Fishing with Lefty Kreh

Fishing with
Lefty Kreh
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J
oe Brooks, the great sportsman and
outdoors writer of the mid-20th century, was Lefty Kreh’s mentor and introduced Lefty to the fly rod shortly after
World War II. Brooks was a regular at the
famous Weatherby’s Lodge in Grand Lake
Stream (GLS), Maine, and Lefty heard stories from Joe of gorgeous brook trout and
large landlocked salmon in the stream,
and of endless, nice smallmouth bass in
some of the lakes and the nearby St. Croix
River that forms the boundary between
the USA and Canada’s New Brunswick.
Lefty always wanted to visit here, and I
made it happen in late summer less than
two years ago. Lefty was 88 years old.
“Sports” have been coming to the bucolic
125-person village and the unique stream
both named Grand Lake Stream since the
early 1800s and in real force since the turn
of the 20th century when railroads pushed
through to the more far flung reaches of
Maine. Once GLS, located about 90-minutes northeast of Bangor, was home to the
largest tannery in the world, and was in the
heart of serious logging operations.
By the late 1800s, after the tannery
closed and logging slowed greatly, the town
was reachable by boat from Princeton,
some 10 miles from GLS at the headwaters
of the West Branch of the St. Croix River.
Thus, ever increasing numbers of anglers
and hunters could train to nearby Princeton from the more developed New England
states, hop on a small steamer, and head to
GLS where sporting camps began to flour-
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by King Montgomery
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ish. A rough road from the Princeton area
to GLS eventually was completed as well.
Now there are about 15 camps in the
vicinity of GLS that provide accommodations of one sort or another, and some
have in-house guides or can tap the large
reservoir of Registered Maine Guides that
operate here. It is said that GLS is home
to more Maine guides than other location
in Maine—about 50 fishing, hunting, and
recreational guides work here.
These guides, some members of the
native Passamaquoddy tribe, ply GLS for
landlocks, cruise and float the smallmouth
bass rives and lakes, troll for togue (lake
trout) in their beautiful and stable squarestern, outboard-driven Grand Lake Canoes, or chase brook trout in the clear, cool
streams. The angling possibilities are such
that modern sports, like their predecessors
of old, can fish for different species during
a visit.
“So this is where Joe Brooks stayed and
fished,” said Lefty, as I introduced him to
Jeff McEvoy, owner of Weatherby’s. Jeff, his
daughter Keaton and son Carson, would
fish with Lefty and me over the next several days, along with guides Mike May, Dan
Emidy, and seasonal employees Dragomir
and Toma, young folks from Moldova and
Russia, respectively. Molly, a brown English cocker, went along to find and flush
fish much like she does ruffed grouse and
American woodcock in the fall and winter. On shore, Weatherby’s manager (and
my bird hunting buddy) Frank Lepore and
Chef Dean Tsantilas took great care of us.
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a lifetime with lefty
He is in the Freshwater
Fishing Hall of Fame.
Received the “Lifetime Achievement Award”
by the American Sportfishing Association
Received
the “Lifetime
Contribution
Award” by the
North American
Fly Tackle Trade
Association
In 2003 Lefty Kreh was inducted to the
International Game Fish Association
Hall of Fame.
In 1997 he was named
“Angler of the Year” by Fly Rod
and Reel Magazine.
The St. Croix River
We looked like the Washington County 6th fleet as we
launched from various sites along the river with Lefty,
Mike or Jeff, and me in the comfy Clackacraft Drift Boat;
and Keaton and Carson in L. L. Bean kayaks; and Dan,
Toma, and Drago in a hand-made Grand Laker, the
square-stern canoe that originated in the area almost a
century ago. We looked like a flotilla of gentle buccaneers
as the varied craft flitted over the river.
The river is lined with pines, spruce, balsam fir, mixed
hardwoods including river birch, and some occasional
grassland. Over 80 percent of Maine is covered by forests,
and when you look down from high ground or see an aerial photograph, just about everywhere are green forests
occupying most of your view. Shades of reds, oranges,
and yellows greet the eye in the fall as the year gives way
to winter. We had color in some of the hardwoods during
our August visit.
The river valley was settled by Europeans, mostly
French, over 400 years ago. In fact, St. Croix Island was
the first capital of Acadia, three years before the English
reached Jamestown in Virginia. Eventually the Acadians
were forced to flee by other encroaching Europeans and
the English, and settled in what now is Louisiana. “Cajun” is a mispronunciation of “Acadian”, and “Cajun” en-
“It is said that GLS is home to
more Maine guides than any
other location in Maine”
dures in the 22 Louisiana perishes where the Acadians
settled in the 17th century.
The river, like most in our country, is broken into sections by a series of dams that influence the character of
the waters above and below the structure. The river once
carried rafts of logs during the lumbering heyday of the
1800s into the 1900s, but now flood control and generation of electricity are the big reasons why the river is segmented.
The short growing season in Downeast Maine and the
North Country affects the growth rate of the smallmouth
bass. A 12-inch fish is almost an old timer at 4 or 5 years
of age or more, and a lunker at four pounds or higher
is over 10-years old. Some fishes may be legally kept—
check the current sportfishing regulations—but most
anglers practice catch and release.
Picking the Spots to fish
Lefty is a master at reading water, and he learned some
of that lore from Joe Brooks over a half-century ago, and
he can teach a local guide a thing or two about where and
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A St. Croix River bronzeback. Smallmouth bass are
Lefty’s favorite freshwater fish to catch.
St. Croix
River
Lefty Kreh is flanked by Carson and Keaton McEvoy,
while father Jeff McEvoy and Bridget occupy the
lower step at one of Weatherby’s cabins.
The best times to fish are
April through November,
with prime time in June
through August.
We stayed at Weatherby’s: A Fisherman’s
Resort,weatherbys.com,
1-877-796-5558.
Visitors can get a
nonresident fishing license or
multiple-day permits online
at mefishwildlife.com or buy
one at the lodge.
Fly into Bangor and either
rent a car and drive to the
lodge or arrange for an
airport pickup by
Weatherby’s.
Maps: Maine Atlas &
Gazetteer by DeLorme
Mapping, 1-800-561-5105,
delorme.com.
Carson McEvoy holds
up a smallmouth bass
he caught on spinning
gear while sister Keaton
takes a break. Father
Jeff mans the paddle
on the Grand Laker he
built by hand.
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why smallies should be in the expanse of river. He is
a fishing - as well as a casting -machine in a myriad of
watery environs, and I always learn a few new things
whenever we fish together.
Smallmouth bass and other river fishes usually
spawn in June and afterwards enjoy a brief time of
plenty. They eat crayfish, terrestrial and aquatic insects, amphibians, and the occasional small rodents.
(Yes, mouse patterns work here.) Take a look around
once you are on the water, and see what life activities
are going on. Find the submerged aquatic vegetation,
the rock ledges and boulders, the downed trees, and
changes in depth. Throw your fly in and near those
places, and they will come.
I like to start fishing topwater because it’s the most
fun for me. No, I’m not a dry fly only snob, but it
makes more sense to me to start fishing on top and
working down until reaching bottom with the bait. I
might begin with a damsel pattern if they are on the
water and I see bass splashing after them, or a mouse
pattern that is a hoot to fish. Lefty begins with a different type of fly, often one that shimmies just below
the surface. Once we find something that catches fish,
we’ll stay with it for a while.
If top and just under the water retrieves don’t produce, we’ll fish streamers down and across and bring
them back slowly. Smallmouth can hit at any time during a drift or retrieve. I like Clouser deep minnows in
several weights (depending on depths), and in the following colors: chartreuse/white, green or olive/white,
black/white, and in olive/yellow.
If the bronzebacks aren’t biting your surface or subsurface offerings, try bouncing the bottom with a crayfish pattern in black, brown and/or olive. A little orange or red color in the fly also seems to help. Use the
lightest weight that will bounce on the bottom much
of the time. If nothing works, eat a sandwich or something and try again later.
A great institution is a traditional Maine shore
lunch. For well over a century Maine angling guides,
who by the way, are schooled and registered by the
state, have provided sports with a hearty lunch cooked
over a wood fire or a portable propane grill. The main
course once consisted of fresh caught fish, but most
guides now bring along chicken, pork, or beef to
go along with potatoes and onions, and tasty baked
beans. If you have a preference, make sure you tell the
guide plenty of time before the fishing trip. Or bring a
lunch in a basket prepared by the lodge.
The water runs clear in the St. Croix as it has since
the last Ice Age, and it holds an abundance of fishes
just waiting for the angler to present the right fly or
lure at the right place and at the right time; and you
will be surprised at how often that can happen on this
river named for a cross.
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