It's been a little nuts since my last fishing report. Good thing I take at least a few pics each day to remember the order of events. So just over a week ago my friend brought me out to try for pike. Plan was to go to a stretch of river that he knows has 30"+ fish. unfortunately the gate to the launch was closed, so off to plan B which worked out alright.
Caught my first pike (ever) right around the bend from where we launched
Other than that I caught a dink SMB and my friend caught about three fish that day.
Then this past week, because they needed to cut hours, I got several days off. Two of the best days I've had yet trout fishing yet. Yes I know these are stocked trout, and I've had days where I've caught more (all these tiny Browns they been putting in some popular spots) but these couple days had numbers with better size and a bit of selective feeding to make it more interesting. At the spot I'm talking about, there was some high water after they put them in so it really got them moving to make it more fun. On these days, there were several different "hatches" going on and I was constantly changing flies to stay on them (as a note, carpenter ant queen flight was starting to happen, the next couple days are going to be hot and I have a feeling most of the ones in S Maine are going to fly). Here's the highlights from those two dozen or more fish a day trips.
This brown has different pattern than ones I've been catching in a few other places, I've heard they are working with a few different strains, is that what I'm seeing? Also, the hatchery that put in these "8 inch" ones are at least 8 (or could be holdovers) where the other rivers that report "8 inch" seem to be getting ones that top out at 8
Compared to ones from other places
More brookies
Then on Friday we went to target pike again... While trolling through an area, this guy wanted to be friends with my lure
My friend caught a small pike while trolling a spinner (I didn't get his pics)
Then while going up the inlet of the lake, we found these
Lost count of how many of them we caught , all averaging 13" with very few small ones. Then of course as we jigged for crappie, I also caught a couple of these impressively strong little guys
I though I had a bass on
Then while still going for crappie, something toothy comes along (light action rod with 6lb mono)
Another on the light line
back into the lake for more pike, my friend lands himself a new PB at 30" (again on his camera). While fishing around a submerged hump that has tall emerging grass, we heard lots of commotion in the grass, so casting to its edges around that noise made sense, and landed me my biggest one yet at 28"
After releasing that brute, we still heard lots of splashing comming from the reeds. Getting closer, we realize we were in the middle of a white perch spawn! Which prob explains the huge lumps in the gut of the pike I had just caught. No more pics as we were too busy trying to catch them before we had to leave. Everything I've read said to throw anything into the swirling mass, but none of those would bite. We had to cast to the edge of main school to get ones that would bite.
I then end the week by going out for the evening bite after I got out of work. They were being rather picky, examining and rejecting just about everything. I was using a elk hair caddis (lots of caddis flying around) for a dry dropper and kept changing my nymphs with out much luck. Also tried emergers, ants, and griffiths gnat without luck. Finally I just changed the elk hair off and used a parachute Adams, and immediately started catching.
Honestly my neck and shoulder are a bit sore after last week (plus maybe slept wrong on that side) so I'm spending this cool rainy day in. I'll be back at it on Thursday when I'm off again... Though I may just hit the river again tonight lol.
