“Bring chest waders,” Jordan advised, “because the stream is deep and cold. You can get by with hip boots, but you can’t move around as much. It’s a good idea to wear felts so you don’t slip and slide. There’s a pretty good current in some places.”

In April, most of the fishing for is salmon that spawned the previous November. They drop out of West Grand Lake in the fall in preparation for the spawn, and most stay in the stream over the winter. Salmon you catch in April will be thin because they’ll have lost a lot of weight during the spawn. They spent the winter in the stream where the water is colder and they didn’t get to feed a lot -- there are not as many smelts as in the lake.

“There are many beautiful pools in the stream,” Jordan said.

“The Dam Pool (immediately below the West Grand Lake dam) and the Hatchery Pool are usually the two best pools in spring.”

In April, some anglers just want to be on the water, and if they catch a fish at all, it’s a plus.

Usually by May 1, some fat, fresh-run salmon will move into the stream from the lakes. Most of the salmon caught in the stream were stocked into either West Grand or Big Lake. About 2 percent of the fish in the stream are wild salmon that hatched in the stream and grew up there.

After a year or so, they move into the lake. They don’t complete their life cycle in the stream. The lakes are where they fatten up.

“There are many beautiful pools in the stream,” Jordan said. “The Dam Pool (immediately below the West Grand Lake dam) and the Hatchery Pool are usually the two best pools in spring.”

Jordan said that anglers have best spring success with streamer flies.

“Almost any streamer that’s popular in Maine will catch salmon in the stream,” he said. “The Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Mickey Finn or the Grand Laker are good for starters. Some people also use nymphs. The beadhead green caddis is one of the best.”

In spring high water, Cressey said it’s best to fish with a sink-tip line and a short leader.

“Try the Barnes Special, a streamer designed to imitate a yellow perch.”

Around mid-May, the Hendrickson hatch begins. Jordan said this is the first big hatch of spring, and salmon start looking toward the surface.

“At this time, they can be taken on a dry fly,” he said. “Try a Quill Gordon. The Blue Dun is another mayfly hatch to watch for. Sometime in June, there will be brown caddis hatches, and those can be fantastic. There will be a lot of insects, and that stimulates feeding activity among the salmon.

“Try the light and dark Hendricksons,” Cressey advised. “Also the Blue-Winged Olive. For nymphs, stick with stone flies with a No. 8 hook. Going into mid-May, it’s mostly all beadheads. The Hare’s Ear and the Prince are popular.

“In July, the water is warm and the flow is down because they are holding water back in the lake,” Cressey added. “Although the fishing is best in the stream around 8 to 9 p.m., I wouldn’t necessarily go with nymphs at that time of night. Most anglers start fishing with caddis dry flies.