Greetings, fellow fishermen!

Between now and when the water starts to cool back down is the low point of the summer fishing season. The trout are just trying to find cool, oxygenated water, so you have to troll deep to find them and hope they will bite. Even bass fishing in ponds and lakes slows down, and if you are fishing them, you will want to get up early or stay out late.

Fly-fishing legend Lefty Kreh said: “Smallmouths abound throughout the Unites States in cooler rivers but my favorite place to seek them is in Maine.” He goes on to say: “Fortunately, many Maine resident anglers revere the trout and ignore or look down on smallmouths. I have fished trout all over … but for me a trout can’t hold a candle to smallmouth bass. This disdain by Mainers for smallmouths has resulted in many fine smallmouth rivers being ignored.”

I still prefer trout, but what I like to do this time of year is fish rivers for smallmouth bass. Riffles and current keep the water oxygenated and the fish active all day. Look at your DeLorme for where boat launches are shown on any of Maine’s three great rivers: the Androscoggin (anywhere below Rumford), Kennebec (anywhere below Bingham) and Penobscot (from Medway down), and you can’t go far wrong. While you might not want to make the trip to the Penobscot, nearby places like the Androscoggin pools right above Lewiston and further up near Turner, and the Kennebec just south of Skowhegan are within easy striking distance – and fish well in July and August. If it weren’t for dams and introduction of non-native species, much of our best smallmouth waters would still be productive trout waters.

What is problematic is accessing this habitat. If you are a boater, you need a small aluminum boat. The best fishing is often in very rocky areas, so I have a prop guard on my outboard, and it has been worth every cent of the modest cost. A jet drive is another option. Lighter means of approach include canoe and kayak; Maine guides float some river sections in inflatables.

The most active fish are generally found in the strongest current, so (as a rule) stay out of backwaters and coves. Good areas include weedy areas on sandbars on the upstream sides of islands, structure like boulders and rock piles in current, and logs and stumps. Unlike their largemouth cousins, smallies don’t tend to hold as tight to structure and cover, so don’t feel like you have to make the perfect cast 6 inches from the log to get a strike – work the area in the general vicinity.

It’s always nice to see rising fish, and often the smallies oblige you by rising to naturals. Anyone who likes to fish likes to target rising fish, and a small cork-bodied popper is always a good option, light colors are often most effective during the day. The fish may attack flies aggressively, but sometimes, the larger bass will simply suck the fly down. More often than I like to admit, I’ve missed the take, but raising my rod tip, I find a fish on. Pound for pound, smallmouth bass fight harder than any other fish in our waters – and are as acrobatic as our landlocked salmon.

Dahlberg Divers, and Gartside Gurglers are other good options for fly fishing on top. When these aren’t working, then big streamer patterns will work, especially articulated flies with spun deer hair heads a la Kelly Galloup. I’ve recently had some luck fishing just to the side of the current using crayfish patterns, and that’s an option as well where the bottom isn’t too weedy or rocky to hang you up. Spin fishers can have success with top water, crank baits, spinners or any crawfish imitation, and I must admit, sometimes smallies prefer these to flies.

If you’ve never tried fishing for smallmouth bass this time of year, you are missing something special. If you don’t think you are ready to go it alone, book a trip with Maine Guides Greg Bostater (maineriverguides@gmail.com) or Matt Bickford (mbickfordmaine@gmail.com) to get started.

Steve Heinz is an avid fisherman who lives in Cumberland and is Conservation Chair for Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Comments and questions are welcome at heinz@maine.rr.com.

Smallmouth bass love poppers.Photo courtesy of Cathy Heinz