Читать книгу 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast - Bob Mallard - Страница 52

Above. First Current Pool. Bob Mallard

Inset. Kris Thompson with large male brookie. Pond in the River Guide Service

generally May through June, and again in September. The Rapid can fish well in the early spring, even with ice on the lakes, very cold water in the river, and snow on the ground. Summers can be warm, and fishing slows as the fish seek thermal refuge.

Brook trout in the Rapid River average between 12 and 15 inches long. There are a good number of fish in the 16- to 20-inch range, with brookies over 20 inches always a possibility. Landlocked salmon run slightly smaller, averaging 12 to 14 inches. There are many salmon in the 15- to 20-inch range. This combination of two uniquely New England species and the number of fish over 20 inches makes the Rapid a true trophy river.

Trout and salmon in the Rapid take advantage of a variety of food sources. These include smelt, dace, sculpins, crayfish, insects, and fish eggs. Insects include stoneflies, caddis, may-flies, and dragonflies. Brook trout and salmon feed heavily on sucker eggs in the early spring, starting when the water temperatures reach roughly 50 degrees. Smelt are also a very important spring food source. Smelt spawn in the Rapid before the suckers do, drawing large trout into the river to feed.

Hatches: Hatches on the Rapid are rarely epic, but they are consistent and predictable. In spring, Blue-winged Olives and Hendricksons dominate. Caddis show up later in the spring, and hatch periodically until fall. Stoneflies will hatch from spring to early fall. Dragonflies can be seen crawling out of the water in the late spring to hatch. This triggers large fish to feed voraciously while they are available.

Many different methods of fly fishing are effective on the Rapid River. Among the most productive is nymphing. This provides consistent action throughout the season. Streamer fishing is a great way to catch large fish in the spring when smelt are abundant. During the fall spawning period, trout and salmon become territorial, and attractor streamers work well. Trout and salmon will feed on the surface when there is a hatch.

By most definitions, the Rapid River is the premier brook trout river in the country. The brook trout here also represent a rare wild and native fishery. If catching a trophy wild native Eastern brook trout is on your list of things to do, there is no better place to do it than the Rapid River in Rangeley, Maine.