During this global health pandemic many things have changed for the guides and charter captains that operate in our state and all around the world. As of right now we cannot operate until at least April 30th in Maine due to an order from the Governor which closed all non-essential businesses. Even though we might argue that we are essential it is for the benefit of everyone that we do not keep going as buiness as usual. Most of my clients are from out of state and also from many of the hardest hit states currently from COVID-19.  We will still be here and ready when everything has blown over and everyone is happy and healthy. The one part to the Governor’s order that resonated with us was that we could still fish and recreate, but with conditions. With that we had to adapt to keep ourselves sane.

Kevin on his way down the river

There were plenty of these types of photos this day!

One major condition was to maintain proper social distancing and we came up with a proper solution.  This past Wednesday Kevin and I brought our own boats and used this as a photo opportunity to get different angles and shots that we wouldn’t necessarily have while in the same boat.  This will be the norm for us for the whole month of April and possibly longer.  We can still get out and enjoy fishing with friends, as long as you have your own boat or if you are wading you have to drive in separate vehicles to get there.  We needed to make the best of this situation and we will be doing more instructional videos and exploring different bodies of water as we have more free time now.  With this we have also had plenty of discussion on new ventures and offerings that we would like to see in the coming guiding season and beyond.

Fish for the smoker!

The search is on!

Last week on the traditional opening day for the open water fishing season Kevin and I embarked on a mission to put a few lake trout in the smoker and overall to enjoy the day in our boats.  Even though I had already been on the lake during the month of March this day has always been a special day.  Where I grew up we never had an extended season nor could we even fish open water before April 1st.  We have had great success on Sebago early on and just having access to open water is a blessing after a long winter.  We have seen some fast fishing during the early season, but we have also gone many days without hooking a fish.  However, you will never know if you do not get out and keep your line in the water.  As I have always said you fish when you can and not necessarily when the conditions are ideal.

Kevin with a laker on the fly!

Always seeking new water!

On this day with Kevin we made a point to cast in the river and not troll in the lake.  The river holds fish in more predictable spots and in our opinion the lake trout are larger.  With the colder water and increased flows the fish will stay there until after the smelt have made their run up the river at the end of April.  There are some salmon that drop down from the upper section of the river, but you will know if you land a lake run fish compared to a salmon that has stayed in the river all winter.  The lake run fish is fat and healthy while the river fish is skinny and the head looks bigger than it should be.  Both are fun to catch, but every angler likes to see a more sporty fish on the end of the line.  While we didn’t land any salmon this day we did have our chances and couldn’t close the deal.  I had a strong take, but didn’t set in time and Kevin had one follow and one that came off shortly after being hooked further up the river.

You want ducks?

Book now and take your shot!

What was a highlight of the day was at the end when Kevin landed two nice lake trout within a few casts of each other.  This spot was not far off from where I landed a nice lake trout first thing in the morning.  There was a hump in the middle of the river that they were holding behind, which we also donated a lot of flies and tackle to throughout the day, but was the most productive spot for us that day.  Getting two nice fish on the fly during the early season was a win no matter what species you are looking for.  It was even better to spend it with a good friend even though we were in separate boats.  This is a new norm for us for a while so I for one will be trying out new techniques and equipment in order to give my clients more options.

Bryan with a quality fish!

How about some geese?

One of the biggest offerings we will have next year is chasing lake trout on the fly during the month of April and early May on the lake.  We have been putting together a program that has been working so anyone looking to hook into one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish on the fly give us a shout.  As the smelts begin to stage and run up the river this action only gets more intense and your chance at landing salmon increase during that time as well.  The second part to our offering is a cast and blast in the fall.  The lake is open year round for open water fishing, but the Songo River is jam packed with waterfowl.  As we do not have Sunday hunting this would be a great day to hunt on Saturday and fish on Sunday.  However you want to make it work we will have an option for every client and we look forward to getting back to our normal routine of sharing our love for the outdoors with our clients.