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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Magazine - Index

TOM KEER PHOTO KENNEBEC RIVER OUTFITTERS PHOTO
ROBERT TOMES PHOTO
Better known for its great thoroughbreds and bourbons,
the Bluegrass State also offers some first-rate smallmouth
fishing. Perhaps the most famous trophy bronze back fishery
in the state is Dale Hollow Reservoir, nestled between
Kentucky and Tennessee. Although not quite as popular, many rivers and streams
in the state also offer terrific smallmouth (and largemouth) fishing, especially when
water levels and clarity are consistent. Among others, Elkhorn Creek in central
Kentucky offers plenty of opportunities for the wading or floating fly fisher. Flowing
through beautiful, low-lying farm country, Elkhorn holds fish in all the usual
places: current seams, pockets, wood and rock structure. Depending on conditions,
you’ll find hard-fighting smallmouth receptive to bead-head woolly buggers
in olive or brown, and assorted crayfish patterns like the D&H Crayfish. As the
water drops and warms, soft-bodied poppers and a delicate presentation will bring
explosive strikes, especially when the sun is off the water. Your best bet to make the
most of this fishery is to book a day or two with Delamere & Hopkins’s top guide,
Alan Zaring ($225 for a full day with one angler, including lunch). With a typical
day’s float covering six plus miles, you’ll enjoy a variety of water types and plenty
of fish-catching opportunities. For more details on Elkhorn Creek, or to book a
guided trip, contact Delamere & Hopkins Fly Shop at (513) 871-FISH, or log on to
www.bestgear.com, and click on “Sporting Travel.” by Robert Tomes
The words “tailwater fishery” immediately get the attention
of fly anglers for many reasons, not the least of which
is that they tend to hold healthy populations of large, wild
trout and a few healthy stockers, as well. Based in New
KENTUCKY
MAINE
Hampshire, we don’t have as many tailwater opportunities as our western and
southeastern brethren, but we do have a few, and at the top of my list is the upper
and middle Kennebec River in western Maine.
Over the last several summers I’ve fished the Kennebec with my good friend, Bob
Mallard, owner of Kennebec River Outfitters, a fly-service fly shop and guide service
in Madison, Maine. Bob and his guides know the Kennebec’s browns, rainbows,
brook trout and landlocked salmon better than anyone, and it’s not uncommon to
land all four species in a single day on the upper Kennebec. My favorite way to fish
this big water is from the bow of a Kennebec River Outfitters drift boat.
When planning a trip to fish the Kennebec, be sure to budget in at least one evening
with Bob or his guides on one of the dozens of small trout ponds in the area featuring
Maine “square tails” (brook trout). If you’re lucky enough to hit the Hex hatch in
early July, you won’t soon forget it. A day of guided fishing with the guys at Kennebec
River Outfitters goes for a very reasonable $300 for two anglers. Contact Bob at
(207) 474-2500; Web: www.kennebecriveroutfitters.com by Chris Major
There are few urban areas where you can catch striped
bass and bluefish 10 minutes after climbing aboard a charter
boat, but Boston Harbor is one of them.
Captain Mike Bartlett of B-Fast Charters (617-645-
3278; www.bfastcharters.com) arranges morning and afternoon charters with
pick-ups in a variety of locations, the most popular being the dock adjacent to the
Boston Harbor Hotel. On your way you’ll pass Revolutionary War sites that you
read about in history class, and moments after you motor past the Boston Tea Party
Ship you’ll be ready to fish.
Boston Harbor has two sections: the Inner and Outer Harbors. The former is
thoroughly urban, with bass and bluefish busting under jetliners landing at nearby
Logan Airport. You’ll fish over two dozen inshore islands, mussel and kelp beds,
and bars and channels. Bartlett targets the Inner Harbor from May through early
July (herring, squid, silversides and sandeel time), and then again from late August
through early October (peanut bunker, glass minnows, silversides, squid and sandeels).
Surface action with bluefish blitzes gets any angler’s blood boiling.
During the summer, warm temperatures move the stripers to the Outer Harbor
where the water is cooler. It’s a 20-minute boat ride to a dramatically different
fishery, with islands, ledges, and classic light houses reminiscent of quiet coastal
villages. Bartlett runs his 20-foot Hydrasport parallel to structure, and anglers
make moderate-length casts into whitewater where the current meets the rocks.
When a big linesider hits here, you’re in for a real fight! by Tom Keer
• Elkhorn Creek
• Delamere & Hopkins Fly Shop
• Kennebec River
• Kennebec River Outfitters
MASSACHUSETTS
• Boston Harbor
• B-Fast Charters