BANGOR, Maine — A University of Maine graduate assistant researcher is bringing a new perspective to fly fishing—specifically to those who fly fish on the Penobscot River.
"My goal was to tell them in what parts of the stream they would find different insects and sort of how to identify what might be where in the rivers," Parker Bausman said.
Bausman has researched the vertical migration of a particular species of northern caddisfly, Nemotaulius hostilis, that has had to change its habitat to cope with climate change. The movement of insects was a bridge to fly fishing, according to Bausman, in regards to bait selection.
"Ten feet from one point of the stream, 10 feet upstream, you’ll find entirely different groups of insects," Bausman said.
The work of Bausman is touted by Don Corey, the president of the Penobscot Fly Fishers Association.
"A lot of us old school have worked for years and years and years trying to figure out a lot of the insects and bugs regarding fishing," Corey said.
Corey also spoke of the positive impact Bausman has had on a more senior generation of fly fishers.
"It really kind of boosts the fly fishers' game up a little bit," Corey said.
When Bausman spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine, he remarked on his unconventional path into fly fishing.
"The general way people get involved with aquatic insects is through fly fishing, and I was kind of the opposite way, where I got involved with fly fishing through my love for aquatic insects," Bausman said.