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Author Topic: July.....the Summer Doldrums  (Read 1457 times)

Jim C.

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July.....the Summer Doldrums
« on: Aug 02, 2021, 10:50 AM »
Is it just July or is it a troubling trend overall?  I've been accused of having standards that are way too high when it comes to fishing and have had that "glass have full", "glass half empty" stuff thrown at me.  I'm always quick to point out a 3rd option...."that glass will make a helluva weapon if broken just right". ;D  I will say that when I throw in my challenge question of "name one type of fishing that is better that it was 5 years ago", the audience's answer has been NONE in all but 1 case so far. 

Back to July.  The rains that came in record amounts in southern Maine in NH didn't extend very far north.  Most of the time, the small water from Central Maine and north was bony at best.  Fishless.





Conditions gave new meaning to the term "frog water".  Or maybe it's a toad on desiccated rocks that are normally covered by fishy flows.



There were a few spots where local downpours produced a bit more flow.



And on the bright side, I was able to entice a few black brookies from beneath woody debris.





On another trip, I did time a bump in flows right after 2 days of more significant rain.  A spot that fit the bill is a small brook that starts in a small pond fed by springs, before tumbling down a rocky slope and joining a tidewater river just a mile away.





It was moist enough in that streambed for some impressive mushrooms or fungi of some type.



And foam in the eddies.  This would be the start of pancake ice in the winter.



The native brookies went on the feed with the flow bump.  40 fish, including a pretty much non-stop blitz of 25 in the first hour.







And as is often the case, the trout in the pools just above tidewater had a pale hue.



That action and better flows was followed by more dry conditions.  I left the diminished trout water to hit some bigger water.......where lower flows allow for better coverage in waders.  Solid action on smallies (not huge, but up to 16") and an even more impressive showing of fallfish.  Can't say enough about big fallfish on flyrod  8)  This stretch of water can be "fast and furious" when the white fly hatch kicks in at dark in the coming weeks.

















I tried a normally good brown trout water in the foothills to close out the month.  This spot had caught enough rain for flows to be lively and plenty cool enough, but only produced 1 fish that had managed to hold over from the Spring stocking.





On to August.......hoping for fishing "the way it should be". ;)



 

taxid

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #1 on: Aug 02, 2021, 02:10 PM »
Just curious how much the low flows effect the water temps?
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

Jim C.

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #2 on: Aug 02, 2021, 02:41 PM »
Thankfully, it hasn't been that hot.  For the month, July temps ran over 3* below normal.  Brook trout water ran 63* or lower and brown trout water 66* or lower.  That's the good news.  We still need water in time for the Fall spawn.


Just curious how much the low flows effect the water temps?

taxid

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #3 on: Aug 02, 2021, 03:29 PM »
Thankfully, it hasn't been that hot.  For the month, July temps ran over 3* below normal.  Brook trout water ran 63* or lower and brown trout water 66* or lower.  That's the good news.  We still need water in time for the Fall spawn.

There are anglers out west that would kill for water temps like that. Hope you get rain soon!
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

zwiggles

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #4 on: Aug 02, 2021, 04:27 PM »
The variety of colors that those brook trout show, in July none the less, are amazing! From jet black to almost bleached out, and here’s to hoping you get some rain up your way this fall

fish wayniac

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #5 on: Aug 02, 2021, 04:45 PM »
Jim, That was a good report. To bad on the light rain in your area. Southern Maine had 8” in July which made the 2 Nd most all time. You found some big small mouth and Fall fish. I remember my daughter catching Fall fish on her Barbie pole. They gave her quite the battle  while we were camping at Richardson lake. Ha ha!

Steve H.

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #6 on: Aug 02, 2021, 05:58 PM »
You always seem to get 'em, Jim.  Way to go.
It is understood that fishing licenses, gas, bait, etc., all cost money, but try not to let a limit of trout be your only gauge for success. – Ben Nugent, (NH F&G) Regional Fisheries Biologist

TightLinesMaine

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #7 on: Aug 02, 2021, 06:18 PM »
Nice Jim, insane brook trout action! also, I too love huge flyfish on the fly rod; I hooked & landed a 15.5" this spring on my 6 wt., I honestly thought it was a salmon for several seconds, gave me a good laugh.  That last fallfish in particular you caught looks pretty big for sure. 

lowaccord66

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Re: July.....the Summer Doldrums
« Reply #8 on: Aug 11, 2021, 08:16 AM »
Great stuff Jim.

 



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