So You Want to Learn to Fly Fish in Maine

Whether it was a screening of A River Runs Through It, the near-meditative sound of a rushing river, or the hopes of catching a big one on light tackle, there’s plenty of reasons to learn to fly fish in Maine. 

During a summer job as a lifeguard in Rangeley, I’d spend slow, rainy days with a 7-foot 4-weight fly rod casting back and forth on the beach. I went into the Rangeley Region Sports Shop and asked for a fly I could practice casting with. Owners Brett and Sue Damm handed me a big foam dry fly, wisely cut the hook off, and sent me on my way at no charge. I flailed around on the beach for a few hours, casting too hard, lowering my tip too much, rushing my back cast, and making other foundational errors. 

Eventually a park maintenance employee and a former L.L. Bean fly fishing guide took pity and showed me how to cast. That summer, he took me to a few spots where I could catch fish in Rangeley. Not where I’d catch big brookie or his secret spots, just a place where I could practice ethically playing fish, practice my 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock casts, and catch more shiners than I could care to count. Those early lessons provided the foundation I needed for a cross-country fly fishing road trip that would change the course of my life. 

The amount of fly fishing literature, how-to guides, guidebooks, poetry, essays, and more could fill a library with ease. This piece isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of need-to-knows. Its purpose is to inspire and educate you enough to get your feet wet (or dry if you’re invested enough to own waders).

A Lay of the Land—Well, Water

Maine is blessed with ample freshwater. Your gear will depend on what fish you’d like to target, but an 8-foot 5-weight can get you pretty far in pursuit of freshwater species. Like many outdoor pursuits, fly-fishing gear can be pricey. But it doesn’t have to be. I fished my way across the West on a L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Combo rod. This is to say, don’t overcomplicate your first purchase— Facebook Marketplace can be a great resource. Fish with what you have, as long as it’s legal and in good working order. 

You’ll need some leader, tippet, and flies. A local fly shop is going to get you all fixed up here.

Navigating Fly Shops:
Walk in with humility—we’ve all been new to something – but be willing to ask fundamental questions, plan to buy a few things, and be friendly. “What are the fish eating?” is a better question than “Where should I go fishing?” One of those implies you’re going to buy something, the other indicates you’re trying to leech information.

Chase the Seasons

June and September mark the best months for chasing native brook trout and landlocked salmon. The cold water and abundant bug life provide the right environment for fish movement and feeding. Ideal temperatures for anglers and fish alike are somewhere between 50 and 60 degrees. At this range, hatches are popping off, fish are happy, and anglers can handle fish with relative ease. As water temperatures push beyond that, trout struggle to revive after a catch and release. 

That’s when many anglers turn to bass and warmwater species. Bass provide a great entry point to fly fishing as they live where most of us live—in the populated regions of the state. While they present a great threat to trout when sharing a waterway, many watersheds support healthy populations of warm-water fish. Eager to take a top-water eat or chase a woolly bugger, bass provide great fun through the dog days of July and August.

September marks the return of chilly evenings and declining water temperatures, making it a hot season for trout anglers. As the month progresses, Maine rivers and lakes start to have updated regulations, so it’s important to stay tuned in to Maine Inland Fish and Wildlife’s law book.

Trout Tactics

There are three main variants of flies you can use, and I’m listing them in order of my favorite to fish. 

1. Dry Fly
   • Made to imitate a dead or dying bug floating along the surface of the water. Fish will rise to eat the fly during specific conditions. 
2. Streamer
   • Made to imitate a bait fish like a smelt, leech, or other minnow. This should be fished below the water’s surface and “stripped” back to you.  
3. Nymph
   • Fish gravitate toward the bottom of streams. They’re safe from avian predators, the water moves more slowly, and it’s often colder. Tie on what’s called a nymph—an aquatic invertebrate imitation that sinks lower in the water column— and attach it to an indicator. Watch that bobber hesitate or get pulled under and lift that rod tip in hopes of feeling that rod come to life.

Trout love structure. Downed trees, boulders, bridges, etc. They also love cold, highly oxygenated water. But they don’t want to expend too much energy, so they’ll wait in what are called eddies, places behind these structures where the water slowly moves upstream to backfill the current. They wait in ambush next to the fast-moving water, waiting to strike.

They also live in ponds and lakes—stillwater fishing. Similar tactics apply here, but add in the inlets and outlets for places to target.

Ethics and Laws

Maine has statewide fishing laws available on its website. So before you venture out to a body of water, familiarize yourself with these. Bodies of water have open and closed dates, or denote certain tactics which can or can’t be used. I like their GIS tool, which allows you to select a body of water, including sections of water that could have their own rules. Make sure to buy your license through the state’s website or an authorized dealer. As a resident, a season-long pass will cost $30, plus fees. If you happen to catch a tagged fish, IF&W asks that you kindly report it to help biologists better understand fish movements and improve management.

Ethics are another, often argued, part of the angling community, but here are a few that have worked for me. I’m usually looking for solitude on the water. If I can see another angler, I may not choose an entirely different parking lot, but I’m definitely walking around to the next bend. Some waters are more crowded than others, but if you’re able to find some privacy out of conversational distance, you’re probably far enough away from other anglers. Don’t walk through the river upstream of someone else; you’re likely to spook a bunch of fish. Understand that while some folks are out there looking for a trophy, many are just looking for solitude. 

As Maine creeps out of June into July, water temperature starts to approach unsafe levels for catch-and-release trout fishing. The angling community has varying perspectives on how to handle that. Some will fish with stronger tippet to limit the fight, only fish catch-and-take water within the daily limit, others only fish from dawn til the breakfast hour, and others will chase warmwater species and leave the trout alone. It’s good practice to keep a water thermometer with you to read the temperature before you start fishing. Late August usually marks the return of cooler nights and more pleasant angling temperatures.

Handling fish is critical to maintaining our ability to fish for generations to come. If you’ve successfully landed a fish and brought it to your net, keep it in the water as much as possible. Drench your hands, as trout and salmon have a protective coating on their bodies that can rub off with dry hands. Minimize how much you have to touch them to retrieve the hook—a tool called forceps comes in handy here—or take your photo. Speaking of hooks, barbless hooks are the primary tool for catch-and-release anglers. You may lose a few more fish during the fight, but it’s well worth it to preserve a trout.

When you’re “hooked up” with a trout, you want to land them as quickly as you can without snapping your line. Enjoy the fight, but respect the fact that the fish is fighting for its life. Rookie mistakes happen, but the more you can educate yourself ahead of time, the more prepared you’ll be for unorthodox situations.

Lastly, it’s important to give back to the natural resources. Groups like Trout Unlimited or your local land trust do wonders to preserve the forests and streams that keep fishing a viable pastime. Consider donating or volunteering, and you may be lucky enough to pick up a mentor as I had along the way.

Additional Resources:

Here are some films we like about fly fishing in Maine because the only thing better than fishing is watching someone else fish.