Crepuscular Fishing
Like last year, we have had a cool, wet, and windy transition to summer, with some occasional, very hot days. The fishing has continued to be productive, especially early in the morning and late in the evening.
I love fishing during these twilight times when the lake is typically dead calm, and it is easy to spot fish feeding on or near the surface. Surface feeding fish often indicate an insect hatch taking place with some fish (often trout or small bass) sucking the bugs off the surface, creating dimples. Often larger fish will be just below the smaller fish at the surface, eating the smaller fish or the nymphs (insect larvae) just below the surface waiting to emerge.
In our lakes, we also get schools of landlocked alewives disturbing the surface while spawning in relatively shallow (less than about 25 feet) coves. Often these schools are being chased by larger fish and you will see occasional large splashes, as a bass or brown trout picks a spawning alewife off. For this situation I like to keep one of my flyrods rigged with a White Zonker, a streamer that nicely mimics the landlocked alewives in the lake. It’s usually easy to catch several nice bass or white perch under these conditions. A spinning rod (I prefer an ultralight) rigged with almost anything silver, such as a small jerk bait (such as a Rapala), Mepps spinner, or Weeping Willow spoon is also quite effective.
Last week, I got a text from my friend, Mary Perry, former long-time owner of Winterberry Farm in Belgrade. Mary was staying at Castle Island Camps and was due to check out early the next morning. Mary wanted to know if I could help her catch a nice bass on the Orvis flyrod her grandfather had given her over 30 years ago. I told her I would pick her up early the next morning for a bit of crepuscular fishing.
The next day I picked her up at Castle Island and we headed to a spot where I had been catching some nice bass lately. There was a small insect hatch underway, and Mary began to cast where I pointed. Initially her casting skills were well ahead of her fish catching skills, but with a little coaching she learned to keep her rod tip pointed toward the rising fish, eliminate excess slack in the line, and set the hook when she got a strike. She soon caught a few sunfish and small bass. We then put a larger streamer fly on and she successfully landed a nice smallmouth bass. We got her back in plenty of time for her to get checked out and head for the ferry to North Haven, where she and her family are now living.
By the time this article is published, the water temperatures will be over 70°F in the lakes, and the bass will be in the shallows, either sitting on their own beds or chasing the sunfish on theirs. It is a fun time for fly fishermen to catch a lot of fish on streamer flies or surface poppers, especially at dawn or dusk. Spinning gear also works well with surface lures, especially at dusk. It can be a great time to teach a youngster how to fish because the action is fast. A worm-baited hook and bobber off the dock is especially effective in getting kids “hooked on fishing.”
Recently, I stopped off for a quick hike at French Mountain after a rain event to check on the effectiveness of some of the erosion control work the 7 Lakes Stewardship Committee did recently. When I got to the top, I spotted a young family off to the side, closely examining some of the spring wildflowers, especially the lady slippers that were in peak bloom. It was the Sullivan Family from Smithfield, frequent visitors to 7 Lakes trails. Josh and Lucy both work at FedCo Seeds, which specializes in raising seeds, bulbs, and trees adapted to our region of Maine. As you can see by her T-shirt in the photo, daughter Ellie helps out with advertising. By the time we finished our conversation, Josh had become a 7 Lakes Stewardship volunteer, a welcome addition to the team.
Check the 7LA Website and Facebook page for upcoming events. Our Thursday afternoon, 3:00 – 4:00, Chewonki presentations begin on June 26, with “Owls of Maine.” We will also be offering regular expeditions on our new education boat on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 and Invasive Plant Workshops on Sunday mornings during the Farmers’ Market. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the wealth of recreational opportunities this area offers. Do like they used to in “the good old days” and take a kid fishing, or on a hike, or paddling in a canoe. It’s how memories are made. Or take a parent, so they can become a kid again.
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