Bear River Fly Fishing Maine Canoe Trips

Master Maine Guide	Registered New Hampshire Fishing Guide	MPGA Life Member

	Canoe Trips Fly Fishing Walk/Wade Drift Boat Fly-tying Lessons Specialty Flies Guide Association Current Season Calendar June 2006 July 2006 August 2006

Fly-fishing by walking and wading, is a good way to get acquainted with some of the local waters in Western Maine. Inside of 30-minutes from Bethel, you can be fishing for Brook and Rainbow Trout, in cool-clear mountain water. I can provide as much, or as little guidance as one needs, from standing at your elbow, to letting you go as you would if you were alone. I check the stream side vegetation, as well as the rocks and gravel, for indications of current hatches. Most commonly, we fish various caddis hatches, with a few stone flies at certain times of the season. Fishing carefully over a variety of runs, riffles, pocket-water, and pools, will offer many chances to present flies to waiting fish. Stealthy movements are rewarded, and exact hatch matching is not always necessary. Rods of 4-wt to 6-wt are good, my preference is a 9-ft, 5-wt. Long casts are not needed, but longer rods help cut down on line drag in the currents. If you are up to the challenge, you can try a 14-ft leader, with three flies that cover the larval, pupal, and adult caddis stages. Prices vary on length of the fishing experience.

I built a 16-foot drift boat in March of 2000, from a Tatman, Co. kit. I drift sections of the Androscoggin River in both NH and ME. A drift boat makes a very nice way to see a river, even if you do not fish. My boat is equipped with fore and aft fly fishing braces, so two anglers can fish at the same time. There is plenty of room for all the gear, and I generally drift in waders so that I can get out and fish if I want too. I fish two sessions per day, o'dark thirty to about 10:30 a.m. and then again from about 3:00 p.m. until dark. The Alder fly hatch in the third to fourth week of June can be an exiting experience, with Brook, Rainbow, and Brown Trout, all accepting dry flies. Bring your gear, do not forget eye protection, hat, sunscreen, and a wind/rain layer. One or two people for either session is $125, or both sessions in one day for $225.

I get asked about the flies that I use, and do I have a list. I do not make a practice of selling flies outside of a small circle of repeat customers. I am always working on the particular flies that I use when I fish. I can not say that I have tied anything that would be considered to be a new pattern, as much as I modify existing patterns to suit the local conditions. I have been using a few patterns that have been developed by Gary LaFontaine of Helena, MT. I also use about 10 varieties of what I call a Quill-Winged Caddis. This fly is easy to tie and, depending on the quantity of hackle, it works well in slow or in fast water. This single fly makes up about 60% of my dry fly fishing, and my vise turns out about 2000 of them a year. I am always willing to share the best that I have with the folks that fish with me. I loan them stocked fly boxes for the day, and then I often give them a few flies as a remembrance of the day's experiences.

I will guide a canoe trip if you come up with the group that wants to go. I have quite an extensive list of trips on the rivers and lakes of Maine. The summer of 2002 saw my 52nd and 53rd Allagash trips. The 52nd was a group of fly fisherman for six days where the fish tally was over 200 with some native brook trout topping 20". The 53rd was five women counselors from Camp Arcadia. This was in the middle of August at 630CFS which is comparable to the low water prior to the rebuilding of Churchill Dam. Custom also means that I will work with you on the food, so that there are no issues there. Costs vary according to the distance, number of days, campsite fees, and whether I have to hire someone to move vehicles. A rough estimate is to figure $125 per day per person, but again this will depend on the trip. The cost of vehicle shuttles is the responsibility of the participants on a trip, however campsite and road use fees are included in the price of the trip.

More information may be obtained by contacting John Wight, P.O. Box 436, Bethel, ME., or by e-mail: john@the-wights.com.