Five years ago, an object lesson caught my attention while perusing Maine’s fishing bulletin boards on the Internet.
Whether fishing open water or through the ice, anglers on sites such as Butch Moore’s New England Outdoor Voice post big salmonid photos, and I mean eye poppers — some fish the size of a canoe-paddle blade.
Most posters on the site live in this state, and like on other local sites, these trophy fish hunters are landing huge salmon and trout that allegedly no longer grow in Maine. For proof, these guys include photos of the catches.
And yes, folks like me with a photography background know all the tricks for making fish look larger; however, a single human hand cradling the quarry furnishes a close estimate of fish length.
(When an average-sized man holds his fingers closely together, the four measure 3 1/4 to 3 5/8 inches across. By knowing that info, viewers can extrapolate fish length and make a rough estimate of weight.)
Often enough, these boards show photos of 4- to 8-pound salmon, similar sized browns, 5-pound-plus rainbows and 3- and 4-pound brookies. We see lots of pan-sized trout, too, trout meant for a 12-inch Texas skillet.
After a photo or two, these anglers specializing in trophy trout and salmon immediately release most of them, but they admit to killing an occasional fish for the table. That keeps serious catch-and-release anglers like me grumbling — often out of pure jealousy.
How do the folks posting giant-salmonid photos catch them so consistently? Well, they often share three skills.
• Whether these people use bait, artificial lures or flies, they can read water, make flawless presentations and match forage most days. Some of them lean toward sewn bait, but artificial lures get the nod often enough.
• To find big-fish hot spots, astute anglers look at Internet bulletin boards, read IFW fisheries-biologists’ reports and get word-of-mouth info from trusted friends. In short, they depend on myriad sources per year.
• Trophy-fish hunters are unafraid of quitting favorite home waters in favor of the newest hot spot — even if it requires a long drive.
This last one needs special attention. Anglers may develop a fondness for a lake, pond or flowing water and stick with it — even after the fish population crashes. After these home waters stop producing, die-hards continue pounding them while criticizing fisheries biologists for poor management or catch-and-kill anglers for fishing the spot out.
A friend thinks he is a superior angler, and yes, he can read water and present a fly, artificial lure or bait like a master, but he lacks the complete package for success by ignoring two of the three of the above skills.
For starters, he considers bulletin boards a waste and proudly proclaims to ignoring them, but worst yet, he sticks to a handful of ponds, lakes and flowing waters near his home. Even in the best of times, these spots produce average salmonids, and some years, they out and out stink.
If this guy’s catches please him, that’s all that counts, but in the end, Maine anglers landing the giants travel widely, including beyond our state.
Speaking of looking at Internet bulletin boards: Since early June, I have been recovering from a bicycle injury that makes it difficult to sit for long periods, so I have rarely looked at bulletin boards for nine months. Until losing this option late last spring, I had forgotten the importance of getting daily, up-to-date fishing info.
While on the topic of Internet fishing bulletin boards, posted angling photos underscore a learning curve in progress. After IFW opened more waters to open-water fishing in late fall and winter, it took anglers a while to figure out how to fish the cold season. Each year, I have noticed salmon and trout photos showed larger and larger fish with greater frequency.
This new sport is similar to early spring with one notable, happy exception. As a general rule, late fall and winter offers lower flows compared to raging run-offs in early spring.
Lower water means fishing with more stealth and hitting targets with precision. In short, successful anglers sneak up to a potential lie as if they are slipping up on a trophy buck, and then, they cast the bait, lure or fly exactly on target. In frigid water, fish dislike moving much to feed, explaining why accurate presentation is crucial.
Advanced fishing skills, where-to information and a penchant to change fishing locations in search of the big ones lead to wall-hanger salmonids.
Ken Allen of Belgrade Lakes is a writer, editor and photographer. He can be contacted at:
KAllyn800@yahoo.com
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