MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Northeast => Maine => Topic started by: Jim C. on Nov 30, 2018, 08:05 PM
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Wild, unreal, off the charts, and challenging personal bests dating back to the mid-1960's.....these descriptions and more are a perfect match with the month that just ended. The month started cool and ended downright wintry, but the the bite never backed off much. Here are a few highlights along the way.
Early on, I made it a point to look for fall browns. 2018 had been far from a banner year for browns for me, but I managed to turn that around. A batch of buttery browns kicked off the month. They weren't the biggest fish, but enough to get the brown trout funk to vamoose.
(https://i.imgur.com/SlTHg25.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/hfmQZWz.jpg?1)
4 days later, I ran into browns that dwarfed these. They were slamming lures on nearly every cast along an isolated piece of rocky shoreline that I found at low water in the past. Deep, icy wading was needed in the high fall water level, but 17 fish made it well worth being cold numbed. The clouds advancing at dusk telegraphed the first of several major storms, which likely triggered the frantic fishing.
(https://i.imgur.com/G4df7q6.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/L7Ltpfx.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/NtqkJgv.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/9Xvxv74.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/T5hZxwd.jpg)
We had over 5 inches of rain in November plus snow melt, with each flow bump pulling in some lake run fish.
(https://i.imgur.com/3dDHQjX.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/d5HR2Z0.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/iGNQSBO.jpg?2)
(https://i.imgur.com/112nxgO.jpg?1)
The colors on the splake in the ponds just lit up as the month went by. These can be real hit or miss, but by late month the active ones were in their prime. These 2 were chasing around brookies that were dropping their eggs and darted to suck in a flyrod egg pattern.
(https://i.imgur.com/XpEs305.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/m6Md895.jpg)
The brookies added to the mixed bag right up until ice in. I had to do a little ice breaking to reach this hen, who measures up well against the 19 inch hoop on my net.
(https://i.imgur.com/OauH37m.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cFzN3AG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dTdz1YE.jpg?2)
The deep cold over Thanksgiving did put a bit of a temporary slowdown on the bite, but didn't stop my Dad and I from getting out. Enjoying his 91st year, Dad's put down the fishing rod and picked up the camera for the most, but relishes being lake or streamside with me.
(https://i.imgur.com/nKTuLkO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xjfMbO0.jpg)
By month's end, the streams were in mid-winter condition.
(https://i.imgur.com/JXk9kXA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7M2uD6U.jpg)
A lot of normal fall techniques just didn't get it done. A few years back, I found that night fishing can be surprisingly good as winter sets in. One stretch of water that was fishless up until dusk, came alive with fish and produced action until 6 PM under the cover of darkness. The results have been good, but caution on even familiar waters is the name of the game.
(https://i.imgur.com/VpgCb5v.jpg)
This report is long, but I hope you enjoy it. November was quite a journey. 8)
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Nice browns Jim.
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stud browns! wow!
love the splake too, very unique, you always seem to catch the most colorful splake I've seen.
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Awesome!
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Very impressive Jim! Gorgeous fish!
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I think those are some of the most colorful fish you've had in your reports Jim, especially the Browns. Good to see that your father is still getting out there, We can only hope to do as well at 91. Looks pretty slippery on that snow covered shoreline. Great report.
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Thanks, Steve.
Dad is a two time cancer survivor and still works at the same place where he started in 1951. He just keeps on trucking ;D
I think those are some of the most colorful fish you've had in your reports Jim, especially the Browns. Good to see that your father is still getting out there, We can only hope to do as well at 91. Looks pretty slippery on that snow covered shoreline. Great report.
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Jim - I don't know if I could ever describe any of your posts as "long" - most of the time, they leave me looking for more updates! Sounds like an excellent month for you and darn great seeing your dad made it out with you despite the cold. Kudos to him and I'm sure it felt great with joining you, regardless if it was from shore. Great shot of you working the water!
Thanks for sharing.
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Jim, Sounds like a epic month. Beautiful trout. That is great that your dad was able to join you.
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Great post Jim. I always enjoy them and they are never considered long.
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I find myself logging in once a month just to see your recaps. So awesome, keep it up!
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Thanks, Josh. Open water from now till April 1 looks to be a real challenge!
I find myself logging in once a month just to see your recaps. So awesome, keep it up!
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Jim C. thank you for posting the photos beautiful mixed bag of trout. May your dad continue to enjoy good health and be able to join you on future trips.
Steve
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Thanks for your kind words, Steve. I appreciate it.
Jim C. thank you for posting the photos beautiful mixed bag of trout. May your dad continue to enjoy good health and be able to join you on future trips.
Steve