Rapid River TR

I committed myself to spending at least a month on the Rapid this
spring. At my age, that was a mistake.

WEEK 1 – Ice Out
My first trip was for three days in mid May for ice out. To say it
was cold is an understatement. It was damn cold. The water temp was
in the low forties while the air temp never got above 50 during the
day. And it rained, and rained, and rained. One might have thought
that Fortenberry was in the area. I burned more wood in the cabin
trying to keep warm than ever before.

Fishing was just ok. The fish had not come up river yet and were in
Pond in the River and the currents leading into the Pond.. My theory
is that the water was too cold up-river. In retrospect, I should have
gone down river to Lower Dam, but I was still in my "winter mode",
meaning I wasn't in good enough shape to make the bike ride down and
back. I could have used the boat, but it never dawned on me to do so.

I managed to wade out to the X rock in Second Current to do some
nymphing. Lots of little salmon but no brookies. To get the bigger
fish, I would have to chuck some streamers. Ashore on the island, I
put a sinking line spool on my reel. With that chore completed, I
managed a couple of salmon in the 14 - 16 inch range, but again, no
brookies.

I was pleasantly surprised that breathable waders with silk and fleece
long johns underneath kept me warm in that very cold water. My feet
were another matter. I have neuropathy in both feet because of
diabetes, so when I feel pain (other than the constant pain from the
neuropathy) or cold it is usually a very bad thing. They gave out
after a couple of hours and I returned to the cabin for the rest of
the day. A good fire in the stove to warm my feet and soul, an old
Tom Clancy novel and jazz on the computer made for a very pleasant and
comfortable afternoon. The rain, heavy at times, added to the warm
ambience of the cabin.

Day two was much the same, however I limited myself to the island and
did very little wading. The feet lasted the day and I caught some
nice salmon on Ghosts and buggers. Still no brookies. Perhaps when
the water gets warmer.

WEEK 2 – Memorial Day
I returned to Lakewood on Memorial Day with Tom, a friend from Acton.
He's an excellent fisherman but has never caught a big salmon or
brookie. The river was still running at 400cfs when we arrived but
the fish still had not made the short journey up river. We caught a
few working our way down river to the Pond, but nothing to write home
about. It has been years since I worked the river like that. The
best action was nymphs and streamers in the currents by the Island.

The river's flow stayed at 400 for another day and then went to 800
cfs. Fishing improved not just because of the flow, but because the
water and air temps had risen. The water was a cool 51 degrees, about
the same as the air temp in early morning. Tom finally managed a fair
size brookie, but I was still shut out. Nymphs were working,
especially small PTs and a "home tie" PT. We were happy campers. We
couldn't have asked for more. The food at the lodge was excellent
thanks to a new cook, the cabin was warm, and we were catching fish.
But, was there a dark cloud in our future? What could possibly go
wrong? Even the meatloaf was delicious! And the new thermos jugs
were keeping the coffee hot all night until morning. What could go
wrong?

Florida Power and Light was the culprit. They opened the dam to 6700
cfs. Hell, I expected to see Charlton Heston on the river starring in
a production of "Noah and the Flood." Fishing was... how should I
put this....... difficult? There was some action at the dam, but it
soon became very crowded. A few folks went home in disgust. Tom left
at his appointed time on Thursday saying he would definitely be back.
I stayed until Saturday when I returned home to change my underwear
and get another supply of onions for my Gibsons.

WEEK 3 – Sucker spawn carnage

When I returned on Sunday, the river was down to about 4000 cfs,
fishable from a boat or at the dam. Then they lowered it to 2000cfs.
Now we are talking about some water we can actually fish in. It is
still a bit too much, but it is manageable from a boat and the island,
although I would need the boat to get *to* the island. When I did,
the island was covered with sand and dead crawfish. The high flows
had done some damage to the river. I wonder how many of the aquatic
insects - caddis, mayflies, and stonefly nymphs - were washed into the
woods?

Over the years, I have given names to different rocks or places on the
river. The X rock in the current, the Three Stooges, Home Plate, The
Block, The Anvil, The Shark, Flat top, etc. Well, the X rock was
still there in the position assigned it long, long ago, but the Three
Stooges were down to Two, and Home Plate was nowhere to be found. The
Block and the rest are too big - only God could move them. That was a
serious flow of water, although not the highest ever seen from the
dam.

The island soon became crowded with a couple of guides and their
sports. The sucker spawn was in full bloom and the guides wanted
their sports to catch fish regardless the method. And catch fish they
did. Anyone could lob an egg pattern into the current next to the
island and catch a big brookie or salmon. It required little skill to
hook one, but lots of skill to land one safely. As the week went on,
so did the carnage. Now, I am a strong believer in Catch and Release,
but mobbing the river (11 or 12 guys surrounding a 15 foot wide by 50
foot long current) results in a slaughter of the fish. That small
stretch of current is jam packed with brookies and salmon feeding off
the spawn. Yes, I fished it briefly using a small barbless PT, but
after 45 minutes and catching the same three pound brookie two or
three times, I gave up in disgust. I did not catch another fish all
day, but it was better than participating in the slaughter.

While I was there, a guide landed a sport's fish, took it out of the
water, and gave it to the sport for some pictures. That fish probably
didn't make it. It was a 3 or 4 pound brookie. Imagine running for a
mile and then having someone dunk your head underwater for a couple of
minutes. That's what this guide was doing. The sport knew little
about fly fishing and when he hooked a fish, he pointed his rod at the
fish and of course the tippet would break leaving the fish with a hook
somewhere in its body. He did this many times. I also observed
another **** poor guide allow his sport to play a fish for 28 minutes.
How do I know it was exactly 28 minutes? The guide was giving the
guy a count down and laughing about it. Everyone thought the fish to
be an enormous brook trout. I yelled at the guy to land the effin
fish. He was using a 6 weight with a 4x tippet. I told him there was
no fish in the Rapid that you could not land in less than ten minutes
with that angling combination. The idiot guide was down river trying
to hot net the fish instead of teaching his sport *how* to land it. I
directed the guy to move his rod away from the fast water and move it
sideways towards the island forcing the fish to the right and out of
the fast current. The fish came to net finally, but it was not my
coaching that did it. The fish was all played out and died soon after
being netted. What a waste. It was only a 16 inch salmon, not an
enormous brook trout. I asked the guide what he would have done if it
*was* a brook trout. He shrugged his stupid shoulders. You can
legally take a salmon, but not a brook trout. I should have reported
the guide, but he has many mouths to feed.

The next day the island was not as crowded. I did some nymphing in
the First Current with little to show for my efforts. When a friend
left the big rock at the end of the island, he ask me if I wanted the
spot. I took it and on the second or third cast I was into a very
nice fish using a size 20 home tie PT. I turned my 5 weight Winston
LT sideways to get the fish out of the fast water and into the slack
water at the end of the island. Less than five minutes later, Brian,
the friend who gave me the spot, netted the salmon. It measured 24
inches according to my net, the largest salmon I've ever taken in
Maine or Labrador. And, it was fat, filled probably with sucker eggs.
It had not a mark on its lips or anywhere else. I wish that sport and
his **** poor guide could have witnessed it.

Before the day was through, I had landed a fair share of big salmon
(16 - 21 inchers), and a couple of 14 - 15 inch brook trout. I was
beat by 3 pm and went back to the cabin for a well deserved nap and
some warm clothes for my aching old bones. I was still not in good
enough shape to ride my bike back to the cabin from Pond in the River.
It's up hill, and the road is filled with ruts, puddles, and imbedded
rocks. I did make it almost all the way back without stopping. Those
final 200 yards would be conquered by the end of my trip.

For the sake of my aching legs, I fished the dam for the rest of the
week. It started off slow, but by Friday I was into some big salmon
and lots of small to medium (no bigger than 14 inches) brook trout.
Catching these small trout gave me a lift, for it showed that the bass
problem in the Rapid has yet to have a big impact on the brook trout.
I was using small Pts and a size 18 red Copper John. On Thursday the
Hendrickson hatch came off at PIR. I was told it was a good hatch,
but short in duration. At least the high flows hadn't stopped
altogether that very important hatch. I missed the Hendrickson hatch
at the dam. I was told it came of, but only sparsely. That hatch
only happens when the water is at 53 degrees, so caddis hatches should
start at any moment.

On Friday I switched to the LaFontaine sparkle pupa (tan) and it was a
killer. I fished it deep with split shot on the leader, and also as
an emerger with a Royal Wulff acting as a strike indicator. This is a
great fly and one I think everyone should have in their fly box.
Another fly that will be in my fly box is one I purchased from Harry
Mason. It's called the Killer Caddis, and it sure as hell is. With
no hatch active, it consistently caught fish, both brookies and
salmon. I may consider myself a nympher, but I so enjoy catching
these beauties on dries.

WEEK 4 – Harry Mason's Excellent Flies
Saturday was the same old routine. Go home to change my underwear and
get more onions. Of course it was nice to spend a couple of days with
my beautiful wife and our new puppy. I returned to Lakewood on Monday
for another week.

This week was spent almost exclusively at the dam. On Monday
afternoon I took a nasty fall on some rocks at the Wing Dam. My knee
swelled up pretty good and I still have a bump there. So, I hobbled
around at the dam and managed to get some very nice salmon and
brookies, mostly on nymphs, but when the PTs and home ties failed to
work, rather than experiment with other nymphs, I switched to Harry's
Killer Caddis. On several occasions I was the only one catching fish
and I was doing it with a dry. *Everyone* was nymphing with little or
no results. I was having fun and decided to tie an emerger to the
Killer. I chose another of Harry's flies, the CDC Caddis Emerger. It
didn't work as well, and added just a little bit of drag, so I
continued without it. The Killer floats like a cork when treated with
Frog's Fanny. One treatment lasts until a fish is caught. Then it
took several minutes to treat the fly and get the cdc back to its
original condition. The brush on the Frog's Fanny is the key to
applying it to cdc feathers. It helps spread them out and back into
their original position/condition.

WEEK 5 – Bruised and Soaked
When I returned home on Saturday, Joanne informed me that she had a
business trip to NJ, and the puppy had an appointment at the vets.
So, I didn't get back to the river until very late on Tuesday.

Fishing continued to be great. I sort of invented a new nymph that
worked pretty well. It is tied on a size 20 nymph hook with an extra
long shank. While home puppy sitting, I took a trip to the local bead
shop and bought some very small red, orange, and green glass beads.
This new fly consists of one of these beads (red), followed by a body
of brown or black thread, with a very fine piece of copper or gold
wire as a rib. Behind the bead is a tuft of white antron cut short,
followed by several wraps of peacock herl. It was an instant success.

There are three big rocks on the north side of the river at the Dam
Pool. One I call the Anvil, another the Shark, and the third Flat
Top. Most folks don't realize that Flat Top is there, because at
flows above 800 cfs, it is below the water line. I have made it out
to this rock with the flow as high as 1200, but now the flow was 1500
cfs. Desperate to fish the seams unreachable from anywhere else at
this marvelous pool, I headed out to Flat Top. There is a large rock
just to the right of it and I use it as a stepping stone. It sits
about hip high while perched on a small rock below it. The water on
the right is close to six feet deep. With the water lapping at the
very top of my waders (almost arm pit level), I committed myself to
stepping up to this big rock. I slipped. A full Reid with my head
underwater followed, with me flopping around in the river like a baby
whale. I managed to get onto the rock, stood up, and then stepped up
onto FT. After emptying the water out of my vest pockets and waders,
I checked my fly boxes. I had invested in a couple of watertight fly
boxes, and, by golly, they *were* watertight. The flies in both boxes
were dry. Unfortunately, I wasn't, but the sun soon did a wonderful
job of warming me. The capilene I had on under my fleece also aided
in keeping me fairly warm in spite of the very cold water. All of
this was somewhat for naught. I have taken some very big brook trout
and salmon from this position on the river, but not today. Perhaps my
mind was on trying to warm up and not on fishing. I managed a small
brookie and a small salmon before I decided to head back. I jumped
off of Flat Top onto the big flat rock hip deep below it, slipped and
fell on my fat behind. I stood up with only my arms wet. The next
step was a gentle and deliberate step onto the riverbed and the only
rock that would keep me above the flood level of my waders. Duh.
Full Reid again. Instead of wading to shore, I swam. Lesson learned:
Don't go out to Flat Top with a flow higher than 1300 cfs.

Conclusions
All in all these five weeks on the Rapid were very productive. It is
not just the fishing that draws me to this wonderful river, but the
accommodations and the very spirit of the place. The joy of spending
an afternoon in a warm cabin while the rain tap dances on the roof and
soft jazz plays on the computer is difficult to explain. Suffice it
to say that it is as close to heaven as I can get in this life. Throw
in a beautiful wife and a playful puppy, and it can not be any better.

The Rapid is in trouble, however. Most folks are concerned about the
bass invasion of the river. While that is a problem, it is not the
major problem. The Rapid has attracted many people, and unscrupulous
people inside the gates have allowed crowds of people to drive in by
opening the gate for them. These unscrupulous people are also guides
on the river, and very poor guides with little conscience. The
slaughter at the sucker spawn must be addressed or else many fish will
be lost because of repeated hook-ups and poor treatment by these same
guides and their sports.

Florida Power and Light must learn to use the water from Lake
Richardson in a more responsible way. With the lake full they had
only 400 cfs running for many weeks, only to briefly open the gates to
800 and then 6700 cfs. They should have and could have run the river
at 1200 for that entire period and still met their lake level
requirement. In my opinion, any flow above 4000 cfs is doing harm to
the river. I blame FPL for making the Rapid a warm water river which
encouraged the illegally stocked bass to move from Lake Umbagog up the
river all the way to Middle Dam. With flows in late spring at 200 cfs
several years ago, the water temp at PIR reached into the low 70s by
the second week in June. Brook trout can not survive in water like
that, but bass sure as hell can!

Another threat is the amount of people on the river. When I am not
staying at Lakewood, I drive to the gate and bike in. It's only about
1.5 miles to the dam and the road is fairly well maintained. There is
another way to walk in from the southern side of the river. I have no
trouble with the folks that use this method to get to the river. I
have made several friends over the years with those who hike in or
camp on Richardson. However, when you go down river and find SUVs
from NJ, PA, MD, and CT parked at PIR and lower dam, it is opening the
river to neophytes who have demonstrated bad practices and a shiv a
git attitude about the river and its wonderful fish. The guides and
others who, for money, open the gates to this trash should be horse
whipped. No good can come of this open gate policy. If you want to
fish the Rapid badly enough, you will either walk/bike in from the
northern gate, hike in from the southern gate, boat in, or stay at
Lakewood.

I will continue to fish this wonderful river until my last days. The
mind wants to do things that the legs and hips can no longer
accomplish. Such is old age when you haven't taken good care of
yourself. I will not, however, book another month long trip with only
Saturday and Sunday spent at home with my playful wife and beautiful
puppy (or something like that). It took too much out of me and there
were too many falls in a short period of time. I did, btw, make it
all the way back to camp from PIR on my bike without stopping. I was
slow, but steady. Other trips are planned for late August and mid
September. Hope my booboos heal by then. It would be nice if wayno,
Peter, and others could make it back to the river. If they do,
chances are I'll be there too. Youse guys are getting old too, so
bring a bike.

Dave

Nice trip report- Thanks
I am sorry to hear abouit the influx of careless fpeople on the Rapid River
It is a beautiful place !!

You seem to be a relatively nice and caring person fopr your family and the
environment.

Its too bad politically that you a such a conservitive ass!
Or surely follishly duped as is most of America
The people - politicos- that you support care more for their $$ in their
pockets than for the Rapid River and other semi -wilderness & wilderness
areas of our our planet.

Fred

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 19:10:29 GMT, wrote:

Its too bad politically that you a such a conservitive ass!
Or surely follishly duped as is most of America

Yeah, it's clinton's fault, dontchaknow
shakingheadleftandrightwhilerollingeyesback

They're out there, Ken, I toldja. They're out there.

See tha'ts what I mean - you are duped.

(I did NOT say fool)

Clinton himselt is a corrupt fool also but he is gone and out of power now
so who gives a rats ass about him anymore

Cheey and Bush are outwardly & openly corrupt and VERY dangerous!!!!!!!!
They are defiant and dangeous to the American people, world opinion and the
quality of ile on our planet
More specifically the environment.

If you want to rate scumbags
Clinton - might be a 4 or 5
Bush and his posse approach a 10
They dont give a flying **** about anything excepts their own fat stomachs
profits.

You! - should be ****ing outraged!!

Fred

Fred, I posted a trip report in all sincerity and now you are making
it into a ****ing contest. Why do you do that?

The trouble with the Rapid River has nothing to do with national
politics, yet here you are trying to make it so.

Take your pills, get drunk, or get a BJ somewhere and leave me out of
it.

Dave (who knows he ain't "duped.")

"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...

Dave (who knows he ain't "duped.")

Priceless.

Wolfgang

Getting drunk, taking pills or getting a BJ and a few other things sounds
good.
I just might try that!

Its a VERY hot July 4th here and w all the firweorks and all of our animals
being jumpy it is NOT my favorite holiday
I probably did take it out on you on the list a bit
I hope some jackass doesn't burn down NW Montana tonight.

However
you are correct about your TR
and
I do apologize.

Fred

....or get a BJ somewhere and leave me out of it.

There's one piece of advice it's impossible to find much fault
with.....

In article ,
wrote:

See tha'ts what I mean - you are duped.

(I did NOT say fool)

Clinton himselt is a corrupt fool also but he is gone and out of power now
so who gives a rats ass about him anymore

Cheey and Bush are outwardly & openly corrupt and VERY dangerous!!!!!!!!
They are defiant and dangeous to the American people, world opinion and the
quality of ile on our planet
More specifically the environment.

If you want to rate scumbags
Clinton - might be a 4 or 5
Bush and his posse approach a 10
They dont give a flying **** about anything excepts their own fat stomachs
profits.

You! - should be ****ing outraged!!

Fred

Jesus Christ. I get to look at ROFF about once a week and you post this
crap. Dave posted a damn nice trip report and you have to post that. Off
to control F plonk land for you to hang out with Forty

Dave LaCourse wrote:
wrote:
Its too bad politically that you a such a conservitive ass!
Or surely follishly duped as is most of America

Yeah, it's clinton's fault, dontchaknow
shakingheadleftandrightwhilerollingeyesback

They're out there, Ken, I toldja. They're out there.


OK, so there is a "they" out there in cyberspace who is political,
vocal, outspoken and unafraid to inject partisan politics into
just about any thread. Besides being a fairly apt description of
your ownself, *so what* ?

Hell, Fred don't spell any better than you do and I'd bet dollars
to doughnuts you and Fred could spend a pleasant day astream together
and argue politics around the campfire at night.

Nice TR btw, thanks for taking the time to post.

--
Ken Fortenberry