BY V. Paul Reynolds

Today, right now, on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire to the Rangeley Lakes in Western Maine to the Fish River chain of lakes in Northern Maine, a late spring ritual is underway. The scene has been appearing every year for as long as even us oldsters can remember: men, women and boys, all bundled up in winter garb looking intently sternward aboard a wide array of motorized fishing boats that patrol slowly close to shore. Two, sometimes three fly rods with slightly bent tips, can be seen above the gunwales.

The salmon trollers are at it once again.

Sooner or later, if conditions are right, the moment will be punctuated by a simple but exhilarating alert to all hands. “Fish on!”

Grey Ghost

When the landlocked salmon hits that Grey Ghost tandem streamer fly and leaps skyward above the stern wake in a silvery dance, the excitement is infectious. In the annals of freshwater sport fishing there is nothing that quite matches the rush and the kinetic feel of it all. Trolling for landlocked salmon is like slow dancing with a lightning bolt—you’re moving steadily, almost lazily, when out of nowhere the line snaps tight and the whole world jolts to life in your hands.

In Northern New England, trolling for Landlocked salmon with colorful tandem-hooked streamer flies is grounded in a long tradition that is heralded by popularized historical benchmarks. In Western Maine, Carrie Gertrude Stevens is given a lot credit for sparking the salmon trolling craze. Stevens created the vaunted single hook streamer fly, the Grey Ghost from a collection of old hat feathers and tinsel.

The rest, as they say, is history. Today, there are more unique streamer fly designs than there are Maine lakes to fish them. A waterville doctor, J. Herbert samborn, and avid angler who often fished Messalonskee Lake, is actually credited with creating the tandem streamer fly called simply the 9-3. It was by all reports a very effective fly. The good doctor, with his new yet unnamed fly creation, was fishing with his friend outdoor writer Gene LeTourneau on Messalonskee Lake with the new fly when Gene hooked and landed a four pound trout. Moments later, on the same fly, Sanborn, hooked and boated a salmon that tipped the scales at 9 lbs 3 oz, hence the new name for the fly: the 9 =3.

Sanborn’s fly, like Stevens Grey Ghost and a host of other fabled streamer flies, are all designed by their creators to be the perfect imitation of a Rainbow Smelt, the salmon’s piece de resistance when it comes to fine dining.

Time Tested Tactics

The most successful salmon trollers know and practice time tested tactics in their quest for Salmo solar. Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman, in their highly popular book, “Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon,” advise finding the right water temperature when fishing for theses silver warriors. You’ll find the fish in waters between 45 and 55 degrees. Leeman and Stewart advise concentrated trolling close to shore early in the season when smelts are running. Best spots are shallows, sand bars, shoals, reefs, points and inlets and outlets where smelts may be populating. Later in the spring, as the water surface warms, traditionalists will eschew the downriggers and use action tip fly rods with sinking fly lines.which make salmon fishing so delightfully fascinating and challenging. Unless it is really late in the season, look for fish about 10 to 20 feet below the surface. The most popular terminal lashup is a time tested streamer fly tied to 20 to 30 feet of 6 lb monofilament, which is then tied to a dark colored floating fly line. Recommended trolling speeds are between 2 and 3 mph. An effective tactic is to pump the road or give it quick jerks while underway and vary trolling speeds as well.

Best flies? Leeman’s top three picks are in this order, Red & White Bucktail, White Marabou Muddler and Grey Ghost. Stewart’s top picks are in this order, Winnipesaukee Smelt, Hornberg Streamer and a Cardinelle.

For more articles about hunting, fishing and the great outdoors, be sure to subscribe to the Northwoods Sporting Journal.