Waking up on the lake this time of year is magical. A cup of coffee on the deck as the sun rises, sweatshirt on, means fall is coming.
By midday, it’s warm again, and a day on the water has you back to a T-shirt. The fishing action heats up with the sun, and this month brings some of the best angling of the season.
Guides CJ Harmon of Burnt Meadow Guide Service and Dan Hillier of Songo River Guide Service stay busy with clients eager to experience early fall fishing on Sebago Lake. Lakers are always willing to bite, but the salmon really turn on in September. Dan and CJ said they have been boating beautiful fish in the 4- to 7-pound range, reminiscent of Sebago decades ago.
Tactics vary, but fish are generally higher in the water column where cool water pushes closer to the surface. CJ has been having luck trolling medium shiners, while Dan runs lead core line on planer boards and downriggers to cover different depths.
With live bait, trolling speed is critical. Slowing down to 1–1.5 mph makes all the difference, and most of us rely on electric or bow-mounted motors to do it.
Some diehard anglers like Butch DeSanctis of Durham and Rangeley use frozen smelt all season long. Butch dips his own bait each spring and sews smelts onto hooks the old-fashioned way, prepping a bunch before he even hits the water.
Most of us, myself included, use adjustable trolling harnesses for their simplicity and quick fine-tuning.
Dan has had great success this year with lures like the Wonderbread spoon, Northeast Troller Orange Crush and Pink Ice. I’ve been running DB Smelt on sinking fly lines and Mooselook Wobbler’s perch pattern five feet off bottom. Pearl and pink lures worked well across the board, and Pine State Sports Supply’s Bottom Feeder was especially effective for lakers tight to bottom.
September is the time to fish Maine’s deep salmon lakes while the water stays cool. If your fish finder shows the thermocline, follow it. If not, ask around — locals always know the depth the fish are holding.
There’s no better way to close out summer before hunting season than with a crisp September morning on the water.