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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
Belgrade Lakes Trout Fishing
By Mike Guarino Do you like to troll for brown trout, landlocked salmon, or brookies? How about splake — a man made fish that's a cross between a lake trout and a brook trout? Well, this is a great time of year to try and catch some of these beautiful fish. Do you like to fly fish for trout? Well, now's the time to get out there and enjoy some of the best fishing of the year. The fishing reputation of the Belgrades was built on salmon and brook trout fishing many years ago. While our fishery has changed over time, one thing remains consistent; there are plenty of trout to catch in our waters. This time of year trolling near the thermocline layer on many of the lakes is a great way to land a bruiser trout. There are certain 'edges' in our lakes that are easier to find than others, for example a weed line or a rocky ledge. But a thermocline layer is just as important to trout and salmon. This edge lies horizontally below the water surface and in the summer it usually forms in 25 - 32 feet, deep depending on the lake you are on. This layer is nothing more than a slight temperature change and it forms an oxygen layer where game fish are quite happy to lurk. It also holds a lot of bait fish, which if you use your electronics, becomes easier to find. My good friend and local Maine Master Guide Bill Laflamme of Action Seekers Guide Service ( The staples for Belgrade trollers consist of Sutton Spoons and Mooseleuk Wobblers, along with Rapalas and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows. During this time of year many anglers choose to use either lead core line or downriggers with either fluorocarbon or monofilament leaders ranging from 20 to 40 feet long. Flashers or dodgers fished with a fly or a wobbler can help entice finicky fish too. Through the years the primary bait fish in our lakes has shifted to the alewife, which is basically a freshwater sardine. These fish have big heads and huge eyeballs, so using lures that mimic the alewife is a good idea. Smelt imitations also work well because we still have a substantial smelt forage base in lakes like Long Pond. Speaking of Long Pond, there have been some decent reports of landlocked salmon being caught on this beautiful lake. Anglers need to put their time in, but this jewel is still producing excellent fish. For the fly fishing crowd, we've been in the midst of the single greatest hexagenia hatch in recent memory. These bugs are often seen on screen doors and window all around our lakes. They grow quite large, and if you don't know what they are, the bugs can cause quite a stir. The joy of the Hex is that this critter draws big fish to the surface to feed, especially in the evenings. Anglers with an eye for this sort of thing can enjoy amazing fishing and folks in the know jump for joy when they see the Hex's fluttering around on a calm night. It's not just trout fishermen who revel in the bounty either. In the last two weeks, huge humpbacked white perch have been on a feeding frenzy, devouring the larvae and the actual flies. If you are looking for an early summer fish fry, search out the mayflies and you'll find the perch. If you are not a fly fishermen, you might want to try a small perch tube in yellow/white, fished on 4-pound test. The tubes somewhat imitate the larvae and you just might find yourself with a mess of perch, perfect for a fry or chowder. Mike Guarino can be contacted at | ||
