A friend from Maine invited me to fly fish the Salmon River. My friend is a master Maine fishing guide, so I highly recommend hiring him if you are in Maine, Maine Fishing Adventures. There were various people joining the group throughout the 4 days of fishing. It was fun both on and off the water.

Fishing that river has been something that I wanted to try out for awhile now. I had to buy a new Scott Fly Rod (10ft) and Ross Reel to target the larger and more powerful steelhead. We started the trip off mid-day on Wednesday on the Upper Fly Section. I lost a steelie within the first 15 minutes only to see him splash away. I did manage to get a nice brown later in the day but no steelies.

The next day was more difficult. We explored various sections of the river. My friend had a productive day with many steelies on but none taken in. With these fish being fresh out of the lake, it’s difficult to bring them in on smaller tippet lines. I saw a few steelies brought in by spinners using heavier lines. Later at night the group had more success with bringing in nice browns, with one group member bringing in a large 25 inch brown.

Day 3 proved to be the most productive day. We started off in the Owsego River to get big browns. We all got fish but no steelies. After the warnings for rising waters we headed back to the Salmon River. I think I had nightmares that night from the sirens and lady on the loud speaker. Finally, I managed to get my first steelhead! Later I fought a really big brown for about 4 minutes before he won and snapped the line.

Day 4 was a half day of fishing and a long drive to PA. Managed a good size brown and lost a few steelies that morning. Great few days of fishing with some real hardcore fishermen.

Lesson learned during the trip, let them run when they want to so that you don’t break the line and let the drag do the work. Colors that worked this time were orange estaz eggs and small yellow and orange dot eggs.

Weather: Cold, rainy, sleeting and snowy
Water Temperature: Unknown

Photos