FFIM

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.

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"Fish the West every year. Life is short; and you'll be dead a long time." Chris Hutchins--2009

June is a tough one for me.... it's the start of the busy season at work, and then there's the great decision to make. Trout or stripers, which is not an easy choice. I always said I'd never give up trout for stripes... now this year I'm more excited for stripers then anything.

But, I'm really enjoying fishing my new cane rod, like REALLY, never want to touch a graphite stick again.... and would hate to put it away before catching a single fish on a dry. So I think this weekend I'll head back up NW hoping for some dry action. I'm also trying to grab a day off in a couple weeks to finish out the trout season is style.

Peter

PS, June is not nearly as tough as October... trout, stripers, grouse, and ducks means I do not get much sleep then.

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"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff

You're not kidding! Fortunately I have a trip to Jackman coming up and then six consecutive days of striper fishing on Joppa Flats. Gotta love June!

I will striper fish after work. Tonight will be my 21st consecutive day of fishing. and my 63rd ( I think) of the year. I have a week at the WB starting on Sunday. I'm exhausted... I haven't fished for salmonids since Saturday- all stripers- Maybe hit the home stream Saturday evening one more time until fall.

Been having great luck the past week on all things "usual". Been able to catch brookies, browns and rainbows on multiple days lately using a usual.

Ron

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The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of something that is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.

Sir John Buchan

That IS a fine outing Dave...

When it comes to catching, May is my favorite month - pretty dependable from start to end - by the third week in June most of the wild free flowing streams I fish have gone by, that's when I switch over to bass and salt.

Overall though, I still like April the best...

Tight Lines!

PS - Titleguy, the striper fishing sounds like it's been great - how's the catching been?

June used to be a month of carefree fishing for me.
Then my kids got older, picked up lacrosse (which means coaching for both parents in our house), traveling hours every Saturday for multiple games, attending a school which calls the day for any snowfall over 3" (9 snow days this year) which runs the last day of school to the third week of the month, and of course, work, which anyone in construction knows here in the state of Maine, working for seasonal residents..."please have it done by July 4 and don't come back until after Labor Day ....
Not much June fishing for me.
But at least coaching my son and watching my daughter in lacrosse, and spending time with them in the mountains on those snow days, is a trade-off I am more than happy to make. The work? Well, it's good to have it, and that's about it...

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"It gets late early out there" - Yogi Berra

I was always partial to May and September myself. May was the first chance of good fishing in good weather and before the end of school/fiscal year at work. September is also a favorite. Fall fish and a chance for decent weather... As has been said June just gets dominated by school stuff, sport stuff, family stuff, etc.

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"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

Tim......

I used to feel that way about September also, but with global warming/climate change/ whatever we’re calling it now September is, at least for as far as I’m concerned, just an extension of August. October is now what September used to be......and with the Acentrellas hatching most of the month the dry fly fishing........as long as the wading is ok........can be outstanding.

Dave M

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"Fish the West every year. Life is short; and you'll be dead a long time." Chris Hutchins--2009

Funny, seems like everything has push back a month or two. June feels like May used to. Now Indian summers are the norm. Makes sense.... now they need to prove that spawning is a month later so we can keep the season open a month later.

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"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

I love June but it just keeps getting busier and busier it seems. The Kennebec in June is my favorite haunt. ( along with some of its tributaries. ) Lately though it seems July is when I have more time to fish so I just adjust to later eveneings, some ponds and the ever co operative smallmouth bass. There is no question that falls have been getting warmer here in Maine. ( I was eating tomatoes from the garden in October last year). I also feel like the fall rains that used to drive the movement of fish have been lacking in september and seem to come later as well. Anyway June is here and I love being on the water............If I can get out to enjoy it a few times.