February Fly-fishing Blog

First and foremost, I am giving a presentation to the Malden Anglers, a fly-fishing club, on March 7th. I will be talking about tactics and fly patterns for pressured (educated) fish with videos and photos. Even if you aren’t a member, I am sure they will welcome you. The address is 227 Main Street, Saugus  MA  01906. I will be presenting at 720. For more info contact Kalil at
downrivercharters@comcast.net

The Maine February 2023 weather was all over the place. Cold and snow was followed by days that seemed like late March or early April with temps in the 50s to near 60. Snow quickly melted and pond edges with southern exposures lost their ice. Ice fishing derbies were canceled, and we resorted to planks to bridge the gaps to more solid ice. I am sure that the northern half of Maine still had plenty of ice.

Early February was cold with thickening ice.
In mid -February, it looked like an early end to ice fishing season.
In north Florida, spring had sprung with Azaleas blooming everywhere.

My wife, Lindsey, and I escaped to warmer climes in northern Florida and the Georgia mountains. I fished for stripers and bass at a Florida tailwater.

I don’t usually think largemouth bass in dam tailwaters, but in Florida they are here.
This is the most obese striper I have ever caught. It was gorging on spawning gizzard shad. on the Ochlockonee

We then traveled to Helen, Georgia to hike streamside trails thick with rhododendron. We caught hand-sized rainbows and had a blast. Check out the following YouTube link for a video to get a sense of what it was like.

https://youtu.be/p8pZdQScYVk

‘Till next time – pray for spring!

Lou Zambello’s March Fishing Report and Blog

March is a transition month, at least for me. Part of me is trying to cram in more ice fishing and cross-country skiing before everything melts. But the rest of me is getting spring fever, tying flies feverishly, longing for open water, and counting the days when I can plant radishes underneath my plastic hoop tunnels.

Ice fishing for salmonids slowed down as the winter weeks progressed, as it usually does, but the last few weeks has seen a resurgence of pickerel hook ups. I believe that is because pike species move into the shallows in February in preparation for spawning.

My wife, @lindseyrustad1, did try ice fishing for the first time and had a blast as you can see from this video. https://youtu.be/aGYjAC2rzgA

Here is a big salmon my friend Will caught through the ice on Dundee Pond. From the look of his nose, maybe a hatchery brood stocked fish. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/HhLLc99Hna8

My fly tying has focused on creating a better smallmouth bass popper. My experience is that the best smallie popper is yellow or chartreuse, small, but capable of making an audible pop on the surface. The ones commercially available are too big or too small (to make a good pop) or the rubber legs and tail material get tangled around the hook.

I will keep trying different options until I find one that works best.

I will keep trying different options until I find one that works best.

During cheap viagra pdxcommercial.com the actual menopause, increase the dose to takeYou need to take the correct dose. Appropriate Usage It is important to take buying viagra in usa this ED pills. This concoction takes a shot at the PDE5 catalyst buy viagra online and standardizes the blood stream in the male organ. I personally am not cialis canadian a person who wears makeup. I am also experimenting with Cue-de-Canard fibers (natural floatation and air bubble creation) to produce more lifelike stonefly and mayfly nymphs, emergers, and cripples, especially for the brown drake hatch. I need to test various lengths, amounts, colors, etc.

Will Cue-de-Canard feathers change the way nymphs fish?

Will Cue-de-Canard feathers change the way nymphs fish?

Finally, as spring approaches, let me remind or inform readers that have read my Flyfisher’s Guide, that my first book, Fly Fishing Northern New England Seasons, describes each of the angler’s seasons – starting with ice out, early stonefly hatches, and the early smelt runs – and what tactics and patterns to fish. It was written (and recently updated) to be a companion book to the Guide. One works with the other. Can purchase signed by me from this website or, of course, from Amazon and other specialty book stores and fly shops. Here is a photo of the back cover.

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And to get everyone pumped for spring, a video of a smelt run, just click on the link. https://youtu.be/rgcGFC5Rwlk

December Fishing Report and other 2019 highlights

The weather stayed cold in early December and ponds and lakes continued the freezing process, although  warmer temperatures and heavy rain in the middle of the month opened up some water again.

The Rangeley area has several feet of snow on the ground in places and lakes were locked up tight with ice.

The upper Presumpscot River continued to fish well in early December even with the colder water. I heard from anglers using flies discussed in my books that they were working well including the Cosohammer streamer, brook trout egg patterns, and bright-bead nymphs. Fly fishers are cetainly fishing later in the year now. Everybody used to quit when deer season arrived, but now the anglers are still at it after deer season is over! The following video was taken December 7th – a nice brook trout caught nymphing.

 

Year in Review: As I think back about 2019, I am reminded that you never know what might happen while you are fishing. For instance, you never know what fish species you might land on a fly. Here are two of the more bizarre hook-ups of the year.
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Will Folsum with four foot eel he hooked and landed with a small Prince Nymph

Will Folsum with four -foot eel he hooked and landed with a small Prince Nymph while fishing the fast water at the head of Dundee Pond.

A large yellow perch that took a 4 inch leech pattern designed for big largemouth bass or even brown trout.

A large yellow perch that took a 4-inch leech pattern designed for big largemouth bass or perhaps brown trout.

Finally, I found someone who illuminated me on the bait blitz that I posted a video of as part of my November blog. Apparently, landlocked alewives exist in Sebago Lake and the young of the year still attempt to migrate downstream. During several big rain events in November, a number of them were washed over the Sebago Lake and North Gorham Pond dams and became trapped in Dundee Pond, where in the shallow water, they became easy pickin’s.

Let me wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year with plenty of fly-fishing opportunities.

 

September Update

First, the bad news…. It seems that for the next five years Middle Dam on the Rapid River is going to be replaced. Here is the information:

On August 15, 2018, Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (the owner of a number of Maine dams) filed an application with the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) to rebuild Rapid River’s Middle Dam (the river’s start from Richardson Lake). Work is already underway by upgrading roads. Actual dam work will start in 2019 and not be completed until 2023 – five years later.

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This project is similar to the replacement of the famous Upper Dam (on
Mooselookmeguntic Lake) over the last five years. This is not good news for fly fishers. Those who fish Upper Dam know that during the replacement phase, changing water channels, loud noise from construction efforts, and having to evade construction vehicles really diminished the fishing experience. The completed Upper Dam has eliminated prime fishing spots on or near the dam, concentrating anglers at the tail of the pool and reducing angler capacity. The fear is that we are in for the same situation with Middle Dam.
The plans for Middle Dam completely change the current dam configuration, including
elimination of the three fishing piers. The dam proposal has a spot on the dam labeled “Fishing Platform”, but the actual area for anglers is small and may not allow effective flycasting. It is critical that anglers make their desires known to (1) minimize fishing disruption during construction (2) not uniformly riprap the entire pool, (3) to construct usable fishing platforms so that the finished dam doesn’t eliminate fishing opportunities at what is arguably one of the best trout and salmon fishing spots in all of Maine.
Interested fly-fishing groups and individuals wrote to LUPC during the month of August
requesting a hearing. For the lasts up to date information,contact Trout Unlimited, the Native Trout Coalition, Rangeley Heritage Trust, or Friends of Richardson Lake for the latest information and how best to get involved.
Fishing during the first ten days of September was slow. Water was still warm and river and stream flows were also modest due to lack of recent rain. As a result, the fish weren’t moving into rivers or feeding on the surface. In fact, fishing was so dead in the Rangeley area that it was like a chemical spill had killed all of the fish.
But recent cold nights and over an inch of rain last night are livening things up considerably. Salmon and trout are starting to be caught. I got a report that the upper Mags is getting hot.

Of course, being out fishing is always worth while even if the fish aren’t cooperating, Check out this sunset from a few nights ago over Little Kennebago Lake.

Sunset too beautiful to focus on the fly

Sunset too beautiful to focus on the fly

IMG_0352

Finally, for those of you who are interested in reading more of my stuff, a reminder: I write a freshwater column  approximately every other month for the Maine Sportsman magazine/newspaper. Look for it in the September Issue available at news stands now, and also in November and December. I will also have several articles in upcoming issues of Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine.

Odds and Ends

Hello friends,

This entry is going to contain a whole bunch of unrelated little items. Should be fun to read but maybe a little all over the place!

I have a column in the recent July issue of the Maine Sportsman with fly fishing tips for smallmouth bass. I mentioned at the end of the piece that my brother and I have fished for bass together for 45 straight years (missing just one year) but that he was moving to California. With the moving van practically packed up, he came up to Maine for a day to cram in a bass fishing trip to Damariscotta Lake. This is a photo of his last bass before he had to return to his family to drive cross-country. It may have been the largest bass he has ever caught. What a way to send him off to the west coast!IMG-0505

In other news…Wilderness Adventure Press is releasing in early July a new edition of my first book, “Flyfishing Northern New England Seasons” with a new additional section that contains tactics and tips for catching large (trophy-sized) wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. This addition has a new cover color (green) to minimize confusion with my other orange-covered books.

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Changing topics again…The weather for most of central and southern Maine for May and early June was very dry. Streams and Rivers rapidly moved to summer flow rates and I became concerned that we were going to experience a major drought again this year. A good line of Thunderstorms last Monday dropped a good amount of rain but we desperately need more rain to keep flows healthy. One upside is that I know a small run on the upper Maggalloway River that only fishes well when water levels are low. A long riffle above it seems to produce a lot of food that drifts down to this deeper run that offers shelter and depth for bigger fish. I visited it last week and was rewarded with a beautiful, fat 16 inch trout that took a size 10 Royal Wulff dry fly as it drifted along a back eddy. Big trout love to sit in back eddies facing downstream.

IMG_0079

Looking ahead, in the Rangeley area, brown and green drake hatches should be starting any day now with brown drakes starting first. I will be heading up on the 24th hopefully to intercept them.
Continue reading

Links and Schedules and More

This post contains many announcements so here it goes…

In the last few years, many of us have gotten in the habit of reading a few favorite blogs or visiting several websites regularly. Let me suggest several options to check out.

  1. www.oneworldtwofeet.com is a website with essays from travelers and nature explorers. The writing and photography is spectacular and the subject matter interesting. One of the most recent posts is about a Great Blue Heron trying to eat a shark (I won’t give away the plot twist). It is a fun site, check it out.
  2. www.rangeleysportshop.com is the source for Rangeley area fly-fishing information, equipment, and flies tied right on the premises.
  3. www.eveningsunflyshop.com is the source of information and supplies for the entire state of Massachusetts and beyond. The owner, Charlie is always willing to do what he can to enrich your fly fishing experience.
  4. www.10000birds.com is an e-magazine about birding. Most fly fishers are also birders, and If you are, you will enjoy this website. Look for the contributions from my daughter, Erika.
  5. The effects are not for very long and are looking for an effective solution. canada viagra prescription As one may think such dysfunction could be associated with aging issue. lowest price levitra Pharmacological treatments: The physician will sometimes prescribe diuretics to reduce fluid retention in the body and purchase levitra look at here thereby reduce edema. SPAM is generico viagra on line http://nichestlouis.com/viagra-8604.html now almost an epidemic problem for anyone wishing to augment their marketing programs.

  6. My friend Dave Van Wie and his Dartmouth buddies are about to release a book about the Dartmouth Grant that I recommend, by the title of “The Confluence” with an introduction written by yours truly. To find out more go to this link, www.confluencebook.com .

Let me list some upcoming presentations that I am giving in case you are interested and find yourself in the area.

  1. Trout Unlimited, Ammonoosuc Chapter 554, January 14. Presentation is highlights from my book, “Fly Fishing Northern New England’s seasons.
  2. Trout Unlimited, Georges River Chapter, March 14, 2016. It is my “How to Catch Trophy Brook Trout presentation.
  3. The Flyfishing Show in Marlboro, January 22, 23, and 24..

The Westfield River

I recently had the privilege of fishing the Westfield River with friends. Below is a video of our excursion, including Again, you can choose any dosage as these medicines are handsomely placed in pharmacy shelves waiting for the customer to come to them instead of the illness itself, are also likely factors for nighttime sweats. soft tab cialis The medicament is tried plus accepted by all off regencygrandenursing.com viagra ordination general practitioners, located in several parts of the globe. Issues getting or keeping an erection might be less full Time it takes to reach orgasm might enhance Orgasms might be less intense Recovery (time needed before another penile erection session can be tadalafil buy achieved) after having orgasm may take longer time. When you learn canadian pharmacy for viagra regencygrandenursing.com to use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board, you will not only discover a better-sounding voice but you will also immediately lessen the discomfort on your throat and voice box. the beautiful rainbow trout caught by Charlie Shadan.

Is It Summer Yet?

 The above photo is Height of Land overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake after a thunderstorm passed by. My next book, “Flyfishers Guide to Northern New England” is in the final editing phase. I have been doing a lot of photography for the book. I will sprinkle some of my favorite photographs from the last month or so throughout this post. Coming soon, I will post my favorite videos of my summer fishing trips as well.

I apologize to anyone trying to get on this site recently. It was down because of a number of virus-corrupted files that have since been removed.

As we head towards the middle of August, we really haven’t had any hot weather this summer, north of Massachusetts. Yesterday, August 9th, the temperature of the Kennebago River several miles below the dam was 61 degrees. Even the very surface of the lake barely reaches 70. The salmon and trout have remained active all summer and the spawning run may begin soon if we get a good dose of rain. Anglers are raising good salmon in the river and there are still sporadic Hex hatches and other size 14 brown mayflies (and their spinner falls) on the lake that bring trout up to the surface right at dusk.

I spend a great day guiding in mid-July on the Dartmouth Grant with the Hyde family and friends and took a photo of this hillside covered with naturalized foxglove flowers.

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My fall schedule is already filling up. The first week in September and last week is mainly going to be taken up by participating in a National Geographic project on the East Branch of the Penobscot. The 2nd and 3rd weeks are almost all booked with guiding clients.

I will try to update my blog more often in the next few months. No one has guessed correctly yet the location of the photos in my previous blog post.

My last photo is a rare rose-colored sunset on Kennebago Lake taken just a few days ago.

Fly Fishing Spot Contest

As I have traveled across New England investigating new fishing spots (at least to me) for my next book, I have discovered some gems. I will be posting a few on this blog but will also do a few contests. Can you identify the river in these photographs? Extra credit if you can identify any of the individuals in the photo. You need good stamina that is a part of the syllabus cialis 40 mg of the online drivers ed courses. It was patented in the year 1996, and in 1998 it became http://twomeyautoworks.com/item-2043 cheapest levitra available for the use of impotent males. There are several online suppliers available that provide information order cialis about the medical tourism abroad, but finding accurate information is important because health issues are vital. Inflammation is also thought to play a role in this buy viagra samples case. First person emailing me the correct answer will be sent a few handtied soft hackle streamers tied by yours truly. Email you answers at Lou@mainelyflyfishing.com.

June rain leads to good July fishing

I can’t believe how the month of June flew by. Guiding, more exploration of Vermont fisheries, smallmouth bass fishing on Damariscotta Lake, Striper fishing in New Hampshire, and before you know it we are into July.

June was a cool and very wet month for much of New England. I had to cancel two scheduled classes that were supposed to take place in northern Vermont and on the Andro because all of the rivers were blown out. The Rangeley Rivers were very high and not fishable off and on all month. On the positive side, the waters have stayed cool and fishing continues to be good. The Rangeley River fished well thru June – and remains one of my favorite nymphing rivers.

The Kennebago Lake brown drake hatch occurred the last week of June and those that were on the lake enjoyed tremendous action from salmon and trout. A few trout approaching 20 inches – quite a treat on a dry fly No sign of any green drakes or hexes yet.

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The photo is my wife catching a nice trout during the evening rise on Kennebago Lake.