Let's Go Bass Fishing

Maine has great river smallmouth Bass fishing, my friend Richard and I took a trip to the Penobscot River above Bangor last week and had some great fishing.
We caught a lot of fish, Richard had two fish over 18"
I had to settle for the smaller fish, but I made up for it in numbers.


This is our guide Kevin McKay, http://www.mainefishingadventures.com/ . Kevin was great, we had a lot of fun with him and he worked hard to keep us on fish. I am an avid flytyer, and I had tied a lot of flies for this trip but Kevins flies were the top producers. He knows what these fish like to eat. A very personable young man too. In case you're wondering why Kevin is standing in the water, we lost our anchor so we tied a rope around Kevins waist and tossed him overboard!
Thanks for a great day Kevin.

Some dry flies

This Caddis fly is tied on a Tiemco 100BL, a great all purpose barbless dry fly hook.


This CDC emerger is tied on a Partridge Oliver Edwards K14ST, I love this hook for emergers but it is very hard to find, may be discontinued.


I like hooks, this is tied on a Tiemco 206BL black finish, barbless.

Cast of characters

Bob Keane with a nice fish in the Hatchery Pool.


Three old friends hanging out at GLS. Don, Terry and Scotty


Gary Betz, our host at Grand Lake Stream Camps.


Bob Leemans, outdoor writer, radio personality, and author of "Trolling flies for trout and salmon" Bob is a regular at GLS.



Bob Upham, owner of "Uphams Corner" and long time flytyer. Bob ties all the streamers for the Pine Tree Store. Bob is a year round resident of GLS and an awful nice guy.

Out and about on the river at Grand Lake Stream

Tying on a fly in the Meadow, this is at the lower end of the river, a good trail from the Picnic Area will take you here



Looking down into Little Falls and the "Bathtub" one of the best spots on the river. You have to wade across to the little beach to where this angler is standing. Be very careful, it can be treacherous. A wading staff is a must and at higher flows it can be very dangerous.


My buddy, Don, fishing from the trail side of Little Falls, this side can also be productive.


A view from the beach below Little Falls at the "Bathtub"


Drifting a nymph through a productive run in the Picnic Area. This angler is on the opposite shore which is accessible by wading across or walking up from the beach at Little Falls. Once again, wading here can be treacherous even at moderate flows.


Did I mention that it can get crowded? This is the Hatchery Pool with a mere five anglers, I've seen at least twice as many in this pool at times. The Hatchery pool is almost always crowded, and with good reason, it always holds fish.


A view over my shoulder at the Dam Pool, the next most popular pool on the river, a longstanding opening day tradition. This pool always has fish and can provide some of the best fishing on the river. I am standing close to "Uphams Corner" named for Bob Upham, long time resident flytyer. Before the reconfiguration of flows at the Dam, which scoured out the bottom, this spot offered a great swing on streamer fly's that could bring jarring strikes from Salmon.


A view of the lower end of the Dam Pool with an airborn salmon, there is a walking trail on the opposite shore visible here. That shoreline also offers good fishing.


Finally, a view of West Grand Lake from the dam, the docks here provide good casting opportunities and the opposite shore has a nice gravel beach from which to fish. This area is popular in the fall as salmon prepare to spawn in the shallows.

My thanks again to Richard Procopio, for these great images, please remember that they are all copyright and cannot be reproduced without Richards permission.

Some Nymphs

I would never go fishing, anywhere, without Pheasant tail nymphs. Perhaps the most productive nymph of all time. Thanks to Frank Sawyer. This variation is tied with a green flashback and epoxy shellback.


Bead head nymphs work very well, gold and copper, this fly has a glass bead and an epoxy shellback, much like a "Copper John" which is also a very popular fly at GLS.


Caddis patterns are most productive, but mayfly and stonefly nymphs are also very effective. This is a simple caddis pupa tied with V Rib and a sparkle underbody.


This fly I call a "Waydowner" I first tied this about 10 years ago and it was published in "Trout Flies of the East" it is very productive. I tie it with twisted Antron yarn. It works well at GLS.

So what flies are good at GLS?

This little fly is a real favorite of mine. A "Bleeding Minnow" or "Red and White" I tie this in small sizes, 8 and 10 mostly. It is tied from Polar Fiber, a synthetic material and is so translucent in the water it is almost ghost like. A couple of years ago I caught 19 salmon between the Corporation and the Picnic area on this fly without changing it once.
This is a Black Ghost, a Herb Welch pattern (thanks for the correction, Chris). Possibly the most popular and widely fished streamer fly in Maine. This is the featherwing version, it also fishes very well as a marabou variation.
This fly is a Colonel Bates, a long time favorite of mine for GLS. I caught my first GLS salmon on this fly about 16 years ago, a Carrie Stevens pattern, named for Colonel Joseph Bates, noted Salmon angler and author.
A Barnes Special is by far the most popular streamer used on Grand Lake Stream, this is not the traditional dressing but works very well. This fly is tied on a Daiichi 2370, a straight eye 3XL hook, size 4.

How about some fish pictures?

My friend Joel with a nice GLS salmon


Me with a nice fish at the Dam Pool


A good fish from the Hatchery Pool