Sportsman The Maine
July 2019 • $4.99
Saltwater Fishing Pages 19, 23, 57
Youth Writing Contest Winners Page 31
Grilled Plank Salmon Page 44
Grow Food Plots Page 72, 73
Upgrade Your ATV
Page 28
Appalachian Trail Thru Hike - Part 1 Page 43
Ed Invents Mountain Bikes Page 60
2 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A True Maine Tradition...
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 3
SUMMER SPORTING AUCTION SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2019 • 10:00 A.M. Wildwood Function Center, Route 113, Steep Falls, Maine
Giguere Auction Co. is proud to present our Second Summer Sporting Auction! This auction will feature the Guns & Taxidermy Collection from the Estate of John Duarte of Westbrook, Maine. Mr. Duarte was a Board Member of SCI and a World-Traveling Hunter, Competitive Shooter, Avid Fisherman and Expert Fly-Tyer. More Items are Coming In Every Day – There will be Many Selected Additions to this Auction! Mark Your Calendars & Plan to Join Us -- This is an Auction Event You Don’t Want to Miss! For more photos and info, please visit our listing on auctionzip.com – This partial list is as of 6/4/2019: GUNS: HAND GUNS – Kimber Stainless Mod. Target II – 38 Super Cal. Semi-Auto Pistol w/2 Mags. & Hard Case; Kimber Mod. Eclipse Target II – 45 ACP Cal. Semi-Auto Pistol w/2 Mags. & Hard Case; Colt MK IV Series 70 Cold Cup National Match 45 ACP Cal. Semi-Auto Pistol w/2 Mags. & Hard Case; Smith & Wesson Mod. 27 – 357 Mag. Cal. Revolver w/Burris Red Dot Sight; Smith & Wesson AirWeight 38 Spl. DA Revolver w/Leather Holster; Ruger MK III Target 22 Cal. Semi-Auto Pistol w/Bull Barrel, Target Grips, Bushnell Scope, 4 Mags. & Soft and Hard Cases; Ruger Vaquer 357 Mag. Cal. Revolver w/Tooled Leather QuickDraw Holster; Ruger Security Six – 357 Mag. SA Revolver w/Leather Holster; Belgium Browning 22 Cal. Semi-Auto Pistol w/ Mag. & Leather Holster; Walther M-CP-88 Competition .177 Cal. Co2 Pellet Pistol w/ Case & Accessories; Benjamin Franklin Pellet Pistol; SHOTGUNS – Browning Citori Mod. White Lightning 410 Ga. Over/Under Shotgun w/Choke Tubes; Browning Citori Mod. White Lightning 28 Ga. Over/Under Shotgun w/Choke Tubes; Browning Citori 3-Barrel Skeet Set (410, 28 & 20 Ga. Barrels) w/Fitted Luggage Case; Browning Citori XT 12 Ga. Trap Over/Under Shotgun w/Adjustable Butt & Fitted Luggage Case; Browning Citori 20 Ga. Over-Under Shotgun w/Choke Tubes & Fitted Luggage Case; Browning Citori SX Skeet 12 Ga. Over/Under Shotgun; Browning Mod. BT-99 – 12 Ga. Single Trap Shotgun; Remington Mod. 870 – 12 Ga. Pump Trap Shotgun; Remington Magnum 12 Ga. Semi-Auto Shotgun w/Slug Barrel; A.H. Fox Field Grade 12 Ga. Double Barrel Shotgun; H & R 28 Ga. Double Barrel Shotgun w/Exposed Hammers; Winchester Mod. 1893 – 12 Ga. Pump Shotgun; Winchester Mod. 12 – 20 Ga. Pump Shotgun; Stevens Mod. 77C – 16 Ga. Pump Shotgun; RIFLES – J. Stevens 1897 No. 17 Favorite 22 Cal. Drop Block Youth Single Shot Rifle; Winchester Mod. 70 Featherweight 30-06 Cal. Bolt Rifle w/Leupold Scope & Leather Sling; Sears Mod. 42-103 – 22 Cal. Bolt Rifle w/ Mag. & Scope; AMMO, RELOADING, OPTICS & MISCELLANEOUS – Winchester AA 28 Ga. (17 Boxes) & 410 Ga. (3 Boxes); (4 Boxes) Remington 20 Ga. Shotgun Shells; (Case) Winchester AA 12 Ga. 2 3/4” Light Target Load Shotgun Shells; (2 Boxes) RST 12 Ga. & (4 Boxes) 16 Ga. 2 1/2” Shotgun Shells; (15 Boxes) Federal Gold Medal Target 22 Cal. Ammo; Lot of Misc. 12 Ga. & 20 Ga. Shotgun Shells; Lot of Misc. 22 Cal., 44 Mag. & 357 Mag. Ammo; Lot of Misc. Rifle Ammo; (2) Ammo Boxes; Ney Craft Fiber Furnace; Sherline 8” Lathe w/ Accessories; RCBS Case Master Gauging Tool w/Manual & Case Trimmer II Case Trimmer; Lyman All American Press; RCBS – RCII Bullet Press & Little Dandy Pistol Powder Measure; Lee Classic Turret Press; Mec M-650 Shotgun Shell Reloader; Mec M-600 Jr. Shotgun Shell Reloader; Mec Sizemaster Mod. SM 77 Shotgun Reloader; Mec Sizemaster Mod. SM 82 Shotgun Reloader; Dillon Precision CV-500 Cartridge Case Cleaner; Lot of Misc. Press Die Sets in Boxes; Nikon 7X35 Stay Focus Plus II Binoculars w/Case; Bushnell Spotting Scope & Table-Top Tri-Pod; Swarovski 8X30 WB Binoculars w/Case & Box; Leupold 8M – 4X & Nikon 4X40 Rifle Scopes; Lyman 6X & Lyman Scopes & Bushnell Trophy Scope; Lot of Misc. Soft Rifle/Shotgun Cases; (2) Hard Travel/Airline Gun Cases; Shooting Chrony – Chronograph in Box; Gun Buggy Shooting Cart; Sinclair Competition Bench-Top Shooting Rest; (2) Stack-On 10 Gun Safe w/Shelf; Hyscore Pivoting Handgun Rest; Tool Box w/ Gun Stock Bedding Tools & Misc.; Practice Trap Dry Firing System w/Lights, Wall Chart/Target & Manual; Mid 19th C. Primitive Scratch-Decorated Powder Horn Sg. Robert Tille; Etc. TAXIDERMY: Pronghorn Antelope Heads; Peccary Head; Russian Black Boar Head; Barren Ground Caribou Rack on Plaque; 6X8 and 5X6 Elk Heads w/Removable Horns; 6X6 Elk Skull/Horn Mount; Goat Heads; Misc. Moose Drop Antlers; Shiras Moose Rack; Barbary Sheep Aoudad Half-Mount on Wall Rock & Head Mount; Mouflon Sheep Head; Himalayan Tahr Head; Whitetail Deer Heads (6 Pt., 8 Pt., 9 Pt., 10Pt., 12 Pt., 16 Pt. & Doe); Misc. Whitetail Deer Skulls/Racks & Racks; Fallow Deer Head w/Removable Horns; Arizona 8 Pt. Coues Deer Head; Mule Deer Heads (6 Pt., 14 Pt., 5X6, 6X7); Misc. Mule Deer Skulls/Racks; AFRICAN -- Zebra Rug; Cape Eland Head; Blue Wildebeest Head; Red Hartebeest Heads; Greater Kudu & Kudu Heads & Tanned Hide; Oryx Heads & Tanned Hide; Waterbuck Heads; Springbok Head; Blesbok Head; Topi Head; Impala Head; Gazelle Head; Cape Buffalo Head; Nyala Head; FISH – 17” Brook Trout on Panel Sg. David A. Footer; Alaskan Pink Salmon on Plaque; Alaskan Grayling Fish on Plaque; Landlocked Salmon Mount on Plaque; Large Salmon Mounts; 25” Striped Bass Mount (Repro); 25” Bluefish Mount (Repro); MISCELLANEOUS & SKULLS – Badger Rug; Beaver Hide in Willow Stretcher; Walrus Tusk on Plaque (Repro); Oryx Skull/Horn Mounts on Plaques; Warthog Skulls on Walnut Shelf Displays; Kudu Skull/Horn Mounts on Plaques; Beaver, Coyote & Misc. Skulls; Small Alligator Skull; Misc. Snapping Turtle Shells & Skulls; More! FISHING: RODS – Orvis 7’6” - 2 Pc. - 6 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube & Orvis Battenkill Fly Reel; L.L. Bean 9’ – 4 Pc. - 9 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube & L.L. Bean Streamlite III Fly Reel w/Extra Spool/Boxes; L.L. Bean 9’ – 2 Pc. - 6 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag; L.L. Bean 14’ – 4 Pc. - 9 Wt. Graphite Salmon Rod w/Fitted Hard Case, (2) Lampson Fly Reels/Line & Reel Case; L.L. Bean Streamlite Ultra 12’6” - 4 Pc. - 7 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/L.L. Bean Fly Reel, Line & Rod Case; L.L. Bean Orion 11’6” - 4 Pc. - 10/11 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube & Orion V Reel/Line & Case; L.L. Bean TS80MH – 8’ – 2 Pc. Graphite Spinning Rod w/ Bag & L.L. Bean M-6000 Spinning Reel w/Spare Spool & Box of Lures & Plugs; L.L. Bean Silver Ghost 11’ – 4 Pc. - 8 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube & SG II Fly Reel w/ Spare Spool/Line & Cases; Thomas & Thomas 12’ – 3 Pc. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; H.L. Leonard Graphtek 7’6” - 3 Pc. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; H.L. Leonard Duracane 8’6” - 2 Pc. Cane Fly Rod w/ Bag/Tube; H.L. Leonard Duracane 7’6” - 2 Pc. Cane Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Sage 9’3” - 4 Pc. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube & Orvis CFO III Fly Reel & (2) Spare Spools; Sage RPLXI 990 – 9’ – 2 Pc. Graphite III Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Sage GFL 8’9” - 3 Pc. Graphite Fly Rod w/ Bag & Tube; Sage Launch 890/4 – 9’ – 4 Pc. - 8 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Tube; Sage GFL 890 RPL – 9’ – 2 Pc. - 8 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag & Tube; Scientific Angler System 8’11” - 2 Pc. - 9 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/ Bag/Tube; Scientific Angler 9’ 3” - 2 Pc. - 2-Handed Salmon Rod w/Bag/Tube; Scientific Angler System 10 – 9’1” - 2 Pc. - 10 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Scientific Angler System 8 – 8’8” - 2 Pc. - 8 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Albright 9’ – 5 Pc. - 6 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Albright XX 9’ – 4 Pc. - 7 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/ Bag/Tube; Redington TFF – 9’ – 4 Pc. - 8 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Redington SSF – 9’ – 2 Pc. - 10 Wt. Graphite Fly Rod w/Bag/Tube; Fenwick FF109S – 9’ – 2 Pc. - 11/12 Wt. Glass Fly Rod w/ Bag/Tube & Custom 8’ – 2 Pc. Glass Fly Rod w/Tube; REELS – (2) Pflueger 1558, (1) Taxi & (1) HI Trolling Reels; (3) L.L. Bean Angler I Fly Reels w/Cases; Long Key, Ocean City & Pflueger Capital Bay Reels; Lampson Large Arbor Fly Reel w/Extra Spool/Lines & Cases; Ross Flycast II Fly Reel w/Extra Spool/Lines & Cases; Orvis CFO-V Fly Reel w/Line & Case; Scientific Angler System 8 Fly Reel w/ 6 Extra Spools; LURES – Misc. Boxes of Hand-Tied Classic Salmon Flies; Many Fly Wallets & Fly Boxes w/ Misc. Flies (Freshwater & Saltwater, Wet & Dry); Misc. Vintage Pflueger Spoons, Spinners, Etc.; (14) Misc. Creek Chub & Other Vintage Bass Baits; (3) Early Tackle Boxes w/ Vintage Plugs, Lures & Misc.; Misc. Lots of Soft Salt & Fresh Water Baits, Freshwater Flies/Poppers/Streamers/Leaders, Saltwater Flies/Eels/Misc. Baits, Freshwater Poppers/Plugs/Bobbers, Saltwater Plugs; (2) Boxes w/Fresh & Salt Water Lures, Plugs & Misc.; Fly Wallet w/Saltwater Flies; FISHING MISCELLANEOUS – Vintage Canoe Wicker Fish Basket; Trout Unlimited Togiak Float Tube w/Stocking Foot Waders & Fins; Lot of Fly Tying Vise & Misc. Tools; (2) Multi-Drawer Cabinets w/ Hooks, Capes, Thread & Misc. Fly-Tying Materials; (3) Boat Nets; (2) Fish Gaffs; (2) Fly Line Stripping Baskets; Neoprene Stocking Foot Waders, Bag & Boots; More! ART, CARVINGS & DECOYS: O/C “Pheasants on Perch” Sg. Bickerstaff (Listed Artist); Canoe Paddle w/Brook Trout Painting Sg. David A. Footer; Dry Point Etching “The Moose Call” Sg. F.A. DuPeyron; Print “Canada Geese Flying” Sg. Frank Benson; Prints “Moose Hunters” & “Snipe Shooting” Sg. A.B. Frost; 1896 Print “Salmon & Striped Bass” Sg. LeRoy; L.E. Print (23/50) “Ted Williams” Sg. by Williams & Artist Arthur Taylor w/First Edition Book; L.E. Print (4/2000) “Seal” Sg. Makowski; L.E. Print “Out of Reach” Sg. Chet Reneson; L.E. Print w/ Artist Remarque “Scoter Gunning” Sg. W. Tyner; L.E. Print w/ Artist Remarque “Good Old Days” Sg. Chet Reneson; Print “Evening Light” Sg. Ben Dize; Decoy Print & Misc. Unframed Prints (Footer, Murdock & Jordan); Misc. Duck Stamp Prints (DU, Maine, Georgia, Alaska, Michigan); (5) German Comedic Hunting Calendar Prints; Vintage Litho “Game Bird Still Life”; Hand-Painted Golf Sign; L.E. Bronze (48/50) “In Pursuit” Sg. Dennis Jones; L.E. Bronze Sculptures Sg. Wally Shoop -- “Cape Buffalo” (13/45), “Rhinoceros” (4/45), “Elephant” & “Lion”; 14” Brook Trout Carving on Moose Drop Antler Sg. David A. Footer & Julie Footer; Alaskan Eskimo Soapstone Bird Carving; Blue Wing Teal Carving Sg. Joanie & Geoff Skeete w/ Book; Carved Pileated Woodpecker Head in Tree Stump; Carved African Hunter & Cape Buffalo Statues; Misc. Folk Art Carved Birch Logs & Branches Sg. Larry Richards; Goldeneye Duck Decoy; (4) Magnum Cork Black Duck Decoys; (2) Shorebird Decoys; Shorebird Decoy (Preening) Sg. Wayne Robinson; Standing Canada Goose & Owl Decoys; (3) Early Mid-West Fish Decoys on Copper Shelf Displays; (3) Misc. Early Fish Decoys; Bass Decoy Sg. Capt. Bob Eek, Ice King Fish Decoy Sg. Bear Creek Bait Co. w/ Box & Kaminen No. 25 Fish Decoy; Drake Widgeon Decoy Sg. Chet Reneson; Vintage Drake & Hen Mallard Decoys (Original Paint) by Downeast Sportscraft – Freeport, Maine; Vintage Black Duck Decoy (Swimming) by Downeast Sportscraft – Freeport, Maine; (2) Vintage Maine Coastal Wood Decoys; Decoys by George Soule (Early Magnum Cork Hen Eider, Cork Magnum Hen Bluebill & (2) Cork Black Duck); Decorative Drake Wood Duck Decoy; Mini Black Duck Decoy in Shadow Box Sg. Sewell MacWilliams; Lot of Drake Eider Silhouettes w/Bases; Etc. EPHEMERA & BOOKS: (64) Early Maine Postcards; Framed “Sopranos” Photo/Display “I’m The Boss – Don’t Forget” Sg. By James Gandolfini; 1930-31 US Dept. of Agriculture Game Laws; Book “The Maine Game Warden”; the Entirety of Mr. John Duarte’s Personal Sporting Library – a Lifetime Collection of Books & Periodicals that includes Hundreds of Volumes on Hunting, Duck Hunting, Africa & African Hunting, Shooting, Guns, Every Aspect of Ammo Hand-Loading & Reloading, Gunsmithing, Salt & Freshwater Fishing, Fly-Fishing and Fly-Tying & Fly Rod Building and More! An Incredible Opportunity to Add to Your Library – or to Begin a Library of Your Own! BOATING, FURNISHINGS & MISCELLANEOUS: MinnKota Riptide 24 Volt Bow-Mount Electric Trolling Motor w/Foot & Remote Controls; Gamefisher 7 ½ HP O/B Motor w/ 2 ½ Gal. Gas Tank; Boat Seat w/Stainless Base; Stainless Boat Tower Stairs; Boat Umbrella & Mop; Pair of Rowing Oars & Mini Paddle; (2) Danforth Anchors & Misc. Small Anchors; Misc. Rope & (2) Large Dock Boat Bumpers & Boat Hooks; Brass Bell w/ Bracket; Brass Ships Wheel & Barometer; Brass Weems & Platt Yacht Lamp; Sailboat Block/Tackle & Cleats & Shackles; Folding Marine Message Board; Easy Bailer Portable Boat/Canoe Bailer; Ten Point Mod. Hybrid Lite Crossbow w/Hard Case, Arrows, Red Dot Scope & Accessories; Buck Hunting Knife, Folding Knife & Hatchet w/ Leather Sheathes; Misc. Hunting & Folding Knives w/Sheaths; Vintage Baseball Collector Folding Knives w/Fitted Case; (4) Camp Chairs w/Carry Bags; LL Bean Backpack & (4) Gear Bags; Propane Gas Camp Stove; Amish Oak/Hickory Stand; Mule Deer Antler Coffee Table; Hatteras Hammock; White Wicker Rocker & Chair; 7 Pc. Wrought Iron Patio Set; Soapstone “Elephant” & “Hippo” Bookends; Vintage Oak Grandfathers Clock; Bear Paw & Trail Snowshoes; Ash Pack Basket; Coushatta Indian Pine Needle Basket w/Cover & Pine Cone Decoration; African Zulu Herb Container; Indian Sweet Grass Baskets; Crochet Box w/Tools; Small Moccasin Pin Cushion; Mahogany Playing Card Box w/Marquetry Decoration; Indian Birchbark Covered Box; Seth Thomas Barometer on Mahogany Panel; Clock/Barometer Set w/Frame; Gold Elephant Earrings & Gold/Stone Elephant Lariat-Style Necklace; Vintage Cast Metal International Childs Peddle Tractor; (2) Oil Lanterns w/Red Globes & Ships Lantern; Ship Builders Half Model for “The Olive No. 1” by Coudy & Stevens Ship Builders, East Boothbay, Maine w/ Photo of Boat; Half Ship Model & Decoy Plaque; Nikon Model 3200 Digital Camera w/ 18-55 Lens, Battery/Battery Charger & Carrying Case; (2) Camera Tri-Pods; Lots More!
PREVIEWS: Friday, August 2, 2019, 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Saturday, August 3, 2019, 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.
TERMS: Cash or Good Check. NO Credit or Debit Cards Accepted. 15% Buyers Premium. LISTING SUBJECT TO ERROR. 5.5% Maine Sales Tax Charged on Bid Price + Buyers Premium. Buyers Please Bring a Copy of Your Valid Resale Certificate with You! All Local, State & Federal Firearms Regulations will be Strictly Adhered To. ALL ITEMS SOLD AS IS. The Hall Phone the Days of the Preview & Sale is (207) 675-3207. CATERED. GPS Address of Hall is 945 Pequawket Trail, Steep Falls, Maine 04085. Absentee Bids will be Accepted & Executed on a Competitive Basis. Orders of Sale will be Available for Purchase on August 2 & August 3.
AUCTIONEER GERARD P. GIGUERE (ME. LIC. 00884) – (207) 892-3800 – auctions@fairpoint.net – www.giguereauction.com We are still accepting Consignments and/or Purchasing Items, Single Pieces to Entire Collections, for this Summer, 2019, Sporting Auction. Space in this Sporting Auction Event is Very Limited! Call Today – Don’t Wait or You’ll Be Too Late! Contact Jerry Giguere (207) 892-3800 or (207) 233-8724. www.MaineSportsman.com
4 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Editorial
Good Things Come in Twos:
1) Youth Writing Contest Results; and 2) Recognition for Trophy Catch-and-Release Fish
Two major initiatives have been coming together these past few months, and we are equally excited about each project. The first is the results of the inaugural Maine Sportsman Youth Writing Contest. The rules were simple – submit 500 original words relating to a topic covered by our magazine, such as boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and ATV riding. Maine residents were in one category, while young folks from other New England states were in a second category, and we featured a Junior Division (grades 6 – 8) and a Senior class (grades 9 – 12). Entries from All Over New England Entries flowed in from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and subject matter varied widely, from deer, moose and turkey hunting, to boating, fishing, conservation and wilderness hiking. One young sportsman and three young sportswomen won themselves $100, while ten additional writers earned $25 Honorable Mention or Special Recognition awards. Our judging panel treated these young people as we would any aspiring writers, contacting the authors with questions, and requesting photographs and captions to accompany the essays. The most gratifying part of the process was interacting with these young people, who are without exception fully invested in the outdoors, and who are well on their ways to learning how to document their adventures and observations so they can share them with our readers. See the results, and our first published story (more to follow in coming months), starting on page 31. Catch-Measure-Release – Coming in August! Our second undertaking is establishing a program of recognition for trophy fish that are caught, measured, photographed and released. There’s been a steady drumbeat of demand for such a program for the last several years, and many other states are now hosting alternatives to traditional “One that Didn’t Get Away” patch clubs. (Keeping with the theme, we have tentatively labeled Maine’s new program, the “One That Swam Away” patch club.) The first challenge was determining “What’s a trophy fish?”, since weight-based determinations must be “translated” into inches, to provide for quick measurement, photo and release. We’ve had help from a fisheries biologist who has brought scientific accuracy to those measurements, which vary by fish species. The second task is determining the rules that should apply to the submissions. So far, we are tending to opt for inclusiveness, since the real goal of the program is to encourage anglers to get out there, fish, and share their experiences (and photos of their trophy catches) with the world. We’ve greatly appreciated input from Sam Cushing, a kayak fisherman and catch-and-release advocate who has gently pushed for this new program over the past year. See Sam’s letter to the editor on the subject – and a photo of his most recent huge lunker largemouth – on page 5 of this issue. Details of the new “One That Swam Away” patch club will be included in next month’s issue, so look for it. Thanks to all those who provided information and encouragement in developing the program.
¶
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New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication Readership
Sportsman The Maine
ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 562 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com OFFICE MANAGER: Linda Lapointe linda@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com Second class postage paid at Scarborough, ME 04074 and additional entry offices. All editorial inquiries should be emailed to will@mainesportsman.com Phone: 207-622-4242 Fax: 207-622-4255 Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330 12-Month Subscription: $30 • 24-Month Subscription: $49
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Almanac by Will Lund........................................................ 12 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves........................... 9 A Warden’s Life by Warden Lt. Bill Allen (Ret.)................ 37 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia...................... 38 Big Woods World by Joe Kruse......................................... 42 Bird of the Month, by Erika Zambello............................... 15 Capitol Report by George Smith..................................... 17 Central Maine by Steve Vose........................................... 56 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux................................... 53 Editorial.................................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie.......................... 51 Jackman by William Sheldon........................................... 39 Jottings by Jon Lund............................................................ 8 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon............................. 33 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukowski Gooding........... 44 Letters to the Editor.............................................................. 5 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes........................... 43 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour....................................... 23 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose................................... 27 Midcoast Report by Tom Seymour................................... 57 Moosehead by Tom Seymour.......................................... 48 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.................................. 68 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie................................ 46 Outdoor Chronicle by Ed Pineau..................................... 60 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith........................... 18 Rangeley Region by William Clunie................................. 70 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers................................. 75 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth......................... 61 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews...................... 45 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard................................. 63 Smilin’ Sportsman: Adults & Kids by Will Lund.................. 75 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie........................ 50 Southern Maine by Val Marquez..................................... 64 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller...................... 54 Trading Post (Classifieds)................................................... 76 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour........................................... 58 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.................. 66 Young Maine Sportsman by Luke Giampetruzzi............ 73
SPECIAL FEATURES
ATVing in Maine by Steve Vose........................................ 28 Bear Hunting in Maine by Bill Graves............................... 26 Fishing Buddies You Can Do Without by David Putnam.74 Food Plots an Interview with Mike Farnham................... 72 Moose Hunting in Maine by Angela Browne.................. 24 Saltwater Fishing in Maine by Barry Gibson.................... 19 Youth Writing Contest Results........................................... 31
On the Cover: On July 9, 2018, Jesse Goodwin of Orr’s Island hooked, then released, this handsome striper. “It was 7:40 p.m.,” he told The Maine Sportsman, “when I felt him sip the large Daiwa Salt Pro minnow in mackerel pattern, the same way a brown trout sips a caddie or a mayfly. The fish was about 120 yards off shore, in the big water. I got a perfect hook set, and the fight was on.” Jesse dedicated this cover photo to Jan.
Letters
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 5
Dogs Trained to Locate Antlers To the Editor: My name is Forrest Wardwell, and I have trained our three yellow labs to locate deer and moose antlers. They have proven to be extremely successful at it. We live in Coastal Maine, and in the winter I spend a great deal of time with the dogs in the woods picking up whitetail deer antlers.
To The Editor
We Could Not Have Said it Better To the Editor: I have been going to Fifteen Mile Stream in West Forks almost every fall for years, to bear hunt and hike. I love Maine, and always look forward to reading The Maine Sportsman. I’m excited to subscribe to your publication, and I look forward to seeing every issue. Gary L. Fogle - North Canton, Ohio —
Ready for Maine Sportsman’s Catch, Measure and Release Patch Club
To the Editor: On May 4th, 2019 I caught what will likely be the largest bass I catch in Maine for the rest of my life ... and I let it go.
Every other New England state (minus RI) has a form of recognition system for anglers to submit photos using length … why can’t Maine? Sam Cushing, PharmD. - Maine Kayak Angler The Editor Responds Sam: You’ve been patient, and your advocacy is about to be rewarded. In the August, 2019 issue, we will announce details of Maine’s newest patch club for catch-and-release fish, codenamed “One that Swam Away” club. We have been working with an experienced fish biologist who has “translated” weights to lengths for different fish, and with your help and the help of like-minded anglers we have compiled the catch-and-release rules from surrounding states, in an effort to adopt a set of streamlined but fair standards. Your persistence is appreciated. Will Lund, editor
This gets the dogs in shape for our springtime trip up to the North Maine Woods to find moose antlers. In early March of this year, we had a spectacular day during which we found 32 antlers (Continued on next page)
NOW AN AUTHORIZED
DEALER Tagging Station
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6 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Letters to the Editor (Continued from page 5)
on Friday and another 11 by noontime Saturday.
My wife and I saw a cougar for about two minutes on the Crooked Road in Moxie Township in 1999. H. D. Hobart - West Forks, Maine To the Editor: Regarding your survey question on cougar, we saw one in October 2006 in the Northwest zone near the Canadian border while we were moose hunting. We were sitting on a tote road, and saw something crossing the road. I got out my binoculars and saw that it was a cougar. There were four of us in the truck, and all of us were quite surprised by seeing it. After it went into the woods, we got out and examined the tracks, and they were quite large. Phillip Salway - Windham, ME —
All He Wants to Do is Fish To the Editor: My son Ayden, age 15, just purchased the June issue of The Maine Sportsman. He asked me to send you a few photos of his recent catches from Webber Pond in Vassal-
Is Common Sense Hitting the Wayside?
In addition to our dogs, my wife and I have two sons. The oldest is 17 months old. He gets an absolute kick out of finding antlers that I hide around the yard for him. I’m thinking he’ll enjoy antlers hunts just like his father does! Forrest Wardwell - Hancock County —
Two Readers Respond to “Have You Seen a Cougar in Maine?” Question on Sportsman Readers Survey
To the Editor:
To the Editor: I am a subscriber and I enjoy the Maine Sportsman very much. However, I have a concern about the tone and tenor of the questions on the Annual Maine Sportsman Reader Survey. Questions concerning responsible citizens paying tax or fee for tire dumpers? Dads being told they can’t take son or daughter hunting ’til a certain age? Landowners leasing their lands to bear hunters because their taxes are too expensive? And you want to tax them another way? Common sense judgment is slowly hitting the wayside, my friend. C’mon, man! Let’s keep Maine, Maine. And leave Massachusetts, New York and California and other liberal big government states to govern themselves. We have NOTHING to learn from them. Scott Menard - Nantucket, MA —
boro. All my son wants to do is fish. He has a real passion for it – and a real skill. Bob Clark - Bob.Scrapmetals@yahoo.com —
Grandmother Proud that Grandson Carrying On Trapping Tradition
To the Editor: Trapping was a way of life for my family. My dad was a Sergeant in the US Air Force. He had very little money, but he did have a love for the outdoors and wildlife. Trapping allowed him to do what he loved for a period of time in his life, and also provide money for our family. His process was precise, and I loved watching him. He taught me each step, from (Continued on next page)
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 7 (Continued from page 6)
boiling the traps, and letting them air dry, to making sure I stepped in his exact track when we were setting them out, so as not to cause more smells or disturbances than necessary, and scare off any of critters we were after. He would carefully explain and show me how to “take care of” our catch so not to ruin the fur/hide. Fisher cats were worth the most when I was a young girl; I remember all the skins hung to dry all over our garage. As time passed the money wasn’t as good in trapping, so my dad trapped for the sport of it. He taught my sons how to trap, and we would all go out as a family to learn the trade. As an avid outdoors man he believed the trapping was his part of keeping the populations in check. When my dad fell ill and was unable to make it out in the woods anymore, he handed down some of his traps to my sons, who still have them. And he sold the rest to a man who is still trapping. Now, my oldest grandson has taken up a keen interest in trapping, and he is learning from the man my father sold his traps to, years ago. In the Maine Sportsman’s March issue, my grandson Tanner was pictured with Brian Cogill, beaver trapping. Brian was a good friend of my dad, and I am ecstatic that he wants to help the younger generation learn the importance of trapping. Brian and my dad spent many hours together discussing the daily events of the trapping world, and attending the Trappers Convention in Bethel. I was so happy to see this picture and write-up about Tanner and my dad, it brought many happy tears! I had great memories of trapping with him and now hopefully my grandchildren will continue the tradition. Lisa Hale - Porter, ME —
“One that Didn’t Get Away Club” was a Really Big Deal in 1951! To the Editor: I was talking with Maine Sportsman staff at the 2019 State of Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta, and I mentioned my grandfather’s 1951 “One that Didn’t Get Away” patch. Here’s the story, and photograph of the patch he received. My grandfather Louville Bodwell of Shapleigh was fishing on Sebago Lake with his father, Corliss Bodwell of Springvale, and a friend named Sid Wright, also of Springvale. They weren’t having any luck at all on this particular summer day – no fish had been caught all day. As they made their way back to shore, my great grandfather Corliss and his friend Sam pulled their lines, but not my grandfather. He kept his Dave Davis rig with a Copper Mooselook Wobbler in the water.
They sped the boat up a bit faster than they had all day, and that seemed to do the trick. The result was the one fish day of June 24th 1951 – a nice 7-lb., 1-oz., 25-inch long brown trout! The fish earned him a patch, a certificate and a letter from the state! Chris Letourneau - bandit68_82@hotmail.com —
Keeping Tabs on Sweet Sally
To the Editor: I wish to provide follow-up information on last month’s “Sportsman’s Journal” article by King Montgomery, in which he introduced readers to Sweet Sally, a former model who sometimes wore only hip boots and a baseball cap when fly fishing. Here’s an update: Late this past February, our ice fishing club met for the final session of the season. The chili and beans were disappearing fast, when one of the new guys forced us to vacate the clubhouse and stagger out onto the ice for fresh air. As our eyes cleared, we noticed a nearby shanty, but no holes or flags. Upon approaching, we were hit by the most fantastic aroma of coffee, bacon, and fresh-baked bread. A knock on the door was answered by a “Hi - I’m Sally.” Sally was dressed in a fashionable ski cap, a leather bombardier’s jacket, silk short shorts, and L.L. Bean boots. The small talk revealed that Sally had not drilled any holes because she had forgotten her ice auger. Before I could say “We can help,” Old Red was on his way. An 83-year old man with a gimpy leg had never returned so fast with our gas powered auger. “Where do you want them holes drilled, Ma’am ?” Her reply was, “I don’t want to trouble you boys; I like to drill these myself.” So, for the next 20 minutes, Sally drilled away, while three of us old geezers followed her, offering encouragement. Max Hembley - Winkumpaugh Corners, ME
¶
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8 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Dogs Can’t Run at Large and Prey on Animals – Why Can Cats? John DeWinter, High Sheriff of Kennebec County in the 1960s, was something of a philosopher, in addition to being a law enforcer. Once, he said to me “There are no dumb people in Thomaston ( Maine State Prison). He was not referring to lack of intelligence, but the lack of ability to talk. In his shorthand way, he was saying that most of the people there had talked about their crimes, which led to their conviction. The late Ezra James (Jim) Briggs was a member of the state Legislature in the 1960s. He was a strong conservationist, but ahead of his time. Clean water was one of his legislative pursuits, and at hearings on conservation bills he supported, he was often opposed by well-dressed lobbyists representing Maine’s pulp and paper industries. When making
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Prior to the 1940s, it was considered acceptable to shoot feral cats that were killing birds on your property. More recently, the writer Ted Williams made the mistake of suggesting similar disposition of feral cats. As a result, his publisher temporarily suspended him. a presentation, Jim would refer to the lobbyists “in their Hickey-Freeman suits.” It did not matter to Jim if his cause might be doomed to failure. He would soldier on, laying out his arguments. He was our state’s conservation Don Quixote. Jim was also a wellknown hunter and fisherman and had retired from the Legislature for a time when I first served in the House. At one point I convinced the House of Representatives to recognize Jim for his conservation efforts at a Jim Briggs Day. He came down from Caribou for the event and was invited to address the House. Instead of offering the usual plati-
A feral cat devours a bird. Photo: Jiri Lochman/ Lochman Transparencies
tudes, he seized the opportunity to launch into his Hickey-Freeman suit speech, to the entertainment of some legislators and the consternation of others. Formerly Acceptable to Shoot Feral Cats When this writer started to hunt in the 1940s, he became an avid reader of Field and Stream magazine, where the writers sometimes lamented the significant toll of songbirds, game birds and small wildlife killed by domestic cats. The ethic of that day supported the practice that if a hunter in the fields or forests at a distance from any dwelling encountered a feral cat, because of the animal’s predatory habits, he should shoot it. The Maine law at the time made it a crime to shoot a domestic animal, which included horses and cows, cattle, sheep and dogs but not cats. At some point in subsequent years, cats were added to the protected category of domestic animals. Jim Briggs was a resi-
dent of Caribou, where he owned a home and land, which was the favored hunting ground of a cat that caught birds at Jim’s feeder. Despite Jim’s complaints to the owners of the cat, the depredations continued. Perhaps influenced by the hunting ethic outlined above, he shot the cat, which did not die on the spot, but returned to its home and owner and died. The young owner, understandably, was greatly upset by the death of the cat. Jim was interviewed by a law enforcement officer and apparently admitted to shooting the cat. The upshot of the unfortunate affair was that Briggs was charged with killing a domestic animal. The case generated some publicity, but I do not recall what the outcome was. Cat on the Island I was reminded of the Jim Briggs episode recently when a family member paddled by my camp on an island in Lake Cobbossee and reported to me that a short time after ice-out, he’d seen a scrawny-looking cat near my camp. As soon as my informant proceeded to land, the cat moved quickly away, and disappeared. This report puzzled me, as there are no camps on the island other than ones occupied by extended family, and those are seasonal. The nearest mainland is a half-mile away, across open water. It seems unlikely that a
feral cat could survive there on squirrels and mice. On a subsequent visit to the camp, another family member saw a white and orange cat that quickly disappeared. Ted Williams’ Error Ted Williams, the outdoor writer, who writes for a national publication, once wrote about the problem of allowing cats to roam at large and the resulting toll on wildlife. He proposed a simple but radical solution to the problem, which will not be repeated on these pages. Williams’ piece provoked a firestorm of outrage from cat enthusiasts, which caused his publisher to suspend him for a time. From time to time, biologists have estimated the number of birds and small mammals killed by domestic cats, but more recently, technology has upped the ante. Miniature digital cameras small enough to be attached to cats’ collars have been employed and have demonstrated that domestic cats allowed to run at large kill far greater numbers of birds and small mammals than previously thought. For many years, dogs were allowed to run at large in Maine, and wardens were reported to shoot dogs that were running deer. Then as we focused on the threat to all wildlife posed by dogs, legislation was enacted making it an offense for an owner of a dog to allow it to run at large. Perhaps it is time for the Legislature to find a remedy to deal with the owners of cats allowed to run at large.
¶
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 9
It’s the Month for Brookies and Bass in The County July in the Crown of Maine offers perfect weather and water conditions for wading and casting for native brook trout on regional brooks and small streams. Some of the hundreds of cool, flowing, liquid blue ribbons are narrow enough to leap from bank to bank. Others are in the deep woods or remote farmland accessible by obscure two-tracks. All of them harbor hard-hitting, flashy speckled brookies that take you back to childhood outings and bring a smile and a thrill at the strike to even the most experienced angler. The “Other” Meduxnekeag In past columns I’ve mentioned the main branch of Meduxnekeag River that flows from Littleton to Houlton and then Hodgdon, and its rewarding brown trout fishing. During July and August, however, my fancy turns to brook trout and
When fishing for brookies, bring lots of bug repellent. One evening, as a buddy and I were working our way back to the truck along the stream edge at dusk, we realized that mosquitoes as large as grasshoppers were carrying fireflies to help locate us in the dark!
Small, forest-lined brooks like Meduxnekeag’s North Branch seldom endure heavy fishing pressure and can offer fat, feisty brookies like this beauty right in the middle of the day this month. All photos: Bill Graves
the more remote North Branch of the Meduxnekeag. Along this stretch, it’s
a river in name only, and is really more of a brook in dimensions. But a more pictur-
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esque stream for summer wading would be hard to find, and the trout respond with abandon to
flies as well as worms and spinners. Thanks to many ledge seeps, creek inlets and springs, the water temperature remains cool, and fish can be enticed to strike even during the bright afternoon. Hip waders work fine and the occasional deep hole can be maneuvered around, but be aware of the loose, rocky stream bed which offers uncertain and slippery footing. On really warm days, my angling friends and I have been known to forgo wading boots for sneakers and blue jeans – just don’t forget to relocate your wallet! Don’t even consider wearing shorts and T-shirts – the hordes of woods-wise black flies and mosquitoes will eat you alive. Bring lots of insect repellant. I swear one evening a buddy and I were working our way back to the truck along the stream edge at dusk, and
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10 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Get off the beaten path a bit on small streams like the North Branch of Meduxnekeag and fish a dry fly wet to experience some fast and furious action on native brookies this month.
Wading secluded streams like The North Branch of Meduxnekaeg offers solitude and a steady supply of willing 8- to 12-inch native trout.
The County (Continued from page 9)
mosquitoes as large as grasshoppers were carrying fire flies to help locate us in the dark! Well – maybe they were only the size of crickets, but when
they bit it sure felt like they were bigger. Gear, Lures and Flies I favor an old lightweight 6-½ foot Fenwick fiberglass rod for easier
casting along some of the tree- and brush-shrouded runs, although a 7-foot rod will work. Most portions of the North Branch are relatively open, but fly rodders will have to be aware of backcasts more than bait casters.
Tom Tardiff of Robinson enjoys mid-day trout action on a warm July afternoon along one of several cold-water creek and spring-fed streams around Mars Hill and Bridgewater.
Speaking of wormdunkers, the medium depth and random holding pockets will fish far better with a small angleworm and silver or pearl spinner, rather than using any sinkers or windon weights. You’ll lose
a lot fewer hooks on the rocks, snags, blowdowns and underwater branches that are found in the shoreline pools and eddies. Dry flies like a Mosquito, Light Cahill and (Continued on next page)
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This unusual underwater photo taken by the author shows the trout and the dry fly fished wet right in its mouth as it comes to the net. (Continued from page 10)
Hendrickson work well early and late in the day, but for day-long action on all the riffles, runs and slower pools, you can’t beat a size 12 or 14 dry fly fished wet. My favorite and battle-proven trio includes a Henryville Special, Royal Coachman and a Quill Gordon. If you enjoy tossing a wet fly, color is the key – tie on a Parmachene Belle, Trout Fin or Silver Doctor for some flash and splash. Route 1A is the most direct access road to Jewell’s Corner, then head west to Harvey’s Siding where a bridge crosses the Meduxnekeag. There’s plenty of room to leave a vehicle away from the road and head up or down stream. This brook gets light pressure, and the farther from the road you wade, the better the fishing is likely to get; in fact, it’s rare to see another angler. Check Delorme’s Atlas, Map 59, grid C-2 for an overview, and give this mostly-overlooked Meduxnekeag tributary a try. Another ’Keag I have another favorite July waterway that also starts with M and ends with “keag,” only this one’s a lake, and the prime quarry are smallmouth bass.
Mattawamkeag Lake in Island Falls is a fishing destination for the 4th of July month because the topwater action is hotter than a firecracker. The lake actually consists of two segments – Upper Mattawamkeag, a smaller portion where the boat ramp and large parking area are located, and then the much larger main lake, accessed by a 500-yard thoroughfare. Shallow and infested with large rocks, Upper has a heavy concentration of perch and pickerel, and a fair number of smallies. However, I often motor right to the big water and begin tossing poppers, chuggers and top-walkers around the islands and boulder-strewn shoreline.
One of the most dependable topwater plugs for Mattawamkeag Lake is a green and yellow POP R like the one displayed with a hard-fighting smallie.
Birch and Long Points are always action-packed, and Norway Island is another great area to cast topwater plugs. Black Point Cove has been a go-to spot for wacky rigged or Texas rigged 5-inch Senko worms – try the black model with blue sparkles, you won’t be disappointed. Use I95 north or south as the primary approach route to reach Mattawamkeag Lake, then exit at Island Falls and pick up Route 2, which will bring you within 100 yards of the boat launch on the upper lake. Check over DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 52, sectors B-4, C-4 and C-5 for an overview of roads and waterway landmarks.
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Almanac
12 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —
“Snapshots in Time”
Excerpts from the Annals of Maine’s Sporting Past Submitted by Bill Pierce, of the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, Maine
“Sins of the Fathers” What follows was reprinted from the Millinocket Journal and appeared in the Maine Woods in May 1905. It relates some very scrupulous – and, in the last instance, perhaps poisonous – methods of illegally taking brook trout in the Island Falls area. The folks interviewed seemed to have no problem at all with these illegal activities that “don’t
improve the fishing” once executed. Given that the legal bag limit in the day was 50 fish, these guys were the “Ivan the Terribles” of wild trout conservation. Quick Lime and Dynamite were not the only unsportsmanlike methods of taking fish, and coming in June at the Outdoor Heritage Museum we will be opening a new
exhibit entitled, “19th Century Spring Hooks, The Infernal Contraptions” featuring a fascinating collection of outlawed devices designed to trap and snare fish. Don’t be like these early 20th Century fish hogs – please obey all laws pertaining to our fish & game as you go out and make some outdoor history of your own!
Fishing for Trout with a Meal Sack and Dynamite Maine Woods – May 5, 1905
“Speaking of fishing,” said a bystander whose name we did not ascertain, “I want to relate a little experience that I had at Island Falls. A party of several persons started for a trip up Dyer Brook way. We took along the usual supply of dry and wet bait, and with it several sticks of dynamite and a meal sack. This latter I did not understand, but that comes later. “We reached the brook and the boys selected a deep inviting-looking pool. Then the dynamite was explained. “Protecting several sticks in longneckers, they sank them in the pool and stood back. Presently there was seismic disturbance of large proportions, and the pool seemed to be turned wrong side out. “When things had subsided somewhat it was easy to gather up what trout were wanted from the surface of the water and from the surrounding shores. The boys laid around the remainder of the day en-
joyed the refreshments above mentioned, and when night let her sober curtain down, returned to the village laden with trout. “This kind of fishing is very effective when you wish to fill a meal sack, but it does not tend to improve the fishing.” “That reminds me,” said another bystander, “of an incident that occurred in my piscatorial experience. Several years ago, I was fishing one of our well-known streams after my usual fashion with a bent pin attached to a line which in its turn was fastened to an alder pole. “As I neared a certain pool reputed to abound in speckled beauties, I heard voices, and drawing near saw a party of young fellows sinking a two-quart preserve jar in the pool. They had filled the jar with quick lime and punched a hole in the cover. After sinking the can they stepped back into the woods and waited. “When enough water had leaked into the
can, the quick lime began to work. We didn’t notice when this began of course. “Did you ever hear that trout get jagged,” said a bystander. “They do sometimes. If you sink a small sack of air-slacked lime into a stream where there are trout, they will come to the surface and be around waiting to be picked up and taken to the cooler or any old place. “To be sure they get red in the eyes and have swelled heads, but it doesn’t seem to hurt any more than the ordinary State of Maine jag. Yes, that’s a fact. Any trout that isn’t a teetotaler will snuggle right up to such a proposition as that. “However, the Maine law forbids vile man from dispersing lime in that way, and the fish have never been known to go ashore after it, so that the number of jags among trout is not so great as among those who go after them.” — Millinocket Journal.
(Almanac continued on next page)
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Before being hired, he worked as a volunteer Hunter Safety Instructor for the DIF&W in the Lewiston/Auburn area, and enjoyed all forms of outdoor recreation in Maine, especially duck hunting and fishing. Warden Leach attended the 34th Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, where he was elected as the class vice president. Warden Leach looks forward to a career serving the people of Maine while protecting and preserving the natural resources and outdoor recreation that Maine offers. —
(Continued from page 13)
Meet the Newest Wardens: Game Warden Tyler Leach
Why Do Sturgeon Jump?
Game Warden Tyler Leach was born and raised in North Berwick, Maine. Leach developed his passion for the outdoors at a young age, fishing a small brook on his family’s property. That passion was further fueled by ice fishing and hunting with his father and friends. Many weekends were spent recreating on the family boat on the large lakes in southern Maine. In 2004 he graduated from Seacoast Christian School in South Berwick Maine. Leach then attended WyoTech in Laramie Wyoming, where he graduated with an associate’s degree in Advanced Diesel Technology. After 12 years in the diesel industry as a heavy equipment technician, Warden Leach answered his personal call to become a Maine Game Warden.
No one is quite certain. One of the most recent theories is that it’s a way for the fish to communicate – for example, to avoid getting separated from one another in a big river, or to broadcast messages such as “Hey, I’ve found a nice deep pool to rest in over here!” The resulting “slap” when the fish hit the water can be heard and felt quite a ways away.
(Continued on next page)
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14 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Almanac
• You’ve got camo hats, orange hats, and camo hats with orange on the other side so you can exit the woods after bowhunting, safely hauling game. My empathetic spouse purchased some transparent, stackable, lock-top plastic bins, and that helps some, but I still end up dumping everything out on the Ping-Pong table and sifting through it – or, more frequently, just bringing EVERYTHING upta camp, and sorting it out once I get there. —
(Continued from page 13)
Emerald Ash Borer Threat Looms Over Maine
Keith Dirago of Farmingdale, the self-described “guy with the big beard,” dropped these photos off at the Maine Sportsman booth during this spring’s State of Maine Sportsman’s Show. Keith calls his enterprise “Mainely Wildlife Photography.” All we know is that recording these shots along the Kennebec River must have involved equal amounts of skill, patience and good luck. —
How Do You Organize Hunting Gear?
Not to go all Good Housekeeping on you, fair readers, but how do you efficiently store and retrieve hunting gear? • You’ve got camo for bowhunting deer, and you need to keep it smelling like the woods. • You’ve got camo for hunting turkeys, and it doesn’t matter what it smells like, ’cause turkeys can’t smell anything. • You’ve got lightweight camo for warm weather, heavy camo for cold weather and waterproof camo for when it rains. • You’ve got blackpowder gear that all smells like Pyrodex or bore butter, and you need to keep that away from everything else.
by Nick Lund, Outreach Manager Maine Audubon
• You’ve got flashlights and a hand-held GPS that you can’t pack away too deeply in other stuff, since you need to find them, and since they need to have fresh batteries. • You’ve got hiking boots, calf-high rubber boots, hip boots and waders. • You’ve got a compound bow, and it’s awkward to get it into a closet (I hang mine up) • You’ve got broadheads and practice points, and a huge foam target that’s full of holes. • You’ve got a ground blind, a ladder stand and a climbing stand, and all the accompanying gear (e.g., harness, tether, haul-line). • You’ve got heavyweight gloves, lightweight gloves, orange gloves and camo gloves. • You’ve got sheath knives, folding-blade knives and jackknives (in fact, you have many, many examples of each type).
No one is exactly sure when or how the Emerald Ash Borer showed up in Canton Township, Michigan – the best guess is that it hitched a ride in shipping crates from China in the 1990s – but their impact was felt quickly. By 2015, this small species of metallic green beetle had destroyed nearly every ash tree in southeastern Michigan. It spread quickly from there. Without the predatory wasps or resistant trees that keep ash borer populations in check in its native Asia, the beetle flourished in the hardwood forests of the United States. The US Department of Agriculture has recorded the Emerald Ash Borer in more than 30 states, and 5 Canadian provinces. The beetle ate its way through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and southern Quebec, and was finally found in Maine last year – first in Madawaska, and then in western York county. Maine has several species of fraxinus ash tree preferred by the Emerald Ash Borer: White Ash, Green Ash and Black Ash. (Continued on next page)
July 2019 Sunrise/Sunset
July 2019 Tidal Chart
Portland, ME
Portland, ME
DATE 1 Mon 2 Tue 3 Wed 4 Thu 5 Fri 6 Sat 7 Sun 8 Mon 9 Tue 10 Wed 11 Thu 12 Fri 13 Sat 14 Sun 15 Mon 16 Tue
RISE 5:02 5:02 5:02 5:03 5:03 5:05 5:06 5:06 5:07 5:07 5:08 5:09 5:10 5:11 5:12 5:13
SET 8:27 8:27 8:27 8:27 8:27 8:26 8:26 8:25 8:25 8:25 8:24 8:23 8:22 8:22 8:21 8:20
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DATE 17 Wed 18 Thu 19 Fri 20 Sat 21 Sun 22 Mon 23 Tue 24 Wed 25 Thu 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 Sun 29 Mon 30 Tue 31 Wed
RISE 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:21 5:22 5:23 5:25 5:26 5:27 5:28
SET 8:20 8:20 8:19 8:17 8:16 8:15 8:14 8:13 8:13 8:12 8:11 8:09 8:08 8:07 8:06
DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue
HIGH AM PM 10:39 10:45 11:27 11:33 — 12:17 12:23 1:07 1:14 1:57 2:06 2:50 3:02 3:46 4:01 4:43 5:02 5:42 6:06 6:40 7:11 7:40 8:16 8:38 9:17 9:32 10:12 10:22 11:03 11:09 11:50 11:54
LOW AM PM 4:26 4:29 5:13 5:17 6:01 6:07 6:50 6:58 7:40 7:51 8:31 8:47 9:25 9:46 10:20 10:48 11:17 11:52 — 12:15 12:58 1:16 2:04 2:16 3:05 3:14 4:01 4:06 4:51 4:54 5:37 5:39
DATE 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed
HIGH AM PM — 12:34 12:35 1:14 1:15 1:53 1:53 2:31 2:32 3:09 3:13 3:49 3:56 4:30 4:42 5:13 5:31 5:59 6:24 6:47 7:21 7:40 8:19 8:34 9:16 9:27 10:09 10:20 11:02 11:12
LOW AM PM 6:21 6:22 7:01 7:02 7:38 7:42 8:15 8:22 8:51 9:03 9:29 9:47 10:09 10:33 10:51 11:22 11:36 — 12:14 12:25 1:09 1:18 2:07 2:13 3:03 3:08 3:56 4:02 4:48 4:55
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 15 (Continued from page 14)
Maine is the most heavily-forested state in the nation, and about four percent of our hardwoods are fraxinus ash trees. Green Ash is commonly found lining suburban streets, and the fibers of the Black Ash have long been woven by the Wabanaki people into baskets. The hard wood of the White Ash is used to make baseball bats, boat paddles, and other important tools. Emerald Ash Borers are insidious pests, and are often undetectable until their host tree is already nearly dead. They lay their eggs in the crevices of the bark, and their larvae feed on the phloem – the tissue just under the bark that carries nutrients to the leaves. Ash trees, and those working to contain the spread of the beetle, have little chance. The more important tool so far to stem the spread of Emerald Ash Borer is increased awareness of the general public. The beetles are easily transported to new areas in cut firewood. In April 2019, the State of Maine imposed a quarantine for all of York County and northeastern Aroostook County, to try to
prevent the beetle’s movement. The quarantine prohibits movement of ash nursery stock from the quarantine area, and regulates the movement of hardwood firewood, untreated ash lumber and hardwood chips and other ash products with bark, according to the Portland Press Herald. Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry website has information on the identification of Emerald Ash Borer and the work being done to keep it from spreading. Please alert the state if you see area ash trees in trouble, and we can work together to protect our forests. —
Bird of the Month: Wild Turkey by Erika Zambello
Across the United States and into Mexico, six distinct sub-species make up what we know as North America’s Wild Turkey. The Eastern Wild Turkey ranges within the eastern United States; the Florida/Osceola Wild Turkey is found only in Florida; the Gould’s Wild Turkey lives in Mexico and small areas of the Southwest; the Merriam’s Wild Turkey has patches of habitat in the South and Midwest; the Rio Grande Wild Turkey lives in states that harbor its namesake river, as well as in California, Oregon, and Washington; and finally, the Ocellated Turkey is found only in southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. And while all the subspecies have distinct characteristics that set them apart from each other, it is our Eastern Wild Turkey that leads the pack, and in more ways than one. The Eastern Wild Turkey has the largest range, and is the heaviest (tied with the Merriam’s and Gould’s varieties).
Photo credit: Aaron Smith, Ashland, Maine
In addition, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Eastern subspecies earns the crown for strongest, and sports the largest beard! Perhaps unfortunately for hunters, however, the Eastern and Osceola Turkeys are more difficult to call in than all other varieties. Over two million hunters seek turkeys every year, but the population of these game birds has increased greatly since studies began in 1966. In Maine, turkeys are hunted in both a fall and spring season. In the fall, hunters can use bows or shotguns from October 1 through November 7 in select wildlife management districts. In the spring, open season dates depend on the wildlife management district, and range from April 29 through June 1. (Continued on next page)
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16 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Almanac (Continued from page 15)
Book Review: Why the Cane? Transformation and recovery after a traumatic injury by Christopher Lockwood © 2019, 97 pp., MaineAuthorsPublishing.com Reviewed by Will Lund We still remember the news reverberating around the close-knit communities in Augusta and Hallowell – on January 2, 1989, Chris Lockwood, known as the outspoken executive director, advocate and lobbyist for the Maine Municipal Association, was standing behind his van off the side of the main street in Kingfield, when another driver’s vehicle slammed into the back of his van, crushing Chris’s left leg and sending him flying into the air.
Transported to the Farmington hospital for stabilization and then to MassGeneral in Boston by helicopter, Chris began a near-decade recovery process, involving bone grafts, braces, endless rehabilitation work, and finally, a cane. To call this book “intensely personal” is an understatement. In this era of heroic sagas in which victims surmount incredible odds without setbacks, resentment or emotion, Lockwood’s tale is refreshingly human. A proud, intelligent man and former Navy officer, Lockwood is deeply resentful of the legal system, in which the other driver’s case was initially resolved without any input from him – the primary victim. He admits to not being a very good patient, including verbally taking out his anger and frustration on his supportive family. And his book is a primer on negotiating the health care system, keeping your own medical records, taking careful notes during medical appointments, and becoming an advocate for your own best long-term interests. Not a hunting or fishing book – no, but for those of us who are fortunate to live long enough to experience serious health challenges in our futures, this is a guide to increased self-awareness, and to improving the experience for the patient and for all those around us.
¶
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 17
The Commissioner Gets Her Turkey DIF&W Commissioner Judy Camuso was very excited about shooting a turkey in May. This is the first wild animal Judy has taken, and as she told me the story I could tell she was very pleased. DIFW fisheries biologist Liz Thorndike guided Judy that morning. A large landowner had given them permission to hunt, and even provided them with a very comfortable blind including two nice chairs. (Yes, Judy is spoiled.) Liz had told Judy not to shoot a puffed-up gobbler because it was easy to just hit the feathers and miss the bird. And when a nice gobbler appeared, it was some distance away so Judy did not shoot. But Liz called the gobbler in, and when it got to about 15 feet away, she started whispering to Judy to shoot. Judy whispered back that the gobbler was puffed up. She didn’t realize that once a bird gets that close, it’s difficult to
miss. And when Liz finally convinced her to shoot, down went the gobbler and up went Judy in a wild and crazy celebration. It took a while for Liz to get Judy calmed down, and when she finally did, they went outside and eventually took some very nice pictures with Judy’s turkey, which had an 8 ¼ inch beard and weighed 16.8 pounds. When I asked Judy if she’d be going out to get her second turkey, she told me she really didn’t have time. She is a very busy person, but I explained to her that as Commissioner of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department, she is supposed to be out there hunting and fishing! She is also an avid angler, so don’t be surprised if you see her sometime out there fishing in one of your favorite waters. And no, I have not told her about my favorite waters!
Pike I’ve always been dis-
appointed that Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department did nothing to get pike out of our many waters where they were illegally stocked. Long Pond, just 10 minutes from my house, was one of our state’s best landlocked salmon waters. And then someone put pike in the pond, and quite quickly the salmon were gone. Today there are nine different invasive species in Long Pond. Compare our lack of action to what they’re doing in Washington State, where they are actually paying anglers $10 for every pike they kill. I am pleased that DIFW, in reaction to legislation I proposed, is moving forward with a rule change that will expand protection of our native brook trout.
ulation interesting. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in conjunction with the University of Maine and the National Wild Turkey Federation, is now halfway through a three-year study that looks at turkey reproductive success and mortality, and provides helpful insight into how wild turkeys interact with the landscape. The department is capturing and placing transmitting collars on turkeys in several areas around the state, then tracking movements, and monitoring nesting success and mortalities. To date, the department has banded 200 males and 200 females. There also are 75 female and 20 male turkeys that have been fitted with
transmitting collars so they can be tracked. With data from the current study, the department will use seasonal harvest numbers in addition to factors such as weather, turkey productivity, and natural mortality to estimate the population at the Wildlife Management district scale. The results of the (Continued on next page)
Turkeys If you hunt turkeys – and even if you don’t hunt turkeys – you will find DIF&W’s assessment of our turkey pop-
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18 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Capitol Report (Continued from page 17)
study will enable MDIFW to fine tune its wild turkey management system to address publicly derived turkey management goals across the state. In southern and central Maine, the new model for assessing population trends will help manage a growing turkey population and the challenges of human/turkey conflicts. With hunting as the primary tool for managing wild turkey populations, a better understanding of what factors influence the turkey population will allow biologists to adjust the harvest of female turkeys in some areas during the fall hunting season by altering bag limits and season lengths more confidently. Nate Webb Nate Webb has been selected to lead DIF&W’s Wildlife Division. He is a great choice for that important job, which was Judy Camuso’s job before she was selected to be the department’s commissioner. Here is the announcement, shared with me by Mark Latti. Nate Webb, the supervisor of MDIFW’s Wildlife Resource Assess-
ment Section in Bangor, is the new director of the wildlife division at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “Nate’s extensive background as biologist coupled with his strong leadership and supervisory skills make him an excellent choice to lead the wildlife division,” said MDIFW Commissioner Judy Camuso, who held the director position prior to becoming commissioner. Webb first began his career with the Department when he was a student at the University of Maine and worked on a contract as biologist on the department’s bear crew. He graduated in 2003 from the University in Maine in Orono with a degree in wildlife ecology, and then went on to the University of Alberta, where he received his Ph.D. in 2009. As a carnivore specialist for the Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks, Webb worked on wolves, cougars and bears, and authored several technical publications on bear, wolves, cougars and moose. Nate returned to Maine and rejoined the department in 2014 as the special project coordi-
Quotable
nator, and then was promoted to MDIFW’s Public Lands Wildlife Biologist for the Bureau of Public Lands in 2017 before being selected to lead the Wildlife and Research Assessment Section in DIFW’s Bangor office in the spring of 2018. In his new position as director of the wildlife division, he will oversee the development and implementation of policy decisions, legislative proposals and rules related to the wildlife division; he will coordinate a budget of $12 million and will supervise a staff of nearly 50 people; and he will oversee the management, protection and enhancement of over 500 birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. An avid hunter, birder, angler and hiker, Nate grew up outside of Augusta, and still resides in the area with his wife and two children. Bobcats Bobcats are shy elusive animals, so you don’t often see them. But they are plentiful throughout the state. I only saw them a couple of times on my woodlot, but noticed the tracks almost every time I snowshoed there. One winter in our backyard, at the bottom of a large apple tree, I found the feathers of a turkey along with bobcat
In May, DIF&W Commissioner Judith Camuso (right) was guided to her first-ever turkey by DIF&W biologist Liz Thorndike.
tracks. From the snow, I could tell that quite a ruckus had happened there. Turns out the bobcat had sat in a crotch of the tree, and when the turkey had walked by, the cat jumped on it and killed it, dragging it about 20 yards back into the woods and eating most of it. Porcupines The diary of Daniel Haywood a Parmachenee guide at Camp Caribou, Parmachenee Lake (1891) is a fascinating account of hunting and trapping above Rangeley in 1891. It includes this story about porcupines (hedgehogs): I once saw a hedgehog
Sportsman
Deirdre Fleming story, Maine Sunday Telegram, May 5, 2019, discussing game cameras set up on the Eastern Trail in Scarborough. —
Wild turkeys are a wildlife success story in Maine. Once gone completely from Maine landscapes, they are now a familiar sight in all Maine’s 16 counties, thanks to a reintroduction and management plan started in the 1970s by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. DIF&W press release, April 26, 2019 —
Our wildlands can’t regenerate, because there is an over browsing of deer …. The deer population is larger than the land can support, so the deer eat every living plant material as soon as it comes out of the ground .… The Nature Conservancy allows hunting on its properties, and would like to allow people to harvest more than one deer per year – but doesn’t see that happening. Tom Atwell report, Maine Sunday Telegram, May 5, 2019. —
by George Smith
The game cameras have photographed turkeys, deer, skunks, coyotes, fox, bobcats, and 44 other species of wildlife around the trail. www.MaineSportsman.com
We support a complete review of the ATV trail system in Maine. That system relies
swimming in the lake and killed it. It crossed from an island ¼ mile distant, and was near the shore when I saw it. I never knew any good to come from a hedgehog, and there is no end to the trouble which comes from them in localities where they are plenty. Besides their quills and then gnawing of articles left around camps, one hedgehog will reduce a shade tree to ruin, be it poplar, elm, birch, maple, beech or any other hardwood tree, in one night; therefore I always expend the contents of my revolver on one, where I meet it, and I think I take no charms from these woods by doing.
¶
largely on the willingness of private landowners to allow access. The growth in ATV use, size and weight of machines and expansion of the trail network requires a fresh look. Tom Doak, Maine Woodland Owners, about an ATV Task Force organized by Governor Janet Mills. John Holyoke story, Bangor Daily News, May 6, 2019 — Bush says the Spokane, Kalispel and Colville Confederated Tribes are working with his agency, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Chelan and Grant County Public Utility Districts. They’re encouraging fishers to catch and kill pike. Lake Roosevelt anglers can turn their fish in at collection stations for a $10-per-fish bounty. The Colville Tribes are in charge of that. Spokane (WA) Public Radio, May 7, 2019
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 19
Mackerel Tricks That Work! by Barry Gibson Here are a few tips (I guess everyone calls them “hacks” these days) that I’ve gathered during my years as a charter skipper that might be worth sharing, and may help you catch a few more mackerel for a backyard barbecue or for healthy and happy live baits.
Macks are easy to catch when they’re plentiful, says the author, but if at first they don’t cooperate, here are the top 10 tricks to get them onto your line and into your cooler or live well. Use Sabiki or Fly Rigs If you want to load up on macks quickly, use a multi-hook Sabiki or fly rig. Most Maine
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tackle shops sell them. Forget those hardwarestore, fluorescent plastictube “mackerel trees” of yesteryear. Sabikis are way more productive.
My favorite model is Hayabusa’s #S501E, which has six hooks dressed with fish skin, yarn, and glow beads. Attach a two-ounce bank
sinker to the bottom snap and jig the rig vertically from a pier, or from an anchored or drifting boat. Low and Slow You can also troll a Sabiki with good results. Swap the sinker for a two- or three-ounce “action” spoon such as a Kastmaster or Fjord. Let (Continued on next page)
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20 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Saltwater Fishing
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the rig out about 75 feet behind the boat, and troll as slowly as your boat will allow. A leisurely “walking speed” is best. The spoon will give the Sabiki an enticing sideto-side motion. Besides, the slower you go, the deeper the rig will ride in the water column. You want it down six to 10 feet, not skimming along on the top. Load ’em Up If you hook up on a Sabiki rig (even just one fish), bring it in next to the (Continued on next page)
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 21 (Continued from page 20)
boat and about eight feet down, and hold it there. Lower a second rig down next to the one with the fish on it, and jig it up and down. The hooked
fish often will attract others, and you can load up the second rig. Hold that one in place, retrieve the first rig and remove the mackerel from it, and lower it down next to
your fish-filled second rig. Repeat until you have all the macks you want, or until they get smart and beat feet.
Recycle Your Rigs When your Sabiki gets torn up a bit and loses several flies, simply tie on a new one. I save
the beat-up ones, and when I get time I fashion a couple of usable rigs out of the remnants by tying several good sections (Continued on next page)
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22 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Saltwater Fishing (Continued from page 21)
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If you want to catch mackerel one at a time, a quarter-ounce diamond jig will normally out-fish a half-ounce jig, and is
Go Deep Much of the time mackerel can be caught ten to 15 feet below the surface, but if you’re striking out, try lowering your jig or rig and working it just off the bottom. Macks will often hang deep to feed on juvenile herring.
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Chum ’em In You can attract mackerel to your boat or dock by ladling out a goopy mixture of cheap fish-flavored cat food, dry oatmeal, and Wesson oil. You can be a little stingy with the chum, but make sure you dispense if steadily so it forms an unbroken slick. I’ve also had good luck dispersing chum along a 50-yard stretch while trolling along, then turning and trolling back through the chummed area a few minutes later.
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Those Tiny Bubbles If your boat is equipped with an “aerated” live well, or you have a battery operated aerator for a portable cooler, don’t use it. The tiny bubbles adhere to the mackerel’s gills and will suffocate the fish quickly. Macks need clear salt water to survive. If you don’t have a rawwater infused live well, you’re better off changing the water with a bucket every ten minutes or so than using an aerator. Round Rules Macks need to move forward constantly in order to take in oxygen, so a round bait well is best. A square or rectangular well or cooler causes the fish to nose into the corners, where they stop swimming and suffocate. The bottom half of a 30-gallon plastic barrel makes a dandy live well. A small, inexpensive submersible 12-volt bilge pump that can be lowered over the side of the boat, with the outlet hose going into the barrel, will keep your macks alive almost indefinitely. You’ll want to install a plastic through-hull fitting and length of overboard hose near the top of the barrel so the water being pumped in won’t overflow into the boat. Handle With Care Mackerel actually aren’t very hardy, so it’s best not to handle them with your hands if at all possible. If you’re planning on using them for live bait, use a u-shaped de-hooker, available at most coastal tackle shops for around $5. With one of these gizmos you can hold the mack over the bait well and invert the hook, allowing the bait to drop into the water untouched – simple yet effective.
¶
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 23
Maine Wildlife: Mackerel
by Tom Seymour
Atlantic mackerel represent a vast, mostly untapped, resource. Each year, immense schools leave their offshore winter haunts to arrive in Maine’s inshore waters sometime in late June, where they remain until well into fall. In fact, I have taken mackerel in mid-November, in the middle of deer season. Mackerel have much going for them. From being easily caught to giving us a source of healthy protein, these sporty gamesters have thrilled countless generations of Mainers. While the pursuit of bigger saltwater game fish is often fraught with disappointment (e.g., the blues haven’t arrived yet, none of the stripers fit within the slot limit, and so on), mackerel rank as our most dependable saltwater species. Once mackerel come inshore, they are here to stay. And there are no size or bag limits, because as of now Atlantic mackerel haven’t attracted much public notice. But with the rising scarcity, not to mention cost, of saltwater fish, that may soon change. Mackerel were once far more popular than they are now. They even rated mention in Williamson’s The History of Belfast, Maine: “During September, 1884, a school of large offshore No. 1 mackerel, some weighing over two pounds, appeared and remained several days.” Also, “In July, 1892, the bay was alive with mackerel….” Mackerel Fishing Such activity as related in Williamson’s History no longer rates newspaper space. Perhaps as a society we have become too “sophisticated” to bother with commonplace fish such as mackerel. After all, mackerel, while beautifully marked and proportioned, are not considered a glamour species. But that makes little difference to those of us who enjoy mackerel fishing. With the exception of saltwater smelt, mackerel are the only schooling fish that we may lawfully take in large numbers. And unlike tiny smelt, mackerel fight well. Even “tinkers” – small mackerel that typically arrive ahead of the larger variety – put up a great fight. But then again any streamlined fish has the potential to wage a memorable battle, and mackerel are no exception. Like
salmon, mackerel never really stop fighting, even after being unhooked and dropped in a cooler. That tenacity makes mackerel such a fine sport fish. While most anglers fish from mackerel from shore, a few enjoy trolling for them. Trolling ranks as my favorite way to take mackerel. When a mackerel hits a trolled lure, it does so with a reel-screaming vengeance. My gear consists of a 9-foot, 6-weight fly rod, Pflueger reel filled with sinking fly line, a 15-foot leader with an orange-color Mooselook Wobbler at the end. It hurts to say it, but a 14-inch mackerel fights as well as any trout or salmon of a similar size. And taking mackerel by trolling means no crossed lines and no vying for the best place on the pier or float. Mackerel trolling fills the gap left when salmonids head for deep water and are only available to anglers using deep-trolling methods. Lures & Baits Those who do not have access to a boat must fish from shore. There, spinning tackle displaces the fly rod. Unfortunately, too many anglers use extra-heavy rods, reels and lines, thus diminishing the fight of even the largest mackerel. Better to use medium-weight rods and reels. In my case, ultralight tackle performs best, for several reasons. First, ultralight gear calls for thindiameter lines. And thin lines allow for increased casting distance – often a big deal when mackerel are holding just a bit farther out than can be reached when using heavier line. Also, thinner (I sometimes use 4-pound test, but have since gone to very thin 6-pound line) lines allow for increased sensitivity – a great benefit when using lightweight lures and baits. While Diamond-type jigs work well for mackerel and cast like bullets, mackerel often refuse to bite on them. That’s when I put on a wobbling spoon, usually one with a bit of orange or yellow, colors that excite mackerel. The trick is to cast out as far as possible and then allow the spoon to slowly settle toward bottom. Any slight movement of the line signals a strike. And after this,
it’s time to reel the spoon back in and often, that’s when a mackerel will hit. I’ve had mackerel follow my spoon almost to the float before nailing it. And sometimes mackerel will refuse all artificial lures but will still take bait. A bit of shrimp, either fresh or frozen, minus any additional weight, never fails to take mackerel as it swishes around in the current. And when shrimp runs out, a long, thin strip of flesh from the belly of a mackerel continues to take fish. Mackerel Care Mackerel, being oily, require a great deal of care. That means placing just-caught fish on ice. In my youth, people used tin pails filled with sea water to keep mackerel fresh, but that was only a half-measure, since the water quickly warmed, making the mackerel soft and smelly. And of all the unpleasant things I can think of, spoiled mackerel take first prize. Even worse, in my youth, children would flock to piers and floats and fish for mackerel for hours on end. The fish were kept in an open pail with no water or ice. Then, at day’s end, the youngsters would head for town where they peddled their dried-up, inedible catch to unsuspecting citizens. No wonder so many people eschew mackerel. They just never ate mackerel that was properly cared for. Good, fresh mackerel tastes a bit like bluefish and also some of the newly popular, foreign-caught ocean fish found in supermarkets. People pay good money for flash-frozen Spanish mackerel and other related species, while ignoring the wealth of fresh Atlantic mackerel swimming in our bays and rivers. On the other hand, it certainly isn’t a bad thing to have a vast, mostly untapped, natural resource. If only there were more such examples. But as the popularity of ocean fish grows, it seems quite likely that Maine mackerel will some day appear at the head of the menu in fancy restaurants. It’s a place they well deserve.
www.MaineSportsman.com
24 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
13-Year Old Shoots First Moose by Angela Browne - Cooper, Maine I am very proud of my son, Seth Wilcox. Seth is 13 years old. Last fall Seth got his first moose permit. His stepfather, Dan Donaghy, and I took him to Northern Maine, where he shot his first moose on October 26th. It took months of my husband taking him target practicing and it took a lot of long days out moose hunting, but my son succeeded in shooting his first moose. And all that practic-
ing paid off – not only did Seth drop the bull with one shot, but he shot the bull right between the eyes. I am proud of his accuracy with a firearm. I know he’ll be pleased to see his photograph if it appears in The Maine Sportsman. The hunt was a very special chance for him to bond with his stepfather. That’s a great experience for a 13 year old, since many folks say that young people aren’t into hunting like they used to
be. He used a Remington 7400 270 cal. with a Bushnell 3x9x40 scope. He shot the moose in T16 R9, but he tagged it in Ashland (Gateway Variety). Thanks to Seth, and thanks to the coaching by my husband Dan, we had plenty of moose meat in the freezer this winter. And congratulations to the lucky permit winners from the June 8 lottery at Cabela’s.
¶
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26 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Can’t Wait ’Til Bear Season! by Bill Graves
Get out early this month and scout. Talk to local farmers – they are out in the fields day in and day out, and they know where the bear show up regularly. It’s July, and it’s hard to believe that nearly half of Maine’s short summer has passed us by, especially after the prolonged, horrendous winter we en-
dured, especially up here in The County. As I age, the adage “The days are long, but the years are short” becomes more meaningful.
Although the black bear hunting season doesn’t begin for over a month, within a day or two of my birthday each July, baiting may be started. This year, bait sites are legal to activate July 27th, in case you haven’t checked the law book. Starting Early While some hunters prefer to hold off a week or two to save money on gas and bait, I like to start early. Aroostook County supports a large
Bear baiting begins on the 27th of this month, and the author is a firm believer in starting as soon as possible after that date in order to attract the big ones before they find someone else’s site. All photos by Bill Graves
and widespread population of bear, but there are only so many per acre. I hope to attract as many as I can as soon as I can. With the vast expanse of farm fields interspaced
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with various size wood lots, urban edge bear are plentiful. There’s little need to drive long distances to the vast, deep woods to set bait sites – most residents can find a productive location within 15 minutes of their home. Scouting is the Key Get out early this month and scout. Talk to local farmers – they are out in the fields day in and day out, and they know where the bear show up regularly. Regardless of what naysayers preach, rookie bear hunters will enjoy a truly invested feeling and satisfaction from establishing their very own bait site. Gun, bow or camera, the top half of Maine, especially Aroostook County, is the place to see the elusive black ghost of the north woods. See more of Bill’s great bear photos on the next page!
¶
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 27 (Continued from page 26)
Bear baiting begins near the end of the month. This black beauty began visiting the author’s site within two days of setting up last year. Note that the bear is looking right at the trail camera as the photo is taken.
While most bear hunters utilize a tree stand to watch over their bait sites, some are switching to ground blinds for an up-close and personal experience, like the one provided by this big guy who sneaked in just a few feet from the blind.
Bear baiting time is at hand, and using a hanging barrel not only keeps pests and small bear out of the bait, it also offers a good estimate of the size of the bear. For example, the bottom edge of this barrel is 5 feet off the ground!
If sportsmen begin baiting bear as soon as it’s legal, when the natural food supply is sparce it’s quite possible to attract more attention right off, as this trio of bruins proves.
MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Atlantic Mackerel by Steve Vose
The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) has an impressive range, stretching from Labrador to North Carolina in the western Atlantic and from Iceland to Northern Africa in the eastern Atlantic. Populations of Atlantic mackerel have also been found in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black seas. Closer to home, the Atlantic mackerel inhabits the Gulf of Maine, and it’s a frequent visitor to our coastal bays and inlets during the mid-summer months. Close to thirty different species, share the common name “mackerel,” a term meaning “marked” or “spotted.” The Atlantic mackerel’s nickname striking coloration includes 20-30 dark wavy bands, overlaying the fish’s blue-green colored back. The bands run across the back,
from the fish’s head to tail and stretching down the body to approximately the midline. From the midline to the fish’s belly, the coloration changes to a brilliant silvery white iridescence. The stripes at first may appear to provide camouflage, but that is not the case – instead, scientists have determined that the stripes help the Atlantic mackerel properly communicate body movements with each other while schooling and feeding. The Atlantic mackerel reproduces in early summer, with a majority of the spawning
Questions 1. What’s the range of the Atlantic mackerel? 2. How many species of mackerel exist? 3. What does the term “mackerel” mean? 4. What is the purpose of the “stripes” on the back of an Atlantic mackerel?
5. 6. 7. 8.
occurring in the Gulf of Maine during the months of June and July. Prolific broadcast spawners, females produce and distribute as many as 1,000,000 eggs that in turn receive fertilization by males. After spawning, Atlantic mackerel do not protect their eggs and offspring; instead, eggs float free in the open ocean until hatching. Juveniles feed on plankton until they grow to a size that allows them to each small crustaceans, fish, shrimp and squid. Atlantic mackerel caught in Maine waters reach an average of 12 – 14 inches; large ones can exceed 1.5 pounds. Maine fishermen report encountering mackerel weighing in excess of two pounds, which they say make excellent tuna bait.
When does the Atlantic mackerel spawn? How many eggs can a female Atlantic mackerel produce? What does the Atlantic mackerel eat? How big do Atlantic mackerel get?
Answers on Page 65
www.MaineSportsman.com
28 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Top 5 ATV Hunting Upgrades by Steve Vose My ATV, a Yamaha Grizzly 550, turns 10 years old this year. Its purchase was funded by the sale of my Yamaha V-Star 750. When I made the switch, I was newly a father for the second time, and I believed that the sale and new purchase would better benefit my growing family. It was difficult to sell the old bike – as I saw it at the time, it was the end of an era. Unbeknownst to me, however, was how this new ATV machine would become such a critical element in all my family outdoor adventures, from fishing and hunting to
camping and simply trail riding. Utilitarian Because I am an avid outdoorsman who enjoys many different pursuits, my ATV has: • Helped me haul moose and deer out of the nastiest, practically inaccessible locations; • Driven me miles off the dirt roads, allowing me to hunt in locations seen by few others; • Hauled wood; • Transported building supplies to camp during mud season; and • Helped manage the food plots. Despite what a fantastic vehicle is, there is always room for improve-
ment. Through the years, I have added several critical upgrades. Winch 2,500-3,000-lb ATV winches from Superwinch, Warn and Champion run from between $100 to $200, depending on brand. With this level of power, ATV users will have more than enough muscle to handle just about any pulling task that needs doing. As with most purchases, the more paid, the higher the quality. The Superwinch Terra 25 is currently being sold on Amazon for $179. Boasting high end features like wireless remote, 50 feet
This MotoAlliance Impact Implements ATV heavy-duty cart has a 1,500-lb. capacity – in the words of the author, it’s a “hauling beast.” Photo: MotoAlliance
of 3/16 inch steel rope and limited lifetime warranty, this winch provides a lot for a little investment.
Mounting Kit Keep in mind, howev-
er, that once you determine the type of winch you plan to purchase, you will also need to buy a mounting kit, to allow the (Continued on next page)
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winch to be successfully secured to the intended ATV. For example, if I purchased the Terra 25 Superwinch, I would also need to buy the 2202883 mounting kit which will allow successful attachment of the winch to my 550 Grizzly. Mounting kits (again depending on brand of ATV and winch) cost just under $100. Once purchased, the winch and mounting plates can be installed by the consumer. However, I went to the local ATV dealership and asked them to install a 3,000-lb Warn winch. The dealer took on all responsibility for ordering the necessary equipment and installing it, saving me valuable time that I instead used to go hunting! For the hunter, winches can be used for retrieving big game, hoisting deer and manipulating
moose for gutting, dragging large game out of the woods and even skinning a deer (really – check out YouTube!). For the landowner, winches remove fallen trees that block trails, help fell trees in the right direction, and even collect firewood by assisting in getting large logs into the correct position for easy cutting. Extra Storage ATV riders quickly realize that there just never seems to be enough storage space. Luckily, there are several products on the market that allow the addition of several cubic feet of extra storage capacity. One of my favorites is the Quad Boss Weekender Trunk. This product provides an extra seat for a passenger, several cubic feet of added storage, and a place on the back to secure a tank of gasoline, and all at a budget conscious price of $240. (Continued on next page)
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HODGDON Tidd’s Sports Shop 154 Calais Road 207-532-6476 www.tiddssportsshop.com
AUGUSTA North Country Can AM 3099 N. Belfast Avenue 207-622-7994 www.northcountryh-d.com
JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com
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LEEDS Reggie’s Kawasaki Ski-Doo 255 US HWY 202 207-933-4976 www.doitatreggies.com
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COLEBROOK, NH Lemieux Garage Inc. 161 Main St. 603-237-4377 www.lemieuxgarage.com
© 2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserve<!.™.®, and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc. or its affiliates. 1AII other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. In the USA, the products are distributed by BRP US Inc. BRP reserves the right, at any time, to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Some mcxlels depicted may include optional equipment. BRP highly recommends that all ATV drivers take a training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or, in USA, call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. In Canada, call the Canadian Safety Council at (6131 739-1535 ext 227. Read the Operators Guide and watch the Safety DVD before riding. Wear appropriate protective clothing and helmet. For side-by-side vehicles, fasten lateral net and seat belt at all times. Never engage in stunt driving and avoid excessive speed. Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Side-by-side vehicles and ATVs are recommended for drivers aged 16 and older, and passengers aged 12 and older only. For off-road use only. Never ride on paved surfaces or public roads. Always ride responsibly and remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.
www.MaineSportsman.com
30 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
ATVing in Maine (Continued from page 30)
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WARNING: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2019 Polaris Industries Inc.
www.MaineSportsman.com
Some ATV winches are now available with remote controls, so the operator can get out of the danger zone when moving heavy objects. Photo credit: Warn Industries
If outdoorsmen are still looking to add even more storage space, the Kolpin front rack, low-profile scout storage box ($70) is a great fit. It provides lots of additional storage without dangerously blocking the view of the ATV rider. Gun Racks For the hunting enthusiast, having a gun rack on the front of the ATV is indispensable. It provides a secure and safe place to store an unloaded firearm for transport. I’ve seen riders without racks attempt to operate their ATVs with firearms placed across their laps – a less than optimal location. The Moose Expedition double gun rack ($60) is a great choice, and it can be easily installed by the consumer. It allows for the transport of two firearms, including scoped rifles. Rubber straps on the racks keep transported firearms securely in place when it’s necessary for the operator to navigate rough terrain. Exhaust Last hunting season, I was standing on an ATV trail waiting for a friend when an ATV creeped up
behind me to less than 40 yards before I heard it. Now I’m not saying that my hearing is exceptional, but I’m not quite deaf, either! The person riding the ATV had installed the Kolpin Stealth Exhaust System ($149). After hearing how quiet it made the ATV, I just had to have one. Pull-Behind ATVs are fantastic at transporting materials over rough country. Whether hauling game animals out of the wilds, fishing gear to a favorite angling spot or hauling firewood out of the woodlot, having a pull-behind for your ATV is extremely helpful. The Impact Implements ATV Heavy Duty Utility Cart ($419) has a 1,500-lb capacity, and 15 cubic feet of usable space. The cart’s 18-inch 4-ply pneumatic tires provide 12 inches of ground clearance, allowing passage over the roughest terrain. While less expensive carts exist on the market, I have seen that typically you get what you pay for, and this cart is a hauling beast.
¶
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 31
Winners of First Annual Maine Sportsman
Youth Writing Contest by Will Lund
The Maine Sportsman’s first-ever Youth Writing Contest is in the books, and our panel of judges was extremely impressed with the submissions. The rules were kept simple by design, to encourage creativity on the part of the youngsters – a 500-word maximum on topics of interest to our readers. We offered four categories –Maine junior (grades 6 – 8); Maine senior (grades 9 – 12); New England junior; and New England
senior. We added a fifth category – which we titled “Connected to Maine Sportsman” – after receiving two submissions from children of a regular columnist. This allowed us to avoid any concerns about favoritism, while at the same time not penalizing a young person just because their parent writes for us. Our four winners have each won themselves $100, while some additional standouts, recognized by “Honorable Mention” ac-
Maine Junior Category
Maine – Senior Category
Winner
Winner
• Nolan Raymond, 8 grade (Hermon) – • Delaney Woods, 9th grade (Dirigo) – “Sebago Solitude” (printed on page 32) “Opening Day” th
Honorable Mentions • Shamus Morrison, 7th grade (Windham) – “Morrison Moose Hunt 2018” • Emma MacFarlane, 8th grade (Dixfield) – “My Third Deer – a 3-Pointer” • Braiden Ramsdell, 6th grade (Skowhegan) – “My First Deer” • Derek Harding, 8 grade (Augusta) – Sighting In my Compound Bow” th
• Carly Turgeon, 8th grade (Shapleigh) – Harpswell Photo Essay
Honorable Mention • Kyle Graffam, 9th grade (Harpswell) – “First Time Out” —
colades, will each receive $25. Several of the entries will be printed in our pages in future issues (see our Maine junior winner’s entry printed on the next page), and in early August all winning entries will be posted on our website, www.MaineSportsman.com, under the “Youth Writing Contest” tab. Congratulations to all contestants! Here are the top Maine and New England youth writings for 2019: Nicole Jennings, 7th grade (Marshfield, MA) – “Hunting” —
New England – Senior Category Winner • Isabella Milazzo, 11th grade (Poultney, Vermont) – “Hunter’s Lottery” —
New England – Junior Category
“Connected to Maine Sportsman” category
Winner
Special Recognition Awards
• Emilie Rich, 8th grade (Lincoln, New Hampshire) – “Bird of My Dreams” Honorable Mentions
•
Ethan Vose, 7th grade (Augusta, ME) – “Two Brothers – Two Turkeys”
•
Aiden Vose, 6th grade (Augusta, ME) – “Katahdin”
• Kaya Vlocovsky, 7th grade (Concord, MA) – “Steps You Can Take to Conserve the Environment”
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32 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2019 Maine Sportsman Youth Writing Contest Winner – Maine Junior Category
Sebago Solitude
by Nolan Raymond – 8th Grade – Hermon, Maine Herbert Hoover once said, “Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers.” I could not agree with this more. Our camp is located on Sebago Lake, and it’s considered by my friends to be in “Northern Massachusetts.” I don’t disagree, but when you pull onto the quiet road to our camp, you wouldn’t know that you are so close to Maine’s busiest lake. The camp is a 150-year-old schoolhouse on the foundation of a 250-year-old farm that burned to the ground. It has been in the family since my great-great-grandfather, W.C. Kendall, a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, surveyed Sebago back in 1910. “The Rig” Most days I spend my time down on our own beach tinkering on my pride and joy – a 1972 Sears Gamefisher, aptly
bracket. The bow swung to starboard, and I spun the throttle grip all the way up. The engine’s RPMs increased. The bow lifted, then settled on a plane.
The author guides “The Rig” across Sebago Lake.
named “The Rig.” It has a 1966 8-hp Evinrude outboard that runs like a top. There are not many of these boats around, since they were owned by the Maine IF&W. My grandfather was a fisheries biologist for the state, and was able to purchase The Rig after the boat was retired. He spent countless hours in this boat with a gill net, or a rod when he was not working.
Quiet Morning The early morning fog was rising off the water as I pushed the boat off shore with a paddle and broke the silence by knocking the transom against a rock. I was reluctant to grab the pull cord, because I knew the little two-stroke would ring out in the quiet morning. The motor, tuned to perfection, started on the first pull. Positioned on the
Nolan Raymond comes from a long line of fish experts. His grandfather, Kendall “Ken” Warner, was a Maine IF&W fisheries biologist for over 50 years. The photo on the left shows Ken as a 7-year old in 1934, with a Sebago lunker. On the right is the author’s great great grandfather, W.C. Kendall, a biologist who was sent to Sebago Lake in 1907 by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to research landlocked salmon. www.MaineSportsman.com
worn canvas seat and straddling the stern thwart, I reached over the stern to put the transmission in gear and revved the engine. The boat jolted into drive and began moving forward. As usual, I stuck my hand under the coolant water exit port. The water was cool, so I knew the engine was running properly. I pushed the tiller away from me and it moved effortlessly in the
The author’s grandfather clips fins on a salmon at a hatchery in 1956.
Nothing I’d Rather be Doing I crossed our quiet cove, and throttled down when I hit the spot I usually begin trolling. I checked the fishfinder used by the IF&W and saw that it was 110 feet deep with a rocky bottom – perfect for togue. I wrapped my hand around the coarse grip of W.C. Kendall’s antique trolling rod, and dropped the lure – a secret weapon – in the water. The line began to spool off the creaky Sal Trout reel, pulled by water resistance. The line dove fast, and I saw it on the fishfinder at my favorite depth. I didn’t know if I’d catch anything, but I knew there was nothing I’d rather be doing with my morning.
¶
The author still uses his great great grandfather’s vintage rod and Pflueger Sal Trout reel.
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 33
River Bass Fishing Tops July “To Do” List Back in the mid nineties, I purchased a fourweight fly rod starter kit from Maine’s iconic outdoor store, L.L.Bean. Fortunately for me the fine folks at “Bean” sent me out the front steps with everything I needed, including a few flies. As luck would have it, my late friend Bob Fuller and I had planned to fish the Hinckley to Skowhegan section of the Kennebec River even as I struggled to learn how to put a decent cast together. There are a few special people who come along in one’s life, and Fuller was just such a blessing. Being 15 years older than me, he seemed to understand the trials and tribulations of life. When I needed to know what was next on life’s merry ride, he always had the answer. His answer to my new fly rod was to go fishing for river bass. Bob set me up with an even better deal than Bean. He bought a 14-foot Lund boat with motor and trailer. All I had to do was come up with a trailer hitch for the back of my truck and find a boat ramp. Oh, and of course, pick up my fishing buddy on the way by. Beginner’s Luck My first experience luring in a smallmouth bass came just upstream from the Hinckley launch. My poor casting mechanics had somehow lobbed a “slider” fly along the shoreline. Fuller spotted a bronzeback making a beeline for the helpless fly. “He’s coming,” yelled Fuller “Don’t move.” For some reason I
ing bronzebacks in the Pine Tree State. Dedicated “smallie” anglers start seriously targeting these hard-fighting fish this month. July bronzebacks have a reputation of turning territorial and exceptionally aggressive now. They seem hell bent on defending their corner of the river with reckless abandon. I soon learned that river bass take full advantage of the current. Even smallmouths that exhibit great pulling power in flat water take their game to the next level with a strong river current helping their hopedfor escape.
There are a few special people who come along in one’s life, and Bob Fuller was just such a blessing. We spent countless days fishing together, as I struggled to learn the art of casting a fly.
Bronzebacks fight like crazy, especially when attached to the business end of a fly rod. This stubborn “river bass” came to hand when the author decided to make a few casts from shore. In the author’s experience, smallies turn territorial and aggressive in the month of July. Bill Sheldon photo
couldn’t resist giving the long legged fly a little twitch. The bronzeback smashed the fly, doubling up my slightly-underpowered rod. Before long, we slipped a net under the bass.
River Bass “River bass” proved good training for a young guy learning to wave the slender wand. They prove easy to catch; they fight like poor man’s salmon; and they are common in
many of Maine’s rivers. No wonder the late Lefty Kreh loved battling fight-
River Bass Outfits Before long I upgraded to a six-weight rod to help even the score. Spinning rods with a little (Continued on page 35)
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34 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 35
Katahdin Country (Continued from page 33)
backbone also work well. The verdict is still out on which rig works best. I’ve seen the fly rod out-fish the spinning rod one day and, with the same two guys and outfits, then watch the spinning rods out-haul the fly-fishing gear the next day. To handle this conundrum, I bring one of each. No sense in taking chances. Some days, these river monsters don’t seem that fussy. I think July bass fall into this category because of their territorial nature and aggressive attitude. It also helps that they don’t seem to give a hoot about my lousy fly casting skills. The first fly someone ties to the business end of the line usually tells which offering they have the most confidence in. I always start my day on
the river with a black woolly bugger. If that doesn’t work, I’ll pull out some of those little “popper” flies. Usually the black bugger does the trick. With that said, everyone should experience the explosion of an aggressive “river bass” smashing a fly off the surface. Some anglers exclusively fish these mini-Hula Popper flies for that very reason. Spinning rods do well armed with Red Devil and Mepps type spinners. Those “Mr. Twister” jigs dropped next to a submerged boulder have a way of making an already territorial smallie even madder. Small spinner baits that create havoc in the water also entice aggressive strikes. Penobscot Bass Bonanza The Katahdin Re-
The author’s wife, Denise, displays a respectable “river bass.” The Penobscot River from Medway to Old Town attracts anglers from all walks of life who target its robust smallmouth bass population. Bill Sheldon photo
gion has plenty of river bass from Medway to Old Town in the Penobscot River (DeLorme Atlas Maps 33 & 44). That’s a lot of river miles. Much of the river flows slow and wide, but sporadic runs
of fast water quickly earn the respect of river-runners. Multiple boat ramps up and down the river make floating in a small craft ideal. It’s just a matter of figuring out a shut-
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36 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Katahdin Country (Continued from page 35)
the Mattaseunk Dam and floated to the boat ramp in Winn. This stretch has its share of faster water and plenty of rocks. It also had plenty of river bass eager to engulf those previously mentioned black woolly buggers. My craft of choice (I
have more choices than Mrs. Sheldon needs to know about) was a raft equipped with a fishing frame. This proves excellent for bouncing off the occasional boulder – yup, the same boulders that bass seem to love hanging around and defending.
A couple of my buddies brought along an aluminum jon-boat. I had my concerns. However, they did just fine until a river-wide drop just upstream from our take-out in Winn. Fortunately, fixing a gash in aluminum proved easy enough. It’s also good the sharp edge rock did its damage almost within sight of the take-
out. Use caution when navigating this boney river. Anglers also fish Pushaw Stream in Old Town (Map 33, E-2). While the stream, which starts at Pushaw Lake and eventually unites with the Penobscot River, has multiple species, bass fanatics in the know target this water for smallies during the seventh
month. Sadly, my good friend Bob Fuller passed away unexpectedly and way too young in 1999. We had planned to go fishing on the afternoon of his final day. All these years later, I still think about the countless days we spent fishing together, and the one trip that wasn’t meant to be.
¶
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 37
Mike and I Solve the Great Snowmobile Caper Shortly after the close of the 1975 hunting season, Warden Mike Ayer transferred into the Machias district from the Bangor/Brewer area. We immediately hit it off, and worked together a great deal that winter. Our senses of humor were pretty well matched. We usually noted the funny things that happened out there, the funny things that people said, and the funny things that we saw. Even through some pretty dire times, we could grin and get the job done. Snowmobilers on the Road The first night Mike was in his new district, he came over to our house for supper and to work snowmobilers with me. We were having a lot of problems back then with people operating snowmobiles on the public ways, especially during snow storms. I have followed sled tracks for miles on public ways in some pretty dangerous traveling conditions. I have also worked on fatal snowmobile accidents that were a direct result of riding the roads. It’s great fun until it isn’t. After supper, Mike and I headed out into the storm to patrol our districts together for illegal activity but especially snowmobile activity. Two Sleds Flash By At the end of the Station Road in Jonesboro, we crossed U.S. Rt. 1 and headed south toward Roque Bluffs. The plow hadn’t been through yet, so there were five or six
The father stood up from the dining room table and said, “What to hell is going on?” But before either Mike or I could respond, a door directly across the dining room flew open, and our two snowmobilers came running out, still wearing their helmets.
The author (left) and Mike Ayer, on the day of Ayer’s retirement from the Warden Service.
inches of snow on the road. The snow was still coming pretty hard as we worked our way down the Great Cove Road. We passed the Great Cove Golf Course and continued on. A mile or so beyond the golf course, we noticed lights coming around a turn in the road. In a flash, two sleds were by us.
Not knowing for sure if they had recognized my car, I turned on them and followed their tracks north up the Great Cove Road. When we got to a large, older home, we noticed that the sled tracks went into the driveway. There in the dooryard were the two sleds we were after and two people just going through the side door.
Sledders Disappear; Reappear We followed them through the door, but once we got inside, they were nowhere in sight. A family was having supper at the dining room table when Mike and I came through the door. Looking upset and confused, the father stood up and said, “What to hell is going on?” Before either Mike or
I could answer him, a door directly across the dining room flew open and our two snowmobilers came running out, still wearing their helmets. An elderly lady was chasing them, swinging her cane and telling them just what she thought about them bursting into her bedroom, and what she was going to do to them the next time. The two suspects evidently made a snap decision they would be better off facing Mike and me than the old lady with the cane. We quickly explained to the inhabitants of the home what had happened and that we would be giving the two young men summonses for their transgressions. They both went up to Machias the following week and pleaded guilty to Operating a Snowmobile on a Public Way. “Ayer, or Ford?” Both Mike and I have been retired for years now, but we still get together on occasion or talk on the phone and laugh about some of the funny things that we saw out there. When I was working as a Warden Lieutenant in Sidney, I would call Mike or he would call me and we would get to laughing about those times. When I would hang up, my secretary would always remark that she heard all the laughter, and then she’d ask, “Were you talking with Mike Ayer, or John Ford?”
¶
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38 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Hunting Mature Bucks — An Obsession, and a Humbling Pursuit Some of you have heard me relate this story before about my inspiration for becoming an avid buck hunter. I was with Wildlife Biologist, Doug Kane, at a deer check station in Greenville, Maine. An older gentleman pulled into the check station with a beautiful mature buck. Sewn onto his green plaid wool jacket were nine Biggest Bucks in Maine patches. I guessed the man to be around 60 years old. I commented to Doug, “I’m going to kill 10 of these by the time I’m 60. Doug responded, “You’ll be lucky to kill one.” Fast forward nearly 30 years, and I’m well on my way to backing up that prediction. The journey has been amazing. Not only have I killed six qualifying bucks, I’ve made amazing friends, witnessed the evolution of a sport, and been quite humbled by these beasts and the many lessons I’ve learned along the way. The People Make this Fun When I shot my first 200 pound buck, my
Whitetail deer season opens in just a couple of months. I’m just as excited for this upcoming season as I was for my first.
Although the author has earned six “Biggest Bucks in Maine” patches, he still often gets humbled by the sage and savvy mature whitetails and their “sixth sense” that causes them to steer clear of him when he’s still-hunting in the woods or when he’s in a stand.
friends said it was luck. “You were just in the right place at the right time,” I heard over and over. What people failed to recognize was how tough that hunt was. In a nutshell, I’d still-hunted over
POURVOIRIE LAC GENEVIÈVE D’ANTICOSTI
400 yards over crunchy leaves, and killed this buck at 35 yards in its bed while it slept. I knew it wasn’t luck. When I killed my second 200-pounder a year later, a few heads turned, and I got some credit from
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friends and some people I never met before. When I took my third 200-pound buck the next season, it had a huge rack too. This is when things got interesting. All of a sudden I had lots of attention to what I was doing. The people I’ve met since I killed that third buck have been amazing. From college professors,
to head deer biologists, TV personalities, legendary deer trackers and landowners, I’ve met the folks because of my success hunting whitetails. I met famous big buck tracker Larry Benoit and many of his family members at the MASTC banquet. I’ve become friends with Maine big buck tracker, Hal Blood of Big Woods Bucks. Super guy! I’ve shared information and opinions with fellow deer hunters all over New England and in the Midwest. I’ve worked with game wardens, wildlife biologists, scientists, even call, and camo manufacturers. I’ve had the opportunity to take new people into the deer woods, assist them in harvesting a first deer and enjoy seeing smiles on their faces. I’ve taught trophy deer hunting seminars for nearly 15 years. The satisfaction experienced when a seminar attendee comes to me and explains how my advice helped them score on their first adult buck, keeps me coming back to teach. I want more people to know what it’s like, walking up to a giant buck that fell to their gun or bow. These experiences have been humbling and very special to me. (Continued on page 41)
TROPHY DEER, BEAR & MOOSE HUNTS
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Wild, Wet, Untamed Jackman Summer My guide for the day, Chris Russell, warned me this would happen. Steve Carter, Chris Russell and I had rolled out of bed super-early – long before the sun started its 12-hour shift – to fish the Kennebec River Gorge. It seemed simple enough. We would put in at the Take Out Road long before the water release from Harris Dam and fish the river at “low tide” all the way to the take-out by the Route 201 Bridge. HUGE Boulders! Of course, it took what seemed to me a couple hundred feet of rope to lower the raft down a cliff steep bank to the riv-
We watched as the water rose. Our fishing raft began to lift higher and higher. Then we started seeing rafts full of excited paddlers waving and cheering. er’s edge. Russell managed to make that look easy. Next came “guide instructions.” Now down at streamside, Russell gave us the usual safety instructions, while my eyes wandered to the huge – I mean HUGE – boulders we would be fishing around. Before I could ask some innocent questions, specifically about the boulder field with some water trickling through it, Russell mentioned something about the water level rising eight feet
or so half way through the float. Apparently we had about five hours to fish the Kennebec at “low tide” before the dam would release tons of water, along with an army of rafts, directly at us. Of course, Russell assured us that we would just sit still while the river rose and that by then we’d be far enough along so we would not have to worry about bad things happening.
“Low Tide” At the time I chuck-
led. I looked at this rocky gorge, which at “low tide” was reduced to a mere trickle, and wondered why anyone in their right mind would want to get sucked through that at high tide. “Do these rafters know about all these rocks?” I asked. “They do it every day,” replied Russell. Sure enough, after a productive morning picking up salmon and brook trout in this kitten of a river, something started to change.
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“Here it comes,” noted Russell, “we’ll just pull over and rise with the tide.” Sure enough, our raft started rising and the current started picking up. It was just amazing to feel the river change that dramatically in so short a time. And, after seeing, touching and feeling the river transform from a kitten to a tiger, we started seeing rafts full of excited paddlers waving and cheering. I asked again “Do they know about all those boulders we just fished around?” Rafting Dominates My eye test, admit(Continued on next page)
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Jackman Region
tedly not scientifically verifiable, tells me rafting rates as the premier outdoor sport during the
(Continued from page 40)
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Country seem to like it wild and wet. The Kennebec River run certainly offers adventure-seekers plenty of excitement. Those huge boulders I wondered about, combined with countless gallons of raging water, create one wild ride. They tell me it creates Class IV water. I’ll take their word for it. The Kennebec River has scheduled release times (10 a.m. the day we shoved off for a relaxing morning of fishing), which makes reserving a trip very reliable. They even have some “turbo” releases throughout the season for those looking to really bust the adrenalin meter. The Dead River, another popular rafting water, offers up to Class
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 41 (Continued from page 40)
V rapids. In fact, this 16mile run takes top honor in New England for both length and turbulence consistency. A Google search will turn up multiple rafting companies that run both the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. I have talked to the folks at Northern Outdoors and Adventure Bound, and found them helpful and informative. They assured me that, in spite of the large boulders, their safety records were outstanding. Well-trained guides, good equipment and high standards keep thousands of happy rafters returning for a second ride. I liked the fact that Adventure Bound specializes in youth adventures. This seemed like a good fit for families and youth organizations looking to introduce those still wet behind the ears to the fast paced sport of rafting. Slow Waters Too! Not everyone wants a wild, wet ride through the rapids. For those folks, the Jackman Region has multiple opportunities for
the self-propelled crowd to wet a paddle and enjoy life one stroke at a time. Once again, my “eye” test tells me kayaks fill up most roof racks traversing through town – more numerous than canoes. Kayaks fit the bill for the perfect “personal” water craft. Because one sits “in” the kayak, the paddlers feel much more connected to the water. Early Inuit kayakers always believed one “wears” a kayak, not rides in it. Kayaks range in price from very inexpensive, to models costing thousands of dollars. Those thinking of a new purchase can borrow or rent one to try. Larger outfitters (Kittery/LLBean) often have watercraft days that allow prospective buyers to test a variety of kayaks. Many of the lodging folks in the region can help visitors get hooked up with a kayak or canoe. Please do spend some money on a quality, proper-fitting life vest, and, most importantly, wear it. Both Attean Pond and Big Wood Pond (DeLorme Atlas Map 39, B-4) offer
Big Game (Continued from page 38)
Most Humbling of All Since making that prediction and shooting my first qualifying buck, I’ve been most humbled by the actual deer. There’s a good reason only 10-15% of hunters are successful in taking a deer. There’s even more reason so few of the deer harvested are adult bucks. White-tailed deer are incredible animals. Their ability to live and thrive in Maine’s climate is astonishing to me. I think of our deer all winter, and actually feel sorry for them and every other critter trying to survive our Maine winters. If our winters don’t kill them, predators, parasites, starvation, automobiles and even disease can take them out. Incredibly, despite these trials and tribulations and thanks to some solid management by our Fish and Wildlife Biologists, our deer population in much of the state is nearing record numbers again. Harvesting an adult whitetail every year is ridiculously tough. Not only does a
close-to-town paddling and a backwoods atmosphere. Clearly marked, easy to find in-town boat ramps provide public access. These two waters have lots of small islands to navigate around. Another idyllic water, Long Pond (Map 40, B-2), has a ramp located about midway along Route 6/15. It’s a short paddle from the launch to the main pond. The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train tracks run along the entire southern shore. The northern shore offers scenery and wildlife in a natural, undeveloped setting. It’s hard to drive by Parlin Pond (Map 40, B-2) and not take a peek. The post card-ready pond sits between Route 201 and the base of Parlin Mountain. The public can use the ramp at the southern end of the pond, but must park up top in the parking area along the edge of Route 201. With so much water, so little time and so many options, which water will you visit?
¶
This group of rafters relaxes a bit after exiting some mountain brew whitewater. The Jackman region hosts multiple rafting outfitters who take thousands of adventure seekers safely down the Kennebec and Dead Rivers each season. These rafters experience the power of two of Maine’s premier rivers -- the mighty Kennebec River, and a 16-mile section of the Dead River. Bill Sheldon photo
The Jackman region has plenty of ponds perfect for messing about in boats. These mountain ponds and lakes make perfect day-tripping for kayaks. Here, the author’s son Willie gets in a little trolling while enjoying the scenery. Bill Sheldon photo
hunter need to get by the deers’ intensely strong sense of smell, they’ve got to get by their acute sense of hearing, surprisingly good eyesight and their familiarity with their home ground. The longer a deer lives, the tougher they are to kill. Why? These animals are smart. From experience, I’m convinced they learn lessons better than we realize. Remember, if a deer messes up, they don’t pay a fine or lose a game – they are taken by a hunter. There’ve been myriad encounters in my life with adult bucks, especially adult bucks in Maine, that have really humbled me. I’ve seen them walking toward me from hundreds of yards away. The wind is blowing at me and there’s no way they could smell me. Yet I’ve witnessed that “sixth sense” kick in and watched bucks stop, look in my general direction and inexplicably change direction, offering no shot opportunity. I’ve had them walk around my stand at a distance during bow season, even when other deer in the group walked by in easy shooting range. I’ve been watching them from hundreds of yards away in the summer, have the wind change direction and watched every deer leave the field. It’s
amazing we ever kill them. At one point in my life, killing big bucks was almost an unhealthy obsession. Today, while enjoying the sport, I strive for a balance, and no longer obsess so much that I neglect family and other loved ones because of it. Don’t misunderstand – I am still obsessed with whitetails; I just chase them a bit less than I did 15 or 20 years ago. Chasing trophy whitetails has been my passion for a long time. I’m happy to have had such great success and pray that my health and lifestyle will allow me to continue this pursuit well past my 60th birthday. God willing, I’ll harvest my seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth patch bucks over the next 11 seasons. More importantly, I’ll continue to make great friends, experience the beauty of Maine’s wildlife habitat, take a few more newbies out on hunts, and keep writing for this awesome magazine! Deer season opens in just a couple of months. I’m just as excited for this season as I was for my first.
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www.MaineSportsman.com
42 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Should Mandatory Antler Point Restrictions (MAPR) be Imposed in Maine? by Joe Kruse – joe@lakeparlinlodge.com At a recent panel discussion I was a part of with Big Woods Bucks, a gentleman in the audience posed the question, “How do all of you feel about mandatory antler point restrictions (MAPR) in Maine?” It’s not really a topic that I’ve thought much about in recent times, but after a little discussion I realized that my opinion on mandatory point restrictions has changed significantly over the years. The debate as to whether it’s right for Maine or not is usually argued with the same fervor as Sunday hunting. You can find as many posts as you want on the subject, for and against, by just scrolling through one of your favorite social media pages to read the same arguments, which are repeated over and over. Growing up in the south, my early years of hunting were all about the antlers. My feeling then was, “Why wouldn’t anyone want point restrictions mandated by the Fish and Game Department? Doesn’t everyone want to shoot a buck with a bigger rack?”
Although the stated goal of mandatory antler point restrictions is to have a mature and healthier herd, I think most of us can agree it’s not a good fit for Maine. Well, like many things in the past 25 years, my viewpoint has changed. I think the biggest reason for the about-face has to do with where and how I hunt now. Changes in Attitude The first thing you notice that’s different about hunting in Maine, as opposed to most other places, is the emphasis on body size instead of what the buck has for a rack. Most hunters in our State – resident and non-resident alike – strive to reach that magical 200-pound, field-dressed benchmark. Not only is weight a better indicator of a mature buck than antler size, it also means more meat in the freezer. So how do you explain to the senior hunter who’s out to fill his tag, that he has to make sure one side has three points before he can pull the trigger? And, let’s not forget about the kid who has put in his time and finally gets his chance, but it’s only a fork horn so he has to pass it up. In states like Pennsylvania,
A 5-point deer -- This 200-pound buck would have to be passed up of the hunter could only see the side that featured the 2-point antler. www.MaineSportsman.com
where mandatory antler restrictions have been in place since 2002, the previously-mentioned hunters would be breaking the law if they harvested those bucks. I think the intentions of hunters and game managers who push for MAPR are good. They are simply trying to limit the number of 1-½- to 2-½-year-old bucks that are harvested. The only problem that a meat-hungry Mainer has with that philosophy, is that those young bucks taste good, too. Track Not Rack Anyone who has spent much time tracking, realizes that trying to count points on a buck before you shoot can be nearly impossible. Imagine, after tracking your buck all day, trying to count points as the animal bounds through a cedar bog. Or, if you can count points, you realize it’s not a legal buck, and you have to let it walk. As a hunter who loves to track, I’ve realized that although we talk about
antler size a lot, it certainly is not the only reason we’re out there. The one-on-one game of chess with a mature big woods buck, is what most of us are after. Unlike the television hunting shows that highlight and talk about antler size to a fault, we don’t need a few extra inches of calcium to validate the chase. Although the stated goal of MAPR is to have a mature and healthier herd, I think most of us can agree that it’s not a good fit for Maine, and our current law is working just fine. Besides, 200-pound spike bucks are pretty cool! Hal Blood Adds His Thoughts I grew up deer hunting in the 1960s and 1970s, when the deer population was very low in most areas, and deer of either sex were fair game. Back then, just shooting any deer was a big deal. Nobody even cared if it was a buck or a doe. We hunted for the love of the sport, but we also
Some very heavy-bodied spike horn deer are found in the Maine woods.
needed the meat. The serious deer hunters headed to the north Maine woods to hunt deer, as the population was significantly higher than it was in southern Maine. These hunters were just as happy to return with a doe as they were with a buck. Times change, and now the deer population is significantly lower in Northern Maine than it is in Southern Maine. We all know the reasons for the change, but the fact remains that hunters take to the deer woods every fall for the excitement of the hunt, as well as to put meat in the freezer. Antler restrictions in Maine, where the success rate hovers around 15 percent, would discourage many hunters from taking to the woods, and imposing such a rule would be a big disservice to the new generation of hunters. In my opinion, those that are beating the drum for antler restrictions, should voluntarily choose their point-count restrictions, leaving the rest of us to choose our own method!
¶
This month’s author Joe Kruse believes Maine’s current law is working just fine.
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Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail A Long Walk Home – Part 1 My eyes lit up when I spied the cooler tucked beneath an oak. I was approaching Route 309 in Pennsylvania, and it had been three days since I had anything to drink besides stream water. I craved an icy Gatorade or soda. To my disappointment, I opened the cooler only to find empty boxes of Little Debbie’s. Next to the cooler was a notebook in a Ziploc bag. I read the last entry, “Thanks for the snacks!” The note was signed by Bear Bait, and was dated a few hours earlier. I had just missed it. Occasionally along the Appalachian Trail, “trail angels” leave treats or “trail magic.” Sometimes you’ll even find someone set up flipping burgers on a grill. They might give you a bible and invite you to their church, or give you a ride to town or even let you stay at their home. Although a few high-profile violent crimes have occurred on the trail over the years, in my experience the trail proved to be a safe place where I felt absolute freedom.
I ended up wearing through three pairs of Brooks running shoes, which were comfortable enough for my 25-mile days on the generally well-maintained trail.
McAfee Knob in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge is among the most-photographed spots along the entire AT.
Like “Ground Hog Day”? I started hiking the AT alone in March 2011 in Georgia. I was a year out of college. I loved the outdoors, and I was not ready for the rat race. The trail seems romantic – a way to get away from the hustle and bustle, and “find yourself.” In reality, towards the end of the five months, some days felt like the movie Ground Hog Day with Bill Murray, in which he relived the same day, over and over. Don’t get me wrong – I met a lot of wonderful people and I gained confidence in myself, but the trail is not as romantic as it seems. You literally just wake up and walk.
Shelters are constructed about every eight miles along the AT. There’s always water -- and other hikers -- nearby.
Every. Single. Day. Only a Few Thru-Hikers Succeed You’re usually in a forest that might offer one or two nice views per day. Many days you cross a major highway, or can hear traffic from your campsite. You get blisters, mosquito bites and sunburns. You hike in wet shoes for four days straight, which causes blisters and more blisters – the painful, in-between-your-toes blisters. You eat the same foods every day. You’re cold. You miss your friends and you miss your own bed. Only about 30% of thru hikers accomplish their goal, and that’s due to the psychological
When beavers dam up streams near the AT, the result is often wet feet and more blisters.
grind. Your body gets used to the physical demands in a couple weeks. Packing Light I wasn’t much of a hiker before starting the trail – I’d done some day hikes, but never overnight backpacking. Lucky for me, I had a credit card, and L.L. Bean was only a four-hour drive. Even luckier for me, once I got started north on the hike, the trail goes right next to an outfitter on the third day. The staff there will overhaul your gear. They emptied the contents of my backpack on the floor and sorted through it. I was able to mail onethird of my stuff home. Then I bought sneakers two sizes too big, to help prevent blisters.
Daily Routine Most days I woke up with the sun and birds around 5:30, packed up my gear and started hiking. I snacked on apples and granola bars, occasionally taking a break to snap a photo, sign a shelter log, filter water or use a privy. I hiked until about 6 p.m., and usually slept in shelters. There were three-sided shelters about every eight miles, which always had water nearby and other hikers for company. I never spent a night without other hikers around. I cooked a rice or pasta Knorr one-skillet meal for dinner, wrote in my journal, and was asleep by 9 (if no one was snoring). I once heard about a thru hiker who woke up, had a smoke, then accidentally hiked 8 miles south before realizing he was going the wrong way. He turned around then (Continued on next page)
The trail is generally well-maintained, as shown by this stretch in Pennsylvania. www.MaineSportsman.com
44 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Cedar-Plank Salmon Winter Season, Mud Season, and now Grilling Season is here! Now we can really focus on grillin’ and chillin’! This could easily become a grilling sum-
mer favorite! Simple, delicious and compliments any fish that I have tried. Along with the pasta salad, let the company arrive!
Bon Appetit and Happy Healthy wild game meals!
made in Biddeford) and the fact that I carried mascara and wore it while in town. Yes, even mascara was thought too heavy to carry by some. Hikers sawed their toothbrushes in half to shed pounds. It was common to see hikers in raincoats and pants in 80-degree weather while doing laundry, since we didn’t pack a change of clothes. I wore the same shirt the entire trip. I smelled delightful. Every four days or so, the trail passed near or through a town. I’d hitchhike in and do my laundry, split a motel room with
other hikers, take a shower and eat until I could barely walk. Next month: Christi works to complete her hike to Katahdin, dreams about food, lists the trail names of other hikers, and discusses her socially-awkward re-entry into the post-hike, non-AT world.
Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • •
1 untreated cedar plank 1 1½ pound fresh salmon fillet, about 1 inch thick 2 tablespoons Maine Maple Syrup ½ teaspoon Vulcan Salt* ¼ teaspoon Calyspo Seasoning 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon dry mustard ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh chives 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Soak plank in water that covers plank for 60-90 minutes before using. Preheat grill to high. Rinse and pat fish dry. Place salmon, skin side down on soaked plank. Combine maple syrup, Vulcan Salt, brown sugar, and dry mustard and rub on salmon. Sprinkle with chives and thyme and arrange lemon slices on top of salmon. Reduce grill heat to medium and place cedar shanked salmon on grill rack. Cover and grill for 20 minutes or just until salmon begins to flake when tested with a fork. Serves 4-6 *thespicehouse.com has the freshest herbs and spices I know!
Maine Sportswoman (Continued from page 43)
hiked 8 miles north, and slept in the same shelter as the previous night, resulting in a 16-mile “zero day” (a day you go zero miles, usually a rest day in town). Trail Names All thru hikers go by a trail name, or else there would be too many Matts and Mikes. My trail name was Deva, named from the model of Gregory backpack I had (I later upgraded to a Hyperlite Mountain Gear pack www.MaineSportsman.com
Christi Holmes is a Registered Maine Guide. She can be reached at ChristiHolmes87@ gmail.com or on Instagram @christiholmes.
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 45
A Wet, Thoughtful Day on Flagstaff Lake A few years ago, I did a month-long, self-propelled trip from Kittery Point to Fort Kent, Maine. Paddling, rowing, hiking and biking the entire length of the state was an experience I’ll never forget – but some parts of it have remained sharper in my memory than others. On the morning of Day 14 of the trip, I awoke to the sound of steady rain on the tent fly. The weather gods had finally caught on to my silly plan for making a set number of miles each day. Lightning had flashed in the distance the day before as I biked from Rangeley to Eustis. And above
I saw a young moose in the shallows feeding on lilies – he looked as wet and disgruntled as I felt.
the pounding of the rain on the tent, I could again hear thunder rolling in the distance. Schedule Rules Two weeks of perfect summer weather was
clearly at an end. But my itinerary called for a solo-canoe crossing of Flagstaff, Maine’s fourth largest lake, on day fourteen. A weather delay now would put a wrinkle
in the schedule all the way to Fort Kent. Campsites were booked; gear exchanges and resupply plans were set in stone. I needed to be at Long Falls Dam, at the eastern
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end of Flagstaff by the following morning. We had breakfast and broke camp in the rain. My wife and two kids had joined me for the night at Cathedral Pines Campground in Eustis. It was our rare chance to be together as a family over dad’s month-long mid-life crisis adventure. When the rain eased at mid-morning, I loaded the canoe and grimly set out alone down the North Branch of the Dead River toward Flagstaff. Big Messy Lake Flagstaff Lake spills over the entire top half of page 29 in the DeLorme, Maine Atlas and Gazet(Continued on page 47)
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46 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Columnist Jim Andrews’ Choice for Backwoods Travel This month readers will get a peek into what vehicles Self Propelled Sportsman columnist James Andrews prefers taking on remote backwoods roads of Maine. I recently interviewed Mr. Andrews about his wilderness travel preferences, and here’s what he said. “Funny you should ask about transportation,” he began. “I am currently in the market for a new-to-me 4x4. I am a big Tacoma fan, like you, and I’ve had several of the small Toyota trucks over the years. I’ve spent plenty of nights camped in the beds of those trucks. I
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Jim Andrews dreams of an FJ40 Land Cruiser he used to own, which he once used to haul two Jeep CJ-7s out of a mud hole – at the same time! never thought I wanted a fiberglass cap until I had my first one – now I won’t buy a truck without one. “I had a full-sized Toyota Tundra for a while,” he continued, “but it felt like too much truck for me and I traded back to a Tacoma.” Jim’s 2001 Model is a Bit Rusty Jim said he was having rust issues with his 18-year old Tacoma. “I’m selling my 2001,” he explained, “because the bed
rust is just too much of an issue for me to keep hauling two tripping canoes on a six-foot Thule rack along with a full bed of heavy gear. “I wish the small truck market had more selection,” he commented. “I heard the Ford Ranger is back, and that Jeep has renewed their pickup line – maybe ten years from now I can afford a used one.”
Dreaming of his Classic FJ40 I asked Jim if he had a dream vehicle in his past. “Many years ago, I owned a 1976 FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser,” he replied, “which is what started my romance with the Toyota brand. That vehicle could almost swim. I used it to carry building materials to my camp which was not accessible by anything other than a very steep, and very wet, skidder trail.
“One spring, I navigated through the deepest mud hole on that trail and continued on to camp. On my return trip out from the camp, I found two Jeep CJ-7’s buried in mud. They were stuck in the hole and blocking the trail. “I was already late for an afternoon wedding that I had to go to, so I cut a couple of trees to go around the two jeeps, then hooked them both together with chain and attached another chain to the front one. “With the FJ40 in four-low (creeper gear) I let out the clutch and (Continued on next page)
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TMS columnist Jim Andrews likes Toyota Tacomas, much like the author. (Continued from page 46)
never touched the gas. At idle speed, I pulled both Jeeps out at once.” Jim admitted that he was late for the wedding, and a little mud-splattered when he got there. “No wonder those FJ40s go for $30K-$40K in a completely re-conditioned state,” Jim said to complete his interview. Agreed I agree with Mr. Andrew’s assessment of Toyota’s line of trucks – they pack a lot of off-road power in a little package. I have had several similar experiences hauling
out other brands of trucks from the deep woods with my Toyotas. Most of these big truck owners (Chevy, GMC, and one Ford) sheepishly asked me not to mention their names because they didn’t want anyone to know they had to be pulled out by a smaller Toyota. In one instance, a friend led me to a rabbit-hunting location on an unused logging road that was covered with a layer of slushy ice and some deep snow. We slowly crept to a parking area, and he did fine until he tried turning around to park his full-sized GMC four-wheel-drive
Self-Propelled (Continued from page 45)
teer. It’s 20 miles long, shallow, and strewn with dri-ki created when the Dead River was impounded and flooded a huge land area back in 1950. The disembodied floating stumps of trees cut seventy years ago intertwine and create rafts of debris that defy navigational efforts in large parts of the lake. By the time I made the sharp easterly turn from the river into the lake, it was once again pouring rain. The old L.L. Bean ad about how there’s no such thing as bad weather – only bad clothing – might be true. But it seemed like I had both. It was mid-August and nobody was going to die of hypothermia that day, but it was pretty clear I was going to be wet for the duration. You know the kind of rainstorm I’m talking about. Rainwater soaked through my hat. It ran down the back of my neck. My legs were soaked. The canoe filled slowly. My gear was protected, but the paddle was slippery in my hands, and the skin on my fingers puckered. I skirted the northern shore as I made my way east. Fog distorted the view of the shoreline – making me stay close. I knew
Andrews says he finds it tough looking at this vehicle -- one he feels he should have never sold.
eight-cylinder truck. The longer wheelbase of my friend’s truck wouldn’t allow an easier turn-around in a lessrisky section of the trail, so he had to swing his big truck through a really sloppy area, where he immediately buried the vehicle. Putting the Creeper Gear to Good Use I drove my little four-cylinder, four-wheeldrive Tacoma around his buried truck, right through the sloppy stuff, turned around in that mess of mud, snow, and slushy ice, and drove passed his stuck vehicle
again to allow for an extraction in the direction we came in. The short wheelbase allowed me to easily maneuver the lighter Tacoma through the sloppy tight spot without getting stuck. Like Mr. Andrew’s mentioned in his story above, I put it in creeper gear and let off the clutch. After I slowly pulled my friend’s truck out, we unhooked the vehicles and drove out to a plowed section of the logging road. My friend said, “Please don’t tell anybody about this – they’ll never let me hear the end of it. I can’t believe that little truck could pull me out.”
Speak with anyone that’s had to drive way back in the woods and they’ll echo Jim Andrew’s sentiment – the Toyota line of trucks seems to have been created for offroad travel. But don’t let that keep anyone from using a Tacoma for extensive travel on pavement. My wife drove my 2010 Tacoma from Dixfield to the Augusta Civic Center, and told me she couldn’t believe how quiet and smooth the truck rode – and that was with some fairly aggressive Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires.
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the entire Bigelow Range was looming over my right shoulder – but it was invisible in the fog and clouds. I saw a young moose in the shallows feeding on lilies – he looked as wet and disgruntled as I felt. The lightning finally put me ashore. Long jagged bolts of it that lit up the fog and clouds directly above me. I burrowed in to a fir thicket and tried to make coffee while the storm continued filling the beached canoe. Coffee and Consciousness It was nearly noon, and I had at least another 12 miles to go to reach my planned campsite. This wasn’t how I had envisioned the trip. Somehow, in my mind’s eye, I had imagined perfect weather for the entire month. And however unrealistic that view was, it was annoying to be so uncomfortable. This storm was going to make a muddy mess of my schedule. The stove finally lit, and I boiled some coffee while the rain hissed through the brush around me. The worst of the thunder and lightning passed down the lake while I sipped from an aluminum cup. Soon the only sound was steady rain falling on still water. For two weeks I had been gauging the success of each day by how far ahead or behind schedule I was. Planning the trip had
The lightning finally put the author ashore -long jagged bolts of it that lit up the fog and clouds directly above him.
been a huge year-long task. Maybe I was so invested in the schedule that I had lost sight of the bigger reasons for the journey. The moose sighting that morning was the first one of the trip, yet I barely took time to document it with a photo. The sound of the rain was hypnotic. Rainwater cooled my coffee, and my temper, while I sat motionless. The lake and the weather didn’t care about my carefully laminated itinerary stashed in the kitchen box. And wasn’t that why I came here?
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48 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Good Times on Moosehead Lake It was a long winter, and spring seemed even longer. Cold temperatures, rain and even snow in May served to extend the previous season. But now in July all that is forgotten, and sunny skies and warm temperatures prevail. For many, summer marks their favorite time to hit the water in the Moosehead Region. Shirtsleeve trolling has arrived and coincidentally, great fishing accompanies it. And since cool weather persisted for so long, fish won’t hold as deep as they normally would in July. And serious trollers know that the deeper the fish, the more difficult it is to present our lures and baits. Also, early morning hours will see salmon and trout taking insects from the top. So it pays to include a fly rod along with the trolling gear. But even if you don’t have fly gear, fish will take trolled offerings fished just a scant few feet below the surface. As morning wears on, fish will head to deeper water, but all the same, topwater enthusiasts have
harmonbrookfarm.com, perform nearly as well as live smelt. These things are killers, so if you enjoy trolling with the real thing, pick up a pack.
A stormfront brews over Lake Wassookeag. Because of its healthy population of smelt, the lake offers high-quality salmon fishing all summer, according to the author. Tom Seymour photo
their time to shine each morning. After the sun warms the top layer, trout and salmon go a bit deeper, where they will become easy targets for trolled lures and frozen or preserved smelt. For me, nothing in life beats a warm day spent trolling on Moosehead Lake. And to add icing on an already tasty cake, salmonid condition is outstanding. Brook trout and salmon grow to trophy size, and it’s not just the occasional fish, either. Anglers regularly land 4-pound-plus trout, and 4- to 5-pound salmon. Lure Du Jour While old favorites such as Mooselook Wob-
blers, DB smelt, Carson lures and Li’l Jakes continue to take fish, it seems that every season some new lure overpowers everything else. What will the “lure du jour” be this year? We’ll know in July, and more importantly, local sporting goods outlets will know as well. So when you get to Greenville, stop in the shops and inquire. And whatever the local tackle dealers say to get, get it, because these people speak to anglers every day. Besides that, most of them like to fish themselves. They won’t steer you wrong. A recent red-hot lure came as a new color scheme on an old offering. After their debut, Mooselook Wobblers in Day-Glo orange and yellow began slamming fish as nothing else could. Before that, we had “Wonder Bread” pattern Mooselook Wobblers. And so it goes. I find it wonderfully exciting to try a new lure that
other people have had great success on. It just adds another dimension to an already fun time. As for your selection of bait, golden shiners take everything from brook trout and salmon to deep-holding togue. I have taken fine togue by fishing the old-fashioned way using Dave Davis lake troll sets with a shiner trailing behind. Some anglers eschew the extra flash and just troll a plain shiner, and that works, too. Smelt, if you can find them, are a topnotch bait, because they are the predominate natural bait in Moosehead Lake. Fish are used to feeding upon them. But by July, live smelt are impossible to find. Most people now go with frozen smelt and these work fine, but being soft, they don’t stay on the hook long. I have found that preserved smelt from Harmon Brook Farm (207) 474-1215,
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Hex Hatch The Hegenia Mayfly hatch comes off in late June and early July, and the biggest fish in the lake come to the surface in late evening to smash these giant mayflies. Moosehead Lake sees a fine hatch, and even that part of the lake in downtown Greenville sees trout and salmon splashing on the surface after “Hex” mayflies. For those who want to get out a little earlier in the afternoon, Hex nymphs, or really, any large nymph, take pre-emergers. If the water is calm, look for a boil just under the surface. This indicates that fish are slamming nymphs. Most lakes and ponds in the Moosehead region see a Hex hatch. One of my favorite spots, First and Second Little Lyford Ponds, set in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) 100-Mile Wilderness, abounds in the huge mayflies. But other ponds on AMC property likewise see great Hex hatches. Better yet, AMC has cleared trails to these wilderness trout ponds, and in some instances – including Little and Big Lyford Ponds – have canoes available for public use. Just bring your own life jackets and paddles. In this day when more and more land gets posted, it’s a rare thing to encounter an organization that welcomes sportsmen with open arms. The people at AMC should (Continued on next page)
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be commended for their community spirit. And because parking and canoe use is free for day-trippers, a stay at an AMC lodge ranks as the best vacation I can conceive of. These places feature topnotch service amid wilderness settings.
Additionally, a number of campsites dot these remote ponds For more information, contact AMC at P.O. Box 310, 15 Moosehead Lake Road, Greenville, ME 04441, (207) 695-3085. If you do decide to book some time on an AMC lodge, you’ll most certainly have a memorable and
enjoyable experience. Look for Lyford Ponds and the AMC camp on the DeLorme Atlas, Map 41, C-5. Wassookeag Lake Here’s a lake that thousands pass by on their way north. Wassookeag Lake, in the extreme southern end of the Moosehead region, offers
high-quality salmon fishing all summer. With a healthy population of smelt, salmon and togue grow to impressive sizes. This 1,062-acre, spring-fed lake, with its maximum depth of 86 feet, seems custom-made for trolling. As for water quality, the prop wash from outboard motors ap-
pears white, just the same as way out on the ocean. And even on the hottest July day, fish from this lake feel ice-cold to the touch. See Wassookeag Lake on Map 32, D-1. July marks a grand time for anglers in the Moosehead region.
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50 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Managing Maine’s Resources Under the Public Trust Doctrine One of the most powerful – and confusing – concepts in environmental and natural resource management is the notion of “public trust.” We often hear reference to the Public Trust Doctrine when talking about managing fish and wildlife resources and public lands. Similarly, public trust applies to air and water quality, and to our lakes, rivers and shoreline. But what exactly does “the public trust” mean? In broad terms, managing for the public trust is simple: public resources must be managed to benefit the general public and for future generations. That sounds pretty obvious in most cases. But when it comes to the details, it’s complicated. The exact definitions and legal foundations defining the public trust are different for different resources, and they vary by state. And the public trust doctrine typically applies at the state level, but also applies in many federal contexts. Evolving Interpretations To make things worse, the law around the public trust doctrine is dynamic. It is ever-evolving with constant litigation, changing laws, and numerous state and federal court rulings. Splitting legal hairs is what lawyers, courts and legislatures do and will continue to do. Anything we say today, could change tomorrow. I’m not a lawyer, so I may oversimplify things, but I’ll try to summarize this in broad and plain language. www.MaineSportsman.com
In 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Illinois state legislature could not convey submerged lands along the Chicago waterfront entirely to a private railroad company. The court held that title to this resource must be “held in trust for the people of the state that they may enjoy the navigation of the waters … and have liberty of fishing therein.”
While most of Fortunes Rock Beach is public, other areas in the intertidal zone are a battleground for defining public access under the Public Trust Doctrine.
Public Resources & Benefits Generally speaking, the public trust doctrine provides that “certain natural resources are held by the government in a special status–in ‘trust’–for current and future generations,” according to Professor Richard Frank of Univ. of California, Davis. What natural resources are considered public trust resources? Here are a few that are of broad interest: • Intertidal lands • Inland navigable
waters, including great ponds • Surface water quality and quantity (and in some states groundwater) • Fish and wildlife resources • Public lands and parks, and • Air resources Deep Roots The roots of the public trust doctrine in the U.S. go all the way back to Roman law and English law, especially the nature of property rights in rivers, the sea, and the seashore.
In New England, the right of the public to use lands between the high and low tide marks (intertidal lands) for “fishing, fowling and navigation/boating” dates back to the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Ordinance and its later incorporation into Maine common law. Early laws also established that the public has the right to access and use “great ponds” (larger than 10 acres) as important resources for the benefit of all. Then, in 1892, a landmark decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court in Illinois Central Railroad Company v. Illinois found that the state legislature could not convey submerged lands along the Chicago waterfront entirely to a single private entity. The court stated that title to this resource is “held in trust for the people of the state that they may enjoy the navigation of the waters … and have liberty of fishing therein.” Courts in other jurisdictions and legislative bodies have also declared that government officials may not convert public trust resources into private ownership nor permit their injury or destruction. Rather, government officials have an affirmative duty to safeguard the long-term preservation of those resources and environmental conditions for the benefit of the general public. Government agencies may provide limited private use of public trust resources, such as allowing docks or leasing submerged lands for cable crossings. And agencies may regulate how businesses or individual citizens use public trust resources, such as by issuing licenses or permits. The overarching mission is to keep public trust resources available for broad public benefits in perpetuity. Legal Basis How the public trust doctrine applies to particular natural resources depends on a long history of legal actions, precedents, court rulings, legislative actions or even constitutional language. (Continued on page 52)
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Streamer Tactics that will Out-Fish the Surfer-Dude Guide The quiet and soothing sounds of water lapping at the side of my drift boat blended with the subtle tones of children playing at the faroff shoreline of the river. With the sun to my right side, warming my soul, and the front of the anchored boat facing downriver, I didn’t see the sleek, new ClackaCraft drift boat closing in on my position from behind me. I heard it before I saw the anglers, and immediately recognized the annoying voice of the guide as a young fellow who drives some people nuts with his phony, overthe-top enthusiasm. The squeaky, pre-adolescent –sounding “surfer dude” banter between him and his equally youthful client made the aging angler in the front of my boat physically cringe. The young guide gave a casual turn of his head toward our boat and yelled, “What’s up Clunie! We’ve already hooked 12 pigs and we’re just getting started. I’m so stoked. How about you guys?” I said we were just getting started, but it didn’t look like he actually acknowledged my response. My client in the front seat, Bill Cope, who was a frequent fishing client turned friend, said quietly, “Let’s get as far away from that boat as possible.” The egocentric anglers anchored and continued with their loud, foul and nasty language ... and it got louder when they hooked the first fish – a big smallmouth bass. They stopped their
Out in Missouri, Kelly Galloup ties and sells some huge, wildly-named flies, including Galloup’s Articulated Butt Monkey, and Cheech’s Flugenzombie. He also fishes them by casting directly (perpendicular) to the river bank and quickly retrieving the fly using a “strip and twitch” technique. He says the movement of the fly appeals to the predatory nature of larger trophy fish, and I am all about larger fish. boat right at the tail-end of a piece of whitewater that always produced big smallies. Even though I had planned on fishing that location, I picked up anchor and quickly moved down river, away from the annoying whooping and hollering. Moving On The conversation in our boat turned to a discussion about the beauty of the river on this day and how good it felt to anchor in the shade. The heat of July looked great as long as you remained in the shade. The funny
thing was that the smallmouth bass didn’t seem to be seeking the same shady refuge. No matter what we threw at the shaded shoreline, the big bass seemed to be absent, so our discussion turned to subsurface flies for catching smallmouth bass in the middle of the summer. Most of the clients I took fishing for smallies on the river over the years preferred to catch them on top, with poppers or sliders. We only resorted to fishing below the surface as a last resort.
That day Bill Cope, who was a superb angler from Pennsylvania, decided to try something different. Cope ties his own flies and always brought a slew of a selection when he came to Maine to fish with me. He must have tied flies all winter, and always came prepared with an impressive box of new flies each year. Cope tied on a Clouser-kind of streamer with lots of copper coloring and proceeded to bring big smallies up from the
depths. In the distance, the college-boy guide and his client let out surfer-dude yelps when they caught fish, took numerous photos and violently slapped high-fives every couple of minutes. My client, in contrast, silently held each fish just outside of the net and released it. I pulled our boat over to the shore and Cope asked if we could wetwade for a while and cool off. This gave the surfer-dude anglers time to speed down the river, well out of hearing distance. Cope quietly landed several trophy smallies while enjoying the relative silence of the river. Subsurface Selections Cope’s choice of fly (Continued on next page)
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Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 51)
didn’t come from simple happenstance selection. He had made some careful observations the year before, and tied up what he considered his solution to the problem of hooking big smallmouth bass when they seemed to be refusing top water presentations. He took into consideration the typical color of the water in this river, the type of bait fish available, the underwater foliage, and a little bit of fishing ju-ju. His copper-colored Clousers really worked well, and we took plenty of fish that morning on the river. This year I’ve tried to do the same as my old fishing buddy/client Cope. I have boxes full of ammo (flies) this year, ready to go. I watched a DVD this winter by Kelly Galloup,
a Michigan fly fisherman and fly shop owner with a penchant for successfully fishing with big, meaty streamers. Mr. Galloup has moved his fly fishing shop and lodge out to the Madison River in Missouri (slideinn.com). There he sells some awesome flies with wild names like Galloup’s Articulated Butt Monkey, Cheech’s Flugenzombie, Lynch’s Drunk & Disorderly, and a bunch of other similarly-named streamers. I was so glad to see a plain, old, traditionally-named Black Ghost listed in his online catalog. Galloup’s Method Besides trying out some of Galloup’s style of really huge streamers, I’m going to also give his unique method of fishing these meaty streamers
Sporting Environment (Continued from page 50)
In New York State, for example, protection of the Adirondack Park Preserve as “forever wild” was voted by the citizens into the Article XIV of the state constitution in 1894. In other cases, the specific terms of what constitutes the public trust may be defined in a legal transfer of deed, as it was with Maine’s Baxter State Park, given to the Maine people by Governor Percival Baxter between 1931 through 1963. Under the Deeds of Gift and Formal Communications, the Baxter State Park Authority is charged with managing the park according to Gov. Baxter’s vision of wilderness protection (or sustainable forest management in specific areas), as now codified in state law (Maine Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 3), and associated rules. Agency Obligations In Maine, the public trust doctrine applies to multiple agencies, depending on the resources they manage, including the departments of Marine Resources, Environmental Protection, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, and Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. It also applies to the Legislature itself. After the Maine Legislature passed the Public Trust in Intertidal Lands Act in 1985, several court cases further refined the interpretation of public and private rights in the intertidal zone. www.MaineSportsman.com
a try. This past winter, I studied his highly-instructive DVD explaining the way he repeatedly casts his big streamers to the river bank, seducing trophy fish into slamming his fly. Most folks are used to casting to a river bank at a 45-degree angle, letting the current sweep the streamer across the river to a downstream position where they retrieve it and start all over again. Galloup casts directly (perpendicular) to the bank, and immediately retrieves the fly in a quick “Strip and Twitch” technique that doesn’t carry downstream very far at all. Galloup says the technique appeals to the predatory nature of the larger trophy fish in the river, and allows anglers to skip over hook-ups with lesser-sized fish. I’m all about larger fish, and will give it a
Pennsylvania angler and fly tier Bill Cope, with another fantastic smallmouth bass. William Clunie photo
try this summer on both salmonid and some of the smallmouth bass around here. Hopefully the surfer-dude anglers hit the gnarly waves on the coast this summer and
Past rulings relate to clamming, worming, scuba diving and general recreation. This one issue would be a lengthy column by itself as the legal battles continue. Fish and wildlife resources within Maine’s borders belong to “the people of the State in their collective sovereign capacity.” It is well understood that DIF&W and DMR must act in the public trust when managing these resources. However, the words “public trust doctrine” are not specifically expressed in all applicable statues. Surface water and air quality are managed under public trust principles under state law, and also follow public trust declarations in the Clean Air Act “to promote the public health and welfare,” in the Clean Water Act to protect “fish, shellfish, and wildlife and [provide] for recreation in and on the water,” and in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Finally, public lands, including parks and public reserved lands, are managed under laws and regulations that reflect the purpose and goals of public ownership and public benefits for the type of land protected as such. It’s Never Simple The concept of the “public trust” may seem simple at first, but it is always necessary to dive deeper into the details of how we must make decisions about our precious public resources. It takes hard work to protect that trust. And managing in the public trust is
leave me alone on my totally-tubular river long enough to find success and report back here on my fishy findings.
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Maine’s “great ponds” are accessible to the public under the Public Trust Doctrine.
Baxter State Park and Maine’s navigable waters are managed under the Public Trust Doctrine.
one thing. Getting different people to agree what is best for the public in the long run is an entirely different matter.
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Downeast Angling Gets Exhilarating in July July can provide some of the most dynamic fishing action in Downeast Maine. Hooking into a 3-pound bronzeback, a few humpbacks, or a lengthy lake trout are the embodiments of Maine’s unofficial motto, “The Way Life Should Be.” Smallmouth bass and white-perch fishing can produce thrilling results. As July’s temperatures warm up, smallies and white perch action also heats up. Bass and white perch become more active as the surface-water temperature cools in the evening. Some top-quality action can be found by referring to DeLorme’s Maine Atlas, Maps 15, 23 and 36. Many of these waters produce bronzebacks of the 2- to 4-pound range, and white perch in the 8- to 12-inch range. Bass, Perch, and More My favorite lake for smallmouth bass and white perch is Brewer Lake (Map 23, C-3). This water consists of 881 acres of prime warm-water habitat. Rod-bending action for white perch is found near Nickerson Island and Kings Island.
Avid bass angler Mike Cummings of Bucksport says there’s some good smallmouth bass fishing in Alamoosook Lake in Orland, especially in the vicinity of Randall’s Bridge. This productive area of water is known as the Dead River. Areas near Bowden’s Island, according to fishing enthusiast Rick Howard of Verona Island, can produce the main ingredients for a mouth-watering white-perch chowder. Morning and evening fishing with spinning-gear and garden hackle usually produces enough perch for a meal. Brewer Lake is also noteworthy for its smallmouth bass and chain pickerel populations. Smallmouth bass habitat is scattered all along the shoreline, especially near Rocky Shore Drive. This lake also contains a few landlocked salmon for summer an-
glers to catch. A boat launch near the north end of the lake is accessible by taking the Snow’s Corner Road from Route 15 to the Brewer Lake Road. Phillips Lake Another top-notch white perch and smallmouth bass haunt in this area is Phillips Lake (Map 23, C-4). Phillips Lake is a mid-sized water consisting of 828 acres. Heavy humpbacks and frying pan-shaped bass are caught near the shoreline in July. The lake supports a pretty good smallmouth bass fishery. Some of the
coves and drop-off areas by the islands have a lot of submerged boulders favored by this species. Every year, the lake produces some trophy 3-4 pound smallmouths, most of which are in excellent condition. The deep, well-oxygenated water at Phillips Lake also has a reputation for producing summer salmon and lake trout. The daily bag limit on salmon is one fish. The daily limit on togue is three fish, minimum length is 14-inches, and only one may exceed 18-inches.under 23 inches and only one may exceed 23 inches in length.
Salmon trollers often see top-water action in the central part of the lake or around the eastern shoreline. Several small islands near the east outlet offer prime summer-fishing prospects. This scenic body of water is just off Route 1A between Ellsworth and Brewer. Less Crowded Waters Anglers looking for less crowded conditions for less-crowded conditions should try Wight Pond (Map 15, A-3). This small, 135-acre pond contains prime humpback habitat. Fast action for worm-eating perch is found near the north end of this water. Another area toward the center of the pond can (Continued on page 55)
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54 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Information for the New Trapper There are many things for the new trapper to learn to get started. The great thing about trapping is that it is a lifelong learning process. You never stop learning about the furbearers. First off, there are several gatherings of trappers every year that provide an avenue for learning about fur trapping, trapping specific species, Animal Damage Control trapping, traps, fur handling, equipment preservation and care, new products and many other related subjects. Trappers Weekend The first of these annual events is the New England Trappers Weekend will be held August 15th thru the 18th at 760 East Bethel Road, Bethel, Maine (DeLorme Atlas Map 10, A-4). The demonstrations at this gathering of trappers cover all the major furbearers. Other outdoor subjects such as chaga and mushroom gather-
For trapping in freezing weather, it’s important to use waxed dirt or waxed sand under and around your trap. You can purchase pre-made waxed dirt, or you can make it yourself, including by one method involving a bag of dry sand, some trapper’s wax, a small metal electric cement mixer and a propane torch.
Even the coon dog trials gather a good crowd. Dave Miller photo
ing, bee keeping, ginseng gathering, bear trapping, skunk gland removal, and even saltwater fishing are covered. The Ancient Ones attending will give demonstrations on
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cooking, fire making and hatchet throwing. There are even the coon dog trials. The folks giving the various presentations this year hail from numerous locations including Maine, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New York and even Iowa. The major trapping supply dealers in the Northeast are present, and there are many “tailgate sales” going on. This is the biggest trapping event in the Northeast. Event schedules
are listed on the Bethel Chamber of Commerce website (BethelMaine. com). Trappers Rendezvous The Maine Trappers Association annual Rendezvous is the next event to occur. It will be held September 20th and 21st at the Windsor Fair Grounds, 82 Ridge Road, Winsor, Maine (Map 13, C-2). Events will include trapping demonstrations for most Maine furbearers, turtle trapping, bear trapping, fur handling, and an oral presentation on the history of the association. The schedule of events for the Rendezvous may be found on the Maine Trappers Association website (mta.homestead.com). The website will also list any trapping demonstrations put on by the association’s regional chapters. Fur Storage Many trappers who trap part-time have busy lives and trap between (Continued on page 55)
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various activities in their day-to-day lives. Other trappers take large amounts of fur and need time to process them properly. Fur handling takes time to do it correctly. So what does one do with an amount of fur that cannot be processed on the day taken? The best method is to skin the animals and freeze the pelts. This ensures the pelts are kept in the best possible condition so that you can receive top dollar for your efforts. The best way is to skin the animal, roll up the pelt by placing it on its back and rolled up to its nose. The fat left on the pelt acts as an additional layer of protection from freezer burn. When completed, the only exposed flesh should be around the eyes, nose and ears. The facial area has the least of a pelt’s commercial value, so if longterm storage is anticipated, minimal freezer burn in this area will not hurt the pelts value that much.
The best method is to vacuum-pack the pelts; the next best is tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap, squeezing out any excessive air. The thicker the plastic wrap the better, such as that used on pallets in warehouses. However one chooses to do it, freezer storage should only be looked at as a temporary way to keep pelts until one can finish the fur handling process. The fleshing and stretching of pelts should be accomplished as soon as possible, to eliminate possible damage. Storing Fleshed and Stretched Furs If one wants to store furs that have already been fleshed and stretched, in order to prevent damage from fur-eating insects or to keep them the best you can prior to the auction date, they should be stored with plastic in the same manner as above. If you store your furs in this manner, make sure once they are removed that they are completely thawed and ensure that you wipe off any moisture prior to shipping or tak-
Downeast Region (Continued from page 53)
also produce excellent results. Perch are usually found in six to 30 feet of water. Simple spinning gear works great. Casting a bobber with worms makes a deadly combination for catching these fish. The dawn and dusk hours are the best times to entice these schooling fish to inhale your offering. Wight Pond is also known for its large-mouth bass and pickerel population. Alamoosook Lake Another exceptional fresh-water bass fishing water is Alamoosook Lake in Orland; Map 23, E-3. This medium-sized water contains 1,133 acres of fertile smallie habitat, with a maximum depth of 28 feet. Bass fishers often use live bait, bass plugs, or plastic worms to entice smallmouths in the 2-to 3- pound category. Fishing near the small islands, especially French Island, produces most of the trophy-bass action during July. Other quality bass haunts on this water, according to avid bass angler, Mike Cum-
ing to a local auction. The proper storage of furs along with proper skinning, fleshing and stretching, will ensure your time and efforts are rewarded with that top dollar for your pelts. Cold-Weather Land Trapping There are several methods used to try to keep traps working in cold weather. Some trappers spray glycol or glycerin mixed with water on the trap bedding and covering dirt. Others mix calcium chloride in the bedding and cover dirt. A third method is to bed the trap, then sift a light covering of dry dirt or snow over the set. However, the preferred method is to use what is known as “waxed dirt” for bedding and trap covering. All of these methods require that the trapper use buckwheat hulls, peat moss, or a similar material to fill in around the bedded trap prior to covering. Many trappers cover the trap with crumpled wax paper prior to the final dirt covering, to reduce the chance that
water or dirt will interfere with the mechanism. A few trapping supply dealers have waxed dirt to sell, while many trappers make their own. Making waxed dirt is time-consuming, but well worth the effort if one desires to trap in cold weather. Some trappers prefer sand to dirt, although there is a weight difference in the end product. The wax can be purchased in bags from trapping supply dealers already shredded for making waxed dirt, or you can buy trappers wax in onepound blocks, and use a cheese grater to shred the wax yourself. Drying dirt or sand is time-consuming and weather-dependent. It is normally done by spreading the material on a tarp in the sun, and raking it periodically to insure it dries completely. With the material still hot from the sun, the wax is applied slowly while raking to coat the material. Making Waxed Sand with a Mixer An easier way is to buy bags of dry sand from
mings of Bucksport, are located in the vicinity of Randall’s Bridge. This area of water, known as the Dead River, contains some fine bass fishing. Another piece of water where smallies can keep a rod bending is near the Alamoosook Lake outlet. The coves just before the dam are noted for the hefty-sized bass caught there during the summertime. Alamoosook Lake also provides fast perch and pickerel action during the summer. Easy access can be found by following Route 1 to East Orland. Follow the signs toward the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery. Crawford Lake Crawford Lake in Washington County is one of the best bass lakes in eastern Maine. Crawford is located just north of Route 9 (Map 36, D-2). A gravel road allows easy access to an excellent public boat launching site on the lake’s eastern shore. The shoreline is dotted with permanent and seasonal residences. The lake’s rocky shoals and numerous small islands offer high quality bass habitat. Fishing is regularly good for bass in the
hardware stores that store it inside. A small metal electric cement mixer is the way to go. The correct mixture ratio is about three quarters of a pound of wax to a half a pail of dirt. The dirt must be heated to melt the wax to coat it. The easiest way to heat the dirt is to use a torch heating the outside of the mixer while turning the material. Do not make it too hot, burning the sand. While the mixer is turning the heated dirt, start sprinkling in the wax a hand full at a time. This prevents clumping of the wax, ensuring an even coating. Too much wax will cause clumping of the mixture, after you make some you will get it right. Continue to let the mixer turn to cool the mixture preventing any clumping. This can take a period of time, but is important. The product should be stored for use in covered containers light enough to handle. More trapping hints coming next month!
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The author says July is one of the best times of the year to fish for bronzebacks (smallmouth bass).
11-13 inch size range, with fair numbers of larger fish in the 1 1/2-to-2 1/2 pound range caught each year. The peak of bass fishing usually occurs in late June and early July. A good number of white perch in the 1012 inch size range are caught annually. Anglers make excellent catches of pickerel in the 1 1/2- to 3-pound range. An especially productive area is off Maine Stream. Pickerel are readily caught by casting lures in and around the numerous weed beds.
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Tick Troubles Two of the better-known companies to manufacture and sell tick tubes are Thermacell and Damminix. The companies claim their products are proven to reduce the risk of encountering infected ticks on treated property by up to 97%. If you take certain precautions, you can also make effective tick tubes yourself. The twelve states with the highest incidence of Lyme disease include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. These 12 states alone account for 95% of all total cases of Lyme infection in the U.S. Ticks become infected with Lyme and other pathogens when larvae (or nymphs) take a blood meal from infected animal hosts. Engorged larvae molt over winter and emerge in May as poppy-seed sized nymphal deer ticks. Smallest One are the Most Dangerous Adult-stage deer ticks become active in October and remain active throughout the winter whenever the ground is not frozen. B l o o d - e n gorged females survive the winter in the forest leaf litter, and begin laying their 1,500 or more eggs around Memorial Day (late May). These eggs begin hatching in early June, peaking in early July. The risk of contracting Lyme and other tickborne diseases is highest during this time, because the nymphs (which are smaller than a sesame seed) are difficult to see and their bite is painless. In most cases, Lyme diswww.MaineSportsman.com
ease is transmitted from May through July, when nymphal-stage ticks are active. Deer Tick should be called “Mouse Tick” The name deer tick may cause people to believe that ticks become infected with Lyme disease after biting deer. However, while it’s true that deer and other mammals can spread tick populations, they do not carry the disease. Instead, ticks mainly pick up Lyme pathogens from white-footed mice. It stands to reason, therefore, that by stopping the spread of ticks from mice to humans, the threat of Lyme disease infection could be decreased. This line of reasoning is the science behind “tick tubes.” Tick Tubes Explained Tick tubes are cardboard or plastic tubes filled with Permethrin-treated cotton balls. Mice collect the cotton balls to build their nests. The deer ticks that feed on the mice are exposed to the Permethrin and are killed. If the plan works as designed, this breaks the life cycle and stops the spread of Lyme disease to humans. Homeowners can place tubes are around their yard in areas with protective coverage (think like a mouse), such as flowerbeds, bushes,
woodpiles, stone walls and sheds. To provide maximum coverage, tubes should be placed no more than 10 yards apart. Tick tubes should be put out twice a year – once in spring and once in late summer – to increase their effectiveness. The first application is designed to kill nymphal ticks that emerge in the spring, while the second application is intended to kill larval ticks that hatch in late summer. It is essential to set tick tubes out both times of the year to achieve best results. Spring applications should be made in May, and summer applications made in late July. According to companies that sell tick tubes commercially, scientific test have proven that the risk of encountering infected ticks on treated property can be reduced up to 97%. CommerciallyAvailable Tick Tubes Two of the better-known companies to manufacture and sell tick tubes are Thermacell (maker of the popular Portable Mosquito Repeller) and Damminix. The cost of both the Thermacell and Damminix tick tubes are comparable, with 24 tubes (enough for 1 acre of property) retailing for about $75. Both the Thermacell
The author states that the risk of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is highest in June and July, because the nymphal deer ticks (which are smaller than a sesame seed) are difficult to see, and their bite is painless. Photo credit: University of Maine Extension Service
(www.thermacell.com) and Damminix (www. ticktubes.com) products can be purchased online. DIY Tick Tubes For the individual who likes to do-it-yourself, tick tubes can also be made at home with a few simple materials: Supplies -• Toilet paper rolls and/ or PVC pipe pieces (I use a mix of both) • A bottle of Permethrin • Cotton balls or left over dryer lint • Disposable gloves & protective eyeglasses Instructions - Put on the gloves and safety glasses, then lay out the cotton or dryer lint and saturate it with the Permethrin spray. (I strongly advise doing this outside on a day with no wind.) Allow the fibers to fully dry, and then spray a second coat, again let it fully dry. Add pieces of the dry fibers to the tubes. Placing a few pieces in each tube is sufficient, as you don’t want to over-stuff them. Place the tubes
around your property, every 20-30 feet or so. Ticks are less likely to be in wide open lawns and are not able to travel/ walk far on their own, so they require something to move them, such as the mice and chipmunks they attach to. These animals tend to have small burrows and nests in sheltered areas, like underbrush and piles of leaves. Be sure to focus on those areas, along with anywhere you see chipmunks during the day. Keep in mind that mice are nocturnal, so it is unlikely you will see mice during the day to know exactly where to put the tubes. Other Steps to Control Ticks In addition to successfully deploying tick tubes, there are additional steps homeowners can take to help stop the spread of ticks. These include: • Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns. • Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas and around (Continued on page 59)
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Mackerel Fishing – Relief from the Heat, and Good Eating, Too! For an epicurean treat, try smoking mackerel in a stovetop smoker, found in cookware shops. The cap on top keeps the smoke from escaping. Instead, it stays inside and bathes the fish in aromatic wood flavor. Morning dawns hot and hazy, with not a breath of air stirring. All signs point to the day being another scorcher. The answer to this is to head down to the sea for a morning’s mackerel fishing. Air temperatures run about 5 degrees cooler at my favorite mackerel-fishing location, and that alone might suffice to bring most people down to the saltwater for relief from the heat. But for me, cooler conditions are just icing on the cake. Mackerel stand as the real reason I leave my comfortable, tree-shaded home on such a steamy, hot day. By early July, schools of mackerel have invaded upper Penobscot Bay. Usually, “tinker” – smaller mackerel – are among the first to arrive from their offshore haunts. A week or two later, schools of bigger, as in 12 inches and over, mackerel begin filtering in. For me, size really doesn’t matter, at least early in the season. All mackerel taste good, and all mackerel put up a fight that seems very much out of proportion to their size. A moving tide brings the best mackerel fishing. But how can someone living far from the sea determine tide times? A tide chart shows times for all tides at select locations along the coast. Tide charts are available at most marine
supply outlets. And if you don’t have a tide calendar, it’s easy to go online and type in tide times for your area on any search engine. Once you determine the tide schedule, try to hit the water on an incoming tide, one a little less than halfway in. Alternately, a moving tide keeps schools of mackerel moving. Of the two, an incoming tide is preferable. Needed Gear One of the nicer aspects of mackerel fishing is that it isn’t technical. Any old rod and reel will do. Of course, in order to enjoy catching mackerel to the fullest, it’s wise to avoid heavy, stiff rods. Any medium-weight, freshwater rod will do nicely. I even use ultralight rods and reels, but instead of the usual 3- to 4-pound-test line, I up the strength to 6-pounds, more than ample for any mackerel. Any heavier line will make lures and baits more difficult to cast. In any event, make sure your line isn’t old and kinked. Instead, it should easily peel off the spool, with no loops. Next, terminal gear varies. Many anglers use “Christmas trees,” designed to catch multiple fish at one time. I discourage the use of these, because they cut down on the action of a hooked fish. Better to catch one fish at a time and enjoy the battle. And
to that end, Diamond brand jigs and Swedish Pimple jigs top the list of best mackerel killers. Mackerel bite on a wide variety of lures and many of the spoons we use for trolling for trout and salmon work fine on mackerel. Being made of thin, stamped metal, these have the added advantage of sinking slowly, fluttering in a fish-attracting manner, all the way to the bottom. Very often mackerel will slam one of these spoons as it settles toward bottom, so be ready to set the hook at any movement of the line. Sometimes mackerel become reluctant to strike lures but will still take bait. And the best bait of is a small – and I mean very small – bit of fresh or previously-frozen shrimp on a size 6 hook. Don’t use heavy sinkers and huge swivels, since the idea is for the bait to float about in the water naturally. You might, if the tide is moving fast, attach a b.b. – size split shot if needed. It’s best to hold the rod by hand when using bait, since mackerel usually attack bits of shrimp quite violently and it is important to set the hook quickly. Epicurean Delights Mackerel, being an oily fish, must never be pan fried. If cooking indoors, broiling makes the best cooking method. But nothing beats
Mackerel will put an especially big bend in an ultralight spinning rod. Tom Seymour photo
cooking split, or “butterflied” mackerel on the grill. Add some ground black pepper and a few squirts of lemon juice. I like to sprinkle fresh mint on my mackerel for an additional highlight. While fresh mackerel, the kind that were properly cared for by being immediately placed on ice when caught, are sweet, rich and flavorful, another, less-popular cooking method transforms these everyday fish into epicurean delights. I’m talking smoked mackerel, and now, with an inexpensive and easily-obtained device, smoking mackerel or any fish comes out from the mystic shadows and becomes available to all. The device is a Cam-
eron’s Stovetop Smoker. These look like stainless-steel roasting trays with a sliding lid. These are found online and in cookware shops. New smokers come with a sample bag of hardwood sawdust, perfect for the job. The top of the smoker keeps the smoke from escaping, and instead it remains inside to bathe the fish in aromatic wood flavor. While it takes only a short while to smoke mackerel, preparation time runs fairly long. But still, it’s easy as pie once you assemble the marinating ingredients. This recipe comes from Russ Arnold, a consummate chef and expert on cooking fish and wildlife. (Continued on page 59)
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Fish Small Streams for Brookies; Troll Deep Lakes for Trophy Browns A prolonged, multiyear drought had me concerned that a majority of native trout in small streams may have died from lack of oxygen or at the hand of predators. This spring’s fishing served to disabuse me of that opinion. Trout are more durable than many of us might think, and their having survived three consecutive years of low summertime water levels attests to their ability to persist despite adverse conditions. That’s good news for those of us who enjoy probing the narrow, alder-lined streams where our favorite species, native brook trout, live. Come July, most anglers have quit fishing for native trout in small brooks and streams in favor of saltwater fishing, bass fishing in lakes and ponds, and deep-trolling for trout, salmon and togue. But that doesn’t mean that small-stream fishing isn’t productive in summer, because it certainly is. By now, trout have mostly made their way to well-hidden, comfort-
For trolling deep and at a fast speed, we turn to sparse single-hook streamers and bucktails, including such favorites as Gray Ghost, Warden’s Worry, Wood Special, and Joe’s Smelt.
Summer rains bring trout out in streams and brooks. Tom Seymour photo
able lairs such as deep, spring-fed pools and beneath undercut banks. Taking them from such places requires considerable stealth and skill. All that changes, though, when a summer downpour raises water to springtime levels. Trout leave their cozy
lairs to take advantage of food washed in by the rainwater. Fish will even prowl in shallow riffles and in essence, become vulnerable in most locations. This happy state of affairs lasts only a day or so before returning to low-water conditions as before. But while it lasts,
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anglers in the know can have great sport. Going Deep Deep-trolling heats up now, and early mornings and evenings see trollers battling often-large trout. For me, there’s something special about taking a fish that feels cold to the touch during the hot days of summer. And deep-trolling is the link that connects the warm, above-the-surface world to the cold depths below. I mention that trolling is best during morning and evening hours primarily because recreational boaters make accurate, controlled trolling nearly impossible during the day. On lakes with little or no speedboat or jet-ski-type traffic, trolling can remain productive throughout the day. Most of our larger,
northern lakes fall into the latter category, while waters in the rest of the state are subject to being churned to a froth during late-morning and afternoon hours. While many trollers opt for artificial lures now, I prefer to use baitfish instead simply because while artificials take more fish, live bait catches bigger fish. And as strange as it sounds, smaller bait work best in midsummer. A 1-inch, golden shiner pulled behind a dodger or set of trolling spoons makes an irresistible offering for waiting trout. The reason for the small size is that by now, baitfish that hatched the previous spring are now somewhere between 1 and 2 inches. That said, I like to troll a small shiner on my downrigger rod and a Mooselook Midget or Mooselook Peewee on a lead-core outfit that sits in my rodholder. Of all artificial lures now, this small wobbler with a silver front and copper back works best. But there are times when even these fail and so an Al’s Goldfish or Li’l Jake, by SpinA-Lure, may save the day. Fish Locator By now, water in lakes and ponds has stratified, and fish have congregated in that cool, well-oxygenated water strata called the “thermocline.” The thermocline isn’t always as deep as we might imagine. In my favorite trout lake, the thermocline is only 30 feet down in summer. This is where fish lo(Continued on next page)
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cators come in. My suggestion is to first set out one or two lines at a moderate, 25 – 30 feet and while trolling slowly, watch your fish locator screen for the depth that holds the most fish. And don’t be fooled by icons of huge fish on bottom in 60 feet of water, because most of these are suckers and won’t bite anyway. In many instances, you’ll take fish without going any deeper than the 30foot mark. Here’s another thing to consider. The thermocline doesn’t have much do with actual water depth. In other words, the thermocline could be 40 feet down over 120 feet of water. The casual observer might think it necessary to plumb the deepest depths, but that only means you’ll be fishing under trout. Trout will happily rise to nail a bait or lure passing 10 feet over their heads, but won’t take
anything fished beneath them, mainly because of the way their eyes are set in their heads. They simply cannot see beneath themselves. The tactics described here stand as the best way to hook a big brown trout, as in 3, 4 pounds and sometimes well over. Of course brook trout and rainbow trout fall all over themselves for the same offerings. But brown trout, especially big ones, rank among the most difficult of all salmonids to take from our lakes and ponds. Sure, flycasters take plenty fish in rivers and streams, but even so, fish of 4 pounds and more, with exceptions such as the Kennebec River, are relatively scarce. For trophy brown trout, hit the lakes with trolling gear. Trolling Flies While trolling with tandem streamers takes fish in spring when smelt are running, tandems must be fished at a fast rate of speed in order to fully compress the wings
Central Maine (Continued from page 56)
patios and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into recreational areas. • Mow the lawn frequently and keep leaves raked. • Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (this discourages rodents that ticks feed on). • Keep playground equipment,
Midcoast Region (Continued from page 57)
Russ’s recipe calls for: 1 1/3- cup of canning salt, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 1-3 teaspoons garlic powder, 1-3 teaspoons of onion powder and a small amount of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce. Mix up the marinade, add mackerel and let stand for at least 10-12 hours. Longer won’t hurt. At low-to-medium heat, it takes about 25 minutes to smoke two pounds of fish. Mackerel smoked this way taste and smell as if they just came out from
and create the effect of a smelt swimming along. But come summer, topwater trolling no longer works, and we must go deeper. But trolling deep and trolling at a fast speed are not compatible. So now we must turn to single-hook streamers and bucktails. Also, sparse is the word now. Bucktails and single-hook streamers such as the old favorite, Gray Ghost, do well. My favorite bucktail, Warden’s Worry, has yellowand-black painted eyes, and these, I’m convinced, add much to their fish appeal. Wood Special, another killer fly, takes fish when nothing else will. Also, Joe’s Smelt, another single-hook streamer, ranks as a must-have fly for summertime trolling. No matter whether you love brook fishing or lake trolling, July rates as a great month for both. I wish you good luck.
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decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees, and place them in a sunny location, if possible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year there are about 300,000 cases of Lyme disease, as a result of deer tick bites. Do your part to keep yourself and your family safe this season with tick tubes and the additional preventative hints listed above.
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a real smokehouse. I plan on trying this method on alewives as well, since smoked alewives are difficult to find nowadays. Proper Care Essential to good tasting mackerel is an ice-filled cooler. While you needn’t clean mackerel until arriving home, you must immediately place your fish on ice as soon as they are landed. People who say they dislike mackerel probably never experienced mackerel that were cared for in this manner. For a real treat, try mackerel this summer.
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Ed and Island Boy Just Miss Chance for Fortune and Fame I should be a millionaire. My buddy, Island Boy, should be a millionaire. We should own a ranch in Colorado on 10,000 acres. We should own a farm in South Dakota for the only purpose of hunting pheasants. We should own a 30-ft. center console craft with triple 300-hp. outboards. We missed our chance. Hacksaws in Hand At the ripe age of 10, I realized that two-wheel bikes were simply boring. All you could do was pedal them on a hard surface during daylight hours. Mike agreed. Being the inventive one, he decided a “modified” bike was the way to go. Hacksaws in hand, we rummaged the neighborhood for throwaway bikes. Some neighbors might have argued the fact of throwaway, but we paid no heed to their claims. We cut the front forks off our found treasures. Next step was to use them to extend the forks on our two-wheelers, dramatically increasing the ground clearance of the frames and pedals. Once the new forks were secured with ¼ inch metal screws, our inventions were complete. We had created the first boonie bikes, and we were ready to roll. Nose to the Grindstone; Face to the Pavement At first, we thought these bikes were the cats’ meow. After several rides, we realized they did not produce the excitement www.MaineSportsman.com
At the ripe age of 10, my friend and I craved more excitement on our bikes. Putting our minds together, we came up with a plan to construct a “boonie bike” out of scavenged parts. The wife says this is when our combined IQs hit the single digits.
Dressed for success -- The author (left) and his friend Island Boy stand in front of a 1964 International 3/4-ton pickup, contemplating their future as the millionaire inventors of self-propelled all-terrain vehicles.
we craved. Also, they sometimes produced excitement we didn’t crave. There was that time while I was traveling down the tar road that my forks came unattached to the body of the bike. I have a vague memory of watching my front tire speed away from me. After watching me try to smooth the surface of the road with my face, Mike decided we should have secured the forks
with larger-diameter screws. Eleven stitches later, I agreed. Next Step – Off Road! Another problem with our invention was it could only go where every other bike could go. We always had more fun out in the woods. Who really has fun on paved roads? Putting our minds together, we came up with a plan. The wife says this is when our combined IQs hit the single digits.
We decided we needed wider tires so these bikes could be ridden off-road. Now known as balloon tires, these oversized tires handled mud, gravel, and woods dirt just fine. So, off to Western Auto we went! After we made the proper adjustments, our new boonie bikes were off-road ready. We pedaled them over the same abandoned county roads we hunted on. We used them to take us deep in
the woods to our favorite fishing holes. But again, boredom set in. The need for more challenges arose. In the Dark Our next step, “to go where no man has been,” came on summer nights with a full moon or nearfull moon – we decided to travel those same abandoned country roads, solely using moonlight for illumination. Behind the house, beyond the school and up to Seven Fields we ventured. (Why they called it “Seven Fields” I don’t know – there were only five.) On one of these nights, while speeding down a wooded trail, I startled a large birch tree with my approach, and my front tire. As I limped home pushing my bike, Island Boy analyzed the situation and came up with a solution, so thereafter we equipped our front fenders with 2-cell flashlights, fastened securely with duct tape. Once again, necessity was the mother of invention. So speaking of invention, we had clearly invented the prototype mountain bikes, establishing a clear lineage that you see today in use all over the world. If we had just patented our invention! In fact, the mountain bikes my grandsons Mason and Owen ride would have put money in our pocket! “Boonie bike” or “mountain bike” – it’s all in a patent!
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Tom Goes High-Tech for Sebago Lakers Last year was the shake-down cruise for some high-tech electronic upgrades to my fishing boat, and I tested them on Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1) lake trout in July. Sebago lakers were introduced into the lake in 1972 and stocked through 1982. The lakers competed with the salmon for smelt, decimating the smelt population. Now, after a few decades have passed, the two species co-exist, and we have a booming lake trout fishery. The new slot limits were enacted to reduce numbers of lakers, but to grow larger, trophy fish. Once ice-out salmon angling slows, this angler switches gears and targets these behemoths of the deep. Downriggers Sebago lakers are bottom-dwellers, and bottom-angling techniques are required to take them. Some anglers sit stationary and jig, but most troll. Old-timers dragged steel line with heavy lead rudders and did quite well for trout. Modern anglers either troll lead-core line or use downriggers. You can see the small fleet of trolling boats most any July weekend. They head out at sunup, and they’re off the water before the heavy traffic of summer begins. You can see the downriggers stretching out from the boats like whiskers on a catfish. Last year I joined the downrigger fraternity and I wish I had done so earlier.
With my new “smart trolling” set-up, the fish finder talks to the electronic trolling motor, and tells it where to steer. Electronics & Mechanics “Follow the Contour” Many years ago, I thought how productive it would be for trolling bottom-dwelling fish like lakers if your downrigger would “read the bottom” and adjust to changes in depth. Well look no further – that technology is now available. Cannon makes their Digi-troll downriggers with their own transducer, and it actually reads the depth. You can select how far you want the ball off the bottom, after taking into account the drift up of the moving weight, and the unit will make adjustments up and down to keep your bait where you want it. I troll spoons this month, and I find a lightweight spoon with plenty of flash works best. Last summer it was Carlson’s Northeast Trolling spoons, made similarly to the old Sutton spoons, that did the trick. Copper color and copper/nickel Carlson spoons in the #20 model are perfect for skimming the bottom on the end of a downrigger release. Smart Trolling Along with this new downrigger (and yes I bought a second one this spring), I went with a smart trolling system. What is that, you ask? Well, read on, my friend. Imagine if your boat would follow a specific contour line on the lake, staying at an exact depth. You could follow the bottom of a trough, stay on
the edge of a drop-off or just stay at one depth. Also imagine that your electronic trolling motor talked with your fish finder to accomplish this feat. That’s exactly what my new set-up does. I ordered a Minn Kota Ulterra trolling motor that communicates with my Humminbird Helix fish finder. I can set the map to tell the trolling motor to follow a depth contour, pilot a straight course, or “anchor” the boat using the motor and GPS technol-
ogy. This combination of downriggers, fish finder and trolling motor is deadly on Sebago lake trout. Some may argue the technology has gone too far, but most anglers switched from gut leaders when monofilament was invented. Just saying. Where to Go on Sebago Knowing where to fish for lakers on the big lake requires a good knowledge of the lake that can’t
be aided by technology. Past angling excursions, talking with veteran anglers and trial-and-error fishing will put you where the fish are. I troll primarily on Jordan Bay, as it is where I hang my hat. I know the water and the general bottom characteristics. Last summer I had my best luck in 50 feet of water. Something about the oxygen levels at that depth, I imagine. Checking a chart and looking for troughs and drop-offs is a good way for the neophyte to find good water. Trolling the gut be(Continued on next page)
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62 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Sebago to Auburn (Continued from page 61)
tween Raymond Cape Road and Frye Island is productive. Just watch for the ferry crossing the channel. Early morning hours are best, as “The Gut” gets busy with boat traffic. Sebago lakers can run big. I typically pull threeto five-pounders, but bigger fish do exist. There are 20-pounders that get caught, so you know there are larger fish lurking around down there somewhere. Thompson Lake Just to the north, Thompson Lake (Map 5, A-2) is another great lake trout fishery with a native population. Bottom fishing with live shiners (or smelt, when you can get them) really produces on Thompson Lake. Thompson has a widely-changing bottom with huge boulders and fluctuating depths. Also,
it’s not on my lake chart, so no bottom-dragging for me here. Anchoring after spotting fish with your fish finder and using a slip-sinker rig with a lively shiner or sucker produces well. Leave your bail open, and let the fish swim. Once the line starts peeling out from the reel, you have a laker on. Let the fish run until it stops to chew on the bait. That’s when I set the hook. Thompson lakers don’t get the size that their Sebago cousins achieve, in part because they are a slightly different strain. You will likely catch two- to three-pounders. Thompson has a wild laker population. I believe I could identify one in a togue line-up by their distinctive greenish hue
The author shows off a typical Sebago Lake togue taken while trolling the depths of the big lake. Photo by Tom Roth.
– a much deeper green than other lakers. Whether you go the high-tech route I chose last season, or fish with
tried-and-true methods, July is made for fishing for togue that lay deep in the cold, clear lakes of the region.
Beat the heat and the crowds, and get out early for the best angling.
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Advocates Say: “Get the Lead Out” The United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned lead shotgun pellets in response to a lawsuit. The agency moved to prohibit lead shot (and lead fishing tackle) in the marshes, ponds, lakes and waterways – including those in Maine – used by migratory waterfowl. Spearheaded by the National Wildlife Federation, the suit sought a ban on lead shot in 1987. The Federation is something akin to the conservation equivalent of the National Rifle Association. It is a formidable advocacy group that can marshal great numbers of vocal voters. The Fish and Wildlife Service moved quickly, but the full ban did not take effect until 1991. Even then, some states like Minnesota banned lead shot ahead of the national ban. Writing for the Los Angeles Times in June of 1986, Earl Gustkey wrote, “The federation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many other conservation organizations maintain that spent lead shot in waterfowl areas is responsible for the lead poisoning deaths of bald eagles and waterfowl. Estimates of waterfowl deaths related to lead poisoning range up to 2 million ducks a year. Service biologists say they know of 114 bald eagles killed since 1980 from eating birds carrying lead shot in their bodies.” Across the line to the north of us, Canadians took note of the same issues. Yvonne Irene Gladue of Edmonton, Alberta’s aborigi-
Before he left office, President Obama signed an Executive Order which would have banned all lead on federal lands. The Trump Administration reversed that order.
All types of ammunition that contain lead are under growing scrutiny, due to their potential to do harm to the environment. Photo: JC Allard
nal newspaper Alberta Sweetgrass, wrote in 1999, “Canadian hunters shoot about 2,000 tonnes of lead shot each year into the environment … People using shotguns for hunting, skeet or trap shooting usually fire five or six shells for every bird or target that is hit. Only a few pellets actually hit the bird. The rest of more than 1,000 pellets fall to the ground or into the water. About 260 tonnes of lead shot falls to the ground each year around clay target shooting ranges or gun clubs alone.”
If those numbers remain accurate, anyone can understand the potential for enormous environmental impact of lead in the ecosystem. U.S. hunters outnumber their Canadian counterparts, with a smaller continental footprint. Lead could inject a far greater environmental impact on this side of the border, and that is reason for concern. Growing Restrictions Controversial from the inception, nevertheless, bans on lead have continued to grow terri-
torially and expand in scope. Several states now restrict the use of lead when hunting on state forest or park lands, as well as in wildlife management areas or other
designated public hunting lands. No longer do these evolving bans refer just to the lead in shotgun pellets. Many present or contemplated bans also address lead bullets fired from rifles or pistols. The states of Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota have various legislative actions working through the system to further restrict or outright prohibit lead as any ballistic projectile. On July 1, 2019 California will become the first state to ban lead projectiles “for all sporting purposes.” Never reticent to get out in front of the rest of the country when it comes to controversies, California’s lawmakers are mandating products that barely exist. Only a tiny fraction of manufactured ammunition is free of lead. Many think that Cal(Continued on page 65)
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64 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Southern Maine’s Mid-Summer Brook Trout Southern Maine has many under-fished wild brook trout waters available to anglers willing to hike and do some research. The first ones to consider are overlooked waters like the West Branch of Mousam River and lower sections of Pump Box Brook. Then there are waters that demand more hiking and bushwhacking to locate brookies – streams like remote sections of South River in Parsonsfield, and numerous bogs scattered around the region that offer great fishing for those willing to fish in hard-to-get-to locations. Before we start our brook trout safari, let’s consider quality brook trout habitat. Brookies need cool water, and will migrate to the coolest parts of the water system during summer heat. This generally means deep, shaded pools or into alder shaded bogs that are extremely difficult to access and fish. Another factor to consider is the watersheds here in Southern Maine. The only true freestone river I know of is the Saco River. Its headwaters are located in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and western Maine. Most of our rivers and streams drain bogs, even though many were dammed to provide power to run mills along the rivers like Mousam Lake in Shapleigh and Acton. These bogs are great brook trout habitats, and they all have colorful brookies hiding in their deep dark waters. www.MaineSportsman.com
Good trout fishing can be found in places where brooks flow into streams. It only takes a one-degree difference in water temperature to have an effect on brook trout – the slightly cooler waters from a brook will attract them to the inlet.
Val Marquez photo
A good example of this type of river system is South River. South River South River is a meandering stream that flows into the Ossipee River in Parsonsfield (refer to DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 4, sector D-1). Much of the stream is hike-in access only. The mid-section is remote, and many sections haven’t been fished in years. You will be fishing over trout that have never seen an artificial fly or lure. Worms also work very well there. To fish the bog located up stream of the bridge on the Middle Road in Parsonsfield, slip a canoe in at a small parking area and paddle upstream into the large bog. Or, if you
prefer classic stream fishing, follow the blocked-off dirt forestry road system that runs along the river. One public unmaintained access road to the river that’s open to four wheel drive trucks or ATVs can be found by following Route 153 in Effingham N.H. to the intersection of Huntress Bridge Road and the Plantation Road (a threeway intersection) Then follow the Plantation Road (which is also call the Hobbs Swamp Road). This road is an old town way and can’t be gated. The area is open to the public; however, the forestry company that manages it gates their logging roads because of illegal dumping and other concerns – but they can’t
block this public way. South River is more of a stream than a river, and fishing its meandering, clear waters laced with pools and riffles is a peaceful experience that’s rare compared to our more southern streams where traffic noise is the norm. West Branch of Mousam The Mousam River is a well known trout river, but its cousin – the West Branch – is often overlooked. The West Branch starts much like other rivers here – it flows from a bog located in Alfred along the Gebung Road and crosses under the bridge in Route 111 & 202. Anglers should fish its lower section with a
canoe; for the upper bog and brook, you need to wear waders. This section mirrors South River, except it’s not remote; however it’s often overlooked as a brook trout fishery. As water temperatures rise during mid-summer, brook trout move to shaded, cooler waters. To find them, anglers should locate brush-tangled sections where trout hang out. Trout also lurk in under-cut banks and over-hanging brush – these are always good spots to fish, year round. South River has many log jams, and drifting a wet fly or worm under or nearby will hook trout, too. My go-to fly pattern in these conditions is a caddis dry fly pattern, fished either dry or wet. I prefer tan or other light colors because it’s easy to see the fly in the dark water trout prefer. Brookies are aggressive feeders, and in my experience they couldn’t care less if a fly floats or sinks. This month, brook trout are easy to locate, since they hold in the coolest sections of river systems. Locating hot weather trout is simple, once you know what to look for. In addition to the shaded pools mentioned above, good fishing can also be had in places where brooks flow into streams. It only takes one degree difference in water temperature to have an effect on brook trout – the slightly cooler waters from a brook will attract them to the inlet. (Continued on next page)
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Anglers often overlook springs and seeps that enter streams from underground. They are difficult to locate, but it’s well worth the effort. You need to look for sandy areas with water bubbling up. Find these seeps, and you’ll find trout holding there. In your quest from wild brookies consider these swamps, bogs and beaver ponds, these hard to access waters are a Mecca for brook trout. Many southern Maine rivers and streams flow
from headwaters formed by swamps, and are easy to locate on Google Maps. If you place your finger over bogs at the headwaters of any river system in the southern part of our state, you will be covering great wild brook trout water. Here are a few others you can check out – • The headwaters of Davis Brook, which is the outlet on Spicer Pond in Shapleigh to the bridge on Mann Road • Heath Brook, which has a large alder-chocked bog north of the bridge on Milton Mills Road in Ac-
ton, and • Pump Box Brook in Shapleigh – its upper section is a typical bog that holds big brook trout. There are hundreds of trout-infested bogs located in this region. Most are under-fished and are waiting for the adventurous angler to explore. (Author’s Note: All waters mentioned in this column are covered under Maine’s General Fishing Laws; however, anglers should always consult the Fishing Law Book before fishing any waters.)
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The author with mid-summer brook trout caught in the waters mentioned in this column. Val Marquez photo
Wildlife Quiz Answers: Atlantic Mackerel 1. The Atlantic Mackerel’s range stretches from Labrador to North Carolina in the western Atlantic and from Iceland to Northern Africa in the eastern Atlantic. Populations of Atlantic mackerel have also been found in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas. 2. Close to thirty different species share the common name “mackerel.” 3. The term “mackerel” means “marked” or “spotted.”
Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 63)
ifornia’s restrictions on lead will in effect become restrictions on hunting. Scarcity and price of so-called “green” materials may force many sportsmen to refrain from hunting – at least in California. Still, the march toward further restrictions goes forward. Twenty years ago, Yvonne Gladue said that in addition to Canada and the United States, “other countries in the world – Australia, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands – are implementing the same regulations.” Today that number would need to include Argentina and any country within the sphere of the European Union. Finding Alternatives When the bans first came into force, steel offered the only alternative to lead for making shotgun pellets. And a poor substitute it was, since the hardness of steel damages tight chokes and the barrels of older shotguns. Steel shot rendered tens of thousands of guns no longer usable for hunting. Steel loses velocity and muzzle energy faster than lead, thus cutting the effective range of the
4. Scientists have determined that the stripes on the back of an Atlantic mackerel help the fish properly communicate body movements with each other while schooling and feeding.
7. The Atlantic mackerel feeds upon plankton until reaching a size where they become capable of consuming small crustaceans, fish, shrimp and squid.
5. The Atlantic mackerel reproduces in early summer, with a majority of the spawning occurring in the Gulf of Maine during the months of June and July.
8. Atlantic mackerel caught in Maine waters reach an average of 12 – 14 inches; large ones can exceed 1.5 pounds. Maine fishermen report encountering mackerel weighin in excess of 2 pounds.
6. Female Atlantic mackerel can produce and distribute as many as 1,000,000 eggs.
(Quiz on Page 27)
shot. Steel shot flight patterns fall apart more quickly than do more dense individual lead pellets, and often let passing birds escape through the gaps. Worse, many an experienced duck hunter will say that steel wounds more than it kills. Almost 30 years of research and development have improved the situation. Copper and polymer coatings on steel pellets have helped, as has reshaping individual pellets with facets, which enhances ballistic performance. And with the introduction of pellets made from bismuth or tungsten, we are nearly back to the performance of original lead shotshells, although the alternatives are priced well above what a lead load costs. Non-toxic alternatives for rifle and pistol shooters manage to skirt the issues that plague the wing-shooters. Copper and polymer bullets achieve about the same performance as lead bullets. The .22 rimfire does remain problematic. Some .22 bullets receive non-toxic coatings. However, the bullet core is lead, and so will not meet new requirements. However, CCI recently introduced “Cop-
per 22” long rifle ammo, with a non-lead compressed copper-polymer slug, and other manufacturers may follow their example. Open Ended Looking ahead, the question of lead versus some type of non-toxic variation remains open. Before he left office, President Obama signed an Executive Order banning all lead on all federal lands. The Trump Administration, through the Secretary of the Interior, reversed that order, and lead bullets may once again be used when hunting on federal lands. Surely some additional states will follow or try to follow California’s example on lead and move to tighten their rules. Beyond policy, the issue remains an open question for shooters and non-shooters alike. Emotions run high in both camps. Even after 30 years, this remains an unanswered question, resolution undecided. The story has not found its ending. Likewise, this columnist remains open to the question, and I hope the issue will stir some dialog among Maine’s shooting community. I would love to hear what others think about the pros and cons of lead going downrange.
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Full Steam Ahead on the Eco-Healthy Androscoggin River This month in the Western Maine Mountains (WMM) means one thing for fishers ... drifting down the Androscoggin River, hunting for HUGE smallmouth bass. About ten years ago, smallmouth fishing peaked on the big Andro. I remember taking one awesome client down the river, Pennsylvania angler Bill Cope – he used one particular fly all day, and hooked well over 50 smallies in the 18- to 20-inch range. For about five good years the smallmouth bass fishing was spectacular ... then the big fish slowly disappeared. From that time forward, I have noticed a lack of really big fish, and most of the fish we catch now are around 12 to 16 inches. Over the last few years, I have finally started catching bigger fish ... two 20-inchers, with the rest being 16 inches at the most. This year I’m hoping those 16-inchers have grown bigger and will be out there waiting. After the river drops from this spring’s floodwaters, I’ll be out there and at it again. I spoke with the late and great Lefty Kreh about this lack of big smallmouth in the Androscoggin River, one of his favorite places to fish. He said, “River systems are like this ... they will grow big fish, and all it takes is a flood during the spawn to ruin the fishing for a whole class year of fish.” I remember two springs a while back where we had tremendous flooding right about www.MaineSportsman.com
A couple of years ago when I caught a landlocked salmon in the Dixfield section of the Androscoggin River, joy welled up in my heart. I knew that salmon require clear, cool, well-oxygenated water, so finding a salmon here meant the river was healthy once again.
A healthy smallmouth bass from the Dixfield section of the Androscoggin River. William Clunie photo
the same time the smallies would have been spawning. Lefty said the floodwaters push young fry (newly hatch fish) out of their hiding places into the waiting maws of predatory fish (including some of their own species). Good Ol’ Days I believe the good ol’ days are slowly coming back on the mighty Andro ... at least in this section of the river. I’m pretty sure who in my lifetime I’ll get to see the fantastic kind of fishing we had ten or 20 years ago. I remember fishing with one client from Virginia, spincaster Dwight James, a great fellow that played piano with many of the top names in the Country/Western music industry in Nashville. He said, with a thick
southern drawl, “Youall have got a gold mine here, William. These fish are all huge. You throw your lure into that water and wait for the freshwater explosion ... it’s a real gold mine for a fishing guide.” Mr. James has since passed on, and the smallmouth bass boom on the Andro lasted for five to ten years and drew anglers from all over the country. The boom didn’t hurt the resource, because local anglers left the river alone, preferring to catch lovely brook trout and landlocked salmon in the surrounding streams, ponds and lakes throughout this region. The out-of-state anglers never came in droves to fish the Andro ... I rarely saw another angler on the water during
all of the years of fishing the section of river from Rumford (Delorme Atlas, Map 19, E-1) to the paved take-out in Canton on Route 140 (Map 11, A-4). River Stewards Over the past several years I’ve noticed a group of folks who I really enjoy seeing on the Androscoggin River – canoeists and kayakers from the Androscoggin River Watershed Council (arwc.camp7. org). This helpful non-profit organization keeps an eye on the environmental condition of the river, and promotes their annual “Source to the Sea” event that takes river trekkers from the Androscoggin River’s start at Lake Umbagog in New Hampshire, to where it joins the Kennebec River, pouring into the Merrymeeting Bay
and then out into the Atlantic Ocean near Bath (Map 6, C-5). I remember years ago, when the ARWC first started out, my wife and grandkids joined this excellent organization in their efforts to clean up the river. One year we had an event that brought folks from this region to the river to collect litter and trash left behind from years of neglect. I had heard that our effort collected over a ton of waste – we had loads of tires, shopping carts, washers, dryers and refrigerators. I enjoyed seeing how many youngsters helped out – it was good to show the young ones what it takes to keep such an awesome waterway clean. A couple of years ago I caught a landlocked salmon from this section of the Andro and my heart welled up with such a joy... to understand how far this river had progressed, from when it featured an awful, industrial stench, to the beauty it exhibits today. The landlocked salmon requires cool, clean, well-oxygenated water to survive – so finding one in the Dixfield section of the Androscoggin River means this river is healthy once again. Rumford Dam Years ago, the operators of the dam upriver from Dixfield, in Rumford (Map 19, E-1), used to use wooden boards to hold the overflow back during heavy rainfall. When the river filled enough, the wooden boards would flop over and all of the excess water would come flood(Continued on next page)
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ing downriver through Dixfield, flushing the fish eggs and fry out of the safety of their beds. Now the dam sports a new type of inflatable, rubber dam that slowly lets the overflow go at peak levels – a more gradual release that biologists tell me helps any fish eggs and fry more easily survive a heavyrain event. I’m hoping that the technology of these new rubber dams and clean-
up efforts by groups like ARWC prove successful in helping the smallmouth bass survive, as well as making the river more habitable for landlocked salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout. I’ve caught all of these fish in the Andro, even a brook trout once. Hopefully the numbers of healthy fish will increase, as well as the size of these fish. I’ll just have to fish more to find out.
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“Plastic hatch” ... canoes and kayaks of the Androscoggin River Watershed Counsel, heading through Dixfield to the Atlantic. William Clunie photo
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68 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Six Rules of Fishing are also Good Rules of Life Forrest Gump’s mama said, “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.” I prefer, “Life is like a day on the lake – you never know what you’re gonna catch.” It’s simple. It’s cliché. It’s spot on. People take to fishing for many reasons: enjoying the summer weather, spending time with family and friends, pursuing “the big one” to hang on the camp wall, for an adventure to wild places, or simply to put food on the table. But for me—and I’m sure many of you, as well—it is also to escape. To do some soul-searching. To make amends with your past or consider your future. Fishing has a lot to say about our lives, and we have a lot to learn from it. 1) You can’t catch fish if your line isn’t in the water. Oftentimes if the fishing is slow, the weather is bad, or you’re just plain tired, it is easy to reel in and hunker behind the boat console or the dash of your truck. Sometimes in life, you angle and angle and angle for some kind of success – just one bite – but it doesn’t come. Well, it won’t ever come if you reel in and call it quits. You’ll end up leaving the lake convinced that there are no fish or hope to be had. There’s always fish, always hope. 2) Don’t leave fish to find fish. The adventurous soul in me has a hard time with this one. Time and time again, I’ve kicked myself for not being grateful enough for www.MaineSportsman.com
Fishing, like life, is tricky. Sometimes you think you’re hauling in a lunker, and it’s just a log. Other times when you believe you’ve hooked a log, the log begins to swim away.
The writer’s great-grandfather, Ralph Emerson, mans the tiller of his primitive outboard on Trio Ponds. Ralph built a remote fishing camp there in the 1950s, and it’s still used today by the author as his go-to place for relaxation and contemplation.
what was going well. Always wanting to catch more, bigger fish and therefore giving up on the good thing I had going, only to find less green pastures. I’ve done this repeatedly in my life: shed hunting spots, friendships, and job opportunities to name a few. 3) It’s not what bait you fish, it’s how you fish it. When I was a kid in NH Junior Bassmasters, we had another kid in the club who we nicknamed Gary Two-Cast. He was famous for constantly changing baits. If he didn’t catch something within five minutes of tying it on, he’d cut it off and try something else. Gary spent so much time and energy thinking
and preparing his next move (breaking rule #1) that he never gave himself a chance to succeed in the present. Sometimes in life we get so caught up in worrying about our failures or plotting our future that we forget to just live and enjoy life in the moment. Instead of constantly changing baits and trying to find a new situation, make the most of the one you have before you. You may find success in what you have if you put the right action on it or slow your pace. These little things can make a big difference. Success doesn’t always require drastic changes. And it should never require a bat-
tery-operated buzzbait, Gary. 4) Tighten the drag. Big fish, like big problems, pull at your strings. If you let them pull too long or too hard, you make more work for yourself reeling them back into your control. If you let them keep running long enough, you run the risk of being spooled. Being spooled is an admission of defeat – a last stand that never ends well. Even some of the pond’s smaller fish—and life’s smaller problems— can make a mess of your baitcasting reel if you let them run deep and unchecked. Sometimes you just have to face reality, take a chance on snapping a few lines, and tighten the drag—before
things get too far for you to reel in. 5) Let him run. Passionate people like myself have a tendency to be a bit overzealous at times. We may get too overbearing and perhaps controlling—but usually we’re just easily excitable and anxious to be in the moment. We are the kid who just got handed the rod from his father after setting the hook on a big bass. We reel so hard and fast the whole rod swings in gyration with our cranks on the handle. If we are lucky, we don’t accidentally push the button on the baitcaster and turn the spool into a monofilament bird’s nest. When the fish dives, jumps or head shakes, we feel it necessary to match the aggression and repeatedly set the hook as we reel. Most of the time, we lose the fish in the process. But if it’s still on when we wrench it to the side of the boat, in all our passion and excitement, we insist on trying to reel the fish up through the guides, then hoist it in the air over the side console—rather than patiently floating it into dad’s net. This is when the line snaps, the fish whacks against the gunnel and splashes back into the water, leaving us wondering “What went wrong? I thought I had it!” In life, we have to learn that good things come to those who wait. We need to let some things play out. Sometimes, as much as it pains or worries us, we need (Continued on page 71)
������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 69
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70 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Rangeley Region Anglers — and Fish — Cool Out in July The sweltering heat of July forces cold-water-loving trout and salmon to find a habitat more suitable for survival ... this usually means deeper water in lakes,
spring seeps in smaller ponds, and heavily-shaded brooks and streams. As a teenager, I often went on fishing adventures with my buddies that led to overnight
camping trips – sometimes lasting several days. On these trips, the early-mornings were all about fishing. Once the morning sun heated things up and the fishing cooled down, thoughts turned to a late breakfast and then a refreshing swim. During these mid-summer adventures, the humidity and heat would be quite oppressive and the swim felt so wonderful, especially after a shoreline breakfast of fresh, pan-fried brook trout and cheesy scrambled eggs. After the beach breakfast, my friends and I would swim out in
the lake or pond and float around and solve the problems of the world. Every once in a while one of us would holler out, “Hey, here’s another spring hole! The water’s super cold!” I’m sure the brookies also delighted in the incoming cooler water from the seeps below the surface of the bottom of the ponds. Occasionally, after much guess-work, our teenage fishing party would be able to maneuver a canoe out in the pond and find the spring holes again. Sometimes the brook trout there would let us hook them, but more often we would end up just paddling
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 71 (Continued from page 70)
from deep pocket aquifers (underground springs) in the mountains surrounding the lakes. Upper and Lower Richardson Lakes (Delorme Atlas, Map 18, A-2 and B-2) have plenty of these little brooks and streams that feed cold water to the main body of the lake. Wade-fishing up into the woods far enough on the teeny tributaries often produces a bent rod or two. Look closely at the maps, and don’t overlook the faintest trickles feeding the bigger body of water. Often, following a small dribble of water upstream leads to a pool large enough to contain big fish. What a great way to beat the summer heat. Anglers can further cool their hot weather fishing experience by wet-wading. Wear an old pair of wool socks, wading shoes, and shorts, and forego the waders. This kind of fishing gives anglers a different perspective, and connects them closely to the pulse of the little waterways and the fish that live there – in a chilling but still soothing kind of way.
Dissolved Oxygen Cooler water holds more dissolved oxygen, and this is a key element when searching for trout and salmon during hot weather. Fishing in spring holes in big lakes and ponds can be productive; likewise with shaded streams and brooks. On bigger rivers and brooks without much shade, anglers can still find more oxygenated water by looking for any obstructions in the waterway that causes the water to get stirred up. Big boulders, a long run of heavy gravel on the bottom, or even fallen trees that enter the river from the bank can get the water roiling, causing the water to become more oxygenated. Another ideal place for anglers to find fishing locations with cool, oxygenated water are dams that release water from the bottom, rather than an overflow type of system. The overflow system does some oxygenation from the rolling action of water dropping over the “falls,” but a bottom-feed dam puts the cooler water from the bottom of the lake or river downstream – an ideal habitat for helping salmonid maintain an energetic metab-
olism made for feeding. Fish-friendly tailwaters like this can also be created by more subtle means. Big, underwater boulders and debris such as timber and brush might not be seen by the casual observer standing on the bank. Anglers should look closely (read the water) and become familiar with hardly-noticeable disruptions of the flow of the surface of a river or stream. Watch for places on the surface of the river where the current gets swirling or diverted. Water that gets diverted or upset below the surface leaves a telltale sign above. Look for visible surface signs from underwater obstructions like big eddies, seams between fast water and flatter, slow water, and bubbly foam indicating oxygenated water coming from below. Feeder Streams Lakes and ponds with feeder streams that flow from mountainous aquifers through heavily-shaded woods can also be a great source of quality fishing during the heat of summer. The coldest water on a lake or pond will be found right at the mouth of these tributaries. Some-
A small, shaded tributary from the mountains feeds this churned-up section of river, increasing the oxygen content of the water. William Clunie photo
times these little trickles of cool water don’t seem to offer much in the way of thermal refuge, but I’ve seen trout stacked up near some very small tributaries where they enter a larger lake or pond. There also is a tendency for spring seeps to be located close to where a tributary enters lake or pond. Many times while out ice fishing I’ve noticed open water or very thin ice on lakes and ponds, about 50 to 100 yards out from the shoreline from where the tributary enters the standing water. An underwater seeping spring activates a slight current that keeps ice from forming on the surface – dangerous places for ice anglers, but awesome fishing locations for summertime anglers.
So stay cool this summer – from July 1st until it cools in the fall, the heat seems to just increase. Avoid becoming overheated, and remember to allow extra care for catch-and-release fishing. In extremely hot weather, fish need to be handled gently, so increase the time allotted for reviving a tired fish. Take a little extra time to carry the fish (in a net in the water) to a cooler section of the water for release. If the angler is taking photos, be sure to keep the fish in the water, in a net, until the last second before snapping the picture. The photo will look better when the fish is wet, and survival rates increase the less time spent holding a fish out of water.
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New Hampshire (Continued from page 68)
to loosen the drag and let people run, give them space—because if we do things right, they’ll eventually come back to the boat. 6) You never know what you’re going to catch. My favorite fishing holes are those that hold a wide diversity of species. You never know what you are going to catch. On one afternoon, my dad and I fishing together caught brown trout, lake trout, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass, pickerel, and walleye—all on one kind of lure. If you are open-minded and just enjoy fishing, this can be fun and exciting. Life is tricky. Sometimes when you think you’re reeling in a “monster from the deep,” it just turns out to be a log from the deep. And other times, when you’re sure you’re hung up on bottom, the bottom begins to swim.
Younger versions of the writer and his father showing off their “monster” brook trout double on Trio Ponds. If you are having trouble seeing the fish, it’s because they are only about 4 or 5 inches each. At its core, fishing is about much more than what you catch; it’s the reminiscing, pondering, and spending time with others that hooks people of all walks of life.
Even a feisty Atlantic salmon can get tired if all it does is swim against the current. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with
the flow and see where the river takes you.
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72 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
— Guest Interview —
Questions and Answers —
Food Plots
An interview with expert Mike Farnham We met Michael Farnham this spring at the annual State of Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta. Michael is from central Vermont, and is the owner of “More Wildlife,” a food plot company that consults with landowners and supplies them with products designed to attract deer and other wildlife. Question: What are the most important elements in developing a food plot? Answer: . The three most important things – other than buying good seed and using the proper fertilizer – are pH, pH, and pH. Here in Vermont I get good soils testing through the state’s Agriculture Department. You must have similar services available in Maine through the state or through extension services. For example, you may want to grow clover, but the soil might not be ready. So you soil test, weed-kill once, the grass greens up and gets 4-8” tall using the instructions for the herbicide you have, wait 10 days, and then add lime based on soil sample. Question: How much lime? Answer: Most new plots take a minimum of two tons per acre, two years in a row. Soil will only intake three tons per year. Question: What then? Answer: Incorporate the lime into the soil by tilling or disc harrow, then drag. Make sure rain is in the forecast, and seed with buckwheat at the rate of 50 lbs. per acre, and fertilize, then roll or www.MaineSportsman.com
I like a series of quarter- to half-acre plots with different food in them, because deer eat different things at different times of the year. Also, by checker-boarding you create additional hunting opportunity, because deer will move from plot to plot.
plots with different food in them, because deer eat different things at different times of the year. You will hold more deer, and by checker-boarding you create additional hunting opportunity, because deer will move from plot to plot more often with small plots and cover in between. Question: Should different crops be planted on the land from one year to the next? Answer: Rotation of crops is very important, from alfalfa and brassica, to clover mix and sugar beets, because perennials put nitrogen into the soil, which is the finishing fertilizer for the annuals, while annuals put nutrients into the soil that perennials like. Use of Pesticides
Some of Mike Farnham’s customers see excellent result from planting food plots. Photo: www.morewildlife.net
cultipack. (Editor’s note: A cultipacker is a big roll with knobs on it that’s used to help push the seed into the soil.) You need to pack the seed and dirt to seal the top layer moisture in, so the soil doesn’t dry out. This also results in good seed-to-soil contact, which improves the rate of germination. Then in the fall, just disc or till into the soil and plant one of the available fall plots until soil improves. Just over summer will make a big difference for the pH to come up some. Question: Why do you recommend buckwheat?
Answer: Buckwheat is the best natural weed suppressant, and adds organics to the soil. Next Steps Question: What next? Answer: I use starting and finishing fertilizer for perennials, and two different fertilizers for annuals. The starter goes down when you plant, and the finisher goes on once it’s 4-6” tall. The amounts I apply are based on what the plants take in to survive. Perennials are good for 3-5 years, and annuals you plant every year but only in the same place two years in a row, because you can deplete the soil,
get a disease, and sometimes a bad bug problem that takes special pesticides to get rid of, which can also cause you to lose a year of growing. When I’m planting small seed, I mix it with play sand to help with distribution. Three of my fertilizers are 200 pounds per acre, and the finisher for the annuals is 100 pounds per acre. Perennials should be mowed 2-3 times a year, but not too short. Question: Are single, large plots best, or do you prefer planting a series of smaller ones? Answer: I like a series of quarter- to half-acre
Question: Are natural or organic herbicides or pesticides available for folks who don’t want to use chemicals in their plots? Answer: There is no such thing as a natural herbicide. What you can do is “till to kill,” but it only kills annual and bi-annual weeds. The perennial weeds will survive and spread. You can use a big heavy tarp or thick black plastic, but it takes time. You can plant buckwheat because it’s the best natural weed suppressant out there, but you need weeds under control first. For more information, contact More Wildlife, Barre VT, www.morewildlife.net or morewildlife@ hotmail.com.
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 73
How I Plant Food Plots with Minimal Equipment Planting a food plot always seemed like an impossible task to accomplish by myself, because I always figured it would take farm equipment and land I just didn’t have access to. However, in the past few years I have figured out that is just not the always the case. I have learned how I can plant a small food plot by hand that holds and attracts deer into the hunting season, and no, it is not illegal deer baiting – planted crops are considered a “standing crop” under the law, so it is all legal. It’s also reportedly much better for the deer than some other types of feed, such as cracked corn or artificial bait that does not have sufficient nutrition to keep deer healthy. Getting Started So to get started, the first thing I’m going to do is find the right seed that does not require soil that has been tilled. Products designed especially for this purpose include Whitetail Institute’s No Plow, Bow Stand, Secret Spot or Antler King “no-sweat” food plot seeds. These seeds do require some fertilizer, and
I thought food plots for deer required heavy equipment and large areas of land. However, I’ve learned that there are products designed specifically for use with small areas of land that have been cleared and raked, but not plowed.
Don’t have a large area of cleared land for a food plot? Then consider getting permission to plant on an abandoned logging road, or an open spot in the woods. Giampetruzzi photo
maybe some lime if you have acidic soil. It’s always a good idea to test your soil be-
fore going ahead, because you will have poor results if you try to plant a food plot in acidic soil.
When to Plant; How to Prepare Soil Another thing you want to look at is what
time of year you want to plant your seeds. That’s either going to be in the spring or early fall. For example, Whitetail Institute No Plow is best planted April 1st through June 15th. The fall seed is best planted July 15th through September 15th. What you are trying to do when it comes to preparing the soil is getting the forest floor down to bare, loose soil so you can get your seeds down and get them germinating as soon as possible. For that reason, leaves and pine needles need to go. I have found if you use a leaf blower, that will get leaves, small sticks and debris out of the way. Then you can take a metal rake and finish off whatever’s left. If there is a lot of tall grass and weeds on the land, some people like to use weed killer, spraying the grass so it’s easier to deal with. I have never had this issue though. Some places you can get around this by planting on old logging roads, or open spots in the woods – or you can even clear your own open spot in the woods.
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74 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
— Guest Column —
Mr. Getchoo, Mr. Oughta and Mr. Hada – Fishing Buddies You Can Do Without by David Putnam
If “Mr. Getchoo” doesn’t like your boat, send him off to a boat show and tell him to find his own.
Even worse than every man at your barbeque giving you “suggestions” on the best way to grill ribs is the phenomenon of Mr. Getchoo. He seems to hide inside every man. You meet him when you show up with a new boat, particularly if it’s a nicer boat than his or one he hasn’t seen before. Like grill advisors, these guys often have zero experience, but plenty to say. One night I showed my new 16-foot fiberglass fly-fishing skiff with its 25 HP Yamaha to a group of men after a rod-andgun club meeting. The first man commented, “You need to getchoo a white all ’round light if you’re going to be fishing at night.” (I do have an all ’round white light – a nice tall custom-wired one – but I didn’t need it that night, with the boat on the trailer.) Second man said, “I like it a lot, but you’ll need to getchoo a bigger boat if you’re going to fish Penobscot Bay.” (He had www.MaineSportsman.com
Another variation is the “I hada” man, who says, “Oh, yeah, I hada cooler like that one time. Blew out of the boat along Route 15 in Orrington. You need to getchoo some tie-downs.” no idea where I planned to use it.) A third man said— adding a twist to “getchoo” — “You oughta gotchoo an aluminum boat.” It’s What I Want I got the boat I wanted. It’s lightweight on a trailer, which gives me endless choices. I can always find a lee to fish when the wind’s blowing. Sometimes in calm weather I fish some coastal flats in the morning, then head inland to a lake for the afternoon. The narrow hull design is more stable and seaworthy than it looks, and it rows well, so I’m my own get-home motor. Mr. Getchoos are experts ... in their own minds. They’d like to have you think they’re trying to “hep” you, but they aren’t. From dock
lines to anchors to coolers and electronics and trolling motors and the tires on your trailer, they have ideas about how you should outfit your boat – to suit them. Mostly, I believe, they’re just a bit jealous. The “I Hada” Man Another variation is the “I hada” man who says, “Oh, yeah, I hada cooler like that one time. Didn’t hold ice past lunch. Blew out of the boat along Route 15 in Orrington. My son hadn’t tied it down. You need to getchoo some tie-downs, and getchoo one of them new Yeti coolers you can put up in the bow and stand on.” Not happy with merely adding equipment, the “hada” man will remodel your entire boat. When he says, “I hada” he means
many years ago. Or maybe he never “hada” at all. A lot of fibs start with the words, “I hada ….” Disguised put-downs can ruin your day, and these guys know it. They want to appear smarter than you are. That’s why, if you invite one to join you for a day’s fishing, he’ll show up late, dress counter to your style and unload enough tackle boxes and gear to fill a much larger boat. Wearing cutoffs and an old T-shirt, he’ll make a side comment about your “fancy” fishing shirt. Then he’ll start: “Did I bring too much gear?” (Sort, sort, set things aside, back and forth to his truck.) “We probably won’t be fishing for big fish out of this boat anyway. Oh, you want me to sit here? Not much room.
Gunwales aren’t very high … better put on my rain gear, gonna be taking spray. Hada boat like this when I was a kid. Did you bring enough ice for a couple of six-packs and my lunch? We’re not going far, right? When will we be back? I oughta call my wife.” So be on the lookout for these guys with their getchoos and oughtas and hadas. Don’t let ’em ruin your day. Here’s a solution – when you’re back at the dock, say, “Thanks for all your help today. I made a list of your suggestions. With all you know, you need to getchoo a boat of your own, getchoo an icefilled cooler of your own, and getchoo a more experienced angler to fish with.” David Putnam of Waldo has hunted and fished from Oregon to the Bahamas.
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������������������������������������������������������ The Maine Sportsman • July 2019 • 75
Smilin’
Sportsman The doctor was just completing an annual physical exam for an older gentleman. “Any problems this past year?” asked the doctor. “Well,” said the man, “All year I’ve have a great deal of flatulence, but the interesting thing is, it never makes any noise, and it has no odor. It’s even been happening in your office here today.” “OK,” said the doctor. “When you leave this examination room, I want you to go down the hall to confer with the audiologists, to see if they can do something about your hearing. And tomorrow, I want you to come back for an appointment with our nasal experts, to see if they can clear out your blocked sinuses.” ••••••••••••••••••• The mayor was late for the community meeting being held in the church hall, so in order to fill time, the parish priest stood up and talked about his experiences in the town. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me in the two years since I was assigned to this church,” said the priest to the citizens. “But to be honest, I got off to a bit of
Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com
a rough start. “On my first day here two years ago, I decided to offer to take confession. And the very first person in the confessional told me things that made me wonder if I’d made a mistake coming here. “He said he cheated in high school, and cheated in college. He cheated on his girlfriend, and cheated on his wife. He used drugs, poached deer and even secretly wired up his TV to a neighbor’s cable box next door. “But since that time, I’ve gotten to know many of you, and I’ve heard many more confessions. I now understand that first day’s experience was just an aberration.” Just then the church door flew open, and the mayor strode in. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. Seeing the priest, he smiled: “Thank you for helping out, Father, until I arrived.” Then, turning to the others, he said, “You know, we’ve got a really great priest here. Why, I even had the honor of being the first person to use the confession box on the day he arrived two years ago!”
The Smilin' Sportsman Youth Edition Kids! Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com.
Question: What do you call a woman with a frog on her head? Answer: Lily. ••••••••••••••••••• For years, the big brother had picked on the little brother, but one day, as the older brother got ready to leave for college, he apologized to his younger sibling. “I’m sorry I tormented you for so long,” he said. “But tell me – in all that time, you never seemed to get mad at me. How did you control your temper?” “I cleaned the toilet,” the younger brother
responded. “How did that help?” asked the college-bound brother. Replied the younger brother, “I always used your toothbrush.” ••••••••••••••••••• Question: Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill? Answer: To get to the bottom. ••••••••••••••••••• Question: How do you make a Kleenex dance? Answer: Put a little boogie in it.
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76 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
— TRADING POST — • Subscribers may place one free 20-word line classified ad per month (two-month limit) • Items for sale must include a price • Real estate ads must include an address or location
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• You may submit your ads by: Phone: 207-357-2702 E-mail: classifieds@mainesportsman.com Mail: 183 State Street, Suite 101 Augusta ME 04330
SUBMIT AD AND PAYMENT BY THE 30TH OF EACH MONTH AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. BOATS FOR SALE HANDMADE 16’ CEDAR STRIP CANOE White Ash Caned seats 12 years old, used little. $1,900. Call 207-457-1714 Leave name and number. ———————————
members. 207-636-3689 EAST GRAND LAKE DANFORTH, ME 24x32 Camp- Greenland Cove, Sleeps 6-10. Deck, small dock/beach. Hunting, Fishing, Boating, ATV, $600/wk. 207-8311447
CAMPS FOR RENT
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CAMP ON SMALL POND IN SHIRLEY $500/wk. Great hunting, fishing & ATV trails nearby. Also, local hunting club 1/4 mi. away is actively looking for five new
NORTHERN PRIDE LODGE, FIRST ROACH POND, KOKADJO, ME Seasonal Camp Sites
SEASONAL CAMPSITES
Kersey Real Estate visit www.kerseyre.com to view our complete listing
available for $2367.50. Hunt, fish, ATV Maine’s Moosehead Lake Region. Guided Drift Boat Fishing, Bear, Moose and Deer Hunts. Lodging/ meals also available. 207695-2890 ——————————— CAMP FOR SALE CAMP WITH 40+ ACRES Located in T4 R16. Established bear site includes one ATV. Fully furnished with septic. 207-620-2975 or 207-620-4920
FULLY-FURNISHED COTTAGE, SCHOODIC LAKE 165’ frontage, docks, septic, bunkhouse, garage, storage building, workshop, tv/internet/ phone, excellent fishing. $330,000 Call:603-7493133 HUNTING CAMP IN NORTH MAINE WOODS T13 R10 Great Moose hunting Zone 2, also bird, bear, deer. Furnished, sleeps 6, shower, propane fixtures, finished in Cedar, P&C lease, $42,000. 207-944-0873
“No Blarney Spoken Here”
LD
WEBB LAKE waterfront home with fresh updates located in a quiet cove on a dead end road. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake and mountains while watching the moose, loons and bald eagles right from the comfort of your own private beach. Come enjoy all the western mountains have to offer, including thousands of acres of conservation land and state parks. This area is home to some of the best mountains for hiking in the east including Tumbledown, Big & Little Jackson, Blueberry, Bald, and of course the ever popular Mt. Blue. Year-round activities including snow shoeing, snowmobiling, skating, and skiing at the well known Sugarloaf and Sunday River resorts are easily accessible from this beautiful property you don’t want to miss out on. MLS #1407157. $327,500
BYR
ON
207-585-2411 207-585-2412
BETHEL KING LOT - This land boasts exceptional development potential or enjoy the vast land with your friends and family, excellent road infrastrucure and beautiful views of local ski areas. 1356 acres offered at $1,095,000. MLS #1335965 WELD - Looking for a remote spot for your cabin or camper? Here it is! 8 acres with easy access, nice view right in the heart of the Western Mnts, a few miles to Mt. Blue State Park & Webb Lake. $18,500. MLS #1282348 NORTH RUMFORD - Very private 17 acres with great brook frontage and a common area on Meadow Pond located deep in the Western Mountains. $32,000. MLS #1269352
LD
Donna Coglitore, Realtor (207) 290-0223 donnacoglitore@kw.com
NEAR BETHEL IN ALBANY TOWNSHIP - This 40 acre lot has several hidden building site well off the paved road with beautiful Southeasterly views. Some areas would make great spot for passive solar cabin. The Crooked River meanders on through the lot for great wildlife watching. Only 7 miles from downtown Bethel. $45,000. MLS #1325975 CARTHAGE - Excellent building lots w/ easy access to ATV and snowmobile trails. All lots surveyed and have driveways into building site. Ready for your new cabin in the woods? Then come check em’ out. $26,500. MLS #1205057
KENNEBAGO RIVER KAMPS Kennebago River Kamps are located in Stetsontown Township with 350’ on Kennebago River. They are known for the best fly fishing in Maine, being a native fishery for trout and salmon. Three camps and a barn on owned land. $750,000. Call Gloria Hewey at (207) 399-8553. WEST FORKS Rafting, fishing, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, ATVing and Snowmobiling! Lodging with spacious owners quarters. Huge 24’ high garage. 270 feet of frontage on the Dead River. Family compound? Bed and breakfast? Hunting camp? $350,000. Call Gloria Hewey at (207) 399-8553. DIXFIELD Newly-built 30-site campground with 2 shower houses, 24’x30’ log home, 30’x60’ steel building, Case backhoe, 1919 model TT truck, aluminum boat with motor, canoes, kayaks and dock system. 2800’ frontage on Androscoggin River. 11 acres of land. $725,000. Call Gloria Hewey at (207) 399-8553.
RUMFORD - 347 acres with unique road systems that will lead to pinnacles and peaks with views of the Mountain Valley and Swift River Valley and beyond. This parcel also has frontage on Goff Brook along with frontage on a no name Brook. The recreation opportunities are endless with great hunting, ATVing, snowmobiling, hiking, skiing and all the other great activities available in the Western Mountains of Maine. $225,500. MLS #1369627 ANDOVER - S. ARM ROAD, 20 acres with INCREDIBLE frontage on Black Brook. This very rare find has deep water pools, great fishing and swimming on those hot summer days. Located on Fire Line 435 off South Arm Rd in the heart of Western Maine. $129,000. MLS #1412098 BYRON - Exceptional 54 acres. This lot has a good gravel road through it, pristine frontage on Thomas Brook and easy access to trails. The property is well wooded with with a mix of soft and hardwood trees that hold some of the best big game hunting in the area. $79,000. MLS #1417048 ANDOVER - This 187 acre parcel has it all! Easy access with a gravel road system. Power is available along part of the road that climbs to great plateaus with grand views. Property is teaming with wildlife and is in the heart of mineral and gem country. $139,000. MLS #1417017
Call me about other sporting camps available! BETTER HOMES & GARDENS MASIELLO GROUP
GLORIA A. HEWEY, REALTOR
WEBB RIVER WATERFRONT LOTS - 1.6 to 5.9 acres. $39,000-$59,900 PERU - This gentle sloping 73 acre lot is wooded with a nice mix of hard and softwoods, access to snowmobile trails and an abundance of wildlife. Great recreation lot with several building sites. $59,000. MLS # 1417250
WINSLOW, ME 180 ACRES +/Wetland/woodlots with
GET AWAY to OFF the Grid! Privacy, exclusive, retreat. Serenity, woods, views, beautiful lake frontage on Middle Lead Mountain Pond MLS #1416733 - $149,500.
Byron - Comfortable log cabin on 7 acres. Located in Byron Village with the Swift River in sight, ATV and Snowmobile trails accessible from your dooryard. Come enjoy all the amenities of the Western Mountains like world class hiking, gold panning, fishing, hunting, snowshoeing WELD - Welcome to the mountains! Enjoy country and more. Or you can just kick back and enjoy the porch living in this custom built 3 bedroom, 2 bath home or take a nap in the hammock. MLS #1417503. $98,500 with incredible views. Home boasts a very open concept with cathedral ceiling in the living and SS CCE dining area. The first floor includes an enclosed entry A L I A R way which has a door to access the large deck and T a door that opens to the open kitchen, living, and dining area. The first floor also has a large bedroom with big closet, a full bath and laundry room, and a sun room with access a private hot tub on a large deck.2 bedrooms, a full bath and loft area on the second floor. Basement includes heated vehicle storage and workshop plus two oil tanks. Included in this property is also a 24X26 detached two car garage along with a large 26X28 one and a half NEW 14’ X 36’ CAMP with 6’ screened porch. Located story barn with a full basement and two garage on 4.18 acres with direct access to ATV and snowmo- doors consisting of a large work shop with office and bile trails from your property, plus you’re in the heart loading dock on the first floor and plenty of storage of Maine’s recreational area! MLS #1316987 $27,900 space in the second floor. MLS #1370906. $389,500
PERU - 59.3 surveyed acres walking distance to Worthley Pond.This lot offers 231’ of paved town maintained rod frontage plus your own water frontage on Worthley and Thomas Brooks come see why this is great spot for your own private resort and get away. $69,900. MLS #1363508
www.MaineSportsman.com
WE
WOODVILLE, ME114+/- ACRES This lovely gated parcel offers privacy, a nice road system for ease of access to most of the property, hunting, nearby lakes, ATV and snowmobile trails. Has been selectively cut. Ideal location for a camp and has been surveyed and soil tested $64,500. FMI please call (207)633-7838
Lot 7 Upper Pinacle Road T28 MD, ME
506 West Side Road • Weld, ME 04285 •Mike Kersey, Broker WE
LAND FOR SALE
COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATES
gloriahewey@masiello.com www.gloriahewey.masiello.com
Cell (207) 399-8553 • Office (207) 782-8311
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tote roads/tree growth for hunting, fishing, development in Winslow Maine. Very close to China Lake and Pattee Pond boat launches. Shore/ marsh frontage on Mud Pond, with substantial road frontage on Route 137(China Road), roughly 40 minutes from Belfast. Convenient to I-95 via Sidney and Waterville. $177,000. See www.facebook.com/MudPondMaine or call 207-890-2335. ——————————— COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
MONEY. RESTAURANT, LINNEUS, ME Grammy’s Country Inn. $1.2 million average food-only gross sales last 6 years. Opportunity for sales growth with addition of alcohol. Featured in Down East, Bangor Metro, Yankee Magazines. Named Top 10 Restaurants in Maine. Over 35 awards. 65+ year restaurant tradition, 28 years under same ownership. This is a step-in opportunity! Price reduced $999,000. 207-532-4500 www.firstchoicerealestate.com
LIVE IN NORTHERN MAINE AND MAKE
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! Land & Building in Western Maine Mountains on busy US Rt 2, frontage on two rivers. Two full floors, stage & balcony, full basement, commercial kitchen, two baths, paved parking lot. Hotair furnace, carpeting and hardwood floors. Lots of potential for restaurant, function venue, entertainment, etc., some equipment and furniture included. Reduced $139,000. Possible
owner finance. call/text 207-357-2702 ——————————— WANTED DEER/MOOSE ANTLERS Buying any size deer & moose shed antlers/ racks or antlered skulls.
All grades bought by the pound. 802-875-3206 SKI DOO, ELAN OR TUNDRA Any Condition. Have Cash. Will Travel. Call or Text 207-522-6940
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North Maine Woods Camp For Sale Camp in the North Maine Woods T7R12 on Little Indian Pond. Camp is only 5 years old and has solar power and a septic system installed. Camp is on leased land. $150,000. Call for more info. (207) 568-3940.
3,911 ACRES
Dallas Plt - Timber, water, wildlife and views. Four miles of frontage on S. Branch of Dead River and four remote ponds. 1,700’ of elevation. Interior roads. Close to Rangeley. $2,750,000
192+/- ACRES
Guilford - 192± acres w/ views from Oak Hill (920’ in elevation) & in the shadows of 1,326’ Guilford Mt. overlooking First Davis Pond. Wildlife galore with evidence of moose & deer. Cut in 2011. $129,000
Kingfield - Camp on Tufts Pond. Mountain & water views, mature trees, 1,600’ of elevation, brook & remote pond! Ski, snowmobile, hunt, fish, relax! Sugarloaf close by. $599,000.
Bancroft Twp - Acreage on Mattawawkeag River. Camp just 200± feet from river w/exceptional frontage. Mature trees, easy access & special protection designated for Salmon & deer habitat. $139,000
Litchfield - Waterfront parcel with tons of diversity. Massive trees in park like setting. Mile plus frontage on Horseshoe pond feeding into Cobbossee stream. Extensive wildlife. $205,000.
2,900+/- ACRES
FOR SALE BUCKHORN SPORTING CAMPS
Steeped with history and sporting traditions Buckhorn Camps was established 125 years ago on Jo-Mary Island in 1895 on Middle Jo-Mary Lake. Step back in time while boating to the camps experiencing breathtaking views of Mount Katahdin and Jo-Mary Mountain. Several housekeeping cabins, a couple of bunkhouses, sports lounge, work shop, plus the yearround Moose Meadow Lodge. Off grid, powered by generator and all cabins have well water. A memorable wilderness experience nestled in thousands of acres of Maine's Ki-Jo working forest, completely self-sufficient with all amenities. Access to the Appalachian Trail, Katahdin Region, recreational trails, and endless lakes, rivers & streams to explore. Float plane accessible. The 6.4 acres with 3330' of lake frontage will be purchased by the seller and simultaneously transferred to buyers at closing, listing price includes land and buildings. $329,000.
DEB HENDERSON MAINE OUTDOOR PROPERTIES TEAM REALTY OF MAINE 207-852-7577 deb@maineoutdoorproperties.net www.maineoutdoorproperties.net www.landleader.com
Rumford & Mexico - Approx. 2,900 acres including Whitecap Mountain (2,000’), South Twin Mountain (2,156’) and Black Mountain (2,300’). Part of the land is an active Sugarbush. Impressive views. Land can be separated. $1,450,000 Greenwood - 283 ACRES Views of the surrounding hills south and west from 1,300’ of elevation. Ledge outcrops, old stone walls and recreation opportunities. Gravel for access and internal roads. $215,000 Greenwood - 251 ACRES - Views of the surrounding hills, lakes and Mt. Washington. 32’x20’ log cabin shell. Good access & road system. Highest elevation is 1,620’. Recreation paradise. $229,000 Dover/Foxcroft - 93 ACRES – Affordable lot with small stream, good access, internal road system and 1,570’ Parsons Landing Road frontage. Recently harvested. Great area for recreating. Lot can be split. $70,000
Calais - Scenic 45 acre lot on the 627 acre, 56’ deep Nash’s lake stocked with salmon. Over 1000’ of waterfront with peninsula extending into the lake. Good access. Private. Numerous coves, unique shorefront. $75,000
Beauty runs deep. So does our land sales experience.
John Colannino – Broker & Forester American Forest Management, Inc. 40 Champion Lane | Milford, Maine | 04461 O: 207.817.9079 | C: 207.266.7355 John.Colannino@afmforest.com
For more information on available properties please visit:
www.AmericanForestManagement.com www.MaineSportsman.com
78 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for all the latest updates on the great Maine outdoors! 109 Cove Road Cooper, ME Fish! Hunt! Snowmobile! Swim! This “off-grid” camp on Cathance Lake can be your little slice of heaven! MLS #1413703 - $124,900.
Robin Wellman, Realtor (207) 951-4860 robinwellman@kw.com
WWW.C21MCR.COM
Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker • (207) 233-8275 caryndreyfuss@morton-furbish.com www.realestateinrangeley.com
PARKERTOWN TWP - Aziscohos Lake remote hunting/fishing camp on owned land with 200’ frontage and small beach. Off the grid A-Frame has gas appliances/lights, large wood stove for heat. ‘Bath House’ out building with privy, shower stall, storage. ‘Boat House’ shed for small water sport accessories. Beautiful setting with unspoiled lake and mountain views - listen to the loons, gaze at the stars, enjoy the peace and quiet. Awesome spot to get away from it all! Don’t miss out! MLS #1400847 - $198,500 NIBOBAN SPORTING CAMPS ON RANGELEY LAKE - Now offering FRONT ROW CABIN #4 end unit abutting the woods! Fully year-round and conveyed fully furnished featuring 2 bedrooms, open living/kitchen area, spacious 3-season porch with direct entry onto private flag stone patio - all just steps from 2400’ prime frontage on the South Shore. Beautiful setting on 45 park-like acres with blend of woods, fields, walking trails. Once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave! MLS #1408087. $315,000 RANGELEY - Brimming with Rangeley charm, this log-sided chalet sits just 25’ from the water’s edge on tranquil Quimby Pond! Tucked away on 3.97 wooded acres with 479’ frontage on Quimby Pond the 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths cottage offers sunny open floor plan, pond side porch, newer septic and well. Being sold furnished. Nice spot to get away from the hustle & bustle of daily life ~ listen to the loons, gaze at the stars. PLUS 4 ACRE “BACK LOT” included in sale! MLS #1377151. $399,000
WATERFRONT RETREAT WITH 42+ACRES IN PORTER, ME
Springfield - Traditional Maine hunting camp on nicely wooded lot with easy access to all Maine’s outdoor recreational activities. Bring your big boy/girl toys and store ‘em in the shed on Old S. Springfield Road. $32,500
Lincoln - Gorgeous contemporary home sits right on the shore of Mattanawcook Lake with stunning views from the kitchen and master bedroom. Beautiful landscaping, walking distance to all of Lincoln’s downtown amenities. $198,000
Lee - Private nice water views across Merrill Pond. Off grid with solar and generated power. Beautifully built and maintained, this could be a wonderful family getaway or a comfortable full time residence. $179,000
Lincoln - 3 bedrooms with 1 full bath downstairs and both a ¾ master bath and ½ bath upstairs. Paved drive, attached 2 car garage, enclosed porch, covered porch, and patio all overlooking 191’ frontage on Cold Stream Pond. $310,000
Lincoln - Large 7.5 +/- acre sits on a quiet lake with less than a handful of camps. Snowmobile and ATV trails make this a perfect spot for a cabin you have always wanted on Upper Pond. Driveway is installed. $59,000
Lincoln - Large 6.2 +/- acre waterfront lot sits on a quiet lake. Surrounded by land that has traditionally open to public by local owner. Snowmobile and ATV trails make this a perfect spot on Upper Pond. $59,000
T3R1 - This must be one of the most inexpensive lakefront lots left in the State of Maine. Close to ATV and snowmobile trails. In the heart of outdoors with owner financing available, this one shouldn’t last long on Bill Green Pond. $24,500
Waterfront retreat! You have to have it! Endless recreational, hunting, fishing opportunities. Off-grid solar and generator powered home with 42+ acres, beautiful elevated views of, and 450 ft. of private frontage on Plain Pond, with a full view of Green Mountain. Last home on the dead-end road equals privacy! Propane and wood heat. Security system. Two wells: gravity fed, dug well and an artesian well. Huge livingroom with stone hearth, great natural light and cathedral ceilings. Master bedroom with double closets, balcony, and bath with jetted tub. Finish the daylight basement that is plumbed for a full bath. Interior finishes being completed by seller now, pictures to be updated as completed. Oversized two-car garage with high ceilings and I-beam perfect for ‘lift’. Seller expects to be ready for showings Memorial Day weekend. Contact listing agent and schedule your private showing before it is gone! $369,000. MLS #1414065
Mark Moody, Realtor/Broker Bean Group (207) 491-4540 • mark.moody@beangroup.com
www.markmoodysellsmaine.com
www.MaineSportsman.com
Lincoln - Enjoy waterfront sunsets on 3.69+/- acre lot with driveway installed. Build a camp or cottage that you have always wanted. Enjoy this chain of lakes and other recreational opportunities from your property on Egg Pond. $59,000 Lowell - Nice frontage with full septic, dug well, driveway and large gravel pad already in place ready for your camp. Gorgeous view and large hemlock trees offer shade over the 3.4 acre parcel on Eskutassis Pond. Call today. $62,900 Lakeville - 716’ Frontage on pristine and private lot. 13Ac in tree growth and 1A out for future development. Wonderful spot for a campsite on good seasonal gravel road! 250’ setback from Upper Pug Lake for building. $49,000
R E A L
E S T A T E
5 LAKE STREET, P.O. BOX 66, LINCOLN 207-794-2460 www.cwalakestreet.com E-mail: cwa@cwalakestreet.com
1-800-675-2460 Call any of our brokers to work for you!
“Tate” Aylward ................ 794-2460 Peter Phinney.................. 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie...................... 290-1554
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR PROPERTIES VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT CWALAKESTREET.COM
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80 • July 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
www.MaineSportsman.com