50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast. Bob Mallard

to base out of. These businesses offer lodging, food, guides, rental boats, and fly-in service, allowing the angler to focus on fishing rather than logistics. One sporting camp even maintains an outpost cabin on Big Reed Pond, which is now open to catch-and-release angling, and once again putting up wild native Arctic char to anglers willing to put in their time.

      Fall arctic char from Big Reed Pond. Bradford Camps

      If you think you can just show up at an Arctic char lake and catch fish, you are wrong. Arctic char are deepwater fish that come near the surface only at certain times of year: spring and fall. They can, however, be targeted with sinking lines at other times of year. Fishing for Arctic char is not a numbers game. It is a chance to catch a rare fish in a remote setting. It is a chance to do something that most fly fishers have never done, and never will do. It is a chance to do something truly special—hold a rare and beautiful remnant of the Ice Age in your hand for a fleeting moment.

      After years of working to provide the level of protection due these rare fish, there have been several major breakthroughs. First was the so-called Heritage Char legislation. This prohibits the use of live bait on any native char water.

      Trapped fall char. Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

      It also prohibits stocking—with a provision for restoration stocking. Wisely, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife removed bait of any sort from all but one native char water. They also extended the no-live-bait restriction to the tributaries of these waters. But we could still do more—like a statewide catch-and-release regulation. This would seem prudent when you consider what is at stake.

       Tackle: A 9-foot 5-weight rod with a floating line is your best bet for fishing dry flies out of a boat on most Arctic char lakes and ponds. If you plan on fishing subsurface—which you may have to do—a 9-foot 6-weight with a fast full-sinking line is your best option. Float tubers may want to consider a 9½- or 10-foot rod with a dry and sinking line as an alternative to carrying two rods—and to help keep your backcast out of the water. Leaders should be 9 to 15 feet and tapered to 4X or 5X for dries, and 6 to 7½ feet for wets—with fluorocarbon being your best bet for the latter. Flies should include leech patterns, classic Black-nosed Dace and Mickey Finn streamers; all stages of mayflies in gray, tan, and yellow in size 14, 12, and 8 to 6, respectively; size 14 caddis in a range of colors; and a few size 10 to 8 caddis in green or olive. You will also want to be sure to tap the fly shops and lodges for some local patterns.

      BOB MALLARD has fly fished for over 35 years. He is a blogger, writer, and author; and has owned and operated Kennebec River Outfitters in Madison, Maine since 2001. His writing has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and books at the local, regional, and national levels. He has appeared on radio and television. Look for his upcoming books from Stonefly Press, 25 Best Towns: Fly Fishing for Trout (winter 2014) and 50 Best Places: Fly Fishing for Brook Trout (summer 2015). Bob is also a staff fly designer for Catch Fly Fishing. He can be reached at www.kennebecriveroutfitters.com, www.bobmallard.com, [email protected], or 207-474-2500.

      Closest guides/outfitters

      Refer to Closest full-service lodges.

      Closest full-service lodges

      Bradford Camps

      (Big Reed Pond Cabins)

      Munsungan Lake, Maine

      May–November 207-433-0660

      December–April 207-746-7777

      www.bradfordcamps.com [email protected]

      Red River Camps

      Island Pond, Maine

      Deboullie Township

      207-554-0420

      www.redrivercamps.com [email protected]

      Penobscot Lake Lodge

      Penobscot Lake, Maine

      207-280-0280

      www.penobscotlakelodge.com [email protected]

      Closest lodging

      Refer to Closest full-service lodges.

      Closest food

      Refer to Closest full-service lodges.

      2 . Maine Brook Trout Ponds

       Location: Western, Central, and Northern Maine, about a 2- to 3-hour ride from Bangor, a 3- to 4-hour ride from Portland; and a 4- to 5-hour ride from Boston, Massachusetts or Manchester, New Hampshire. Full-service airports are available in all four cities. Float plane pickup from lakes within an hour of Bangor can be arranged.

      Maine boasts one of the largest (if not the largest) inventories of pond-dwelling, self-sustaining native trout populations in the continental United States—in this case Eastern brook trout. There are more than 600 such waters scattered across the state. Roughly 325 have never been stocked. The rest have not been stocked in at least 25 years. This represents approximately 95 percent of the remaining self-sustaining native brook trout lakes and ponds in the country.

      There are another 500 or so ponds in Maine that are stocked with brook trout. Many of these support strong populations of holdover fish. This brings the total number of brook trout ponds in Maine to roughly 1,100—far more than are found anywhere else in the country.

      Approximately 175 of the brook trout ponds in Maine are classified as Remote by the Land Use Planning Commission. This means that there is no development—including permanent roads—within a half mile of the shoreline. In most cases, even unimproved roads have been blocked. These represent some of the most pristine brook trout ponds in the Northeast.

      It would be impossible—and I believe a real disservice—to try to name just one of these ponds for the purposes of this book. In aggregate, they represent a fly-fishing resource unlike anything else found in the Northeast. In fact, they probably bring more anglers to Maine than all the rivers and streams put together. As a result, I have opted to cover them as a group.

      The majority of Maine’s best brook trout lakes and ponds are found in the western, central, and northern parts of the state. They are located off a network of unmarked, and often unmaintained, dirt roads. While many of these are located on private land managed for forestry, others are on public land such as sprawling Baxter State Park, private land owned by individuals such as philanthropist Roxanne Quimby, private land owned by conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy, and conservation easements managed by groups such as the Appalachian Mountain Club.

      Under Maine’s Great Ponds Act, all lakes and ponds over 10 acres are open to the public for the purpose of fishing. This law guarantees overland access solely for fishing—all other activities fall under the standard laws governing trespass. This does not allow for vehicular access, or even unobstructed foot access. Landowners can—and do—gate their property wherever they see fit, often requiring a long walk to reach the water.

      Bob Mallard hooked up on a remote pond. Thomas Ames, Jr.

      Most of Maine’s