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GLS - A First Journey
 I recently made my first ever journey to that Maine fly fishing mecca known as Grand Lake Stream (or GLS to those "in the know"). GLS is an idyllic landlocked salmon river, in a very rustic part of Maine that proves reasonably
hard to get to...one of the reasons it has probably taken me so long to visit.
My friend Matt and I made the trip from Portland was about 4 hours, moving
along a fairly brisk rate along I-95 to Bangor, then east on Rt. 9 (the
Airline Rd) until turning North towards South Princeton. If you go all the way
to Rt. 1, you're making an extra 45 minutes of the trip. Some try to cut
corners and take the dirt roads in, but this is not advised for "mud season",
nor for those making their first journey here.
We rolled into town around noon on Wednesday, and found a warm helpful bunch at
the Pine Tree Store. Kurt, proprietor of the establishment kindly directed us
towards our home for the next two days, Weatherby's Lodge, and just across the
street and up a house from the store. After picking up a couple nice beadhead
stonefly patterns, we were on our way. We arrived at Weatherby's and were
greeted by our host, Jeff McEvoy, owner of the lodge, and his wonderful camp
dog, Madison. This will be Jeff's second year running Weatherby's, and he
found himself busy with chores that needed to get done prior to opening shop
for the season.
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| "The Outlook" Cabin |
Jeff got us settled into our beautiful historic cabin, named "The Outlook",
complete with woodstove, electricity, running (hot) water, two beds, fly tying
desk, and all the amenities one could wish for on a fly fishing vacation. No
sooner had we unpacked our gear and thrown on our waders. Jeff sent us down a
path in the back of the lodge property that popped us right out at the Dam
Pool. Who would have thought, beautiful fish filled water just steps from
"home"...this is getting better by the minute! A quick geography lesson of the stream reveals that the Dam Pool is at the head of the stream, which empties out into Big Lake about 3 miles downstream. This is a short stretch of water, with numerous named pools in it's short 3 miles, each of which can hold a number of quality salmon.
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| My first GLS Salmon! |
At the Dam Pool we met up with Dick Turmenne...head guide at Weatherby's, who was
kind enough to share his spot with me where I landed my first GLS Salmon, an
18" beauty that took that big black stone I had bought at the Pine Tree Store
just 30 minutes earlier! The water temp was a brisk 42 degrees, but that
didn't stop this brute from putting up a nice little fight, including a couple
characteristic leaps, much to my delight. Dick knows this stream like that back
of his hand, and pointed out many helpful hints. I would certainly recommend
him to anyone new to the area, as a helpful guide like Dick can enhance your
experience immensely.
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| FFIM-er "Baetis" fishing Big Falls |
Dick went on to show us around the stream and the different pools that folks up
there have come to know and love, including the Cable Pool, Little Falls, Big
Falls, the Picnic Pool, etc. The stream is truly beautiful, with crystal clear
waters, and abundant insect life. Wading and fishing is fairly easy, with many
identifiable lies for fish, and a number of nice gravelly, flat areas to wade.
Water flow when we were there was about 200 cfs, which is low, and higher flows
bring more fish into the river.
I went on to land 2 other fish that day, both bigger than 18", and Matt got one
around 20". How many places can you go and catch 4 fish, all 18" or better?
Not many. We got back to the lodge that night and had a nice supper with Jeff.
We talked about environmental politics and the economics of running a sporting
camp. It's apparent to me that running a lodge like Weatherby's is truly a
labor of love, and the rewards can be great. I mean, how would you like to
live just 100 yards from one of Maine's most productive landlock salmon pools?
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| Weatherby's - Main Lodge Building |
Thanks to Jeff McEvoy and Weatherby's for providing our accommodations, and Dick
Turmenne for sharing his knowledge of the stream. Weatherby's is a full Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing lodge, and carries equipment from Orvis as well as a carefully picked selection of flies for the Grand Lake Stream area. If you would like to book at stay at Weatherby's and/or book the services of Dick Turmenne, please contact
them at info@weatherbys.com.
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