I went fishing today. It was swell. I discovered over the course of five (painful) hours that I hate landlocked salmon. HATE them. When they get in a taunting mood, I simply cannot deal with them. I mean honestly, you can’t tell me that salmon get their rocks off lazily following streamers. I don’t buy it, no Sir. I think they just enjoy being facetious. Then again, I’ve never really handled rejection well.

I missed the hook-set on a rather large fish today; one that brought tears to my eyes. And just before those tears had time to dry, another salmon roughly the size of my arm swam to within inches of my streamer. For what seemed like an eternity, he toyed with the idea of striking. I’ll never understand why some fish simply choose not to commit, but I’ll forever remember watching this one swim away. Casting from high above the water, I enjoyed (yeah right) a bird’s-eye view of his relentless taunts. I stayed focused on the pool my landlocked friend was no doubt inhabiting, but his disappearing act and plain arrogance ran all the time off my clock. At least a dozen streamers, angle changes, leader adjustments, and no less than 3 prayers (out loud mind you), and I still managed to walk away empty-handed, hearted, and absent of any pride or joy……(sigh)…… so in the interest of venting, I wrote a poem. Enjoy.

Better Days.

I hate you salmon, yes I do
I hate you always, through and through,
You burn my brain you haunt my soul
With every sip and every roll.

I hate you salmon, can’t you see?
This awful way you torment me.
With every splash you make me frown
And leave me dancing like a clown.

I’m kidding salmon, you’re a blast!
I love the way you dodge my cast
I smile when you destroy my fly,
Then leave me swearing at the sky

But in the end I’d have to say
Your game is one I love to play
And even though I hate your guts
I’ll always chase you like a putz.

- After what felt like an eternity of bad weather, the rivers are finally returning to normal levels. Heavy downpours over the last few weeks have blown out most of the local haunts, turning crisp and clear to swift and milky – of the chocolate variety. Time spent off the water during the month of May is not time a fly fisherman should ever waste. With water levels fluctuating greatly from one day to the next, fishing for fishing’s sake can (and has been in the past) an overwhelming headache.

Success in the Spring depends largely on timing and patience. This week’s dry forecast and rising air temperatures should bring about an increase in fish activity as area rivers continue to drop and clear. Water temps remain on the cool side for now, and the fish we’ve encountered thus far seem to be feeding in water levels ranging from 2 to 6 feet below the surface. Yesterday’s salmon were more lively than the fish we encountered a few weeks earlier, which wasn’t surprising. Smaller bright-colored streamers fished on leaders between ten and twenty feet seem to be doing the trick at the moment, along with classic go-to patterns like the Grey Ghost, Black Nose Dace, and Mickey Finn.

I generally start my day fishing larger streamers, working my way down to smaller sizes if necessary until I find something that generates strikes. Most experienced fly fisherman in this area would agree that larger flies bring larger fish, and through my experiences I’d be inclined to agree. But fishing only large streamers has done nothing for my numbers in recent years, even if it has brought me some memorable catches. It took me long enough to realize that there is a time and a place for everything, and that includes fishing streamers of the Carrie Stevens variety. Simply put, don’t be afraid to fish smaller streamers, even in deep, swift waters. Anyone who fishes with me will tell you that more often than not I have a large grey ghost on the end of my line from late April through early June. But with a little trial and error coupled with some careful homework, I’m learning from experience that branching out can turn no luck into some luck nearly any day of the week.

I hope prime time (whenever that proves to be) will find you on the water and in the fish. Check back often, and best of luck on the water!

Tight Lines,

-Ben

Not much time on the water recently, but those days are fast approaching. Water levels are returning to seasonal norms, and I have a fresh batch of streamers ready for battle. For now, I feel perfectly at peace settling for an early morning sunrise or two. I guess waking up before the sun has it’s perks!

River time soon, stay tuned!

-Ben

Ian Majszak and the fellas at Detonation Studios recently took home top honors in the “Simms Shootout” film contest at this years Ice Out guide event. Attention to detail has always been Ian’s signature, and the close up shots in this latest work are nothing short of spectacular. Congratulations to Ian and the rest of the crew on a job well done. Top honors are truly deserved!

I’m still tickin’!

Work and life in general have kept me off the water this week, but the river waits for no one. The rain that we all knew was coming finally showed up on Sunday night, and the rivers have been slowly working their way towards levels we are more accustomed to during late April. I ventured south at the tail end of last week to make my presence known in the lower regions of our great state, but fishing never strayed far from my mind. Twenty minutes of browsing in the L.L.Bean Fishing store lightened my wallet, but afforded me an extra spool for my Lamson Litespeed, all wrapped up with an intermediate sinking line that should do wonders in the currently swelling Fish River. Saturday looks to be the day that I finally get back on the water, so for now I anxiously await what I hope will be another successful day of swinging streamers to (hopefully) hungry salmon.

It’s difficult to accept sometimes that fly fishing simply has to wait. My priorities have changed somewhat with a career entering the picture, but I’m far from out of the game. While summer vacation will allow me ample time to fish, I’ll need to work hard and budget my time if I plan on being successful during the Spring season. Success comes with hard work and dedication, and being a fair weather fisherman is simply not an option. I lose sleep at night thinking of spawning cycles, fly patterns, and stretches of river that I’m sure are holding fish. At the end of the day it’s all about getting on the water, and I’m frantic in my mission to wet a line. High water, low water, it really doesn’t matter. I need to be on the river, I need to fish.

With high water comes heightened risk, and this week provided an unfortunately reminder of this harsh reality. Warm temperatures and sunshine don’t necessarily mean warm water and safe conditions. I’ll be the first to admit that wearing a life jacket is typically little more than a passing thought for me, even during the most frigid days of April. Northern Maine lost a dedicated father and fisherman earlier this week, and I couldn’t be more sorry for the families that are suffering through this tragic incident. Fishing isn’t meant to be dangerous, but even the most accomplished sportsmen can fall victim to harsh conditions. I plan on wearing my life jacket until water levels reach safer levels and temperatures, and I urge my fellow fishermen to do the same. Life is far too precious to gamble, and experience counts for little when mother nature has other plans. Regardless, I take to the water this weekend with a heavy heart, and send my sincere condolences to the families of those who have lost an irreplaceable piece of their daily puzzle.

Enjoy your time on the water, be aware, and be safe each and every time you cast a line.

See you on the river,

-Ben

The new Helios finally got a workout at the hands (figuratively speaking) of a hefty landlocked salmon measuring at just under 23 inches and close to 4 lbs. He put up no fight, instead opting to put the brakes on my streamer while he held his ground. My first impression was that I had snagged bottom, but a few nasty head shakes took care of that theory. More (and better) pictures to come, along with a full fishing conditions report for early April. Stay tuned!

Tight Lines,

-Ben

Silent slipping frigid waters flowing uncaged memory

Early morning breathing softly stunning chill suppressing me

Warm in waders hands in pockets coffee cooling drink it fast

Counting precious seconds countless minutes daylight shines at last.

Casting out at nothing feeling something waiting not to be

Sounds of Summer calling ice filled guides coax sun to set them free.

The weather through early April has been anything but consistent, and my mood has been anything but pleasant. It seems mother nature has decided that I need to slip and slide on the roads during my morning commute, and quite frankly I’m getting tired of waking up to snow. The endless cycle of morning flurries and evening melting has me mildly annoyed, and the lackluster fishing early on is not helping my sour mood.

Today I added a 10′ft “extra super sink” poly leader to my 5wt Orvis 3D Trout line in hopes that I could get my streamers further down in search of what are clearly lethargic salmon. I can’t recall ever throwing such a heavy leader, and the extra few feet of 8lb tippet made my 12+ foot rig fairly difficult to cast. My 10ft 5wt tip-flex Orvis Helios has me extremely impressed thus far, but even my newly acquired rocket launcher didn’t seem to have the kaboom required to cast such a bulky mess. Forty feet was about all I could manage at the end of the day, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sloppily reaching.

Regardless, even with a lighter leader, my seemingly football field length bomber casts still haven’t been producing fish. With April water levels resembling those of late June, I’m still holding on to hope that it might be just a tad too early in the season for the all-out blitz I’m looking for. Grey Ghost, Green Ghost, and any other variation I can think to tie simply aren’t raising these ghostly salmon. With a little luck I’m hoping things might pick up just in time for my vacation next week. Time will most certainly tell.

See you on the river,

-Ben

If the Easter Bunny didn’t show up at your dwelling this morning, look no further for answers as to his whereabouts. The cause of death is still under investigation, but my money is on a few innovative muskie fishermen who I know are experimenting with a new live baiting technique. Honestly though, what kind of rabbit lays eggs? That story is so far fetched.