Maine’s upper Androscoggin River Report May 23, 2004

Water Temp 61.84 F Flow rate 2123 CFS @ Mead Westvaco in Rumford.

I have started fishing in earnest now. I try to fish every day, at lest for a couple of hours. Living within five minutes of excellent fishing makes it easy. The fishing is PRIME. I have caught trout on all but one outing. The average size has been 12”. I have talked to others who have taken some Rainbows 16” or better. They had hit a hatch coming off and caught fish all day on dries.
My son had Driver’s Ed. yesterday, so to kill three hours I fished below the Mill in Rumford in the rain. I had steady fishing in riffles using streamers. The first fish was a nice 14” Rainbow that I didn’t expect. As I worked down river I picked up several Bass 10 to 14.” I had a few bigger Bass on that spit the hook on the first jump. One mid air release put the streamer all but in my face!
When your fishing there is always time for one more cast. I needed to pick up my son, but the fishing wouldn’t let me go. I was casting into the bottom end of a long deep run and had already taken a couple of good bass. Then it happened, a strong strike from the middle of the run. I set the hook three times. A HUGE Bass jumped! It made several reel screaming runs and jumps. Each time it jumped I was amazed at the size!!! When I got it into the slower water and was about to grab its lip, something big came out of the Bass’s mouth.
The Bass, Probably a Hen, was 19” long and was close to five pounds maybe more! She had spit up a 9” Brown Trout!! God have mercy on the Rapid River Brook Trout.
“A man should believe in something…I believe I’ll go fishing!”