My annual trip to the West Branch of the Penobscot River ended last Sunday. We hit the river for landlocked salmon and then struck out to the ponds and streams for brook trout.
This year was another great time: great fishing, good times, plenty of grub and beer. It rained hard on us, but it always does. The black flies were extra vicious. Over the course of the week, my head and neck must have fed a couple of thousand of them. They didn’t even thank me.
The biggest landlocked salmon I caught was 17″, taken on a size 16 dry, 4 weight rod. I’ve caught bigger salmon, but this one put up the best fight I’ve ever had. The fish plus the river added up to a lot of pull.
The monster brookie is the biggest one I’ve ever landed. This pig was about 20″, probably 3-4lbs (we let her go, so I don’t know for sure). She took a size #14 caddis off the surface. I was fishing a 5 weight and I almost wet myself when I saw how big she was. For everyone who’s wants to ask where I caught her, here’s a hint: somewhere between Millinocket and Fort Kent.