The Roach River will always be a very special place for me. There have been so many memories fishing with my friends and there have been some incredible moments that you needed to be there to believe. Such an instance was during the last week of September many years ago that included a hurricane and the best day of fishing that any of the four present would ever dream of.  The water was high for that time of the year and the salmon were coming fresh out of Moosehead Lake.  There was one moment when three out of the four of us had a salmon on at the same time.  These events can happen at any time and you just need to keep your line in the water for it to happen again.
Spencer Bay is where the Roach River pours into and where I have stayed for the past few years. I like this spot as the sunrises and sunsets are phenomenal. It is also very close to the access points to the majority of the pools on the river.  Also in the early morning during the spring time there are cruising trout and salmon in Moosehead Lake that are close enough to shore to cast a fly or lure to. Timing is very important as they cruise continuously and if you are not in the right place at the right time all you can do is watch as they continue on. There is usually a good breeze that keeps the heat and bugs down, which is a bonus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first morning I fished the middle sections of the river. Slaughter Pool held some nice salmon and a fairly good sized sucker. Very quickly I could tell that the water flow was at summer time levels. This will not keep many of the bigger fish in the river long and they will just retreat back into the lake. The water temperature is still good and with the rain that we got over the past few days the flows should improve. Streamer fishing with the low water is not as effective, but I did manage some nice salmon. Mostly nymphs worked in the middle section. The glide above Slaughter held a nice salmon that I connected with on a brown stonefly nymph. Corner Pool above Spring Hole had some salmon feeding on emerging nymphs just under the surface. When you see rises that are splashy that is usually indicative of fish taking emerging nymphs. The Hendrickson’s were hatching and the appropriate nymph fished just under the surface was deadly. My day was cut short as a severe thunderstorm came through the area and put up quite a light show combined with heavy rains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning I had decided to fish the lower section of the river.  With all of the rain that we got overnight the lower section of the river should have better flows from all of the tributaries. The lower section was full of brook trout and my biggest one came on the first cast in the Lake Pool with my Red Grey Ghost. Throw in a few large chubs and the fishing was beginning to be where I expected it to be. Don’t be a snob these fish fight very hard and are a blast to catch on a fly. Caddis were also hatching along this stretch. Just grab and shake any bush or tree along a stream or river when the caddis are hatching and you will see a swarm fly away as they like to hide in vegetation along the water. One of the biggest differences in how you fish the caddis versus other patterns are that the caddis are very active and you can “skate” them across the water. This is usually achieved through casting down and across at a 45 degree angle and slowly twitching your fly during the retrieve. Hold on as the take will be very aggressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I did not have a chance to fish the one pool that I was most looking forward to. As I approached the last pool the thunder and lightning started. Hoping that it would pass I sought shelter along the shore. The moment I realized that I needed to leave was when I watched a sheet of torrential rain slowly work toward me and the storm intensified.  It was so bad that a deer crossed the river to get into a thicker stand of fir, spruce and cedar that would provide more cover.  Throughout both days I could hear male partridge, or ruffed grouse outside of Maine, drumming on logs for a sound that is their mating call.  If you ever think someone is trying to start a small engine that never starts while in the woods that is exactly what that sound represents.  When I was younger I just thought my uncle, who lived near us, needed help starting his lawn mower until I figured out what that sound really was.  The exciting process of discovering new things in the outdoors will never stop as long as you keep looking.