Rangeley Region Fishing Report - May 18 2023

Cool weather has been keeping the hatches and biting bugs away this week. Yesterday we had snow flurries all day and this morning it was 24 degrees at sunrise. Water temps drop 5 degrees over night but gained it back by the end of the day. Water temps are in the 45-50 degree range in most places. Suckers are spawning in the places they usually do and taking egg flies. We have not had more than showers in over two weeks and the rivers are showing it. The tailwaters like the Magalloway and Rapid are at low but fishable levels. Today my sport was catching fish on midge  nymphs when we noticed one of the fish had a mouthful of smelt. We switched to a Bemis Smelt streamer pattern and kept catching fish. When the mornings are cold and you see midges flying on the surface of the water you should take the hint and fish small midge nymphs. Simple  Zebra midge patterns in size 18 and smaller in black and red. We should start to see consistent mayfly hatches in the coming days as water temps move into the mid 50's and the sun warms the water.

Till next time,

Brett