There are few fly fishing locations that one can hold dear to his heart with regard to a trout stream. Now a day’s with the growth of the internet and the thirst for information, it’s not uncommon to show up at a historically quiet stream and feel like you need kevlar battle helmet just to fish.I had wrapped up some family obligations early in the morning and decided to head for the western mountains of Maine. My great grandfather guided the border waters of Maine and NH in the 1930’s-1950’s. I wanted to fish a few of his old haunts. I have some heirloom fly rods, reels, flies and maps … all relevant to that area of the state.It was a bit windy so I laced up my 6 wt fly rod and rigged up a bounce rig for some nypmhing.First cast, fish on! A huge sucker. I immediately changed my nymph rig to an egg sucking leach pattern. I dredged the pool for the better part of an hour before moving on fishless.I fished quickly but thoroughly in my quest to catch some of “his” fish. I reached a stretch of water and I recalled camping and fishing on this very stretch of water as a kid with my father, uncles and grandfather. The run was productive to say the least.I picked up numerous small stocked brookies, and some nice hold overs as well.I caught 4 brook trout that were all in the 14-18 inch range, and one fat brown trout that made a couple of nice runs. It actually had me doing the stream rock dance I see Jeremy doing so frequently in his fly fishing videos.Great to be back on the water and where it all started for my family.
Gilly — sweet stuff man. the bounce rig in maine huh? .. you gotta be one of only a handful .. let me guess, you brought that back in your bag of tricks from the west coast … a good set up for sure … also, glad you got some spots like that .. and i agree, they are something to cherish these days … fortunately, in maine .. with 5000 rivers and streams covering some 37,000 miles … there are still a couple cherishable spots to be had … i hope yours remain that way for you and your kids .. shhhhhhh! …
Wow!!! That brown has the best coloration I have ever seen. I’m not from Maine but I can relate to your love for it. I try to make it up there twice a year at least. I’ll be there in less than 2 weeks as a matter of fact. And fish tales like yours are what got me up there the very first time. Thanks for sharing. Gems is a great description of what is in store for fisherman that visit that area.
Gilly, sweet brown…..I fish over that direction quite a bit and I’m not sure I’ve ever pulled a brown out of there with so much of a rust orange color to it. Those spots are something out of a trout painting, not a bad jaw either. Really nice catch, thanks for sharing.
Great story and great pics,no doubt some really nice coloration on that brown