smallmouth bass

We are in the middle of our first hot spell of the summer. Actually not really that hot compared to the rest of the east coast, in the 80’s, but with high humidity. Yesterday morning there was little wind just enough breeze to keep any bugs at bay. Launched the Grand Lake canoe on one of my favorite bass ponds, this one is small by Maine standards at only 250 or so acres, just the right size for a short fishing trip. The bass are spawning on the shallow flats and it was some of the best sight fishing you could wish for.

My season has been off to a great start. One of the best things about guiding is the great folks that I get to spend time with over the years. Often a trip is as much a chance to catch up with a friend as anything. I am truly fortunate for the great folks that I have as clients. Now to the fishing.

One of the great parts of being a guide is having to actually spend time finding the fish or birds or making sure that water levels are right. There is nothing better than having to spend the afternoon launching the boat and poking around to see if I can find a few fish on an afternoon like this. The breeze was light when I started and went to nothing as the afternoon progressed. As you can see in this picture the water was just like glass and I can verify that the air temperature was nearly perfect.

I am still trying out the new Lund Alaskan and making sure that everything works as it should before my season really gets underway. To do that I thought that I would take advantage of the warm afternoon that we were having today. I launched the boat in Seven Tree pond and after an initial mishap (left the plug out when I launched, really good news the bilge pump works like a charm) I spent an hour or so bass fishing.

I guided parties yesterday and today on a pair of my favorite bass fishing ponds. Both days had very good fishing and everyone caught a number of fish. It is always a pleasure to guide out of the Grand Lake Canoe. It is beautiful, adding something to the trip all by itself, and a pleasure to paddle. On Saturday the smallmouth bass were not overly eager but simply could not resist a well presented fly. One of the women liked to change flies even if she had one that was working.

I was bass fishing with a young couple this weekend and was very pleasantly surprised by two brook trout. The first one was caught at the boat launch before we had even gotten in the boat, the second came about halfway through the morning, a very pleasant surprise for all of us and they each landed one trout.  Not to mention being absolutely beautiful with excellent color, almost as bright as they are in the fall.

I have finished working with the legislative committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for this year. After the long winter sitting in one meeting after another it was a pleasure to walk out of the door this afternoon and know that my job now turns into a series of fishing and canoe trips for the foreseeable future; my reward for all of that indoor effort. Just in time, today was a beautiful warm sunny day with almost no wind. The amazing part is that there are very few black flies.