I had wanted to take Alex out fishing for a while now and when a weekend opened up I jumped at the opportunity. The timing was perfect as his birthday was on the 5th and we would be fishing the 3rd and 4th. It was a surprise to him as we had kept it a secret until he was on his way to meet up with me. I chose the West Branch of the Penobscot below North Twin Dam as this offers a plethora of fishing opportunities for any experience level. Also there are a lot of fish there and the first thing you need to worry about when you take a ten year old fishing is you need to catch fish. The patience level of any kid that age would be severely tested if you fail to catch anything. This stretch of water falls under the general law regulation with a couple of special regulations in regards to bag limits on salmon. The other important factor here is concerning river flows. I had been watching the flows very carefully throughout the week and I had reason to be worried. The flows were over 4,400 cubic feet per second (cfs) and was the highest I would have ever fished this section before. Even with the high water any angler can fish comfortably from shore. I had fully intended on teaching Alex how to fly-fish, but that would require us to be in the water. That was not an option as safety was my first priority.
Heavy flows coming from the dam
Alex fishing his lures along the seams
We started fishing up near the dam with lures along the seams of the fast water and the shore. Salmon would hold along these seams and, in my experience, would be all along both shore sides from the dam all the way down to Quakish Lake. I have also caught salmon on that lake on dry flies around Memorial Day before so the opportunities are everywhere. After fishing with lures for a few hours we only had a few short strikes and no takes from any fish. At this point we had to make a switch to what method Alex was most comfortable with and that was worms on a small red bead spinner. I added a few sinkers for weight to get the worm down and put a bobber on the line around three feet above the worm. This technique is easy where we were as I had Alex cast up and into the current and retrieve line as the worm worked its way past us and had him let line out as it passed by to continue down current. It is very exciting for a young angler as they can watch the bobber shoot under the water as a fish takes the worm. We continued down the shore until we found a nice spot that had deep water between the shore and the current. Immediately Alex started to catch white perch. These were nice sized perch and I let Alex know that when you find one you will find a bunch right behind that one.
Enough perch for a fish fry
Many of the perch were good size
Lunch time put a hold on the fishing for the time being, but I knew that the perch would still be there when we got back. A nice warm lunch of chicken and rice finished off with some chocolate cookies recharged us and Alex was ready to get back to the water. I brought Alex back up to the area near the dam to begin our afternoon so we could sit on the rocks, enjoy the sun and fish some of the best water on the river. Alex hooked into a smallmouth bass that put up a nice fight and missed another strike right after that. I kept Alex casting over where he missed the previous take and then his bobber shot under the water with enough authority that I knew it was a nice fish. Alex’s reel also confirmed that it was a nice catch as the fish was taking line and then when the fish broke the surface I knew it was a heavy fish. The salmon did not come easy as it kept jumping when it got near the rocks making it very difficult to net. To say Alex was excited would be an understatement. If you were on the river you could have heard him as he had never caught a salmon before. This salmon taped out at 18 inches. We ended up sitting in the grass on top of the bank to enjoy the moment and to reflect on what had just happened.
Alex with his first salmon
Another salmon for Alex
As with all anglers Alex wanted to get back to it and wanted to revisit what we had dubbed the “perch hole.” Now what happened next was a nightmare and a blessing for a guide. Alex’s reel came apart while reeling in a nice perch and there was no way to fix it in the field. He had already tried my reel earlier and the handle was bothering him so he did not want to use it. The look of disappointment was starting to fall on Alex’s face until I asked him if he wanted to do something unique and fun that no one else would be doing on this river. Of course I had his attention now. We went into the woods to find a new fishing pole. We found the perfect branch that was around six feet long and pliable enough to not snap when one caught a fish. After a few minutes of getting his “perch pole” set up he was back in business. All it took now was to flip the worm back into the water and wait as the perch fought over the worm until one took it enough to set the hook. For many Mainers a perch fish fry is an event to look forward to and Alex took away enough perch to feed a family. Don’t worry as there is no bag limit on white perch and they are prolific in spawning so their numbers always remain high.
Bass present a nice change of pace
The spray from the dam could be felt a good distance down river
For the next day I wanted to have Alex fish over more water that held salmon. We still fished on the other bank, but I wanted to show him a different side of the river. He was armed with a new reel and was ready to get on the river early. We went to the west side of the river where the current pushes along the bank, but the trail on the other side is not as easy and I had to remember that I had a ten year old behind me so as not to wipe him out with a branch as we walked through. At our first spot, a few bass came to net below the quick water but nothing else was hitting so we continued to move down the shore until we found a nice spot for Alex to sit on a large rock and cast into the current. After a couple of perfect drifts Alex connected with another salmon from the current seam. Further down the river there was one spot that I knew Alex could connect with more fish. It was a tougher walk through the woods, but I knew it would be worth it for him. When we got to the spot I told Alex that he would have to try and make a side arm cast. He did not think he could, but with a little coaching he made a perfect cast. As I was telling him he just needed to believe in himself and it is ok to mess up a cast he hooked into a beautiful 16″ salmon. A lesson is more likely to stay with you with results like that.
Very strong river full of fish
There are some very large insects on this river
Taking Alex out for his birthday was very rewarding and gave me some very important insights into what I can do with anglers of different ages. Everything may be new to a boy this age and I had to make sure that what I told him is correct and delivered in the proper manner. Impressions at this level stay with kids at this age and I hope that I made the right impression. Judging from the smiles and high fives I think I may have achieved my goal.