Maine SalmonWould this be just another day of early season fly fishing in Maine? One of those days when the amount of laughs and wisecracks outnumber the fish? I hoped not. My close fishing friends and I were having a rough start to our annual spring-run landlocked atlantic salmon season. The season is short and in order to hook an elusive spring-run salmon, conditions have to be ideal. This season, it was all about the smelt. I hiked through a long stretch of woods and walked out onto a jagged rock and chucked my fly out upstream into the main current. After a couple casts with quick, pulsing retrieves and salmon twitches I checked on my fly. The fly remained intact and true. I especially liked this fly as it cast beautifully, looked life-like in the water and did not foul. It was a springtime smelt pattern hand-tied by a local legend in the area. I was proud to be casting it and felt confident in my approach. Earlier, I had spoted some smelt lingering on the rocks on the waters edge. The smelt were coming into the river, so the silver salmon should be too. I made a long cast and mended downstream. I quickly twitched the maribou smelt pattern through the current. A dark shadow appeared behind the fly. As quickly as the large salmon had come, he was gone. Maine salmon are what my friends like to call “weird fish.” They will sniff a fly right up to your feet, turn, and many times won’t be back again for another investigation. I made another cast, hoping that this fish was different. This time my fly traveled a little further. I stripped and twitched in the fly and as soon as i went to cast again, BANG! The fight was on. After the first jump, I knew this was my 2009 salmon I had was hoping for. The silver bullet darted and tail walked across the river time and time again. After an epic battle, Jeremy tailed my best landlocked altantic salmon ever. A wild fish with dark black spots and silvery sides. This spring-run landlocked atlantic salmon season was a tough one. I didn’t catch many salmon, but I did catch one – my best one ever!