I saw the picture and it was a great fish. But for the most part, a leader the length of the fly rod will do just fine. My first choice is the Grey Ghost but there have been a lot of take offs on this one fly that produce better in some waters. A non jerky adjustable drag is a desired feature, and a palming rim is handy when the fish decides at the last minute to have another go of it. The landlocked salmon are feeding on top, where the smelt population is running. If I were limited to two flies they would be a modified Hornberg, and the Wood Duck Heron. I swam in closer which had no effect at all on the Salmon. On those days a standard canoe, kayak, row boat, or even a one man pontoon boat with paddles will do. The anticipation level is way up there after a long winter's wait. I saw Mike Martinek displaying this fly at a show once. Loved the copper body and overall coloration and it has become one of my favorite fall streamers for landlocked salmon on the West Branch of the Penobscot river and Grand Lake stream. B.A.S.S. You can use a floating fly line if you lengthen your leader. So, as a minimum, you want to run large arbor fly reels, and preferably, multipliers. That is a wonderful article Koda. Still, when cold sleet makes holding a rod a chore, you may need to resort to a rod holder. This, while sounding pretty straight forward and simple, actually is not. Any of the following will take fish anywhere in Maine: gray ghost, black ghost, supervisor, Barnes special, pink lady, nine-three, Jerrys smelt, queen bee, and red-and-white. When the cloud predominated, the fishing April 1 marks the start of the 2018 open-water fishing season on New Hampshires large lakes managed for landlocked salmon and lake trout, including Big Squam, Sunapee, and Winnipesaukee. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. And thats how these streamers, or trolling flies developed. Landlocks will often follow a trolled bait, tapping but not taking it. The Type II line is the one we have on early in the season, right about into mid June. Or the wind came up. Fortunately, Maine is well endowed with waters suitable for salmon. In a lake where the forage fish run small, a single-hook streamer will take more fish. Now something like this on the inland ponds would bewell, just perfect! Begin fishing at a very slow speed and keep your eye on the rod tip. In the lakes, for Landlock Salmon and Lake Trout, the traditional streamers that imitate a smelt are the flies you want to be trolling. We caught about a dozen salmon, almost all of them above the legal size limit. These are traditional trolling streamers tied on single or tandem hooks. We've gone from level sinking lines to comped lines as high as Class V. Today, you can get Steady Sink or Level Sink lines that take the sag out of the fly line as it is being towed. After a few days in the open water and exposure to direct sunlight, the fish soon regain their normal silvery appearance. With that said, there has been times when a light Spruce fly was the ticket for the day. But know that a fish will not sit in comfort and starve, Where do most folks place their shiner traps? Late spring will push the fish into deeper, colder waters until they remain below the thermocline (i.e., the layer of water that separates the warm surface from the cold bottom) in 30 to >40 ft of water for the summer. Or, it could be 2 shorts and a long, or, one of each and a short dead drift. In the beginning there was cane, and a bit later fiberglass rods. And sometimes, it takes a spell before you hit on the cadence they like. You will hook more fish if you are holding the rod when the fish strikes. For if the fly is not one that the fish are interested in, it's pretty much all for not unless the expectation was a leisurely cruise around the pond or lake. It is important to impart action as you reel, in order to make your lure resemble a frantic bait fish. Trolling Use 3- to 4-inch flutterspoons, chrome or chartreuse with some fluorescent orange on the lure. You have to be flexible and you have to experiment some days. Salmon are likely to move in late afternoon. I saw the picture and it was a great fish. Here is a simple trick that will help you when ice fishing a strange lake for the first time. Over time the wake from so many high powered boats had carved a huge undercut along the shore line. Old-timers used non-multiplying reels and wire lines, but modern anglers use Penn-style multiplying reels and multicolored leadcore lines. Line color is not critical so long as it is not bright. Close the bail and strike. In Maine, landlocked salmon are found in both rivers and lakes. For the larger lakes I favor a Canadian cargo canoe of no less than twenty feet, preferably with a twenty horse motor. Trolling with streamer flies A 9-foot fly rod is best for this specialized form of fishing, but. I do use Xink sinkant to make sure the feathers will break the surface tension of the water. i have thousands of pics of thousands of nice trout / salmon caught year round in open water july and aug were the most fun nothing like pulling a 4-5 lb brown from the depths of a lake lol 18 feet was a good number at 1.3-1.7 for the hardware and about 1 mph for the flies and live bait, never much over 2 ever , Thats was recipe for Mascoma lake. was a enjoyable crusing the lakes of NH i did them all in my 14 footer and had luck in most if not all the lakes i went to . Let your bait down to the bottom and leave the bail open until the line begins going out. A Record Breaker Ed Kazar from Andover Hunt & Fish is essentially the ground zero bait and tackle supplier for the erupting landlocked fisheries in the very close by in Sussex Countys 101-acre Lake Aeroflex in Kittatinny Valley State Park, where the new state record was caught last June 2. Use a short jig rod and an open-faced spinning reel. Some anglers use only 6 inches of monofilament. Because of the fishs popularity, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife regularly stocks landlocked Salmon in Maine lakes and rivers. An abundance of smelt, a slim, toothy bait fish, is another reason for the states renowned landlocked salmon fishing. Copyright 2007 - 2021 Lee's Fishing Page, Born in the Great North Woods of New England, Trolling flies for Trout and Salmon is steeped rich in heritage and tradition. Specializing in streamers and flies for Maine Brook Trout and Landlocked Salmon fishing.