Where have all the trout gone, long time passing…
I’ve been fishing my entire life, but, until this summer, it was always spincasting, usually for small-mouth bass and almost always in ponds and lakes. I picked up fly fishing this summer and fell in love (which is a euphamism for ‘became obsessed’). Anyway, I picked up my first batch of fly fishing stuff on Father’s Day, a bit late in the season for trout, but nonetheless made every attempt I could to catch a trout. All in all, I’ve gotten reasonably good at catching things, especially considering I’m entirely self-taught as far as fly fishing goes (none of this ‘dunk and reel’ stuff). But I still haven’t caught a trout - ever, in my entire life. I’ve caught tons of bass - but never a trout.
So yesterday, I said ’screw it’ and I headed up to the upper Presumpscot River just off of Route 35 on the Windham/Gorham line here in Maine. Why? Because this stretch of river is so heavily stocked with trout and salmon that I have heard anglers refer to it as ‘unsporting.’ The water was nice and cool despite the oppressive heat of the day. Cool enough for brown trout, at least, or so I thought.
Now, mind you, I caught some great fish yesterday including small-mouth bass measuring 14″, 11″, 9.5″, and 7.5″ long. Nice-sized fish. And the bass were everywhere. I probably could have caught even more if I’d had a couple more arms. Nonetheless, I didn’t catch any trout. I didn’t even see any trout. Toward the end of my day, a guy dropped by and told me the day before all the trout were huddled in a spring-fed hole, just under the main current a bit north of where I was. Said he caught ten and that there must have been 200 (so he said). So, after a quick dinner, I set out for the hole which I found rather easily after about five minutes of wading. Needless to say, the hole was empty. No fish of any kind.
But I have hope! The lower Mousam River, which runs about 400 yards from my house, is heavily stocked in the fall (of course, the Presumpscot is stocked year-round - and it’s only a 50 minute drive) with both brown and brook trout and it contains sea-run brook trout. So, there’s still time. But, despite numerous fishing trips this summer, I have seen only two trout - both here in the Mousam. It’s like I’m chasing a ghost fish. Do they even exist? Or are they really just some old-wive’s tale or a legend like the Loch Ness Monster? I say they’re real. And before too long I may even have a picture to prove it…
You say you have not seen any fish, have you got yourself a pair of polaroid sunglasses - they realy help with cutting down the glare on the surface. When I go fish spotting it usually takes around 20 mins of studying the pool before I see all the fish - they are supposed to be like that…as nature intended. Another thing is maybe you are scaring all the fish away, today I walked over a tiny bridge over a small burn, I looked down into the water and watched a half dozen trout dart into the shadows, if I had looked a moment later I would have thought the pool devoid of trout.
Have fun with the fly rod, you may well end up never using a spinning rod again
Alistair said this on August 27, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Well, I have seen plenty of bass, sunfish, chubs, and minnows - just virtually no trout. However, I am aware that I would see more with polarized sunglasses. The water in most of the places I fish is exceptionally clear and mostly shaded by trees so I rarely have glare problems. Nonetheless, the sunglasses are definitely on my “must have” list.
As for trout being skittish, I had read that and so I do my utmost to move as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, I’m not the most graceful person. i will say that having felt soles on my water shoes has really helped me. It was kind of hard to be quiet in the water when I couldn’t stand up straight since I was always slipping and sliding. So the felt makes a huge difference.
As an interesting aside, that 14″ bass I caught was parked about three feet from me and slightly downstream, so he had to see me. Anyway, I saw him and I literally spent half an hour trying to get him to bite at my Copper Jon. I nearly bopped him square on the nose once. I was psyched when he finally took it - literally. I had him in my net and was positioning him for a picture, and he wiggled free, snapping the leader, and swam off with my Copper Jon still in his lip.
Quantum Moxie said this on August 28, 2007 at 2:25 am
Couldn’t the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle apply to trout? I mean, couldn’t the simple act of trying to observe them be affecting their location?
Frankly, I think this one’s a “go”…
Trout Underground said this on September 5, 2007 at 5:15 am
Tripped in here by sundry means…heartily enjoyed this post. It is a shame that the trout are evading you. If you are ever forced to come to Idaho, we’ll go fishing and trout will be the result.
Incomplete thoughts from a complete stranger…
cheers
joe
Grifter said this on September 6, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I also stumbled in and enjoyed your post. It reminded me of my first year fishing for trout on a river - “zero”! I was completely self-taught and with hindsight (- is there any other kind?)made every mistake there was to make. Not actually seeing any trout at all did not help, and I almost gave up.
Eventually caught a trout in my second season, but did not know why or how. You may wish to try fishing a wet-fly across and down -it is a little more forgiving and probably more productive as it was the method used by rural fishermen in Yorkshire when the motive was food.
Tight Lines!
flyfishertc said this on September 11, 2007 at 11:13 am
flyfishertc: Thanks for the suggestion. I gave it a try the other day and definitely had a nibble from what appeared to be a rainbow trout (it’s not yet spawning season so I’m assuming only the rainbows have the pink coloring on the side). I had to run so I didn’t get a chance to keep after him, but I plan to go back and give it another try.
The thing is I realized I was tying my wet flies and streamers on with the wrong knot! I needed a Duncan to make them more maneuverable but I was just cinching them on. Ah, well, live and learn!
On the other hand, the day I caught those bass I was fishing one of my incorrectly knotted streamers. But I managed to find a way to move it around without recasting that made it look - even to me - like a dead ringer for a minnow. Can’t wait to see if the correct knot improves things!
Quantum Moxie said this on September 15, 2007 at 12:03 am