May 28th, 2008 will go down as one of the most memorable days of my life. It’s right up there with all the things one associates with being the proud father of three kids. Maine’s Penobscot River just had a month long catch and release season with a 50 fish limit on Atlantic Salmon. I had never fished the Penobscot for the Atlantic Salmon until this special season even though I moved here in 1977. In the recent 15 years I fished the rivers of my birthplace in Newfoundland. It was on my 6th day visit to the Eddington pool and I was in rotation behind Royce Day who has the distinction of “Top Rod” for the recent season. The water looked perfect in the late evening light. My number 4 Green Highlander made a small “V” ripple in response to the half hitch secured near the eye of the fly as the drift carried it across the mid-section of one of the best spots in the pool. Then suddenly it happened! The water exploded in front of me, revealing the bright silver form of a 15-18 lb. salmon, fresh in from the Atlantic Ocean. While at sea it had stored enough energy to fight rapids and jump water falls in its battle to return to that special place in the river to repeat the cycle of life. The fight was on. It didn’t matter to me if my barbless hook did not hold. The hit alone was worth all the efforts. The salmon took the line almost to the end of the 100 yd. backing 3 times and put on a couple of aerial ballet dances before I was able to land and release it about 20 minutes later.The Penobscot was once one of the premier salmon rivers in all of North America. It was said that “salmon were so plentiful that they were pitchforked onto wagons to be used as fertilizer.” The Atlantic Salmon now face an epic battle as many people join in a concerted effort to restore it to our waters. Much progress has been made and every longtime angler counts it a privilege to once again grace the pools of this magnificent river and work to restore the salmon and the river to the days when the river beckoned the rods of fishermen the world over.During my short time on the Penobscot I met people from New York, Vermont, and Kaiser (a beautiful German Shepherd) and her parents from Rhode Island and Mainers from as far away as Bethel and Presque Isle. They were all here because of the chance to fish for the “king of fish”; the Atlantic Salmon. It was evident that they would like the privilege to continue this type of limited season. We are all grateful and look forward with anticipation to continuing to try our luck for “the fish of a thousand casts.”
Congratulations. It was great meeting you and so many others up there. For me, it was a very humbling experience .. I was amazed to meet the “old timers’ with boxes of amazing hand tied salmon flies, stories of places they have atlantic salmon fished around the world and the classic hand made bamboo spey rods and fly reels from the early 1900’s. It reinforced the same feeling that I got when I toured the American Museum of Fly Fishing. And, I realized that I am just a single person in a long long history of fly fishing. And, for all the ways that fly fishing has evolved (or so we think), the roots of it all can be traced back to the Atlantic Salmon. I truly enjoyed meeting all of the “old timers” from Maine who were there simply for their love of these fish. There were very few “cool/hip” modern day “know it alls” spey casting and swinging flies for prosterity sake. The majority of the folks I met had rubber hip waders and none of the “new age gear”. Simple, really. Classic barbless salmon flies that were no less than works of art, floating lines and both single and double handed fly rods. The rotation system verified this adherence to tradition and as you said I felt priveledged to be able to swing flies to the king of fish in such a legendary river. As I casted my double handed rod and swung traditional flies through the pool; I felt part of something much bigger and older than myself. I will be honest, I was expecting to show up to find a bunch of stuck up fly fisherman more impressed with themselves than anything else. Infact, I found the exact opposite. I found old time Mainers who were eager and willing to show me all of the flies they tied and all of the flies that they caught fish on throughout their many years of Atlantic Salmon Fly Fishing. I found old time Mainers who were eager to share their passion for what they know, by helping me improve my spey casting and helping me to understand the finer details of swinging flies. I also learned some amazing knots, information about Atlantic Salmon and what color and size flies to fish under various conditions. It was an amazing experience for me and incredible to see life being breathed back into the old and tired Salmon Clubs, the river and the fisherman who have been waiting for a decade or so to swing fies to Atlantic Salmon as they once did. The fact that the fish showed up in May was spectacular. The “King of Fish” was certainly the star of the show. I know that there is much “red tape” and “politics” that surround these fish. I also know that I have no business even pretending to know all that has been done, is being done and what should/shouldn’t be done. All I do know is this .. Each and every fisherman swung barbless flies to these fish with the utmost respect for the fish and when a fish was hooked and landed it was a precious and greatly appreciated thing and fisherman took great care in reviving and releasing the fish. I will say this, it is my belief that being able to fish for these fish is what I feel to be a big part of bringing them back. Because, if I can not fish for them and bring my sons fishing for them and introduce him to the tradition and the special nature of the experience; well than … the fish runs the risk of going extinct in people minds. And, tearing down dams, paying for biologists, studies, building new fishways, hiring more wardens to protect the resourse … all costs money. So, in order to raise public awareness and the respective and ongoing federal, state and private funding necessary – I think it is a great thing to be able to fish for these fish. Especially if it is done appropriately and managed and monitored by qualified people and organizations. So, I want to extend a sincere thank you to The State Of Maine for enabling me to try my luck with catching “The King Of Fish” in my home state. And, it is my hope that from this point forward; I will be able to bring my young sons with me to experience fly fishing for the King Of Fish in their home state. I also want to say thank you to all of the great fly fisherman, fly tiers and local legends with whom I had the priveledge of meeting and fishing with.
PS. Riverkyng – AWESOME fish! Great meeting and fishing with you! See you next time!
Congratulations on an amazing catch. I really hope to have the chance to fish on the Penobscot especially for the Atlantics. That is a beautiful fly by the way, and I love the fact that it was cast into the water and not hung on the wall, I’d say now it can go on the wall though. Cheers, Alex
That was a great fish and I’m glad I was there, its always a rush when you hook one. Everybody halls in their lines and runs over to watch the fight. I was fortunate to be there and get some pictures. Congrats on the fish but you may want to rethink the hat, makes it tough to get a shot of your face. Jeremy did a great job with the pictures he had. Great meeting you, see you in the Fall season.
Congratulations, what a beautiful fish. And in Maine too.
He is saved by the phrase “one of the best days of my life”. I have always wondered why you couldn’t fish with ease in your own backyard? And the one time that Reuben did, he caught a really nice Salmon. His children and wife are proud of his success with catching fish in general. But, in the book of fish stories – “this is a Keepa”. Love, your wife, Cynthia