This has been a very interesting spring and early summer to say the least. Most guides and charter captains have been worried about the pandemics affect on our business and to say that I didn’t worry about this as well would be a lie. However, we have seen an uptick in bookings and many locals are taking advantage of having to stay in our home state and booking a fishing trip with us. Now that we are on the cusp of having an influx of our out of state guests we are poised and ready to get into a real summer routine.
Scott with a nice striper!
This striper took the lure the second it hit the water!
There have been many highlights, but one special event was a five day trip up north in Millinocket for a grandfather and grandson. I had the honor of guiding them on some of the best salmon and smallmouth waters and we had some of the best weather one could have asked for. For a short time afterward we were in an extended dry spell, but at the time it was great to guide in such beautiful weather. All five days were spent on my Kodiak Crestliner, which always affords my clients plenty of room to work in. We employed a variety of techniques including spin gear, fly casting and trolling to achieve our goals. We found that the early morning bite for salmon was better before the sun got too high and the water temperature increased. Even with the better bite in the morning we still managed some very nice fish in the afternoon. Working in heavy current I have an effective way to troll on the river for salmon using both my big motor and my trolling motor in conjunction. As I motored out into the river I would put my MinnKota Terrova trolling motor down, but I wouldn’t engage the spot lock feature on it until my clients had hooked a fish. At that point when I was sure that they had a solid hookset I would set the spot lock so I could pay attention to my clients and assist them in landing their fish. Using all of the tools at my disposal has improved each of my client’s experience with me.
Moments are better together on the water!
There were some very nice bass landed on this trip
The best day for us was a day of smallmouth fishing during the middle of the week. We started out slow, but after lunch we got into a nice rhythm of catching both bass and pickerel with a regularity that kept both of my clients very busy. We had some good top-water action for bass, but the real ticket was a blue/white stick bait and silver bladed #5 Mepps Aglia. It seemed like when we found one bass we found a bunch more and many of them would chase our lures right to the side of the boat. Nothing was more exciting than to have a fish chase right to the side of the boat and miss only to come back and take our lures on the very next cast. This type of fishing paired with hearty shoreside lunches made the whole week very memorable.
Steaks and homemade baked beans for lunch
Doing what I love!
There have been a couple of firsts for my clients this year so far. Sharon booked a striper trip with me and she also wanted to try her hand at fly fishing. We added a fly casting lesson to be sure that we maximized our time on the water. I would always encourage my clients who are new to fly fishing to take a lesson before a trip so that we can focus more on the fishing than the technique. It is important to note that fly fishing is a life long pursuit so always work on your casting technique and look to your guide to assist you in this. Sharon did a great job putting it all together and landing her first striper on the fly. What was really exciting for me was watching stripers follow her fly before they committed. Sharon could tell that I had seen something as all I said was to cast exactly where she had the previous cast. I saw the take and Sharon did everything she needed to do and brought the striper to the net. The elation was palatable as the pursuit is the most important part of the journey and not just catching and landing a fish. Sharon is the type of client that we all would like to have on our boats. She takes everything in around her and enjoys every moment spent on the water. It doesn’t hurt to catch fish along the way to keep things interesting.
Success!
I fish whenever I am not guiding!
This has been a decent start to the year with prospects looking up. Remember that we can cover all aspects of the guiding spectrum from fresh to salt water so don’t hesitate to reach out to book your next adventure. We will work to make sure that you have the type of experience that you are looking for. On full day freshwater trips we offer a shore side lunch that will rejuvenate you and make the rest of the day much more enjoyable. We look forward to seeing you on the water soon!