All........
Decided to hit a different section of the K yesterday. I hate missing out n fishing June days, as I’m convinced that June is the proverbial cat’s ass of flyfishing here in Maine.
It was 52* when I left Ellsworth, and the temp indicator on the Jeep kept going down as I headed upcountry. It was 48* when I hit the river, and the water temp. Was 47*. Whoa......
I figured that might put the kibosh on the hatches......and I was right. A few (like VERY) few #18 Mayflies came off. I wasn’t able to catch one, so I can’t identify the species for you. I thought maybe Blue Quills......but that would be just a guess.
Put on a double Nymph rig with a TMB, a B.B. shot, and a large Hellgramite and # 16 bead head flashback Pheasant Tail.
It started out well as I quickly took a 16 a LL Salmon, and a few casts later an 18 inch LL. Great, right?
The next hour and a half the trout/ LL’s shut off like a faucet. One little 10” Brooke and nothing else......not even a hit.
I figured at that point after trying different Nymphs, Streamers, etc. I cut off the Nymph rig and extended out my leader and tied on a dry fly.
Even without rising trout/LL’s and hatches Landlocks usually are looking up. I tied on a # 16 Bill Phillips Usual......a fly I’ve been tying up since I read an article about it in Fly Fisherman Magazine in the ‘70’s.
It mimics nothing specific, but everything in general. I quickly took another 18”Landlock and a few casts later an 19” er. I call that Usual the Mike Holt fly......as Mike was the one about a decade ago that convinced me that I should fish it more often. Mike knows what he’s talking about, and I usually listen to him. I tied up about three dozen of them. They float like a cork with that snowshoe bunny foot hair, and flat out work.
In very tough conditions I thought that was a fantastic day.
I’d forgot my heavy rain jacket......so only had my lightweight gore Tex shell.......and had taken out my fleece jacket to wash it......so after five hours in 47* water I was shivering, and called it a (fine) day.
It’s happening folks.......get out there if you can.
Dave M
PS: Saw no deer or bear, but did see my first Moose of the season. A young cow completely ok with me stopping along side the road to take her picture.
PPS: On that 19”er I took out my fly to release him, and noticed nylon trailing out of his mouth. I looked back in and took out an Ausable Wulff that some prior fisherman had broken this LL off. I still have that Ausable Wulff if the prior fisherman was you and you want your fly back. It had to be very recently as there was no rust on the hook.
