If there are any guarantees in life other than death and taxes, it’s that spring will come. But for those who live and breathe fishing, spring doesn’t really arrive until Maine lakes and ponds are free of ice.
Due to a number of factors, that blessed event can take place at different times across the state, but whatever the month, day or hour, it isn’t long before fishermen hit the water.
I can recall plenty of mornings on favorite spring lakes when a brisk northeast wind meant winter parkas and wool caps, and we had to dodge floating ice. Such is often the case on Maine’s ice-out salmon and trout waters.
One of the more traditional — and still popular — methods of bringing trout and landlocked salmon to the net after ice-out is trolling flies. Anglers use everything from old imitative designs like the Gray Ghost to gaudy, bright patterns like the Morning Glory or Mickey Finn, tied on single long-shank hooks or as tandem rigs with a trailing single or treble hook.
One of my prized possessions on the subject is a signed first-edition copy of “Trout Flies for Salmon & Trout,” penned by Dick Stewart and Maine’s own Bob Leeman. The cover is bent at one corner, the binding is starting to fray in places from overuse, and some of the pages are yellowing with age, but the information inside is as relevant today as it ever was.
Chapter One, on the history of trolling flies, has always been of particular interest. It states that the first tandem trolling fly was developed by J. Hubert Sanborn of Waterville. No date is given, but I assume it was sometime in the late 1930s or 1940s during the streamer fly’s innovation heyday.
After experiencing short strikes while trolling, Dr. Sanborn used two No. 8 long-shank hooks, connecting them to create what he described as a “very long shanked, rigid streamer with two barbs.” As the story goes, he first used the fly on Messalonskee Lake, where he landed a landlocked salmon weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces — hence the name, the 9-3.
While Sanborn’s design helped reduce short strikes, it apparently didn’t eliminate them, largely due to the feathered wing extending beyond the rear hook. It was Emile Letourneau, brother of Portland Press Herald outdoor writer Gene Letourneau, who gave us the tandem streamer concept we use today.
Letourneau connected two short-shank hooks with gut, dressing the entire wing on the front hook and extending it only to the end of the trailing hook, thus greatly reducing short strikes.
Since then, many of our oldest, most familiar and popular streamer patterns originally designed for casting are now tied tandem specifically for trolling. The Gray and Black Ghosts, Supervisor, Colonel Bates and even Dr. Sanborn’s 9-3, to name a few, are prime examples.
In more recent years, tyers in Maine and northern New England have expanded the already impressive list of tandem streamer designs. Some are tied heavy with feather wings, while others incorporate both feathers and bucktail.
When I first started trolling Sebago Lake, many of the most popular and productive flies were tied extremely sparse, using only bucktail and perhaps a few strands of peacock herl for the wing.
The Bibeau Killer, Miss Sharon, Bobby, King Smelt and Rochelle are good examples. Even when feathers were used, as in the Senator Muskie or Cliff Leaner, the overall wing was lighter than on many traditional feather-wing streamers.
The thinking was that a sparsely tied streamer offered a better silhouette of Sebago’s rainbow smelt, the lake’s primary forage, particularly in its gin-clear water. To be honest, I have no idea if that theory actually holds water, but based on their success, it seemed to work. Sparse trolling flies remain popular on Sebago and other clear-water lakes today.
Since the earliest days, tandem trolling flies have seen variations and changes to their original design. The gut and wire once used to connect the hooks have largely been replaced with heavy 20- to 30-pound monofilament or nylon-coated wire.
Which is used is mostly a matter of personal preference. Some fishermen believe wire tends to bend or kink in cold, ice-out water and after heavy use — and I’ve seen that happen — although heavy mono can stiffen in cold water as well.
Fluorocarbon leader material is also popular for making the connection. Because of its molecular structure, it resists water absorption and remains more supple in cold temperatures.
Perhaps the most notable variation is the rear trailing hook. Early tandems were tied with the trailing hook facing down, parallel to the lead hook, theoretically keeping the center of gravity low for better “riding” in the water.
It’s an expression I’ve heard countless times over the years, but like the sparse versus bulky streamer theory in certain waters, I don’t know how true it is.
The rear hook is also commonly tied facing upward, and those who prefer it claim little noticeable difference in performance and equal or better hooking ability. Based on personal experience, I tend to agree.
The upward-facing hook is also partially hidden by the wing, which may create a better silhouette and more deceptive presentation.
Some tyers, both personal and commercial, are incorporating small three-barbed treble hooks on the rear. I’ve used them and like them.
In my experience, the three points increase hooking ability regardless of how a fish strikes, and the small treble hooks are seldom taken as deeply, making them easier to remove with less trauma to the fish.
It also stands to reason that if there’s any truth to the idea that a single rear hook facing down acts as a rudder, then tandems with three points might ride even better.
It’s all speculative, of course, and which approach is preferred comes down to personal choice. The bottom line is tandem trolling flies have a long and rich history on Maine trout and salmon waters and are as productive today as when they were first conceived.
What is even more important — and exciting — is the best time to put them to use is right around the corner.
