Just returning from the Rangeley region from a very decent weekend of fishing, exploring, and the usual socializing. Thought I would provide a quick write-up of the fishing along with a unique experience that we were fortunate enough to experience.

As some of you may know, my friend Jason and I won a trip at this years Fly Fishing in Maine Conclave. This trip included a float plane trip provided by Keith Deschambeault of Acadian Seaplanes into Kennebago Lake for a day of fishing with Registered Maine Guide Bill Stevens.

Jason and I arrived into the region prior to our trip to do some fishing. We rendezvoused with about a half dozen of our good friends to sit around fire to retell old stories, banter around fish migration theories, and hydrate ourselves. Roughly 2.5 hours of sleep we were on our way to some water. We fished around the area and over the course of the day had landed some pretty fish on a variety of techniques from long thin leader nymphing, to stripping buggers, swinging wet flies, and using some hopper/dropper variations. Over the course of the day we met up with some old faces, bumped into some of our original group, but ended up back around the fire for some more story telling; which BTW is my favorite part of trips. Everyone in the group found fish throughout the region, and we surely all learned something this day.

The following day we were pretty fired up for the trip that was generously donated to FFIM for the silent auction by two stand-up individuals that quickly revealed their competence and experience in their respective areas. 5 minutes into the introductions we knew we would be in good hands for the rest of the outing.

We had plans to meet Keith for a 7:30 am pick up to taxi us up to Kennebago Lake. Nice, we get to sleep in today! After a big breakfast and a ton of coffee, we heard the plane. After a little self meditation I climbed into the cockpit. Something seemed a little uneasy with me as I was getting into a plane that is essentially smaller then previous SUVs I have owned! Rest assured, once we got air bound my nerves were calmed and actually enjoyed the flight as much as any of the fishing I have done this season. Truly a spectacular trip seeing my stomping grounds from the air. Even with the nasty winds, Keith managed to keep the plane remarkably steady for some excellent photographs and good narration of landmarks. Take offs and landings were silky smooth to the point at times I wasn’t sure if we were touching the water or still flying.

Keith spent many years in Alaska flying, and it was clearly evident in how he navigated his craft onto a sheltered part of Kennebago Lake for our meeting with Maine Guide Bill Stevens. Keith is an avid fisherman, and speaks to possibly having canoe ready fly-ins to remote ponds next season. For a float tube fisherman, Keith’s service could be invaluable being brought in and out of remote ponds for very reasonable fares. The opportunities are endless. With his plane at times stationed right in Rangeley; you could fly into any of these remote ponds or lakes that there is limited or no road access. Check out his site and pick his brain about a possible trip. We have already started planning for next season. http://www.acadianseaplanes.com/seaplane-service/

When we arrived on the lake Bill greeted us on his dock with a smile and some important information; hot coffee up at his camp! With the cold and windy weather, the coffee and warm camp were well welcomed. Jason and I really wanted a very casual day of fishing, but Bill being a solid guide, he was adamant about explaining exactly where we were on the lake, the road system, what to do in case of an emergency, key locations, etc. He was very thorough and it was clear that Bill takes his career very seriously, as he took safety first and ensured we had a well rounded out experience.

With a similar love for the resource and our desire to know about the history of this part of the region we knew we were in for a good day. This is exactly what we got. We got a great pre-tour from Bill’s camp about the area and the history, including the opportunity to see the history in a camp nearly 100 years old, supplemented with some nice black and white photos with salmon the size of your leg. Fishing this area regularly for many years, this trip was a breath of fresh air for Jason and I because we have had limited encounters behind the gates and have never been on Kennebago Lake. Bill has a magnificent, what I call a Grand Laker, but he calls a Moosehead Laker. Typical sturdy square stern with some history behind the original mold. Beautiful craft. As expected every thing that aroused our curiosity about the area, Bill has the answer along with a tale relating to the topic.

As we took to the water, Bill had us on fish within minutes. We traveled around and poked in and out of areas and caught a mix of trout and salmon in some beautiful areas. Bill managed to put us on fish and avoid people, as we hardly saw any anglers all day. We did a lot of river bank talking, gear discussions, listening, etc. It wasn’t long before we felt like we had been fishing with Bill for years. We finished up the day with some pepper steak sandwiches back at camp and some more fish talk, until we heard the buzz of Keith’s plane coming to the dock for our return trip. Bill has some strong roots to Kennebago lake, and his passion for fishing up in his little slice of heaven is evident with his constant smile, upbeat personality, and vast knowledge of the fish and methods to reach them.
http://kennebagoguide.com/

Overall this trip was much more than expected and we can’t thank Keith and Bill enough for donating this trip to FFIM for the auction. Big thanks for making it a great trip for Jason and I, as it added in another piece of the puzzle to this watershed.

Couple photos of the weekend adventure.

Male brook trout that strained the 6x
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Female brook trout caught by Jason
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Keith our pilot on the left, Bill our Guide on the right.
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Prior to landing on a rough Kennebago Lake
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West Kennebago
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Salmon
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Some people say that us fly fishermen think we can walk on water. We can.
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First salmon of the day, with Jason working a trout behind me.
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Grants
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Kennebago River
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Nice Pool
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good stuff....glad you had such a nice trip....love the pics from the sky

Beautiful country, beautiful fish, old friends, new friends and delivered home safely from a well deserved trip....Sounds perfect!

Emily

Very nice review Jeremy! What a great weekend!!

I just have to say thanks to both Jeremy and Jason . I watched the two of them expertly fish nymphs and make beautiful roll casts all day long. They're pretty darned good fly fishers, and I learned a lot by watching them and discussing their various techniques and flies. Most of my experience is with dries and streamers, but they converted me to the art of dredging

A very memorable day on my part too!

Great report and thanks to all who donated for the auction

Great report..

I haven't been there in a while.. Thanks for sharing some nice looking fish too. I had a chance to go in a plane to check out a couple of Rivers. ITs takes your breathe away at first.

Yeah, I was actually shitting my pants for a little while when I found out there were not any parachutes on the plane.

Very nice report with some great fish pics, FL. You go into some great details. And the fish are showing some great colors now. Thanks!!!
I really like the pic where it looks like the fisherman is standing on the water.
Cool shot. I always thought it was a myth!!!

Jeremy,

Looks and sounds like you had a great week-end. Float/bush planes flying low and slow is the way to go. Those are sweet looking fish. Nice post.
Hopefully your life is gaining some normalcy.

Ron

Thanks Ron, catching trout always makes things better.

nice very nice tight lines