In this season of fast water and changing conditions we must be aware of all factors to get better at finding and catching these flooded fisheries.

Here are a few of my favorite spring tips:

1. To add weight to a fly…. or to sink a tippet faster try wrapping the line with tyers lead wire. But use it sparingly and only as needed to sink the fly. Don’t wrap a fly with this wire..just use it on the leader.

2. To find a feeding zone for trout look for the warmest spring water you can find. This is usually an inlet or inflow of water from a stream into a river or lake.

3. The North end of any body of water will be warmer than any other part of the lake or pond.

4. Fish the shallows late in the day aftyer the sun has warmed the water all day. The feeding trout will be in close at the end of the day do to warmer conditions. In this instance …… later is better.

5. If you are not having much luck from your boat. Pull it to shore and try casting the shallows from the bank. The fish will be cruising the shoreline in the warmer water looking for minnows and insects. Remember to use the current and to parrallel shore for greatest success.

6. Due to the murky conditions, try using bright colors and flies inately more active than others.These flies will get more attention due to their increased visiblity. This is the time when I go to white, pink and chartruese wings in my streamers and for my muddlers.

7. Fish deep in the rivers and streams, and shallow in the still waters. Look for rocks and logs that block the current. These create deep holes that warm up more than the faster waters do.

8. From Rick Passek:
One other thing I would add is to look for cruising fish, at this time of the year they are very active near drop offs looking for food. Since the hatches are not as strong as they will be in the next month or so ( Due to temperature) the fish will by actively looking for other food such as leetches, scuds, Dragons, Damsels, etc… (RP 4/30/07)

If you have a good tip to share……. leave your comment and I will add it to the above list .

I am glad to report that Aroostook County is finaly freeing from winters icy grasp. Area lakes are opening up and fishermen are taking full advantage. Deep Lake is the first to be hit by local anglers. This I reported earlier in another post. Other bodies of water are opening too and the action is coming along, slowly.

Area rivers and streams are fairing well also and the waters are dropping lower everyday. It won’t be much longer and we will be catching up with the folks south of Medway.

I look forward to all of the changes coming in the next few weeks. But the ultimate sign of spring ……… FIDDLEHEADS!!!!!!

Yes the fiddleheads of Aroostook will soon be full and plentiful. There is nothing as good as a mess of ‘em and some fresh spring pan-sized trout. After all of the blizzards and ice storms of winter. The coming of fiddleheads is a welcome time for all of us County folks. It marks a time of plenty in the natural world and a time of famine has passed away.

The deer are out along the field and road edges so drive carefully….. but now is the time for exploration

To find the bounty of fiddleheads is easy….just look for low ground near water. Sandy soil is ideal and the sandbars along rivers are usually full of pods of fiddleheads.

The trout to go with the greens is a harder commodity to get. The high water is a problem for a fly man. There are few flies that can be effective in in high water. You can rule out all dry flies and most streamers. That leaves wet flies and nymphs. The naturals are very effective at this time because the rising waters wash them into the flows. But “worms” and “grubs” are not flies.

Here’s a fly to tye that will get you a creel of trout to go with those fiddleheads. (Yes I said a creel….consumptive use of this resource is not a problem…. over fishing is!! But the occassional limit of trout will not wipe them out. Just fish all over..don’t stay in one place.)

The recipe: Take a #6/#8 baitholder hook (for weight)….tye in a piece of white yarn, wrap the yarn forward to within 3/4 of the eye, using black thread form the head. Looks pretty grubby…. huh? Just finish the head with superglue to hold it together.Tye a dozen or so of these; use three per leader and fish them “czech nymph” style. As they drift past holding water the little buggers will dash out for the “grub” and the rest is history.

This rig is perfect for fishing the roadside “ditch-trout”. These fish are the most accessable for Aroostook anglers at this time of year. The better waters are high and the back roads are soft and muddy. These “culvert” catches start the season each year and the fishing here in these pools and runs will continue to be good for most of the summer.

I prefer the more inaccessible water of the back country, but right now that is nearly an impossibility. The roads are impassable due to the coming of “Mudseason”.

So Go Out……. and Fish!!!!

Orvis Hook Chart

Here’s a handy reference for you to copy and print off.

(Thanks ………. Orvis)

Yes, the time grows near when the most savy anglers ply the waters of Aroostook with every manner of tackle.
I have chased these ice-out traditions most of my life. In some waters a “sewn-on” smelt trolled behind a canoe slowly paddled, is the key to trophy trout. Big brookies wait in outlets for the spawning smelts and gorge themselves each spring.

Then there are the hardware types who cruise the bays and inlets with spoons and crankbaits looking for feeding fish. The landlocks are often caught this way, as are the lakers and brookies.

Tip: They cost more but the Yozuri “pin Minnows” in “smelty” colors are sheer murder on the lake species this time of year. Their tight wiggle and truly clone-like appearance to smelts makes them the most lethal lure on the market.

Now for us fly types we are best served by using the traditional pattern of spring. Yes, the streamer, trolled behind a canoe. The sports of old knew that this was the most effective way to fish a lake at ice-out. We would be sadly served if we didn’t use the time honored methods first. Guides from bygone eras developed these methods to insure success for their clients. Who can argue with success?

My own personal preferences are for the “smelty patterns” instead of the “Ghosts”. I like the “magog-style” and “Joe’s”. These minnow-like tyes are better fish producers for Northern Lakes than the Ghosts ever were. In clear water I favor silver as the flash color. But in darker tanic waters I go with gold or brassie flash accents. Lately I have been adding “flashabou” and “crystal flash” to my traditional tyes. I have even substituted “estaz” for peacock herl and ostrich herl to get more flash and sparkle in my spring flies. Another thing I am working with is flashier “corded” tinsels. These used as body material make it fast and easy to create a thin form. Using a special double tie-in technique I can use these so effectively, I have had customers ask me how I wove the body out of tinsel.

The equipment for spring is basic. Use the standard fly rod you always use. But make sure you are using a fast sinking “bullet taper” sinking line. These lines get the streamers down fast and keep them there. I use a tapered leader but that is unnecessary. Alot of my friends are using a straight leader of 5X/6X flourocarbon. Spring fish are not leader shy, since the fly will be moving as they see it.

Now where to fish ?
1. North bays warm first and offer the earliest fishing. But choose shallow North bays. Streamers are useless as deep water attractors. These shallows also are the most attractive for the salmon, togue, and trouts.
2. Rocky lakes are better than mud bottom lakes. These rocky shares warm up faster than the “swamp” water lakes. The darker water may accept more solar radiation but the icey springs keep the temperatures from rising as fast as those in the rocky lakes do.

Color is a key to success here. Know your local baitfish. Making sure you use flies that match the hatch even if it’s “fishy”. The predominant species in your lake will need to be reproduced in a minnow streamer. Start by using the “smelt” patterns and branch out from there. I have a local water where a “deceiver or clouser” can be better than the “smelts”. Those trophy fish have seen all of it before. Try something different….and you could catch ICE OUT EUPHORIA.

That’s the strange feeling you will be out in your canoe next year in full winter dress, trolling a streamer in icy water. Just to see a trohy Brown or togue roll on your streamer. That heart pounding arm shaking….rod bending …thrill ride!!! You see now is your chance to see and catch the largest fish of the season.

(Previously posted over at “Maine Fishing Today”)

Current Activities of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Research Group

For over two months our colleagues in IFW’s regional offices have been providing excellent information and observations in their weekly fishing reports. This week they have a break, which gives staff here in the Fisheries Research Group located in Bangor an opportunity to write about some current activities that should be of interest to anglers in the state.

Stream Surveys and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture

This year is shaping up to be a very exciting year for brook trout and stream research in general. IFW is embarking on a major effort in conjunction with the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) and our partners to collect pertinent information on stream fisheries and habitats over the next two years. Many may recall that the EBTJV’s recent status assessment of brook trout populations from Maine to Georgia found that Maine is not only the state with the greatest extent of wild trout resources, but we are also one of the states in greatest need of updating our basic information regarding the status of our brookies. To put this in perspective, Maine lacks adequate information for about two thirds of the state’s area to accurately assess the condition of wild trout and their habitats for the EBTJV.

As an effort to address this need, we will begin a two-year statewide stream survey effort this year. Five seasonal crews will be brought on board this summer to conduct standardized surveys for brook trout and other fishes as well as to gather some basic fish habitat information at the surveyed sites. This is no small task, nor could it be possible without the generous contributions and assistance from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, Trout Unlimited’s Maine Chapters, and the Maine Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.

This effort will greatly enhance our knowledge regarding our fisheries for overall conservation and management purposes. We will collect much needed and more current information regarding the geographic distribution and population status of other stream fish species, such as non-native species and their potential effects on our wild trout. We currently have a pretty poor understanding of the level of occurrence of many unwelcome and known competitor species with trout in stream habitats. In addition, we hope to identify streams or areas that may provide opportunities for restricting the movements of competitor species into pristine trout habitats. Conversely, in areas and watersheds with minimal risks from non-native species, these surveys may identify streams or sites where improving conditions for natural trout movements may be beneficial by increasing overall available habitat or access to spawning areas.

Our efforts on this large-scale project will also provide many opportunities for interested groups or individuals to assist or get involved in a variety of ways. If you are interested in getting involved with conserving Maine’s wild brook trout, the EBTJV, or stream resources in general, I encourage you to contact me at IFW’s Bangor office (Merry Gallagher, Research Fishery Biologist, 941-4381 or Merry.Gallagher@Maine.gov).

I am currently assembling the Charter Membership for the Houlton Chapter. If you are interested in TU
and would like to help us here in Aroostook gain a better understanding of our Brook Trout fishery. Please email me at: aroostookflier@yahoo.com

picture courtesy: flyfishingconnection.com

Those wonderful bombers….. a truly fantastic fly from just across the line in New Brunswick. Born of the love for deer hair and flyfishing by Rev.Elmer Smith. There are several different stories about how it came to pass….

The Originator of this fly was the late Reverend Elmer Smith of Maine. He invented the fly in the 1960’s and since that time it has become one of the most popular Atlantic salmon dry flies of all time.
or
The Bomber dry fly series of flies gained popularity on the Miramichi River, Canada in 1967. It is reported that they were first tied by Elmer Smith of Prince William in New Brunswick who originally designed them for Salmon Fishing.

(I have also read that Elmer Smith originally tied it as a wet by clipping the hair extra short. But later left it full and bushy to fish it dry. Having had prior experience fishing deer hair flies he tied this to suit his needs.)

The modern history of this fly includes it’s widespread introduction to the four corners of the globe and useage on most of the trout and salmon species throughot the globe. It is especially popular among the European Salmon fishermen. Most notably those in Scotland and Ireland. In the U.S. it has found favor among the steel headers of the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan guides.

Here’s a simple explantion of the technique:

These dry flies are surface flies, and usually fished by pulling or “skating” them on the surface, creating a “wake” as they cut through the water.

Some fishermen call them “the locator” because even when finicky fish don’t strike at it, they often come up to investigate the fly thus giving away their location to the angler.

Here’s a simple recipe:

I have not included the colors of the fly in the pattern description since there is an almost limitless combination of colors that can be used for this fly.
The original calls for a white calf tail wing and tail, natural deer hair body and brown hackle.( But white bodies and red hackles are great as well, and green bodies and black hackles works well too.)

Hook: Up eye salmon dry fly hook.
Tail: Calf tail (white deer belly hair works too)
Body: Spun and clipped deer hair.
Body Hackle: Long stiff cock hackle.
Wing: Calf tail extending out over the eye of the hook.
Head: Black (or some suitable color)

If you want to see how it works….. click on the video on the left titled ” White Millers”. The fisherman in fact is using a salmon fly to catch rising bass. Yes….rising bass!!!

You see my introduction to the “bomber” was as a bass fly used in the boundary lakes south of my home here in Houlton. Grand Lake and East Grande Lake are premier bass waters and highly regarded as salmon fisheries as well. The Canadian guides who plied the border water for salmon..also guided for bass. American anglers being open minded have taken the bomber across the globe…. and catch fish everywhere with it.

So if you are looking to pick a fly that will work everywhere…and on all species. You need to call in some air support…. nothing is as devastating in the angling arsenal as the “bomber” in the battles of fisherman.

Sorry I had to do it ……

Just read an alarming report about the ill-effects our medicines are having in certain watersheds. Thought you should read this too so here it is: (from “Daily Bag Limit”…..sister blog in the Skinny Moose Media family.)

What Perscription Drugs Are Doing To Our Fish And Humans
April 12th, 2007 by Tom Remington

I have covered to some degree the story that keeps rearing its head about how the drugs we take and dispose of are finding their way into our watersheds and landfills. Some of the first stories I wrote were back as early as last September when the story came out that chemicals, as a result of estrogen ingestion by humans, were showing up in the Potomac watershed but more precisely in the drinking water supplies of many in that area. These chemicals have been labeled “endocrine disruptors”. In short, these are coming from sources such as birth control pills and the human waste from people ingesting the pill.

The result of such chemicals being found in the Potomac area water supply and watershed, has shown to turn male fish into fish with both sex organs – male and female. Shortly after this story ran, another story was released about Dr. David Norris’ study of the same chemicals causing the same affects in fish in Boulder Creek, just downstream from the water treatment facility.

Then, in March of this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that chemicals coming from people’s prescription drugs was showing up in our water supplies. They offered better ways to dispose of unused drugs other than the usual – flushing them down the toilet.

APhA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say three steps could make a difference:

1. Do not flush unused medications, unless specifically advised to because of abuse potential of a particular drug.

2. When tossing unused medications, crush solid medications or dissolve them in water – this applies for liquid medications as well – and mix with kitty litter or sawdust or any material that absorbs the dissolved medication and makes it less appealing for pets or children to eat. Place the materials in a sealed plastic bag before tossing in the trash.

· Remove and destroy the prescription label with personal information from the medication container.

· Check for approved state and local collection programs or with area hazardous waste facilities. In certain states, you may be able to take your unused medications to your community pharmacy.

3. Talk to your pharmacist on how to properly dispose of your unused medications.

In an article I wrote on this in March, I ridiculed this announcement and actually referred to it as “a bunch of crap”.

While it is probably good advice to minimize the affects of disposing of drugs into sewer and garbage, the advice given to readers is a bunch of crap.

To clarify to readers, I did acknowledge that it is a good idea to minimize the effects of disposal of waste on our environment. I still believe the advice as presented in the newspapers and online is not well done. Whose fault that is, I don’t know. Had these reports taken the time to explain to people that their advice wasn’t the cure but was only a means of minimized the negative results, perhaps they wouldn’t have been open to such scrutiny.

But this story doesn’t end here. Today, at MLive a Michigan online website, reports once again that these same harmful chemicals are showing up in surface waters, fish and other aquatic creatures in that state. And once again the USFWS along with the American Pharmacy Association, announced the best methods of disposing of unused drugs – the same as above.

This prompted me to fire off an email to both the USFWS and the APhA.

I have read on two different occasions where either both you and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or just the USFWS have listed the proper way of disposing of unused prescript drugs. Once concerning drugs being found in the Potomac watershed and today in Michigan.

* Crush pills or dissolve them in water, mix with kitty litter or sawdust, place in a sealed plastic bag before putting the material in the garbage. Use the same procedure for liquid medication.

* If possible, take unused medications to a household hazardous waste collection site;

* Talk to your pharmacist. Some pharmacists can provide information on how to dispose of unused medications.

This is how it showed in the newspapers.
I have a question that I would like clarification on if possible. I have covered this story in several of my blogs, mostly the “Daily Bag Limit” fishing blog.

My question is this. You recommend crushing the medication, adding water to it and mixing it with kitty litter or sawdust and in one case I saw coffee grounds. Does this change the chemical make up of the drugs rendering them completely harmless?

If not, don’t you think that it is ridiculous to believe that stuffing them in a sealed plastic bag before putting them in your garbage can is only slowing the inevitable by moving the contamination from a less direct means of finding its way to the watershed? Dumping these drugs into the landfills, even in a plastic bag, is going to find its way eventually into the ground and ultimately the same water you think you’re protecting.

The other question is how do the companies “trained” to dispose of these drugs, handle them?

Thank you for any assistance you can offer.

It took only 42 minutes for me to hear back from the APhA. Incredible.

Tom,

Thanks for your email, however, I think your response has been one of the challenges that we’ve faced as a whole with regards to this issue. Please remember that ANY effort to keep the medications from entering the waterways is ultimately a good thing, so no method is too “ridiculous” to use your word, to prevent that from happening. And yes, obviously, if you destroy a medication and mix it with an undesirable substance, the chemical make-up will be altered – which will certainly minimize its effectiveness and potential impact.

I think one of the important things we also want to emphasize is that people should take some personal responsibility with regards to their own health and that of the environment. From a healthcare/medical perspective, ultimately, we’d like for people to continue taking their medications; but from a practical perspective, we want people to get their unused medications out of the home to decrease the likelihood of diversion or poising of children and household pets.

In response to this statement:

“Dumping these drugs into the landfills, even in a plastic bag, is going to find its way eventually into the ground and ultimately the same water you think you’re protecting”

Our recommendations are based directly on guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today’s landfills and hazardous waste facilities are much more technological advanced than you might remember or realize. Also keep in mind, that in today’s world, nothing is ever a permanent solution. We continue to investigate ways to improve this and we’re always open to other options. I’ve heard arguments from a number of people that incineration could be the best option, but I always like to point out that the EPA has yet to investigate that thoroughly as a viable option, but we don’t yet know that all chemicals completely disappear at certain temperatures or that the incinerations being used are approved for use by EPA – most are not from what I’ve been told. This could very well be a solution in the future, but at this time enough research on this method does not yet exist.

That said, with regards to your question about how companies dispose of the medications. You’d need to check with them, they discard of products that do not meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) in a number of ways, which I am not familiar with, but I do believe incineration is one of the more popular methods. We are working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to figure out what those companies do and how effective their disposal methods are. To my knowledge, this information cannot be found publicly.

Remember, this is an ongoing process – with few immediate solutions. There are a number of programs taking place around the country, which we are closely monitoring. Some will certainly work better than others, but rest assured that we will find out what works and certainly make modifications to our recommendations if necessary. APhA believes that we’ve found an ideal partner in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as we can help them address the health aspect of the issue and they can remind of us of the important environmental considerations.

I hope that I’ve answered your questions sufficiently. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. We appreciate your coverage of what is not only an environmental issue, but a public health issue.

Erica V. Jefferson
Manager, External Communications
American Pharmacists Association
1100 15th Street NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005-1707
Direct: 202-429-7537
Fax: 202-638-3793
ejefferson@aphanet.org
www.pharmacist.com

Needless to say, I was shocked in two ways. One that the response was so quick and two that the response wasn’t a canned message full of the usual talking points, etc. I believe Erica’s response was an honest one and helped me to realized that they know their methods aren’t the cure either but only one step toward minimizing the problem.

Had this been relayed to the public, what few of us who even know about it, I for one would have felt differently.

Now, if we can only get the powers that be to stop dragging their feet and actually find a way to stop this before all our fish and dead or diseased.

While I can’t say that I agree with everything in Erica’s response, at least I feel it was an honest attempt to answer my questions. I have an open invitation to contact her with any other questions and concerns and to follow the progress on this issue. You can sure I will be following it.

I have not heard back from USFWS. I wonder what they will have to say? Stay tuned.

Tom Remington

As I said this is disturbing news and could explain why certain species of fish are losing ground in certain watersheds that have “waste management” issues, or sewage treatment plants on them.

You should read this…you really should. This is a classic example of the anti’s pitting us against each other. United we stand..divided we fall.

Zumbo Speaks

I was sitting at the bench here a couple days ago and it occurred to me that the beginning tyer has a tendency to over-complicate tying. Therefore he or she may only tye the most complicated of flies to “display” their abilities. The truth is that trout , bass and all fish are not interested in how well you tie. They only know what looks edible to them.

Take the “Devil Bug” I explained how to tie, and “The Cooper Bug” as well. These are very simple ties that either attract attention or simulate food. We can go further into this realm by looking at the assortment of nymphs. You can tye a fairly good copy by simply wrapping mono around a hook, and add some dubbing at the thorax. This translucency mimics the real critters. Now change that mono for wire….

You can tye “scuds” by wrapping a hook with yarn, palmer a hackle, and then fold over some mylar to form a shell. These again are simple ties that catch alot of fish in all kinds of water.

The one common thread here is keep the patterns simple….try variations. But most of all fill a flybox with these “naturals”. This arsenal will more than arm you for many successful outings. This simplistic start will give you a great foundation upon which to build and fill more flyboxes. Then as a tyer you can elaborate on the designs and tye the more and more complicated, out of experiences and need.

Good tying and keep trying,
Brent

Here is the next installment in the contest….. now this is alot easier than I have chosen in the past. But not everyone will know this one. At least not by the picture. But will know the name if they have flyfished for more than a day or two. So look it over……do some searching and remember…you have to call it by the right name.

If you guess this one in the next two weeks….. you will win that Eagle Claw Flyrod. But if this one goes over into May I plan on adding a reel to the rod…. and will add more to the prize every two weeks until it’s guessed. So you can strategize and hold off on guessing it in hopes of getting a bigger better prize ….. or just go for what you can get. But remember your guess if wrong helps all the other players narrow down the possible identities. All guesses must be posted here as a comment to count. That allows everyone to clearly see who posted the answer first. ( Don’t worry I plan on running this contest in some form as long as I have this blog…so you may get another chance to win if you don’t this time.)

Good Luck and God Bless,
Brent

I sit here typing into this box all my thoughts and aspirations of this spring still-born. As I am writing this we are being hit with the worst storm in 14 years. The sky is falling…one drop at a time. First as sheets of snowy coldness….now as rain. The earth is covered in arctic white and thoughts of fishing have given way to flood warnings and thermal underwear.

Instead of being out doing field work for writing this blog. I am sitting here shivering at the thought of going outside. The wind blows…the sky snows and Brent no goes. Fishing is out of the question and the flooding will take a week to fade from the rivers.

Since fishing is out of the question I am tying more just to keep sane. Everything from Clousers and seaducers to Maple syrups and zugbugs. I am reading more and getting use to the idea that spring may still be a few weeks off. The water may not be fishable yet..but the lakes are still thawing and the ice is shifting. I hold out the hope that yes I will survive this everlasting winter and fish again. But what is that……oh yes…the snowplow is going by again…… freaking snow!!!!!

I wish to apologize…… just getting cabin fever……I can only hang on here for a short time longer before my wife…… like you, realizes I have gone way over the edge.

How many times have you been scanning throgh the new regulations on an old body of water. Just to be sure that you weren’t gooing to run afowl of the law….. and found that dreaded …… FFO?

Now as a flyman I have less of a problem with that than my lure and bait fishing cousins. But it has recently come to my attention that some people are under the mistaken belief that we the flyfishing community have promoted this. I wish we had.. but sorry no that was the bologists.

I am writing this short piece solely to explain the obvious to the oblivious.

This regulation is solely based on the science of mortality rates. My fly caught fish is 5 times more likely to swim away and live on. Than the same fish had he been caught with worm, he would have swallowed. Or a lure he would have also swallowed. It’s the swallowing that kills them. A lip hooked fish is a lip hooked fish. These survive the experience and generally swim away.

Now 99% of the time any fly used will only hook the trout in the lip or roof of his mouth. Neither wound a mortal one. But that same fish will bleed to death once unhooked if it gets him in the tongue, gills, or deeper. Lures and bait are the ones most likely to do this to them. The testing has been exhaustive, and uncontestable.

Now there are new hooks out that change this equation for bait fisherman and some lure users. The circle hook has shown that it hooks fish better than 85% of the time in the lip. So here’s my idea: change those signs and the regulations. They should in fact read…… FFO or Circle Hooks Only.

Let’s get back to fishing !!!!!!