Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Magazine - Index

Regional Editors
Bob Rifchin — Northeast
rmrifchin@comcast.net
King Montgomery — Mid-Atlantic
ffawriter@aol.com
Carl Warmouth — Southeast
cawarmo@callawaygardens.com
Robert Tomes — Upper Mid -America
rstomes@msn.com
Greg Berlocher — Lower Mid-America
bigredfish@aol.com
Paul B. Downing — Rocky Mountain
pbdfishreports@aol.com
Terry Sheely — Pacific
tsheely@reachone.com
For more info on the fishing or guided trips, contact
Dan Legere at Maine Guide Fly Shop (207-695-
2266; E-mail: info@maineguideflyshop.com).
MARYLAND
March is wake-up time in fresh- and saltwaters. The
trout in many streams were active over the winter,
particularly during those real warm stretches: we had
temperatures in the 60s in January and February.
Theaux Le Gardeur at Monkton’s Back Water
Angler (410-329-6821; www.backwaterangler.
com) says the Gunpowder Falls trout are running
much larger on average. In the salt, Captain Russ
Wilkinson out of St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore
(410-745-9488, www.chesapeakebayflyfishing.
com) will be chasing huge catch-and-release stripers
on the fabled Susquehanna River flats near Havre de
Grace as the fish come in to spawn. He also fishes
the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant for stripers
and other fish that seek the warmwater effluent.
Later in the year, Russ fishes Kent Narrows, and
the Miles and Choptank Rivers.
MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts has the benefit of no closed season,
and fish available in moving water in both the
Swift and Deerfield Rivers with few late winter
ice problems, except perhaps in your guides. For
those that don’t know the Swift, it is fed from
about 70 feet below the surface of the Quabbin
46
Reservoir and boasts a seasonal temperature range
from 37 to 61 degrees. Much of the river is lined
with trees that provide shade in summer, and it
is close enough to the town of Belchertown to
find hot coffee in March. There are consistent
midge hatches on any day near 40 degrees and
nearly always visible fish. Midge pupae in size
22, and dries in sizes 22 and 24 are all you need
most days, though small streamers can also be
effective. For more information contact The
Bears Den (508-977-0700; www. Bearsden.com).
MICHIGAN
It’s no secret that March offers plenty of earlyseason
opportunities for Michigan fly fishers. One
sure cure for cabin fever is to hit Lake Michigan
tributaries for hard-fighting winter and spring run
steelhead staging to spawn. In the southwestern
part of the state you’ll find rivers like the St. Joseph,
Kalamazoo, Grand, and Rogue filling with the first
big push of fish. As temperatures warm, rivers to the
north like the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Manistee,
Betsie, and Platte will begin to see better fishing.
While the egg-and-nymph combo is probably the
most common and effective approach for spring
spawners, it’s always fun to try swinging streamers
through deeper slots when you’ve got aggressive
male “jacks” vying for an active spawning redd.
Take advantage of this early-season opportunity by
booking a guided trip with the fly fishing experts
at Hawkins Outfitters in Lake Ann (231-228-
7135; www.hawkinsflyfishing.com). This Orvis
endorsed outfitter will get you started the right way
no matter what your experience level.
MINNESOTA
Despite the lingering cold and snow, March is the
perfect time to put that new fly rod, reel, or line to
the test on Minnesota’s trout streams. While most
general fishing remains closed in the state, the
early-season trout fishery in the southeastern Bluff
Country is a good bet. The Whitewater State Park
offers many miles of beautiful, limestone springcreek-like
water with little pressure during these
early months. Much of it is designated catchand-release
to preserve the fishery. Try searching
the water with weighted nymphs or crustacean
patterns, like sow bugs and cress bugs in sizes 12
to 18, on lighter tippets and an indicator. If it’s
a nice day with warmer temperatures, try a small
dry like a Griffith’s gnat, little black caddis, or
blue-winged olives. For more information on
this early-season fishery and more, stop by or
call The Fly Angler in Fridley (763-572-0717;
www.mnflyangler.com).
MISSISSIPPI
March can produce some phenomenal inshore
flats fishing for Mississippi anglers. During
warming trends, redfish will move out of deep
water and congregate in huge schools. Target
these fish on shallow, dark-bottom flats adjacent
to creek mouths. As the flats warm from the
sun, these fish will be found feeding in tightly
packed schools. Shrimp and crab patterns in both
chartreuse and white produce well. Speckled trout
fishing can also be excellent, with fish stacked
into creek and pond mouths. Target them with
an intermediate line and a chartreuse/white size-
2 Clouser. Long, slow strips produce the most
strikes. Due to strong winds, the water can be
chocolate milk, but if you find a warming trend
and a calm day, sight fishing can be excellent. For
more information, or to book a charter, contact
Shallow Water Expeditions (850-534-4349;
www.ShallowWaterExpedions.com).
MISSOURI
State trout parks open the first of March and a
few scrappy rainbows will help anglers shake off
the winter doldrums. Back Country (417-889-
6548) in Springfield suggests that fly fishermen go
equipped with size-18 to -22 red, gray, and brown
midges; size-14 to -20 scuds; and egg patterns in
peach and roe. The shop is also pointing anglers to
the tailwater of Lake Taneycomo when the dam isn’t
generating. Size-12 to -16 woolly buggers, mohair
leeches, and sculpins are all productive. If the dam
is generating, you can get by with 3X or 4X tippet,
but if the water is calm, scale down to 6X or 7X.
MONTANA
I used to think of Montana in March as wintry
and unfishable, but boy was I wrong. There is this
amazing bug called the Skwala that brings rivers
like the Bitterroot alive. Bill Bean, owner of The
Fishaus (406-363-6158; www.fishaus.montana.
com) tells me that water temps of 42 degrees start
these bugs moving toward shore to hatch. There are
special patterns for these bugs. Mostly they are big,
bushy and dark. You need to fish your flies right
next to shoreline rocks. This fishing is a great treat
on a winter day.
NEBRASKA
Early-season Nebraska anglers will find enjoyable
fishing on rivers like Long Pine Creek and Verdigre
Creek. Try fishing wet with small bead-head
nymphs or streamers until you see some regular
surface action. Once you do, a small attractor dry,
early black stonefly, or midge pattern fished on a
light tippet should do the trick. Lake Ogallala at
the base of the Lake McConaughy dam is another
good choice for big rainbows and hybrid wipers
when the rivers are out. Try shore fishing or float
tubing the north end of the lake with a sink-tip
line fished slow and deep. Use baitfish or crayfish
imitating streamers, like a bead-head bugger,
deceiver or weighted Clouser to find and cover
these fish at various depths. For the latest fishing
reports and your winter fly fishing needs, stop by
and talk to the folks at Backwoods in Omaha
(402-345-0303; www.backwoods.com). This fullservice
shop also offers Tuesday night fly fishing
clinics on gear, casting, tying and more.