some seriously effective blue wing imitations that have been deadly on late season browns. On the swing, just under the surface, maybe mix in a few short strips and hold on, takes can be savage and make your 6x seem like a bad joke.

Gold Standard

This Gold never loses its value.

Fishing for fall browns is something that we look forward to each season. Things can be pretty good right up until December, which means we have a solid month of decent fishing left until we hunker down in our caves for the dark season. Cold days are perfect for a half day walk wade. Give us a shout- the fish are here, they are eating, and it's going to be a long cold winter.

Go Fish.

Levels and flows on the Andro are good, and the fishing has been reliable as well. As for the weather- strange. 84 degrees in October is not the norm. Being October however, we should see daytime highs of around 25 degrees as soon as tomorrow. 

We did have to cancel & reschedule a few floats on the Kennebec, but fortunately the Androscoggin has been in good shape and proven reliable. With less dams and impoundments in the upper reaches, it tends to drop faster than the Kennebec after they blow due to heavy rains. The fall color is really peaking in the Bethel area, and the scenery combined with typically crisp weather makes this a great time to get out there.

Tyler

Roctober

I love October.

Tyler

Dirty , Rotten...

Eggs and Bacon.

...Cheater flies.

It's October, and if you are heading out, it will pay to bring a few of these along. It's that time of the year to go hunting for that biggest brown of the season. He's out there. Go get him.

Autumn Bronze

Summer is officially over, and for the last month or so everybody, including us, has been getting all wired up about fall fishing (which around here means trout!).  We've had some good recent floats chasing rainbows, browns, and brookies on the Upper Andro. The bite is on, the flows are good, and fall color is going to light those mountains up shortly.

Even so, we still like to sneak out for a late season bass float every once in a while. Leave your poppers and floating line at home. Bring your sink tip and the meat locker- that fly box loaded up with pattern's that look like half of a dead chicken and small furry creatures. With water temps around 60 degrees, they've got the feed bag on.

2011 Upper Andro Two Fly

2011 Team Patagonia

Did somebody hit the FF button? The 2011 Upper Andro 2 Fly is in the books and team Patagonia represented this year, in a big way. No, Scott, Mike, and I couldn't fish due to other commitments, so Emily, my wife, and good friends Amy and Brett Trefethen stepped up to represent (last year they fished as Team Hardy). 

First, Brett won the Drift Boat Rodeo on Friday. That's right, there is a new champ in town and he has the plaque to prove it. Top prize, $150 cash and $50 gift card to Kittery Trading Post. Brett is a long-time whitewater and fishing guide, and I'm sure this was the first time he made that kind of scratch rowing a drift boat for 7 minutes. Congrats Brett! 

Emily, took second place in the largest fish category. A 14" rainbow was all it took. Emily took her fish swinging a black rubber legged bugger on a sink-tip. Her prize... a sweet Perception Manatee Angler Kayak, complete with all the bells and whistles,  generously donated by LL Bean. 

I heard the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Mr. Chandler Woodcock, took the top spot for "Smallest Chub." Tough break sir! Maybe next year redemption will be in store. Jokes aside, its great to see some positive attention being garnered to this outstanding event and to the Upper Andro Angler's Alliance for working tirelessly to rebuild this fishery to it's potential.

Congratulations!

Yes, they are serious, you can keep it.

Dust off a spot on the mantle; another trophy from the 2 fly!

Tyler

A Summer in Southwest Montana

So many fish, so little time. That became my mantra for a summer spent in southwestern Montana.


Arriving in Dillon on May 15th after a 2700 mile trek with Clacka in tow was the start of a trout fishing adventure I could only dream about prior to retiring. A job in a local flyshop was the touch point for this endeavor.


Montana had incurred the most severe winter in quite a number of few years. There was at least 10 feet of snow pack in the Pioneer Mountains threatening to blow out most of the rivers in this region of Montana. The potential for this event caused a great deal of angst amongst local guides and outfitters. Heavy rains contributed to this dilemma. The drought in Montana was over.


It began to become apparent that the fishing season would lag the normal time table by at least two weeks possibly three. For those out-of-state anglers who had planned trips around the various hatches this would be disastrous.


There was one bright spot in all of this weather related impact on the Montana fishing industry. The Beaverhead River. This tail water emerges from Clark Canyon Reservoir and became the go to spot in the southern tier of Montana. Although, the reservoir was essentially completely full the lack of need for downstream irrigation enabled the Army Corps of Engineers to establish a river flow rate that was easy navigable by wade anglers and those anglers in drift boats.


The Beaverhead starts at the reservoir and flows to Twin Bridges where it becomes part of the confluence of the Jefferson and ultimately the Missouri River. My fishing efforts were concentrated from Buffalo Bridge to Henneberry takeout. I waded and floated both these stretches numerous times and was never disappointed by the size and fight of the wild Montana trout.


There were many go-to patterns used on these stretches of water. Primarily small nymphs and streamers were the order of the day. I wasn’t in Montana long enough to see the fish start looking up in great numbers. I will remedy that in the near term. One surprisingly effective subsurface pattern I had never used in Maine was that of a Crane Fly larva. These huge bugs were as long as your little finger and just as thick-they were a huge bite and a deadly combination with a small PT Cruzer or Flashback nymph.


The amount of aquatic insect life found in the Beaverhead was amazing. I would kick up some bottom sediment into my sample net and the Yellow Sallie nymphs would literally swarm off of it. Being the geek that I am I filled numerous sample bottles and took them to the shop to show the visiting anglers the types of bugs they needed to match and what would work best. The enormous Crane Fly larva were always good for shock value.


If you get the chance to fish this amazing river you should. You will not be disappointed at the size or the number of trout.


Thanks for reading.


Mike

In Full Swing

September streamer fishing is in full swing.  Streamers ruled on a recent outing and will continue to produce on most days for the rest of the month. Don't be afraid to throw big and ugly-  bigger and uglier than you might think. Don't be afraid to throw tandems, as in two streamers at once. It gets you that much closer to dialed in, that much faster. 

When throwing doubles I like to use a couple of different approaches. One set up is big and meaty as the lead with a slim and sexy as the trailer (think #4 Hemorrhoidal Sculpin followed by a #6 Wood Duck Heron or a Gray Ghost- a.k.a. New School vs. Old School).  Another approach is black vs. white, as in a white streamer followed by a black streamer. And then there is bright vs. subtle. Lead streamer is bright (white, chartreuse, yellow) followed by something more natural (like a natural tan/gray/olive Slumpbuster or Zonker). I always run the larger fly (a big bite they may be willing to chase) ahead of the smaller fly (which might be a little less intimidating to eat). Throw a sink-tip, use fluorocarbon, tie no-slip loops, and space your dropper about a strips distance apart from the lead fly. If you put the lead fly in front of him and he doesn't eat, one strip later and there is a second offering right there and waiting.

Now go support your local fly shops and buy some new streamers.

Tyler

Switching Gears

The busy summer season and the bulk of our bass trips are winding down as most of the summer visitors are heading home.  There is still plenty of really good smallmouth fishing to be had, and as usual, they have been getting a little more aggressive as the water temps start to recede. I'm sure their instincts say "EAT" before they enter a half-frozen state of suspended animation. We had a great smallmouth season- saw some old friends, made some new ones, and caught a bunch of fish!

It's time to switch gears for the "second season." Crisp days, bright fish (with adipose fins!), and the hills on fire in an autumn glow. Fall is the reward for rowing 10 hour days under a blazing sun with temps and humidity in the 90's.

Bring your A-game and get ready; it goes fast from here on out.

Tyler

Hoosiers, Allen's and Fall Fish

Take 7 Hoosiers, a Yank, and what do you get? 

Lunch in a corn field (making everyone feel at home),

 A bottle of Allen's Coffee Brandy (Taste of Maine!), 

Some PBR (Professional Boaters Refreshment- Overbey at his best)

and one big ass chub (first fish on a fly!).

I can't wait until the Indiana crew gets back here!

Apex Predator

"Do these things have teeth?"

Let's just start here. We don't condone it. We don't promote it. We don't try to make a buck off it. It's a shame that they are here, and the people responsible for spreading them around have forever altered the landscape of Maine fishing's on a rapidly increasing number of waters. The responsible parties are criminals, plain and simple, and their decisions have, and will continue, to rob generations of what once was.

Northern Pike are a menace, but they are here, and unfortunately, there is no going back. The spread of invasive fish species in Maine has become so alarming that I am giving some serious thought to pulling out altogether and heading for greener pastures. It seems that their spread has no end in sight, and as they continue to expand, the collapse of more cold water fisheries seems likely to follow- if the Belgrade Lakes are any indication.

That's a pretty tough pill to swallow.

We fish rivers where these fish are present, and we do from time to time hook them, and even manage to land them on 8 pound flourcarbon tippets. So, yes, we are smiling in this picture, because in the moment, it was something to smile about- three guys, fishing on a river, and sticking a big fish in the net (anybody would be smiling with that thing latched onto the end a 6 wt!). But in the big picture, it's a reminder of what we as anglers in Maine have lost, and what we are going to continue to lose in the future.

It was a great fish to catch on a fly rod, and the gentleman who managed it should be proud, and I don't mean to detract from a personal achievement in anyway.

I just wish we had done it in Minnesota, or Wisconsin, or Canada, or where ever the hell these things came from.

Tyler

Sound Advice

Mark and Rich found themselves spending a week catching some R&R in Old Orchard Beach. These guys were fresh off a week-long trip in Dillon, Montana and still had the itch to get out and feel the tug. So, after leaving the women to their own devices in Kittery for the day (tough to guess what they were up to!), the boys headed north to get their fix.

Although they were new to fly fishing, they weren't inexperience anglers. They hooked plenty of fish and had to work for them- making repeated casts with sink-tips and working streamers most of the day. Anybody who has done this type of fishing knows that it will wear you out much quicker than watching an indicator keep pace with the boat all day and making a few mends every now and then.

These guys were great, good humored, patient, willing to take advice, willing to work for a hook up, enthusiastic, and experienced enough to know that not everyday means catching every fish in the river or setting a new IGFA record (although I will say they did hook and land plenty of fish). And also to their credit, they even took the time to practice some fly casting before showing up. In short, these guys rocked, the kind of people any guide would be psyched to spend a day with.

I get to fish with a good mix of people with a wide range of experience levels. I'm sure for some, it may be intimidating fishing with a guide for the first time. It shouldn't be. Keep it light, keep it fun, be willing to listen, and understand that fishing is, well fishing. There are no certainties. In short, be like Mark and Rich.

Here is a great article from MidCurrent on the "Do's and Don'ts of Guided Fishing Trips" . It's worth the read, and full of some sound advice.

Tyler

Maine Smallmouths: The Rx for Dog Days

Green Trout

Well, we have quietly settled into a nice mid-summer routine. While the trout pout in warm water, we are happy to fish for their green cousins that thrive as Maine's rivers warm up.  The smallmouth fishing has not disappointed, with relatively stable weather patterns, the fishing has been pretty consistent overall. Low angle light (early or late) produces the best shots as decent top water fishing. The mid-day siesta (yes, even the fish have to  nap) is best worked around by going deep, and slowly stripping a tasty treat like a small olive bugger with some black and yellow rubber legs thrown in for that extra bass appeal. Takes can be real subtle! Usually it's a fine line between getting hung up in the basement and fishing slow enough to get a grab under bright skies.

Smallmouth bass are a little different than largemouth bass. Often, crashing a deer hair popper down all day is not going to be the most effective way to fish.  I like to think of bronzebacks as some where between a largemouth and a really-pissed-off-meat-eating-brown trout. They are aggressive, but they still require a certain amount of finesse. Not everyday brings Fat Nancy or  Hog Johnson to the net, but rivers with good numbers of fish per mile can keep things fun and laid back... like summer was meant to be.

Tyler

Match the... Bait

Show 'em your junk.

It's hot and sticky with temps and humidity pushing into the 90's, which means fishing for bronzebacks has heated up as well. Low light conditions (early, late or cloud cover) mean the best topwater action, with streamers getting the job done mid-day under bright skies.

One of our favorite stretches of river to chase smallmouths on is the Kennebec between Waterville and Sydney. Gravel bars, braids, cut banks, buckets, ledges, boulder gardens, back eddies, and deep pools- this is one cool piece of bass water to fish from a drift boat. 

Typically a favorite bass fly is a crayfish pattern, but don't forget eels and other sea run forage like bluebacks, alewife, and baby shad on water with unspoiled access to the sea. On a recent outing an 8-inch long black eel pattern designed for stripers absolutely hammered the smallies while other patterns fell short. We have also been finding bass crashing bait up on shallow shelfs along the banks- which always makes for some exciting shots. A white and pearl Gurgler thrown into the mix with a twitch and a pause will usually get an eat. Don't always expect a big crash on the take in this situation, often the fly will simply disappear with little commotion as a big bass rolls under and opens his hatch, literally inhaling the fly. We have noticed more that one fish puking up small silver bait fish 1 to 2 inches long, that definitely are not common shiners, and look a lot like either juvenile bluebacks or baby shad. 

Match the 'hatch,' and go get 'em.

Tyler

Mixed Bag.

Mrs. Bass and Mr. Trout

After spending one day chasing smallmouths on the lower Andro, a little trout fishing was in order and the next we were trucking a little further upstream. It didn't take long for the Bass' from New York (yes, that's a cool name) to get aquatinted with the Trouts from Maine.

Vice Versa.

As far as the smallmouth fishing goes, going sub-surface will put more bends in the rods, but we have seen some good topwater action recently as well. I think my hands down favorite bass fly, at the moment anyways, is the Todd's Wiggle Minnow. This thing has been lights out and when fished on a floating line makes for some really exciting takes just below the surface. Tie one on, and I doubt you will be disappointed.

Tyler

WHOOWEE!

Keep an open mind, and don't judge. We aren't talking about the fish.

After a hiatus for a few days with the family for the 4th of July camping trip that involved sleeping in tents, being eaten alive by black flies, and lots of cute little miniature brook trout from cold mountain streams, it's good to be back home and gearing up for the "other" season.  

It's summer time, which means it is a very good time to chase what may be Maine's most under utilized game fish among fly anglers. Forget about glittered bass boats tearing around the lake,  'NASCAR-esque' fishing shirts, and some dude named Bubba hollering "WHOOWEE!" every time he gets a tight line. 

This is about rolling down a quiet river, firing terrestrial patterns tight to the banks while standing in the bow of a Clackacraft drift boat and hooking fish that, inch for inch, rival any other in the gamefish in the world. All while taking the time to notice the eagles.

Ditch your waders, grab your favorite 7 wt., and give us a call to get out and fish some of Maine's best smallmouth rivers. 

And if you or your guide let out a "WHOOWEE!" we won't tell anyone. And we certainly won't judge.

If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, FlyRod & Reel Magazine ran a feature on Maine's tremendous smallmouth fishing in the Summer 2011 issue. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out.

Tyler

Mouthful.

A rainbow with a mouthful of articulated Galloup's Sex Dungeon (that would be the fly). There might be plenty of bugs hatching and fish looking up, but don't forget your streamer box and your sink tips.

Tyler