The Maine Sportsman July 2020 Digital Edition

Sportsman The Maine

July 2020 • $4.99

SHARK FISHING FROM A KAYAK Page 26

Preparing for a Moose Hunt Page 24

ATVs & Side-by-Sides Pages 18 & 66

Tales from a Bear Bait Site Pages 21 & 23

A Day in the Life of an Allagash Ranger Page 45

2 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————————

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4 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial

DIF&W Makes Best of Bad Situation The pandemic changed all of our lives, and it seems like it’s been around forever. In fact, it was not identified in the state until March 12.

No one is happy about any aspect of the virus itself or government safety mandates, and that’s not just in our state or in the US, but all over the world.

However, in reviewing the steps taken by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, it’s tough not to be impressed by the department’s decisive actions taken to encourage the continuation of outdoor activities.

In approximate chronological order: 1) DIF&W helped ensure that fishing and other outdoor sports were deemed safe and were generally unrestricted in the Governor’s executive orders, since those activities take place outside in the fresh air.

2) On March 20, with the encouragement of fishing advocates including The Maine Sportsman’s George Smith and Tom Seymour, the Governor and DIF&W Commissioner Camuso kicked off the open-water fishing season more than a month early, and waived the requirement that anglers needed to hold recreational licenses during that unexpected early opening.

3) The Department accelerated the scheduling of the spring wild turkey season, setting two youth days (Saturday, April 25 and Monday, April 27), rather than waiting until the previously-scheduled May 2. That allowed the state to start the regular spring turkey hunting season on May 2 instead of May 4. Further, hunters were not required to tag their turkeys – a change we hope is continued in future years.

4) All state-run boat launches remained open, as did wildlife management areas.

5) The moose hunting permit drawing, usually conducted as part of a raucous, crowded gathering, was converted to a “virtual event” that participants could watch as it was broadcast live on June 13th.

6) At the end of May, fishing derbies and bass tournaments, which had been temporarily “paused,” were again authorized.

7) And throughout the spring and early summer, DIF&W field staff, including biologists and game wardens, continue to work out of local offices and facilities.

Were all state hunting and fishing-related operations open for business? No. Hunter safety courses were not offered, and the policy decision was made not to waive that requirement for new hunters. Maine Guide tests were postponed, even for those applicants whose names were on the schedule when things were shut down. And the new shooting range at Summerhaven remained closed until June 5, given the need for state employees to oversee and supervise activities there.

We don’t profess to have answers regarding the risk of the spread of the virus versus the devastating impact this pandemic has had on Maine’s sporting businesses. But after watching the steps taken at each stage of the outbreak, we applaud Maine’s DIF&W on doing what they could, when they could, to ease the pain on Maine’s outdoor enthusiasts.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 574 • 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.................................................... 11 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves..................... 31 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 34 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 58 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by Lou Zambello....................... 39 Jackman by William Sheldon....................................... 42 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 7 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 37 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukowski Gooding....... 38 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 5 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 44 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 17 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 28 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 55 Moosehead by Tom Seymour...................................... 52 My Maine by George Smith.......................................... 16 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 69 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 66 Outdoor Chronicle by Ed Pineau................................. 51 Outdoors & Other Mistakes by Al Diamon.................. 47 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith....................... 70 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 64 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 71 Saltwater by Barry Gibson............................................. 29 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 60 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 63 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 59 Smilin’ Sportsman: Adults and Kids by Will Lund......... 71 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 54 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................... 9 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 62 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 56 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 72 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 48 True Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts.50 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 68

GUEST COLUMNS AND SPECIAL SECTIONS

ATVing in Maine by Steve Carpenteri......................... 18 Bear Hunting in Maine by Randy Randall................... 23 Bear Hunting in Maine by Steve Vose......................... 21 Moose Hunting in Maine by Steve Carpenteri........... 24 Q&A with Kate Wentworth - Part 2 by Will Lund......... 41 Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly...................... 45 Saltwater Fishing in Maine by Grant Thompson......... 26 Turkey Hunting by Delaney Woods.............................. 36 On the Cover: Shark angler Grant Thompson heads out to sea off the coast of Cape Neddick. This outstanding image was taken by professional photographer Natty Graham of York, Maine.

See more of Natty’s work at NattyGraham.com, and read all about Grant’s kayaking pursuit of the elusive porbeagle shark, starting on page 26.

����������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 5

Letters To The Editor

Likes Al Diamon

To the Editor: Imagine my astonishment when I turned to page 78 of the May edition.

There was Al Diamon, and his new column, “Outdoors and Other Mistakes.”

Al Diamon (on left).

Al has a sterling reputation as an astute, penetrating, scourge of political blowhards of all stripes. I thought,

“What could he know about fishing and hunting?” It turns out that he knows nothing, but is nevertheless an astute, penetrating scourge of anyone who opposes hunting, fishing and outdoor recreating in our fine state.

What a pleasure it was to read his column. Please – more columns by him.

Bob Mittel – Portland, ME —

Another Fan of The Sportsman

To the Editor: Please make certain my subscription does not run out – I don’t want to miss a single copy.

I enjoy Jon Lund’s columns – he’s always a gentleman. I also like Tom Seymour’s and Lou Zambello’s writings.

I am impressed you did not miss an issue due to the virus.

Name Withheld Upon Request Along the Susquehanna, PA —

Poachers Netted Along Cobbossee Stream

To the Editor: We had an interesting experience

Alewife (River Herring)

the other day that I wanted to share with you and your readers.

For several years, high school students have collected data on the river herring (alewife) run in Cobbossee Stream.

With the high school year cut short by the Covid virus, that task was continued this year by a group of dedicated volunteers, doing the work wearing gloves and masks, and maintaining appropriate distances.

As we arrived streamside on Week #4 of the alewife run, we noticed several vehicles with out-of-state license plates parked along the stream. On the way down the trail to the stream, the volunteers met two individuals walking out, each struggling to carry heavy buckets of alewife they had just netted below a dam.

We politely asked if they knew the legal daily limit on alewives, and nei(Continued on next page)

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6 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters to the Editor

(Continued from page 5)

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ther answered. So we explained Maine’s alewife law, and asked the two poachers to obey the law in the future.

As we reached the stream, we noticed two more groups of out-ofstate anglers coming down the path with long-handled nets, buckets and coolers. At this point we contacted Operation Game Thief, and a Game Warden promised to get there as fast as he could.

The Warden arrived, explained the law to the folks from away (netting alewives requires that each fisherman have a Maine fishing license, and the law sets a daily limit of 25 alewives for personal or family use), confiscated the illegally-taken fish, and sent the several carloads of poachers back to their home states.

From what we were able to gather, word was out on social media in Southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts that if anyone wanted to catch fresh-from-the-ocean fish “by the bucketful,” all you had to do was come to Cobbossee Stream in Gardiner, Maine.

We wish to thank the Warden Service and the folks at Operation Game Thief for protecting this important resource. Alewives are now in high demand, not only as a food source for larger fish and birds, but also as lobster bait and increasingly, as food that can be canned for hu-

man consumption.

Name Withheld Upon Request Hallowell, ME —

The Beauty of Trout

To the Editor: Trout are the most beautiful fish in the world, and I wanted to share this photograph with your readers.

Photo by Chris Sargent

My girlfriend Emily Goode and I had experienced an unsuccessful morning turkey hunting, so we decided to try some trout fishing, and the fish were much more cooperative than the big birds had been.

We caught several nice trout in a stream in the Ellsworth area. They were about 13 inches long, and nice and fat.

They paired well with fiddleheads, and made for a fine meal.

Chris Sargent – Surry, ME

¶

In Search of Native Brookies Elizabeth (Liz) Hebert is, according to friends, “an avid and excellent fly fisherman.” Here, she casts to native brookies near Nesowadnehunk. Liz and her husband Lauren stay and fly fish each year at Nesowadnehunk Sporting Camps. Lauren is a Maine Guide and owner of Tumbledown Guide Service.

Lauren Hebert photo

����������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 7

From Hand Cannons to Breach Loaders – American Rifle Tells History of Long Guns “Ready on the left!

Ready on the right!

Ready on the firing line!

Commence firing!”

That was the sequence of commands in the marksmanship portion of the Army’s basic training, as I can best recall it.

The year was 1955 – a long time ago – but the words still stick in my mind.

In front of the row of firing positions, 100 yards way, was a row of targets behind a deep trench. Deep in the trench stood the spotters looking to see where each shot had landed, and using long pointers, showing the shooter where his last shot had landed.

If the spotter could not find a shot hole, he waved back and forth a ragged white flag know as Maggie’s Drawers, signaling a

The American Rifle is a fascinating book for anyone who is interested in the intersection of firearms development and American and world history. total miss of the target.

We were firing Garand rifles, known as 30 M1, the successor to the Springfield Model 1903 five shot clip bolt action rifle used in World War 1.

Although I thought the Garand rifle was a recent innovation, it had been actually been

adopted by the Army in 1936. I was accustomed to deer hunting with a lever or pump action rifle.

I thought the Garand was a pretty neat rifle, although it was heavy. It had one drawback, I was told: when the eight-round clip was emptied, the clip was ejected with an audible “ping” that could be a signal to anyone close by and listening that the rifle was empty.

Book Starts with a Mystery The basic rifle training events came back to me when a friend lent me his copy of American Rifle: A Biography, by Alexander Rose (Delta Trade

Paperbacks).

It starts out with a mystery: In the earliest known portrait of George Washington, painted in 1772, the muzzle of an unidentified American rifle protrudes from behind Washington’s left shoulder.

The author theorizes that this was a rifle custom-made for Washington by gunsmith John Jost, and that including the rifle in the portrait was Washington’s way of telling his fellow Americans that he was a person of the fron-

tier.

Hand Cannons and Muskets The earliest firearms to appear in the New World were not rifles, but hand-cannons: inch or so wide pipes mounted on a pole carried to North America by Columbus.

Lethal up to a dozen or so yards, these weapons weighed some thirty pounds. The most (Continued on next page)

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Jottings (Continued from page 7)

intimidating qualities of these guns were most likely their noise, smoke and flash.

It wasn’t ’til 1609 that tactical use of firearms came into their own, when Samuel de Champlain, with the use of a few muskets, routed a numerically-superior force.

However, these early firearms used a primitive ignition system – a burning wick applied to the powder charge. As a result, they could not be used in rain, and the shooter was illuminated by the ignition system, and so was vulnerable to conventional bow

and arrows.

Flintlocks and Politics Once the flintlock was developed, the Indians sought to acquire them, and in 1628 William Bradford, Governor of the Plymouth Colony, chronicled the natives’ passion for obtaining firearms.

When blacksmiths were forbidden from repairing Indian-owned guns, Native Americans learned to do their own blacksmithing, and soon were in possession of bullet-making molds. During the westward expansion,

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Indians were quick to obtain modern arms, and when the government sought to limit sales of ammunition, the natives mastered the reloading process.

Not a Catalog of Collectors’ Items A glance at the beautiful engraving on the lever-action rifle on the cover of this book might lead the reader to expect elegant descriptions of fancy guns and their makers, but that is not the case.

The author has carefully chronicled the development of long guns in the US, and their gradual adoption by the military.

The initial conflict in the choice of weapons was rifle versus the musket. Cutting the spiral grooves on the inside of a rifle barrel was time-consuming and expensive, while making smoothbore muskets was a lot faster and cheaper.

Later on, the choice became single shot weapons versus guns with a magazine to hold multiple rounds.

Civil War During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies utilized sharpshooters, whose specialized training and long-range shooting performance entitled them to bypass many of the duties and restrictions imposed on regular infantry soldiers.

Although repeating rifles were introduced to the civilian market before the end of the Civil War, the military did not adopt them, and their use was unofficial, and

deadly, but brief.

Breech Loaders A Mainer, John H. Hall, played a major role in the development of the breech-loading rifle. Born in 1803, Hall invested his modest inheritance in a small carpentry shop, making boats, barrels and cabinets. He also joined a local militia, and developed a lifelong interest in firearms. He noticed the problem of muzzle loading firearms was the necessity of pushing ball and powder down a long barrel, a time-consuming process.

Hall invented a process whereby the ball and powder were inserted into a hinged block at the breech.

He was not the first to load a gun at the breech, but did so in a safe and reliable way.

Hall sought to patent his invention, but was stymied by opposition from Dr. Thornton, a well-connected acquaintance of President Jefferson, who was also the corrupt head of the Patent office. Thornton sought to share the rights to the invention.

Hall worked his way around the problem rather than take the patent office to court in slow-moving and expensive litigation.

He entered into a contract under which he agreed to share with Thornton any royalties he would receive from third party manufacturers of his invention. Hall then outwitted Thornton by doing all the manufacturing himself, so that there were no royalties to be shared.

Hall adopted the manufacturing tech-

nologies pioneered by Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, and furnished the military with rifles with interchangeable parts.

Civilian and Military Developments Intertwined The author chronicles the early involvement of the National Rifle Association in 1871 in the promotion of marksmanship and the development of the Creedmoor rifle range on Long Island, where national and international marksmanship competitions were held.

Arms manufacturers initially thrived by making long range and powerful rifles used in killing buffalo – a profitable enterprise and one that helped to subdue Indian tribes by destroying their food supply. As the huge herds became nearly extinct, and smaller game became targets, settlers and hunters were attracted to the lighter, more portable repeating rifles produced by Winchester and other manufacturers.

The author portrays the development of military and civilian arms as intertwined, with military decisions being an amalgam of private enterprise, government expertise and pork-barrel politics.

American Rifle is fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the intersection of firearms development and American and world history. I found it difficult to put down.

¶

����������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 9

When the Going Gets Tough, Think Back to Happier Times Today my mother most certainly would have been arrested for doing what she did to me in Texas in the mid-1950s – on summer mornings, she’d drop me off at suburban Woodlawn Lake on the west side of San Antonio, and I’d go fishing all day.

What, you say, that’s not a bad thing at all? Except I was 9 years old and she drove off leaving me alone, or occasionally with a neighborhood kid I liked (whose mother also could also have been charged).

Well, she got away with it, bless her soul, and I firmly believe I’m all the better for it. Sometimes I had a long cane pole with a hook and a quill or balsa-wood bobber, and maybe a splitshot or two. Then there was the bamboo rod comprised of hand-made cane pieces for a fly rod and a short casting rod, all crafted in post-war Japan by master craftsmen. All the pieces fit into sections in a rectangular wooden case, that also housed several compartments for flies, hooks, and such.

My father traded a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes for the rod set in 1950 when he was with the American occupation forces after WW II. We were with him in Japan – my youngest sister was born there – and we remained through

Fins & Furs

Outdoors

When bad stuff like Covid 19 happens, the author thinks back on the stress-free and wonderful life experiences of his youth. most of the Korean War, where he flew during that conflict.

Tangled Line; Blue Language In Texas, I wasn’t fly fishing yet, so I used the casting combination of the rod pieces, and a metal casting reel was attached to complete the outfit. When you made a cast, the reel handle spun around as the line went out, usually in a tangle of braided line that took some time to fix. I believe it was here that I learned to swear, and I got exceptionally good at it.

I raised earthworms dug from my mother’s modest garden, and kept them in good loamy dirt in a cigar box. When those frozen biscuit things came out, I used little balls of the dough as bait too, but somehow it just didn’t seem right.

My little red metal tackle box also carried Hula Poppers, Hawaiian Wigglers, Jitterbugs, Crazy Crawlers, and some Mepps Spinners. The latter came from France originally in 1938 and were brought home by American soldiers after WWII. The Mitchell 300 spinning reel originated in France in the late 1930s, also was in some duffle bags, and I would get one after we got to Germany.

Trial and Error – Especially Error I learned to fish by doing – a process of trial and error, and there was a lot of the latter. I read Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield magazines when I could get them, and picked up tips and techniques that I tried. Occasionally I even caught a fish or two,

mostly sunfishes, and very rarely a small largemouth black bass. But my favorite quarry was the mysterious Rio Grande Perch.

Texans mangle many Mexican (Spanish) words, including the Rio Grande, the name of the border river between Mexico and Texas. That body of water became the “Rio Grande River,” which actually repeats the word “river.”

Oh well.

The fish is a cichlid, related to the tilapia, and not a sunfish at all. It generally grows to about 10 inches, and the Texas record is a whopping 2 pounds and change. The ones I infrequently caught seemed at least two feet long and to me they weighed much more than a couple of pounds. In later years, I realized they were about 6 or 7 inches at best, but they’ll remain giants in my mind forever.

At lunch, the brown bag that mom packed – see, she wasn’t really so bad – (Continued on next page)

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10 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Sportsman’s Journal (Continued from page 9)

opened, and out came a PBJ or a baloney sandwich, and an apple. It was gourmet eating at its best, and I learned a lot about how to read water as I sat on the bank munching away. I had an Army issue canteen in a canvas case that provided the water I needed for drinking.

Life was good.

The Crazy Crawler and the Cast Iron Skillet In my next fishing memory, it’s 1960.

I am outside of Santa Barbara, California, and I’m 16 years old, carrying a gold-colored Wright-McGill fiberglass spinning rod paired with a real Mitchell 300 spinning reel from France. The reel is spooled with a fairly recent invention, monofilament fishing line, that casts like a dream.

I’ve tied on a Heddon Crazy Crawler surface plug in the spinning size, and am trying not to get it hung up in the trees as I slide down a steep, wooded slope to the small river or large creek I know is below. There weren’t any NO TRESPASSING signs, so I figured I was okay.

Back then, a canvas creel pretty much replaced the old wicker ones. They were square or rectangular zippered bags of heavy sail cloth that you could wet in the water and keep your creeled fish cool. In my canvas creel slung over my shoulder was a small cast iron skillet, a good glop of Crisco shortening in a jar, and another jar with a mixture of flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. (This www.MaineSportsman.com

was before plastic containers were widely available.) I optimistically believed I could catch, properly season, fry and then eat a fish.

Crazy Crawler

The small river flowed into a reservoir that was full of boats and people fishing, camping and having lunch, but though I liked fishing the lake, I was looking for a more secluded experience.

There wasn’t another soul around, and it was nice to be shuffling along in the warm, shallow water casting the Crazy Crawler to shaded spots on an extremely hot day. My fishing shirt, shorts and old tennis shoes were all I needed to be comfortable. And the largemouth bass smacked that piece of plastic with hooks all day long.

Pristine Location The fish weren’t that large, averaging up to a pound or so, but they were wild, feisty, and eager to grab the frog-colored lure, and there were lots of them. Between catches, I couldn’t help but notice the shoreline harbored no litter of any kind – no beer or soda cans, or paper containers that held earthworms, or cigarette packs. Nothing. This place had been left pretty unmolested by human hands, and I’m sure the fish had never seen a lure like the Crazy Crawler before. Later I would learn why.

Around midday, I started a small twig-and-branch fire, heated up the oil in the cast iron skillet, dredged the fil-

let chunks in the breading mixture, and cooked two small bass until they were golden. I flipped them over in the oil with my antler-handled hunting knife that always was on my belt when fishing or hunting. Right up there with one of the best meals I’ve ever had anywhere.

That’s how I remember it. I was really happy with the day. I’m still happy just thinking about it now.

A few weeks later I was at the nearby lake’s marina office renting a 12-foot aluminum boat that I would pair with my 10-horsepower Johnson Seahorse outboard that I bought with my $60 tax refund. (I scooped ice cream and stocked shelves in a drug/department store after school and on some weekends.) I looked up and saw a new map of the lake mounted inside a glass-covered frame, and had a serious Oh, no! moment.

The Truth Revealed There was the lake with the dam at one end, and my little, private, uncluttered river full of hungry bass that tasted really good flowing into the reservoir at the other end. Prominent dashed lines proscribed a box around the area where I’d fished, indicating it was off-limits to everyone, and absolutely no fishing allowed. Oops! Though I desperately wanted to, I never returned to that wonderful, special, and happy place.

Yes, thinking and dreaming of positive places you been, things you’ve done and people you’ve met throughout your life can bring you some respite and some happiness during these uncertain times.

Not knowing now what will happen in the future is the hardest part; but it’s so easy to look into the past for those times that helped define who you are today, and who you can become tomorrow.

I wonder if that little river at the end of the lake is still off-limits today?

¶

The author optimistically believed he could catch, properly season, fry and then eat the fish he caught. He was right.

Almanac

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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

Ike Comes to Maine President Dwight D. Eisenhower was really looking forward to getting out of Washington in late June 1955, as he wanted to get to Maine and catch his first-ever landlocked salmon.

“Ike” was to fish the storied waters of Parmachenee country as a guest of the Brown Paper Co. He quickly struck up a friendship with his guide, Don Cameron of Wilson’s Mills. Their friendship lasted well after the President’s visit, and the Outdoor Heritage Museum has several artifacts, letters and mementos shared between the “Leader of the Free World” and his Maine Guide. This includes a portrait of Cameron painted by Ike while still a sitting President, a Finnish made fishing knife, and several letters on White House stationery signed by the President.

Further testimony as to why so many Americans “Liked Ike” was how he could be just another one of the guys while enjoying some fishing. For example, in 1960 he was fishing with national spin-casting champion Neal Taylor, and Taylor, who had never met Eisenhower, was understandably nervous, but within a few minutes of fishing with the President said that he felt like he had known him for a long time.

As the pair continued to fish, Ike sat down beside the stream and had a troubled look on his face.

Taylor asked if he could somehow help, and it was then that President Eisenhower looked at him and said, “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of the many men that were under my command at Normandy.” This was sixteen years after the invasion, but the President was still greatly bothered by what had happened on those beaches so many years earlier.

It was early evening on June 5th, 1944, just prior to D-Day, and Allied Supreme Commander Eisenhower was visiting with a group of paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division.

Tensions were naturally high before the dangerous night drop behind enemy lines, where the paratroopers were responsible for holding off the expected German reinforcements on their way to the landing beaches.

Ike knew that in a matter of hours, many of the young men crowded around him would perish in battle. In a now famous photo, it appears that he is giving them a pep talk. In fact, however, the General had found out that some of the paratroopers were fly fisherman, and he was sharing some of his techniques. The 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions executed their missions to perfection, and many brave men did indeed perish, never again to cast for trout in their favored home waters.

Later, as President, Eisenhower attempted to teach his VP Richard Nixon, how to fly cast. Nixon’s first three casts wound up in a tree and the fourth hooked into Ike’s coat, which brought about a quick end to the lesson. The renowned historian Stephen Ambrose commented that “In casting, as in politics, Eisenhower was terribly earnest in his attempts to educate Nixon, with frustrating results in both cases.”

Eisenhower was once asked once

why he loved fly fishing so much. He responded by telling the reporter, “I don’t use worms anymore because I want it to be fair for the fish.” I bet Nixon was a better worm dunker.

President Eisenhower could not easily escape the pressures of the job, so he had the stream that flowed through the presidential retreat at Camp David, MD stocked so he could walk down to the stream, cast, and catch a few trout.

Ike once shared, “There are three sports that I like all for the same reason; golf, fishing and shooting: because they take you into the fields, they induce you to take two to three hours when you are thinking nothing but the bird, ball or wily trout. Now to my mind this is a very healthful, beneficial kind of thing, and I do it whenever I get a chance.”

How true for a busy chief executive and especially true today for most of us.

In 1955, Ike’s plate was full – he was working on a federal budget, he was supporting an increase in the minimum wage to 90 cents an hour, the Cold War with Russia and China (continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

12 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac (Continued from page 12)

was underway, and he was trying to roll out a polio vaccine and push an immunization program.

He was packing his fly boxes and putting on new leaders by June 20, 1955, just a few days prior to his tour of Vermont, New Hampshire and those waiting salmon in Maine, as the President addressed the opening of the 10th anniversary meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco.

At the time, Eisenhower was still deciding whether to run for a second term in the 1956 election. During his short fishing trip to Parmachenee, he gave conflicting answers on whether he would seek re-election. In a speech on Main Street in Rangeley, he hinted on the difficulties of that decision, after being given a fawn deer for the National Zoo in D.C.

“If I had to leave these woods along these lovely lakes and streams and go to Washington, I would think twice, wouldn’t you? But I’ll take the fawn down to the zoo, and thank you very much.”

The 34th President of the United States and Don Cameron continued to stay in touch. Fly fishing can help make some fast friends.

New Push to Protect Atlantic Salmon Ten Maine angling organizations, as well as conservationists, former DIF&W officials and biologists have asked State of Maine to take action to protect the state’s Atlantic salmon.

Building Bridges to Fight Lyme Disease Together

Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education Awareness • Education Advocacy • Support

www.mldse.org

In a letter signed by such well-known individuals as Bucky Owen and Matthew Scott, as well as a wide range of salmon federations and councils, the group asks the state to explore designating Atlantic salmon as Endangered under the provisions of the Maine Endangered Species Act. The letter points out that 1)

Atlantic salmon are already classified as Endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act; 2) the only viable Atlantic salmon population in the United States is in Maine; and 3) such a designation “would help protect this critical resource, align the State of Maine with federal efforts to protect the species, and help conserve one of Maine’s and the nation’s greatest and most emblematic fish.”

For more information, contact Emily Bastian, chair of the Maine chapter of Native Fish Coalition; ME@ nativefishcoalition.org.

—

New Lead Tackle Buy-Back Program Helps Loons Anglers can get $10 tackle vouchers by turning in lead tackle, including

sinkers or lead-headed jigs If you are like most of us, you have more than one tackle box. And even though you’ve gone lead-free (to comply with current Maine law and to protect loons) for small sinkers in that primary tackle box, are you certain you have no more lead gear in your “other” tackle boxes, or your kids’ tackle boxes?

Well, take a good look, gather up all

the lead tackle you can find, and take it to a participating retailer. In return for at least one ounce of lead, you will receive a coupon for $10 off non-lead alternatives.

The program is currently underway at Dag’s Bait Shop in Auburn, Indian Hill Trading Post in Greenville, and BackWoods Bait and Tackle in Chesterville. Other retailers will also be coming on board soon.

The Maine Sportsman magazine recently joined other sponsors in an effort to improve the reach and effectiveness of the program.

Questions? Go to fishleadfree.org/ me, or contact Tracy Hart, wildlife ecologist at Maine Audubon, thart@ maineaudubon.org. (continued on next page)

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Check For Ticks Every Day! WARMER TEMPERATURES MEAN TICKS WILL BE ACTIVE NOW – EVEN IN SNOW! • Schools are closed so more children are active outside • Healthcare resources will be strained due to COVID-19 • Do your part to prevent tickborne diseases • CHECK EVERY DAY. Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed.

MLDSE is a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization, the Maine-partner of the National Lyme Disease Association, members of Maine’s CDC Vector-borne Work group, active in Maine’s Lyme Legislation movement and on the federal Deptartment of Health & Human Services Tick-borne Disease Working Group’s “Access to Care Services and Patient Support” subcommittee.

www.MaineSportsman.com

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 13

Where Can I Get Ethanol-free Fuel?

Convenience Store, 32 Tenney Hill Road in Monson.

Given the choice, many of us prefer to use ethanol-free fuel in small and medium-size engines, from weed whackers, chain saws and outboard motors, to snowmobiles and ATVs. One option is the metal one-gallon cans sold in many hardware stores. They are convenient, but at prices approaching $25 per can, it’s an extremely expensive way to purchase the long-lasting fuel.

Airports have been a source of “pure” fuel (does the fact that airplane pilots require non-ethanol fuel tell you anything about their concerns with ethanol fuel?), but many of us are uncomfortable driving to the local airport, and we expect the proprietors give priority to pilots.

But there are now a few other sources of pure and relatively reasonably priced non-ethanol fuel, especially in those areas of the state that serve owners of snowmobiles and ATVs. On the way to Greenville last weekend, we found non-ethanol fuel at the pump at Bear’s One Stop, 80 Moosehead Trail in Newport; Whitney’s Family Market, 54 Water Street in Guilford; and A E Robinson

Be aware that many stores are open for limited hours this summer, so call ahead to make certain you’ll be able to fill your containers.

Do you want your store added to this list? E-mail the editor at Will@ MaineSportsman.com, and we’ll express our appreciation and help spread the word.

—

Fishing Derbies Get the Governor’s Green Light

• • • • • •

White water guiding industry Sporting Camps Shooting Ranges Maine Wildlife Park Swan Island, and Hunter Safety Courses.

¶

On May 26, Governor Mills signed an Executive Order rescinding the temporary suspension of fishing derbies and tournaments.

For that reason, tournaments and derbies can be held, so long as in books written by retired Allagash Wilderness Waterway Supervisor Tim Caverly permit holders and participants follow guidelines set forth by

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Scents and Lures

Muzzle Loading Supplies Scopes, Binoculars, Decoys Handguns Shotguns Rifles

DIFW to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Updated guidance related to guiding activities has been posted on the DIFW website, under the “Covid-19 Update” link.

Other checklists developed by DIFW include guidance for:

Come and see our Fishing Department We carry Eagle Claw, Ugly Stick , Stren , Trilene Yamamoto and Yum branded products.

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Open 8-5:30 Monday–Saturday, 9-2 Sunday www.MaineSportsman.com

14 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

July 2020 Sunrise/Sunset Portland, ME DATE 1 Wed 2 Thu 3 Fri 4 Sat 5 Sun 6 Mon 7 Tue 8 Wed 9 Thu 10 Fri 11 Sat 12 Sun 13 Mon 14 Tue 15 Wed 16 Thu

RISE 5:01 5:02 5:03 5:03 5:04 5:05 5:05 5:06 5:07 5:08 5:08 5:09 5:10 5:11 5:12 5:13

SET 8:28 8:27 8:27 8:27 8:26 8:26 8:26 8:25 8:25 8:24 8:24 8:23 8:23 8:22 8:21 8:21

DATE 17 Fri 18 Sat 19 Sun 20 Mon 21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu 24 Fri 25 Sat 26 Sun 27 Mon 28 Tue 29 Wed 30 Thu 31 Fri

RISE 5:14 5:15 5:15 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:22 5:24 5:25 5:26 5:27 5:28

SET 8:20 8:19 8:18 8:17 8:16 8:16 8:15 8:14 8:13 8:12 8:11 8:09 8:08 8:07 8:06

July 2020 Tides DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 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 Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Portland, ME HIGH AM PM 8:18 8:40 9:20 9:36 10:18 10:29 11:13 11:21 — 12:06 12:12 12:55 1:00 1:42 1:46 2:28 2:32 3:14 3:19 4:00 4:07 4:47 4:57 5:33 5:49 6:20 6:43 7:09 7:39 7:58 8:35 8:47 9:27 9:33 10:14 10:18 11:00 11:02 11:44 11:47 — 12:28 12:32 1:12 1:18 1:57 2:06 2:45 2:57 3:35 3:53 4:29 4:52 5:25 5:54 6:23 6:59 7:24 8:06 8:25 9:10 9:24

www.MaineSportsman.com

LOW AM PM 2:05 2:19 3:07 3:17 4:05 4:12 4:59 5:04 5:51 5:56 6:40 6:45 7:27 7:33 8:12 8:20 8:56 9:08 9:41 9:57 10:25 10:48 11:10 11:41 11:55 — 12:34 12:43 1:30 1:34 2:25 2:25 3:16 3:14 4:02 4:00 4:46 4:44 5:29 5:30 6:13 6:16 6:57 7:03 7:42 7:52 8:28 8:44 9:16 9:40 10:08 10:38 11:02 11:40 11:59 — 12:45 12:59 1:52 2:03 2:56 3:04

A real monster: Kristopher Geist of New York caught and released this lunker largemouth in August, 2019 while fishing at Watchic Lake, Standish.

Yes, Virginia, we do grow some big bass here in Maine: Charles Oeser of Kennebunk caught this 8 lb., 6 oz largemouth bass while fishing at Deer Pond in Hollis last July, on a Senko worm.

Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman

PATCH CLUBS

You’ve been successful at the hunt, now wear your pride by entering one of The Maine Sportsman’s exclusive patch clubs!

To find a club and download an application, go to

www.mainesportsman.com/patch-clubs to download, print and mail your application with $10 to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330 Don’t have a computer or printer? No problem! Give us a call at (207) 622-4242 and we’ll mail you an application.

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 15

Dan Rice of Windsor bagged this tom turkey on May 16, 2020 at 5:30 a.m. The bird weighed 18 pounds, and sported a 9-inch beard. Congratulations, Dan! Source: Maine Turkey Hunters

Jonathan Weymouth of Ellsworth earned his “One that Didn’t Get Away” patch when he pulled this 17.4-pound, 37-inch monster togue out of Sebago Lake. He hooked the fish while trolling a Mooselook Wobbler, and played the trophy for 45 minutes. www.MaineSportsman.com

16 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Battling Wild Critters When battles with wild critters move into the home, things can get ugly.

And I’m not just talking about mice, although we’ve done battle with plenty of them. One winter I caught 38, an even dozen of them trapped in a kitchen drawer. And this doesn’t count the mice our cat killed. Often, we would wake in the middle of the night to a commotion in the dining room outside our bedroom door, as the cat and his quarry careened around the room. Sometimes I had to get up and stomp the mouse to death.

My stomping record is eight, in a two-week period.

Eventually Linda got tired of my stomping and hired Modern Pest, and they’ve done a great job of wiping out our mice every year.

Bats

Bats were a particular challenge. In the early years, I’d try to kill them with a fireplace poker. For years there was a hole in our kitchen ceiling where I once missed a bat with the poker. www.MaineSportsman.com

While the author was fly fishing one evening, a bat picked his fly right out of the air, hooking itself.

George carefully reeled it in and then set about trying to remove the hook.

After getting educated to the benefits bats bring to the neighborhood, and worried about their diminishing populations, I started catching them in a long-handled fishing net, and gently releasing them outside.

Sadly, we haven’t even seen a bat in many years.

Snakes

Then there is the snake episode. Linda hates snakes. One day as she was washing the kitchen floor, she moved a wicker basket that I’d left outside for some time the day before, and a large snake slithered out of the bottom of the basket.

She grabbed the fireplace shovel and jumped up on a kitchen chair, all the while attempting to bludgeon the harmless thing to death.

At one point in this fierce battle, she called me. All I could do was encourage her to keep at it. She was still shook up when I got home. She still shudders when I bring up the incident.

Rodents and Raccoons

low, under the floor.

Turned out to be mating raccoons.

Birds

Every wild critter that could get into the house, did so. Red squirrels were particularly nettlesome. I watched for them at the bird feeder, and if they turned toward the house after dining, I would shoot them.

If they headed for the woods, they got a reprieve.

A chipmunk once resided in my workshop and the garage, darting into a tunnel under the cement floor when he saw me.

One sunny Saturday morning, I opened the bulkhead door to air out the cellar. A bit later, heading out of the cellar up the bulkhead’s steps, I met a huge raccoon coming down the steps.

We had a stare down, and he eventually reversed course. I’m not sure what would have happened if he’d continued down the steps.

He was certainly too big to stomp to death.

And then there was the night I woke to a terrible ruckus directly below my pil-

One morning Lin was getting ready for school and there was a chickadee on her computer, apparently brought into the house by the cat. Another time, the cat brought in a sparrow. Lin yelled at the cat and he dropped the bird. It promptly lifted off and flew into my office. Lin put on a pair of gloves and chased the bird around the room, finally catching and setting it outside. Not all wildlife-in-the-home stories have a bad ending.

Hooked Bat at Camp

I was fishing one evening in our boat up at camp and casting

my fly from the back of the boat, when a bat flew up and picked my fly right out of the air, hooking itself. I pulled back on the line, and the bat dropped into the water.

I carefully reeled it in and lifted it into the boat, and was pleased that the bat did not move while I carefully removed the hook, after which the bat took off.

It was certainly my most unusual catch, although one other time I caught a duck.

Thieving Loon

Another time, I was up to camp fishing from the boat when I caught a small brook trout. A loon quickly swam up and grabbed the trout. I gave the line a quick tug and pulled the trout out of the loon’s mouth and reeled it quickly to the boat, lifting it into the boat while the loon swam up and tried to grab it.

When the loon figured out the trout was gone, he swam around the boat, flapping his wings and screeching for quite a time.

¶

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 17

Maine Wildlife:

Togue

by Tom Seymour

Lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, fish of the far north, live near the southern end of their range here in Maine and New England.

Unlike other trout and char, lake trout don’t inhabit shallow water except in early spring when they come near shore to feed upon smelt. As soon as smelt runs end, lake trout, or “togue” as they are known here in Maine, head for deeper water, not so much because of cooler temperatures but because their eyes are highly photosensitive.

Exposure to sunlight causes togue to develop cataracts. Even in hatcheries, togue fry are kept in shaded containers so as not to damage their eyes.

Maine has more lake trout in more lakes and ponds than any other state.

Our climate has much to do with that.

Northern Maine lakes remain cold until summer, and they cool quickly come late summer and early fall. While togue can tolerate water temperatures into the low 60s, they usually only venture into such warm water when in search of prey, and then only on cloudy or overcast days. Fortunately for togue fans (but not so red-hot for everyone else), Maine sees much cloudy and overcast weather.

Bright sunlight sends togue down to the depths. This explains the need for deep trolling in summer. Anglers can either fish deep and take togue, or fish shallow and not catch togue.

Leviathan Lives Togue are properly classified as char, the same as brook trout. But the difference between char and trout being trifling, it’s fine to call them lake trout. Easier yet, just call them togue, a perfectly acceptable name. Whatever we call them, togue can attain enormous sizes.

The very biggest togue come from northern Canada, where ultra-deep lakes host togue the size of the biggest codfish. Here in Maine, a 20-pound togue stands near the extent of its growth potential. Still, where there

are 20-pounders, surely there are 30-pounders. Tales of monster togue abound, and I see no good reason to discount them all.

In the back of each togue angler’s mind, then, is the notion that Leviathan exists here in Maine, in the form of a togue so large that it would earn bragging rights even from the togue-eating natives of northern Canada.

Run-of-the-mill Maine togue weigh somewhere between 3 and 5 pounds.

These, when caught on medium-weight tackle, put up a remarkable account of themselves. The use of downriggers enables anglers to use lighter tackle, and this brings togue-fishing to a whole new realm. Also, some people routinely jig for togue, even during the open-water season. A medium weight spinning or baitcasting rod serves this purpose well. A 4-pound togue on an outfit meant for perch and crappies puts up a great battle.

Self-Supporting The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) stocks togue in waters where natural reproduction cannot sustain the fishery. In most togue lakes, though, togue need no help from us in order to prosper. All they do need are cool temperatures, deep water and an abundance of forage fish.

While smelt predominate as forage species of choice for most salmonids in lakes and ponds, I was amazed last

The author admires a fresh-caught togue.

winter when a DIF&W biologist pointed out something unusual in a togue stomach. The biologist was doing creel surveys, a practice that helps to determine the health of fish populations.

This work includes analyzing stomach contents.

My party had taken five or six togue, and the biologist asked if he could take the stomachs for examination back at the lab. We were only too happy to comply. As the biologist ran his fingers along the togue stomachs, he found them filled with large, solid objects.

These were, to my astonishment, crayfish. This happened on Moosehead Lake, a lake noted for its abundant population of oversized crayfish. So upon thinking on this, it seemed not much of a stretch to envision togue probing rocks and crevasses on the bottom, in search of “Moosehead lobsters.” Taking this one step further, I bet that slowly bouncing a live crayfish on bottom might be an effective way to take lots of togue.

Tasty Flesh Because it is necessary to fish for togue near bottom in summer, some people mistakenly believe that this imparts a muddy taste to their flesh.

Once someone adopts this mindset, it becomes terribly difficult to convince them otherwise. And that’s a shame, because togue have rich, sweet flesh, with no “muddy” taste. In fact I cannot recall ever eating any fish that tasted like mud, and I’ve eaten everything from yellow perch and pickerel to suckers and eels.

As with any oily fish, togue require proper care once killed and kept to take home. Left on the deck or in a water-filled bucket, the flesh quickly deteriorates. The same would happen with trout or salmon, and togue are no different.

Immediately placing a fresh-killed togue on ice ensures the delicate flavor will remain intact. Then, at home, broiling or grilling works best. Pan-frying does not allow the natural oils to drip away, and thus togue shouldn’t be fried. The exception might be when you have a fillet from a small togue and cook it quickly. Other than that, stick to broiling or grilling.

In togue, we have the biggest salmonid available in Maine, along with the basis for a popular and rewarding sport fishery. That alone should place togue at the top of our list of desirable game fish.

www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

July Riding Tips

by Steve Carpenteri

Over 90 percent of Maine is privately owned, but most of that property is open to responsible ATV use. Photos courtesy of Arctic Cat

July is peak riding time for Maine’s all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 94 percent of Maine’s 33,000 square miles of

How can today’s ATV riders ensure that private lands remain open for access in the future?

By remembering that someone else owns the land, and that we are guests. Showing respect to the landowners – and to the land – will pay big dividends.

forest land is privately owned, but more than half of that land area is open to the public.

In total, Maine’s landowners voluntarily open up more than 10 million acres of working farms and forests.

The vast majority of ATV riders log their miles on public or private property they do not own. This access is an incredible gift, and in order to preserve it, everyone who ventures outdoors should

Treat private property with respect to avoid access closures due to damage, vandalism or irresponsible behavior.

appreciate the contribution that landowners make.

Most private landowners are happy to allow outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, on their land, as long as

their property is treated with respect.

The MDIFW regularly reminds riders that the private land we use for recreation belongs to someone else, just as surely as (Continued on next page)

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GREENVILLE JUNCTION Moosehead Motorsports 13 Moosehead Industrial Park 207-695-2020 www.mooseheadmotorsports.com ©2020 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. In the U.S.A., products are distributed by BRP US Inc. *Offers valid in U.S.A. only Sunday 1st March 2020 to Thursday 30th April 2020. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your state and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. See an authorized BRP dealer for details. 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.

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 19 (Continued from page 18)

your car or home belongs to you, and accessing it is a privilege, not a right.

ATV riders must obtain permission to operate on private property, although permission is presumed on designated state-approved ATV trails or in areas open to ATVs by landowner policy. When in doubt, ask permission first.

Hunting or fishing on private land without the owner’s permission is a careless move that puts future access at risk.

Be a Courteous Guest Landowners who permit ATV use on their land for outdoor recreational activities are not only doing rid-

THE CAT IS BACK

ers a favor, they are placing their trust in them. Always make an attempt to ask permission, whether or not there are signs on the property requesting that you do so, and regardless of who owns it (a resident, a non-local individual or a business). If you don’t know who the landowner is, the town tax collector should be able to find out. Every square inch of Maine is owned by someone, and owners all pay taxes on their property.

When considering where you’d like to ride this summer, keep in mind that railroad See Your Local Arctic Cat® ATV Dealer For Current Promotions! and utility corridors are not public rights GORHAM LEBANON SIDNEY White Rock Outboard Northeast Motorsports Kramer’s Inc. of way and require 351 Sebago Lake Road 451 Carl Broggi Hwy. 2400 West River Road landowner permission.

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manual before operation. For safety or training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at (800) 887-2887. ©2015 Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Thief River (Continued on next page) Falls, MN 56701.

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ATVing in Maine (Continued from page 20)

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ers who have posted their land. You may be pleasantly surprised at how many of them will allow access to someone who has the courtesy to ask first.

Talk to Landowners Learn what matters most to the landowner and abide by all special requests they make, including where you may or may not drive or park a vehicle, and which specific activities are allowed.

Some landowners issue written permits for certain activities.

If so, respect that request. Consider any such requests from the landowner’s point of view whenever you use their land, and act with their best interests in mind.

Keep in mind that some landowners actually dread various seasons of the year, believing that popular seasonal activities actually limit their use of their own property.

It’s your job to make sure whoever owns the land you’re using never feels that way. Otherwise, we can only expect more private land to be closed to public use.

When meeting a landowner for the first time, offer to provide detailed information including your name, address, phone number and vehicle description.

Consider using pre-printed landowner permission courtesy cards (available for downloading off the MDIFW Web site).

Know Your Boundaries Learn the geographic property boundaries of the land you have permission to use, and stay within them. There is no excuse for trespassing — it’s a crime enforceable by all state, county, and municipal law enforcement officers, and if convicted you may lose any license issued by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Remember that you are a guest. Always leave the land as you found it, if not better. If you see trash that someone else left, pick it up and properly dispose of it.

Always obey the law, be safe and ethical, and report any land abuse that you witness. Land abuse is a very serious problem in Maine, and each year, access to private property is lost because of it. Put yourself in the landowner’s shoes and help ensure that violators are prosecuted. If you see a violation occurring, contact Operation Game Thief at 1(800) ALERT-US. Say Thank You Always thank the landowner for the opportunity to use their property for recreation. They’ll love hearing that you enjoyed it, and that you recognize and appreciate their generosity.

For additional information on Maine’s ATV laws, regulations and trail systems, log onto www.mefishwildlife.com.

¶

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 21

Bear Hunting – An Adrenaline-Pumping Adventure

by Steve Vose Bear hunting provides an adrenaline-pumping adventure, guaranteed to raise goose bumps on even the steadiest and most reserved sportsman.

Few other creatures appear quite so mighty and powerful as a truly massive black bear, and even professional hunters feel their hearts beat

As I crawled in the darkness through the thick brush tracking the bear my client had shot, I knew I was close to the animal. However, I didn’t know just how close. heavily at the sight of these bruins.

About 10 years ago, while guiding bear hunters in Washington County, I had a close encounter with a bear that still gets my

heart racing when I think back on the experience.

AccuracyChallenged Customer When guiding bear hunters, you al-

ways hope that sports are comfortable with their rifle, can shoot straight and can maintain a level of composure under pressure.

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I knew I was in for a struggle with this particular sport, when at the range, his shots were erratic – one 2 inches high, another 2 inches low, one in the bull … but no consistency in shot placement. Throw in low light, adrenaline and inexperience and . . . well, like I said, (Continued on next page)

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22 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Bear Hunting in Maine

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sion.

My first thought (thankfully not true) was that the guy had shot a moose that I had seen in the area the previous evening.

I pulled out my walkie-talkie and called the sport – no answer.

Slowly, I rolled the truck up the dirt road to the bait site and continued to attempt to call him on the walkie-talkie . . . still no answer.

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I knew I was in for a struggle.

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bait site, I swung my headlights into the area and left them on … my hope being that this would deter the sport from firing any shots in my direction.

I then grabbed my flashlight out of the truck and headed into the woods.

I arrived at the stand location to find the sport gone – no surprise. I called his name, and he slowly ambled out of the woods.

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The Story asked him

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hand me his rifle, and he did so. The safety was on, but it was still loaded.

I unloaded the rifle and asked the sport to climb back up into the stand and wait. Then I asked him to describe what happened.

He explained that he had shot the bear at the bait, but then it ran. The hunter, however, was able to get off two more quick shots into the bruin before it collapsed about 100 yards off to the east.

Tracking on Hands and Knees Tracking blood, I quickly determined the bear had run west, not east.

The bait site was so overgrown with young spruce trees, that at times I had to track the blood trail while crawling on my hands and knees.

As I pushed through one particularly thick section in the darkness, I stretched out my hand and it landed on something warm and wet.

It was the bear’s nose.

Panic In that moment, my stomach knotted up. I may even have let out a muffled scream.

Though the bear only weighed 125 pounds, I am fairly certain that had it not been dead but only wounded, I would not here to tell this tale.

Analysis In all my years of guiding, I have never blamed sports for their inexperience. However, I did learn to watch and assist some more than others.

Sports hire guides so they can be safe, successful and – most (Continued on next page)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 23

— Bear Hunting in Maine —

Bear So Big, Headlamp So Small

by Randy Randall My friend John owns a camp at Beaver Cove. His bear site is near Kokadjo.

One afternoon last season, he drove from Saco to Greenville, and then continued driving into the woods toward his stand. He wasn’t able to get to the site until after dark.

He wore a headlamp to see his way, and carried to black trash bags filled with assorted bait to replenish the barrel.

He was unarmed.

Heard the Bear John said he could hear a bear in the bushes as he walked into the woods.

As he was filling the barrel, he again heard the bear. This

time, the sounds were coming from the nearby bushes.

But John wanted to get the pictures out of his game camera, so he went to the camera and began putting on rubber gloves before touching the camera (he didn’t want the bear to destroy the camera licking off food pieces).

Big Bear Blocks Exit Just then, the bear he’d been hearing came to the freshly-baited barrel. The big bear was bashing and thumping hell out of that barrel.

So the bear was now between John and his trail out.

Somehow, John

kept his cool and managed to circle around the bear’s location. He got back on his exit trail, and headed out of the woods.

He said he listened carefully the entire way out, and kept thinking he heard the bear right behind him.

A Gift for John So that’s the story – one little headlamp and a big bear, eager to be fed.

The next morning, John told his wife about the encounter.

Within a few days, she presented him with the gift of a .44 magnum Ruger.

A thoughtful wife indeed!

¶

Maine Sportsman’s Aroostook “The County” columnist Bill Graves sees his share of big bruins. About this particular animal, he reported, “The bottom rim of the barrel is five feet off the ground, so this one is a shooter.” Graves photo

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I have also found that on many occasions, the sports with the least amount of experience are also typically the best tippers.

This may be because they recognize and understand their limitations, and know that a guide is required to spend more time and energy on them than with other, more experienced clients.

¶

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24 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

The Great Moose Hunt

by Steve Carpenteri For most Maine sportsmen, the Maine moose hunt is the ultimate thrill – a big road trip, a big target, big antlers and a big supply of meat to bring home. This is big!

Once a hunter has surmounted the hurdles of getting drawn for a moose tag, all that remains is to find a moose and shoot it.

That actual event may take all of 10 seconds, which may seem anti-climactic, but there is plenty of excitement to be had getting ready for and participating in the hunt, and processing the moose after the hunt.

A hunter with nothing but a valid moose permit in hand has a few things to acquire before he or she

So your name was selected in the moose lottery – now what? Which gear and rifle should you acquire?

Should you stay in a lodge, in a hotel or in your truck?

Should you hire a guide? How many winches will you need? How many coolers? And how should the downed beast be preserved for taxidermy? The author offers a primer for this year’s lucky moose hunters. heads for his moose zone this fall.

The Moose Necessities First on the list, of course, is a brandnew moose rifle. Never mind that the majority of standard deer rifles are more than sufficient for taking a moose. This is a special trip, and so a special rifle, along with heavy-duty ammunition, are the first orders of business.

Calling is a popu-

Sabattus Deer Processing

lar technique for September moose hunting, with options running from the old “can and string” call to sophisticated electronics. In recent years, hunters have tried a variety of lures and scents that they claim produce results. These items should be purchased well before the outset of the trip.

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er equipped with a winch (to aid in getting the downed moose out of the puckerbrush).

A winch or blockand-tackle is also handy for loading moose for transport. Be forewarned: a 1,000-pound bull moose cannot be “coaxed” into a truck or onto a trailer.

At the very least, a 2,000-pound comealong will help (albeit very slowly), as will an electric or chainsaw-driven winch.

Some hunters also master the art of “reverse loading,” in which a cable or rope is attached to one

truck and, using pulleys, employs a second truck going in one direction to pull the moose onto the first truck or trailer going in the other direction.

Sounds bizarre, but it can be done – using the right tools.

Camp, or Camping?

Because Maine’s best moose hunting takes place in the most remote corners of the state, lucky permittees must decide how they are going to spend their week. Will they camp out (fun if the weather’s right and they have the proper equipment), stay at a lodge or sporting camp, “commute” from a nearby motel every day, or simply rough it by sleeping in the truck in order to be in the thick of things before sunrise next morning? Each option has its pros and cons (Continued on next page)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 25

Moose permit holders are ultimately responsible for planning and financing their own hunts. A moose on the ground is the ultimate goal.

(Continued from page 24)

as well as a certain level of expense to consider.

Hunters who can admit that they have no moose-hunting experience or equipment may do better by hiring a guide or outfitter who can, for starters, show them places on the map where permit-worthy moose (cows or bulls) have been spotted.

Guides essentially do all the heavy thinking, all the work, and take over all the responsibility of making their clients happy by finding them a moose.

This makes the hunter’s experience far more enjoyable.

Also, the guide will be the one to retrieve the moose, gut it,

load it and haul it to a processing station, which is also worth every penny, especially for an inexperienced hunter without the means of handling and caring for an animal the size of a small bus.

The Meat’s the Thing In the early days of Maine’s annual moose hunt, taking care of the downed animals was an unanticipated challenge. However, these days there are meat processing stations available in every moose zone.

Hunters can take their moose (whole or in quarters) to the processor, who will cut up, package, label and freeze the meat in just a few days. In most cases four or

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Most moose hunters rent a camp or lodge within their zone to use as a base of operations.

five extra-large coolers should be enough to store and transport a large bull moose, depending on how it is cut up, mixed (for burger) and processed.

Consider that the backstraps on a large bull may exceed 100 pounds each – two backstraps will easily fill the first cooler!

Finally, hunters who draw a bull tag are likely to want to shoot the biggest moose they can find, which opens the door for some lucky taxidermist. Because a moose mount is expensive and long-lasting, hunters are best advised to visit the taxidermist of their choice before the hunt. Ask the taxidermist how the specimens should be handled in the

field, how they should be skinned, how they should be prepared for travel and how quickly they should be delivered to the shop for the best possible mount.

In early fall, moose will spoil quickly, and the hides can “slip” (meaning the hair will fall out) in just a few days unless the hide is repeatedly and heavi-

ly salted or frozen. The taxidermist will provide all the necessary details, but it’s best to make contact in late summer rather than trying to get in touch with the professional the day that hard-won trophy moose hits the ground.

¶

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26 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Offshore Kayak Fishing in Maine –

Chasing a Porbeagle Shark

by Grant Thompson

Unimaginable views greet those who venture out along the Maine coast.

Here, the author admires a sunset over Cape Neddick. Natty Graham photo

When I was a little kid, I saw an old photograph of a huge shark on the wall at the Stage Neck Inn in York. It made a lasting impression on me, and I decided I needed to catch one of those fish.

But I didn’t want to go out on a huge,

powerful charter boat elbow-to-elbow with other anglers.

So if I were going to catch a big shark, what would be the most natural way to accomplish the feat?

How about no motor, no charter, and no help? I wanted to hunt

down this fish my way, and make it special.

A kayak, I thought!

And that’s when the unusual adventure began.

Porbeagle The shark in the photo was a “porbeagle” shark, which is an endothermic

This Blue Shark, nearly six feet long, towed the author’s Hobie kayak for about 25 minutes before he managed bring it alongside for release. Grant Thompson photo

(warm-bodied), pelagic (offshore) species native to the Gulf of Maine. It is here year ’round.

Often confused with the Mako, porbeagles are regularly caught as bycatch in the bluefin tuna fishery.

When I was younger drawing up the blueprints for this quest, I enjoyed the thought of it but didn’t really think I would be able to follow through.

However, year after year, I began learning – through trial and (Continued on next page)

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error, bite-less seasons, equipment upgrades and naive decision-making which on occasion proved very risky.

Dangerous Offshore kayaking in a place like Maine is not only dangerous, it is demanding – both physically and mentally. An ill-prepared individual who does not take time to plan for the worst, will eventually find themselves in a life-threatening situation.

I learned this the hard way – once getting caught in unexpected high winds and giant waves – but it did not deter my obsession with catching the porbeagle.

When I began pursuing the shark, I started fishing two miles off the shore of

Cape Neddick.

The next season, I crept out as far as five miles offshore, as I became more comfortable with my skills and safety preparations.

Partial Success My hard work was partially rewarded on an October afternoon.

I had been chumming all day, with no sign of life. I began packing up my gear and ZIIINNNG – the sound of my screaming 50W reel sent my heart into my throat. Could this be it? Did I actually hook it?

A 25-minute battle ensued, as the mystery fish towed my kayak around the Atlantic, five miles offshore. I struggled to keep the line tight while also dodging lobster traps.

The scariest part was looking down (Continued on next page)

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28 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Offshore Kayak Fishing

have my eyes set on the backside of the Boon Island Ledge, roughly 11 miles offshore, be-

(Continued from page 27)

once I had it close. It was a long, dark, Blue Shark. Although not what I was after, I can’t say it was a disappointing catch, as it personally reassured me that it was possible to locate and catch a big fish offshore in a kayak.

gland marine biologist James Sulikowski, as well as with local tuna fishermen who encounter sharks on a regular basis. The fishing network in Maine is truly a community, and I have been fortunate to meet so many amazing and helpful people on this journey, both on and off the water.

Most of my time these days is spent fishing out by Boon Island, 7 nautical miles off the coast of York.

There’s lots of activity there – whales, seals, baitfish, groundfish and deep water. It’s an ideal environment for an adult porbeagle shark.

Looking ahead, I

Still Learning I’ve upgraded my gear over the years, and also my knowledge about this fish, studying the science of the porbeagle so I can better understand how to put myself in the best position to hook one.

I’ve had great communications with people like former University of New En-

cause I know porbeagles inhabit that area.

I will update Maine Sportsman readers on

my progress.

¶

Offshore Kayaking Safety 1) Don’t go alone. This is a case of “Do as I say, not as I do.”

2) Invest in the correct apparel, for warmth and comfort underway as well as for hypothermic conditions if you flip your kayak.

3) I recommend a drysuit over a wetsuit. Kokatat makes great quality products.

4) While a drysuit will keep you dry, it will not keep you warm. Wear a wicking layer underneath the drysuit, and an insulating layer over the wicking layer.

5) An example of a wicking layer is a long sleeve Under Armor or Nike Dri Fit shirt, and a good insulating layer is fleece.

6) Do not wear cotton or any similar material that holds water or sweat.

7) Bring a VHF radio and a PLB (personal locator beacon). A VHF radio allows you to communicate with other boats and with the Coast Guard. A PLB allows you to transmit a distress signal which will be picked up by a satellite system, providing your exact location to the closest Rescue Control Center for rescue. This device should only be used in extreme emergencies.

8) Follow the marine forecast reports. If the outlook includes waves heights over 2 or 3 feet, stay ashore and wait for a better day.

9) Practice reentry. Whether inshore or offshore, if you kayak enough you will end up flipping.

10) Wear sunscreen on your face, and keep your head on a swivel.

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Togue by Steve Vose The Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), also known as Togue, Laker, Grey Trout, and Mackinaw, is a game fish inhabiting freshwater lakes throughout northern North America. A fish species native to Maine waters, Lake Trout thrive in deep, cold, oxygen-rich waters.

A slow-growing fish species, Lake Trout populations can be heavily damaged by overfishing, and for that reason, IF&W biologists closely monitor Lake Trout populations in Maine lakes.

Maine anglers normally catch Lake Trout averaging between 18 to 24 inches and weighing 2 to 4 pounds. Occasionally a fortunate angler will land a behemoth exceeding 15 pounds (see, for example, photo on page 15). Beech Hill Pond in Ellsworth cis the source of the state record Lake Trout, a 31-pound 8-ounce monster caught by Hollis Grindle in 1958.

Lake Trout possess muted black to gray colored bodies overlaid with light spots. This dark pattern gets progresQuestions 1. By what other names is the Lake Trout known?

2. Is the Lake Trout native to Maine waters? www.MaineSportsman.com

10-year-old Benjamin Dill of Turner caught this 5 lb. lake trout while fishing Casco’s Thompson Lake in May with his dad, Danny.

sively lighter down the side of the fish, finally turning white on the fish’s belly. The back of the Lake Trout sports a darkly colored dorsal and adipose fin, 3.

4.

5.

What kind of environment do Lake Trout need to flourish?

What is the average sized Lake Trout caught by Maine anglers?

How big was the largest Lake Trout

while the pelvic fins are orange with white edging. The Lake Trout’s tail or caudal fin is forked, easily distinguishing it from its relative, the “square tailed” brook trout.

Opportunistic feeders, Lake Trout prey on a wide variety of species, including alewives, rainbow smelt, crustaceans, insects and even small birds and mammals.

Lake Trout spawn in the fall, returning each year to the same spawning area. Young Lake Trout (fry) hatch from the egg and hide in the gravel substrate until early spring, when they emerge and begin searching for food.

If able to successfully avoid predators, Lake Trout may live to the age of 25 years.

Lake Trout can breed with Brook Trout to birth a “Splake.” This can take place naturally, but more commonly occurs in hatcheries where Lake Trout eggs are fertilized with brook trout sperm.

6.

7.

8.

caught in Maine?

What do Lake Trout eat?

How long can Lake Trout live?

What is a “splake”?

Answers on Page 40

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 29

2020 Regulations for Stripers, Blues, Groundfish & More There’s been lots of “round and around” for months concerning saltwater fishing regulations for the current season in the Northeast, and not all the new regs have been implemented or publicized in a timely manner. So, although the season is already underway in Maine, here are the answers to some lingering questions.

It’s a done deal regarding striped bass.

Maine has adopted the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) coast-wide recommendation of one fish a day, minimum 28” and maximum of 35”. So, we’re back to a “slot,” although it’s much larger than the old 20” to 26” slot of yesteryear. The new length limit is pretty much the same as last season’s, except for the maximum. All bass over 35” must now be released to protect the big breeding females – the ones that produce the most eggs.

This new “slot” probably won’t affect most Maine anglers, as we haven’t seen a whole lot of fish over 35” during the past few seasons anyway. But it will save thousands of big breeders that are normally caught in the states south of us from ending up on the grill, and hopefully the entire striped bass stock along the East Coast can start to rebuild to

higher levels.

Tighter Limits on Bluefish The Atlantic bluefish stock from Maine to Florida was recently assessed and designated as “overfished,” so managers want to reduce the harvest by 18%. The bag limit for blues for 2020 has dropped from 15 fish per day in Federal waters (in place since 2000) to 3 fish per day for private recreational anglers, and 5 fish per day for those aboard a party or charter boat. There is no minimum size, and no closed season.

For Maine state waters (inside the 3-mile limit) the bag limit remains at 3 per person per day, private and party/charter.

The new Federal

may be relaxed in the future if the stock respond to the measures and increases in size.

Unlike last year, big bass over 35 inches – such as this nice 40-incher – will now have to be released rather than filleted up for the backyard grill.

Barry Gibson photo

waters bluefish limits, however, are considered temporary, and

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Haddock regs will be similar to last year’s, with an open season running from May 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021, and April 1 – 30, 2021.

Bag limit again will be 15 fish per day, with a minimum size of 17”.

The reason that regulations for federal species for 2020 run through April 30, 2021 is that the “fishing year” (for management purposes) always runs May 1st through April 30 of the following year.

Flounder, Pollock, Black Sea Bass Winter (blackback) flounder regs remain (Continued on next page)

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30 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Saltwater Fishing (Continued from page 29)

the same, with a minimum size of 12”, and a daily bag limit of 8 fish. (If any reader knows where 8 legal-size flounders can be caught on rod and reel in a single day in Maine waters, please email me the exact location, GPS coordi-

nates, water depth, time of tide, and bait used. In return I will send you an autographed 8 x 10 glossy B&W photo of myself, or of Maine Sportsman editor Will Lund – your choice!)

Pollock regs are as follows: No size lim-

it, bag limit, or closed season in Maine waters. In Federal waters (seaward of the 3-mile limit) there’s a minimum size of 19”, but no bag limit or closed season.

For the past half-dozen or so seasons, more and more black sea bass have been making their way north into our inshore waters, due to

the gradual warming of the Gulf of Maine.

Most are caught in lobster traps, but increasing numbers are taken via rod and reel, usually by anglers targeting stripers or flounder.

Black sea bass are beautiful fish with iridescent blueish tints on their fins and heads, and can run from a pound or so to better than 5 pounds.

Their white flesh is delicious. Maine now actually has state regs for the species, a 13” minimum size, 10 fish per person per day bag limit, and a season running May 19 – September 21.

Catch ’em up! The summer’s going to go by fast!

¶

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���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 31

Time for Topwater Action in Aroostook Those who know me well, remember that I enjoyed the first 17 years of my life less than 100 yards from the Prestile Stream in Robinson.

Half a century later of fishing and waterfowl hunting, I’ve seen the waterway at its best – and its worst, such as after the Vahlsing sugar beet plant waste debacle of the late 1960s.

From its headwater in the bogs and marshes in Easton to its departure from Maine into Canada at the Bridgewater boundary, I’ve waded or floated the entire Prestile with rod or shotgun in hand. The forest- and field-lined picturesque and pastoral stream provides arguably the finest rural limestone native brook trout fishing in Maine – perhaps all of New England!

Westfield Wading There are dozens of paved and gravel secondary roads that either cross or parallel the Prestile, offering a short walk and simple access to shoreline casting or wading runs. These are obviously fished fairly often, but the runs are seldom crowded, and a fresh angler with a new fly can still hook up an hour after someone has fished the pool.

The trick to consistent catch-and-release fun, and often larger fish, is to scout out the ATV trails, snowmo-

After launching into the St. John River in Ft. Kent, there’s fine topwater plug and wacky-rigged Senko fishing all the way to Frenchville. I favor a 5” Senko worm in watermelon/red, while Heddon Torpedoes, Rebel POP-Rs and a Rapala Skitter Pops are sure to coax explosive surface strikes.

Wading and casting flies along the Prestile Stream this month can be very productive. Twelve-inch-plus, fat, feisty brookies are a handful on lightweight rods. All photos: Bill Graves

bile runs and literally hundreds of farm field roads reaching remote runs and riffles.

What’s common knowledge to local

fishermen in villages along the Prestile is a maze for visiting anglers, so partnering up with a local is a good bet. One likely spot

worth exploring can be reached via the Egypt Road between Easton and Westfield. This parallels the Prestile, and can be reached on

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a two-track that crosses the local ATV trail which is the old B & A railroad bed. It’s right near Clark Brook inlet to the Prestile.

This is a productive stretch for dry flies fished on top in the evening or retrieved wet during the day. A small streamer or colorful wet fly works well on overcast or rainy days. Try a Mosquito, Henryville Special, gray Slim Jim, or Hendrickson dry, or a Trout Fin, black and white bucktail, March Brown or Herb Johnson sub-surface. Chest waders will handle even the deepest pools, but on some July and August days, hip boots or just jeans and sneakers offer more comfort.

Check Delorme’s Atlas, Map 65, E-2 to identify a starting point.

(Continued on next page)

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32 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

There are deep holes and ponds on the Prestile that require a canoe or small boat to fish properly, and some hefty speckled beauties like this one anxious to grab a fly.

The author plays one of several 8- to 12inch trout taken on a July evening while wading a run along the Prestile near the Canadian boundary line.

The County

feisty brightly spotted beauties are common.

(Continued from page 31)

Cool Water Downstream from the Mars Hill Dam and bridge a half-mile or so, Rocky and Boynton Brooks trickle into the Prestile, offering a pool of Mother Nature’s liquid air conditioning for fish. It’s about a 10-minute walk in waders from the closest dirt road, so anglers visit, but the spot isn’t overfished.

This is a great holding pool during humid, low-water periods this month. The first half hour after dawn and the last hour of dusk are prime times to float a fly.

Occasionally at holding pools like this when the trout refuse to check out dry flies, I’ve been able to coax a fish or two to grab a small nymph or Woolly Bugger worked along the bottom. I keep a spare spool loaded with a sinking tip line

leads to the headwaters.

Wet flies work during the day, and be sure to cast the shoreline as you paddle or motor upstream.

Evening hatches are common, and the slow flow allows spotting and casting dry flies to rising trout.

Water levels shallow out about a half mile above the pond, permitting wade-and-spot casting to hatches for anglers who walked in rather than floated. Once again, use a Henryville, Light Cahill or Blue Dun when fish are feeding on top.

Ten- to twelve-inch fat,

Mars Hill Pond Another top-rate stretch of the Prestile runs behind the Pineland Farms plant on Route 1. It can also be reached with a 100yard hike from the old grass airstrip north of Fort Street School on the West Ridge Road.

My preferred method to reach and fish this lengthy stretch of water is via canoe launched from the town ramp behind the American Legion Hall near the Mars Hill dam.

During the warm weather, Mars Hill Pond shrinks to a wide thoroughfare that

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Tom Tardiff of Robinson heads back to the truck with a trio of breakfast brookies taken on dry flies at daybreak on a Prestile pool near a creek inlet.

for just such occasions.

Tie on a hare’s ear bead head, Tellico or March brown nymph or a black Woolly Bugger or olive sculpin for bottom-huggers. Peruse DeLorme, Map 59, A-3 for this pair of Mars Hill Prestile options.

Border Bass Sometimes you’ve just got to bite the bullet and put on some miles to explore new water in the largest county, east of the Mississippi. In this case it’s the St. John River in Fort Kent – the liquid boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick, and a toprate smallmouth bass fishery.

Most folks think of lakes in southern Aroostook for summer topwater bass action, but the St John is a wide waterway with great shallow, rocky shoreline cover that’s no farther traveling north than the lakes

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are south.

Oddly, the maintained launch site is behind the church right on Main Street, and sportsmen can begin casting and catching immediately.

Remember, if you’re a newcomer to this international waterway, both shorelines may be fished, but don’t dock or set foot on the Canadian side.

There’s fine topwater plug and wackyrigged Senko fishing all the way to Frenchville, where the nearest put-in and takeout ramp to Fort Kent is located. I favor a 5” Senko worm in watermelon/red, black /blue sparkle and purple/ emerald for soft baits.

Heddon Torpedoes, Rebel POP-Rs and a Rapala Skitter Pop are sure to coax explosive surface strikes.

In addition to excellent bronzeback action, the St. John’s plentiful population of large musky adds another dimension to each outing. Just include a heavy-duty trolling or casting rig in your gear and enjoy an additional challenge.

Trolling large lures and plugs covers the (Continued on next page)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 33

This is a great month for topwater smallmouth action on the St John River. Shown here are some of the surefire baits the author uses.

(Continued from page 32)

most water and more fish, and surprisingly a number of hefty bass will grab a musky bait.

If an angler prefers to cast for the toothy water wolves, there are plenty of pools to drop anchor and cast.

In addition to a sturdy rod, reel with at least 17-pound test line and heavy drag, be sure to use a wire leader, and have a wide, deep net on board.

The St. John is long and wide, with mul-

tiple access locations for launching a boat or casting from shore, so crowding isn’t an issue. Fort Kent is a perfect spot to begin for either species, but Frenchville, Grand Isle and Van Buren are also likely options.

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34 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

COVID-19 Provided More Hunting Time This Past Turkey Season Covid is driving me crazy. Having to modify my life, work and play has dampened spirits a little, even though for me, the changes required in our state have not been too difficult to follow.

The good news, if there is any, is that the pandemic also provided me with a bit more opportunity to hunt and fish, because I’m working from home and have less work.

More time to recreate has at least made this easier than if hunting or fishing had been restricted.

Grateful to IF&W Early on, we heard rumors that Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife was “shutting down turkey season” or “ice fishing won’t be allowed, because we can’t social distance in an ice shack.” Those rumors concerned me, and I was pleased when they turned out to be unfounded. IF&W didn’t close fishing or hunting; in fact, they offered more opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy our natural resources. Thank you to the Commissioner

sons too. Just because a Tom gets called in, doesn’t mean there’s a bird in the freezer every time.

This is my first bird of the 2020 season.

The hunt lasted just 10 minutes. It was cold and wet, but worth it!

and anyone else at the state who made this happen. I’m grateful.

Turkey Season to Remember After a lackluster ice fishing season, in which none of the giant brook trout lurking in Moosehead lake bit my bait or jigs, turkey season became my focus. News about meat shortages started popping up in mid-April. Part of me wanted to shoot any bird, just to put meat in the freezer. Instead, I reasoned, bigger birds provide more meat. Having plenty of time to hunt be-

This is my second gobbler of the 2020 season. I nicknamed the beast “Godzilla” because he was so much bigger than the other birds he hung out with.

Though the big Tom had a broken beard of just 4”, his spurs were long and he tipped the scales at 24.5 pounds – my heaviest Maine bird to date.

cause of Covid-related employment changes, I decided taking two mature birds would be the 2020 focus.

On opening day, May 4th, after a soaking rain, I killed a very nice Tom, just 10 minutes into the season.

Three mature birds responded enthusiastically to my calls immediately after flydown. The ground was saturated. My backside was soaked and cold. Three big birds ran to my decoy atop the Struttin 360 (adds life to your decoy). At 20 yards, I killed the largest of the three.

The other two birds

actually stuck around for a few seconds after I shot. Though I could have killed a second, the thought of carrying two birds in my arms for the onemile walk, wasn’t appealing, and I passed.

The two Toms walked away gobbling, and my season was extended.

In between bird #1 and bird #2, I had the opportunity to take out a good friend and his son. Let’s just say things didn’t work out well for him this time.

I’m hopeful his missed opportunity was a good learning experience and that his father learned some les-

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Humbled by a Big Bird!

I tried hunting in the snow on May 9 – a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. I froze, heard one gobble and I believe the birds never left the trees that morning.

A couple of days later, a big Tom was sounding off just 100 yards from my setup.

He flew down, started toward me, but spooked at the sight of my decoy and retreated to the woods.

The old bird kept gobbling, so I sneaked up to the edge of the woods and gave a few calls. The Tom gobbled at every call. I thought it was a slam dunk.

Well, there you go, thinking again! That sly old bird nearly met his maker, but his eagle-like eyesight saved him. He was nearly into full view for the shot, but somehow he noticed I didn’t belong there. That big boy walked away putting.

The failed hunt motivated me that much more.

Godzilla On Thursday, May 14, after a trip to the north country, I found myself with an hour or two of afternoon time.

The day before, while plowing fields, I’d spotted a bird I called “Godzilla,” working (Continued on next page)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 35

— Guest Column —

Double Down

by Delaney Woods Have you ever had that once-in-a-lifetime chance to tag two turkeys at the same time?

On April 27, 2019, my opportunity to do so presented itself on the opening day of spring turkey hunting.

I knew when I got up that morning that because of my age, this was my last Youth Day, so I had to make it count.

The day started with my dad and I sitting in a field in the semi-darkness, waiting for the sun to rise.

We called for about an hour, but got no response from the turkeys. We knew we had to move on.

With no back-up plan, we had to do some quick regrouping. We decided we would try a farm up the road where we often saw a group of turkeys – but more importantly, we usually saw a tom.

Second Location We got out, made the test call, and instantly heard a tom gobbling back at us.

We scrambled to find a spot to set up our blind so we could continue calling him in to us.

While racing down the field in front of the farm, we continued to hear the bird gobbling back at us, getting closer and closer every time.

We finally got set up, and I was prepared to take a shot in any direction.

The tom continued to come towards us, but stopped when he was still 100 yards away. He stayed inside of the wood-line just far enough so we couldn’t see him, and then he strutted away from us.

This was our second spot of the day, with no turkey at either location. My dad and I decided to take a little break and go home and get lunch.

Three Toms After lunch, we geared back up and returned to the second spot we we’d been to that morning. We didn’t see anything when we drove up, but we’d scouted out a good location to set up our blind where the flock went by almost every late afternoon.

We headed into the woods to get set up before the flock came

Big Game (Continued from page 34)

five hens on our hemp farm. Last year, this bird had eluded me on several occasions. To my knowledge, nobody had hunted the farm all season. I was sure he’d fall for my decoy “Bob” this time around.

Long story short, after a 700-yard hike around the back field and swamp, I set Bob on the struttin’ 360, just over the hill from the giant Tom. I hit my gobble call three times and peered over the knoll. There he was, Godzilla, all

through. Luckily, we got set up quickly, and started calling to see if they were in the area.

Within ten minutes, we heard them coming. Since they were gobbling both to the left and right of us, we didn’t know which direction they were coming from.

About 15 minutes later, we saw some movement in a field behind us. We noticed three big toms strutting around. They were feeding, and they were accompanied by four or five hens.

The adrenaline started to kick in.

We watched the flock for a while, and they finally started walking toward our blind and the decoys we had out in front of us. When the hens saw the decoys, they were unsure and got a little spooked, but they only retreated a few feet back.

After reassessing the decoys, the entire flock arrived in front of our blind – first came the hens, followed by the three toms.

I pulled up my gun before they could see me, and then waited.

Delaney Woods and her wild turkey double -Youth Day, 2019.

First One, Then Another The adrenaline kicked into overdrive.

I could finally see not one but three toms in front of me. I remained steady on a rest and waited until I had the perfect shot.

I pulled the trigger, and one tom dropped to ground instantly. I jacked the shell out, looked over and saw one of the other toms.

After my first shot, the bird had jumped about five feet and stopped.

I had the opportunity for a double that day,

fanned out, ready for a fight!

I kept my head low, spun Bob back and forth, and gobbled one more time.

It was more than he, and two of his friends, could take. All three Toms walked to within 20 yards of Bob. I called out, “Please stick your head up.”

When Godzilla obliged, I pulled the trigger and the gun recoiled into my shoulder.

The nickname fit perfectly. The fat bird is the heaviest I’ve ever killed in Maine. He tipped the scales at 24.5 pounds, had over inch-long spurs, but lacked a good beard. No matter – you

so I took it. I pulled the trigger for the second time, and down went the second turkey.

I looked over at my dad. I couldn’t believe I had just finished my last Youth Day with two turkeys. One of the turkeys weighed in at 23 pounds with a 101/2 inch beard, while the other weighed 20 pounds with a 9-1/2 inch beard.

That day will be one I won’t forget – a double, and my biggest-weighing turkey to date.

¶

can’t eat the beards. What a great season!

Covid hasn’t gotten the best of me.

In fact, the virus has made my year outdoors even better thus far. Perhaps

by September, I’ll be able to report a freezer full of perch and crappie, along with a few scouting reports of mature bucks that could be my target if the virus comes back in November. Hopefully it’ll be gone and we’ll be back to “normal.” If not, we should all get outdoors and do our part to fix that rumored meat shortage.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

36 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Boots Made for Walking – Bean Cresta “When are you going to throw those things away?” quizzed my wife Denise.

I looked down at my old, trail-worn L.L.Bean Cresta hiking boots. Okay, they looked a little sad. The front toe section had started to de-laminate, and I had worn the Vibram sole darn near smooth.

For the last two years, my favorite boots sat idle in my closet while I tried out a few “other” brands.

My trail of hiking boots weaves an interesting course.

One of my first major purchases after graduating high school in 1978 occurred that fall. Locked and loaded for deer camp, I lacked only a good pair of waterproof hunting boots.

Phase 1 of that epic trip involved swinging

into L.L.Bean with enough money (barely) to satisfy that need.

Yes, good footwear qualifies as a “need,” not a “want.”

Foolish Purchase?

Much to the amusement of the contingency of old guys I traveled up with, I exited Bean with a pair of Vasque hiking boots.

“What are you gonna do with those foolish looking things?” said a chorus of hunters wearing iconic rubber-bottomed Bean boots. I tucked the leather hikers in my gear bag and motored north.

Boot selection for me presents an interesting problem. I have a narrow foot, which greatly limits my selection. Most boots range in widths from medium to wide.

Poor-fitting shoes of

any kind result in a host of problems that range from blisters to back problems.

For years, my parents purchased box store shoes for my brother and me. It was not until the L.L.Bean clerk informed me of my narrow foot and found those perfect fitting Vasque shoes, that I knew what a difference a comfortable pair of boots made.

That year I danced through the woods and walked into the checking station with a 200-pound 10-point buck with those shoes on. I often wondered if they brought me a little luck.

Over the years, Bean switched to the Cresta boot, which looked like the Vasque shoe. Available in the narrow size and super comfortable, I continued purchasing high

quality boots from the Freeport retailer.

In fact, I figure the pair I’m wearing now have at least a decade of use. I know I used them on a Baxter State thru hike in 2012. I can confirm I was the only one in our group without blisters and tired feet.

Footwear Dalliance About two years ago, my wife Denise bought me an expensive pair of LA Sportiva hiking boots. They did not come in narrow, but seemed comfortable and much lighter than the all leather Crestas. However, after about six months of steady use they started to rip apart – badly. The clerk at REI told me they would not warranty them due to age.

I am sure the folks at L.L.Bean would have helped me out.

Steve Carter, Bill Sheldon and a younger pair of L.L.Bean Cresta boots get ready to tackle a thru-hike of Baxter State Park in 2012. The author still uses those same boots today. Bill Sheldon photo

But with their shoes lasting decades, they probably do not run into that situation.

With no way to patch up the Sportivas, I ordered a pair of Vasque hikers online.

I figured after a forty-year hiatus and the availability of a narrow size “B,” I would give them another try.

After less than a year, they were so uncomfortable I could not walk in them. Scratch that idea. The structural integrity of the shoe seemed to fail.

Out came the Gorilla glue adhesive, and the old reliable Bean Crestas returned to action. Although not pretty, they stand battle tested, comfortable and – believe it or not – still waterproof after over a decade of hard use.

(Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 37 (Continued from page 36)

Shoes tell an untold story. My Crestas have hiked and fished much of New England.

And, unfortunately, they’ve traveled way too many miles on hard top. The Crestas may not be Bean’s least expensive shoe, but after wearing three pairs out in 30-plus years, the cost per mile must be pennies.

Seboeis River Hiking The stay-at-home orders from the Governor have resulted in some built up energy for outdoorsy types to put boots to the trail and soak up some fresh air. There’s no better way to social distance than traversing any of Katahdin’s trails.

While the usual haunts, Baxter State Park and Katahdin

Woods and Waters National Monument, attract wood lot wanderers from here and away, other options exist.

The Seboeis River Trail (DeLorme Atlas, Map 51, A-4) has a delightful path that leads to Grand Pitch.

This must-portage waterfall cuts through ledge walls before plunging into a series of small pools.

The campsite below the falls serves a great base camp from which to explore the river in both directions. Just south of

the campsite, a picture square tributary (Shin Brook) feeds the Seboeis.

Following this tributary upstream leads to Shin Falls, another photo opportunity.

On the north side of The Grand Lake Road, Sawtelle Brook feeds into the Seboeis River. Exploring this tributary upstream leads to Sawtelle Falls – another sight easily worth the effort.

After a few comments concerning my worn-to-death Bean boots, I used some “stay-at-home” time to

go online and order up a new pair of Cresta boots from the nice folks in Freeport.

Yup, size nine, narrow “B.” Fit like a glove. These boots have remained the same for as long as I have been navigating

the backcountry with them. I hope the Bean people will forgive me my dalliance with another seductive footwear.

¶

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38 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

My Big Fat Bridgton Black ‘n Blue Bass Cobb Salad Full-blown summer, black flies come and gone, and mosquitos in full force. So let’s load up on repellent and go fishing.

This month is all about Bridgton; fishing, food and fun!

Enjoy, and Bon Appétit!

I’ve gone local!

I asked my husband to catch me a bass for this recipe. He jumped in his kayak, headed out to his favorite spot on Moose Pond, and caught dinner!

And I work with many great local sources, I decided to include them all in this recipe.

Ingredients • 1 tablespoon Tasteful Things Blood Orange Olive Oil • 1 whole bass, skinned and filleted • 2 tablespoons Maine Beast Feast Black and Blue Rub • 1 romaine heart, sliced • ½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped • 12 ounces Naylen Farms Bacon, cooked and crumbled • 1 cup Maine corn cut off on the cob • 1 cup black beans, drained • 2 ripe avocados, halved, seeded, and sliced • 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved • 2 large hard-boiled duck eggs, quartered • 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

• • • •

½ teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Sprinkle the rub on top of the fillets and work in gently with your fingertips.

Heat grill to medium high. In cast iron pan, add Tasteful Things Blood Orange Olive Oil. When smoking, add bass and cook 9 minutes – 4 minutes, then flip for 5 minutes with top open.

Remove from grill and set aside.

And How About Some Dessert?

Strawberry, Rhubarb, Apple Crisp • • • • • • • • • •

1 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced 2 cups rhubarb, diced 1 cup apple, diced 1 teaspoon cardamom 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup butter 1 cup rolled oats

www.MaineSportsman.com

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 9”x13” inch baking dish.

In large bowl, combine sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, rhubarb, apple and cardamom. Place in baking dish.

Using a pastry blender, mix flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. Scatter on top of fruit mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.

¶

Toss lettuces together and lay out on large platter.

Arrange salad ingredients in complimentary color order. Layer side by side for presentation – duck eggs, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes topped with Gorgonzola cheese, bass, corn, black beans, and sliced avocado decoratively over greens.

In small bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper together. Whisk oil in slowly to emulsify, add in Gorgonzola. Serve dressing separately.

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 39

A Tale of Two Rivers I fish two home rivers now. I have lived on Kennebago Lake, near the Kennebago River, for over 20 years from May through September (with forays elsewhere).

The Kennebago watershed lies north and west of Rangeley and is part of the larger Androscoggin watershed. Anglers consider it one of the finest landlocked salmon rivers in Maine.

After a recent move, I also live on the Presumpscot River when I am not at Kennebago. The Presumpscot River flows out of Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. Its progress slowed by half a dozen dams that create small impoundments along its course to the sea.

Historically, it was polluted and poorly managed. Its fishing reputation has been mixed over the years.

Fisheries Change If you fish the same territory for most of your adult life, you are bound to notice changes. My assessment of those two fisheries is that the fishing is improving in one and declining in the other, and you might be surprised to learn the trend with each.

Coldwater fisheries can and do change from one decade to another. Changes in fishing pressure, regulations, water quality, summer temperatures, and accessibility of spawning sites, im-

The author fly fishes two rivers these days – the fabled Kennebago, and the recovering Presumpscot.

In one of them, the fishing has declined over the past five years, while in the other, the fishing has steadily improved.

The author’s largest New England brown trout came to hand from the waters of the Presumpcot River this year.

pact the survival rate of trout and salmon.

Kennebago River Climate change is impacting waters around the world, and the Kennebago River is one of them. I am no doubt making a controversial statement when I say Kennebago fishing has declined markedly over at least the last five years.

Note: I am not saying the fishery is declining. Trout and salmon are successfully spawning in the river, and fishery biologists have claimed that too many salmon are competing for food downstream in Mooselookmeguntic Lake.

But the fish are not available to river anglers, because they are spending less time

in the river. Climate change is warming and lowering the flow

of the river for more days during the fishing season.

Until recently, the river was full of resident 6- to 10-inch fish, and the bigger lakebased trout and salmon would ascend the 12-mile long river in both spring and fall to feed and spawn. Even when the bigger fish weren’t cooperating, the smaller trout provided good sport.

However, a series of hot and droughty summers and falls interspersed with several severe floods have (Continued on next page)

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40 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 39)

changed the dynamics of the fishery.

The river gets too warm some summers for the smaller resident fish, and they do what trout and salmon do, which is to migrate upstream or downstream until they find cool waters. Many skedaddle to Mooselookmeguntic Lake, from which they may never return.

Another challenge is the fall spawning run that used to commence as early as mid-August and now often doesn’t start in earnest until after the season closes. Years ago, the river water temperature plummeted into the 40s by the last week of the season.

Lately, my trusty stream thermometer has recorded water temperatures in the 60s as late as mid-September. Flows have also been low under droughty conditions.

Lake fishing in the Kennebago watershed has been fabulous because the salmonid population is healthy, but the river isn’t worth fishing for most of the season. Nowadays, the only days the river fishes well for its entire length is a few weeks in late spring, and the last week of September. A

The lower Kennebago River still produces good salmon; they just aren’t in the river as often as they were years ago.

few holes in the lower river (like Steep Bank Pool) hold schools of trout and salmon longer as they wait to move upstream, but this abundance in a few pools concentrates the anglers and makes the fishing experience, if you will pardon the expression, “New Jersey-ish.”

Will the Kennebago River stay this way forever?

Hopefully not. Maybe the next five years will be wetter and cooler, and the resident trout will re-establish themselves. But climate change increases the odds against it.

Presumpscot River On the other side of the ledger, the Presumpscot River fishes better every year. I know that I shouldn’t compare the two. The Kennebago system has wild salmon and native trout, and the Presumpscot watershed has limited natural reproduction and

1. The Lake Trout is also known by the names Togue, Laker, Grey Trout, and Mackinaw.

2. Yes, the Lake Trout is native to Maine waters?

3. Lake Trout need deep, cold, oxygen-rich waters to flourish. www.MaineSportsman.com

relies on stocking.

But hey, I caught more landlocked salmon and trout over 14 inches (holdovers – not stocked) casting into the Presumpscot River in the last two weeks of April this year than I did in the Kennebago River all of last year.

One landlocked was 25 inches long, and without a net, I tailed him like an Atlantic Salmon.

I also landed the largest brown trout I have caught in Maine - four pounds plus or minus. Nothing wrong with those fish. I could also add the 4-pound smallie, the 5-pound largemouth, and the 26-inch pickerel I released over the last twelve months.

By the way, I avoid the crowds (and the newly stocked fish) in the upper section of river near the lake and fish elsewhere.

Why is the Presumpscot river salmonid fishery improving?

You can catch lake trout like this one, casting flies in early spring on the Presumpscot River.

I am not entirely sure, but I have several theories. (Fly fishers always have theories.)

First, continued heavy stocking year after year at the Rte. 35 bridge creates a trout and salmon school that eventually moves downstream – right over the dams during high water - and populates the entire river.

Second, most people now practice catchand-release.

Third, unpolluted water, enough deep-water refuges (in the impoundments), and incoming cooling springs allow some fish to hold over during sultry summers and icy winters.

Sebago Lake is the source of the Presumpscot River and holds almost a trillion gallons of water, so droughts have less of an impact.

The climate of southern Maine is warming, so earlier snowmelt and later cold weather results in the fish

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Togue 4. Maine anglers catch Lake Trout averaging between 18 to 24 inches, and weighing 2 to 4 pounds.

5. The largest Lake Trout caught in Maine was 31 pounds 8 ounces.

6. Lake Trout eat a wide variety of species, including alewives, rainbow

being active earlier and later in the year.

There is no closed season, so fishing opportunities exist as early as March and as late as early December.

More productive time on the water results in more fish caught.

The Future When it comes to our favorite fly-fishing rivers, the fishing gods giveth and taketh away. Don’t get me wrong – I love the Kennebago with its native and wild fish, but it doesn’t fish well now for most of the year, and during the last week of the season, all the best pools are occupied. I still fish the ’bago more than I probably should because of nostalgia, but I will be wading the Presumpscot more often.

Sometimes, fly fishing still is about the catching.

¶

(Quiz on Page 30) smelt, crustaceans, insects and even small birds and mammals.

7. Lake Trout can live to 25 years of age.

8. A “Splake” is a fish resulting in the cross-breeding of a Lake Trout and a Brook Trout.

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 41

— Guest Column —

Maine Contestant on the Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid” –

Q&A with Kate Wentworth – Part 2

by Will Lund

Sportsman: The assumption in a “survival” show is that the biggest hurdle is fulfilling basic needs of food, water and shelter, but during your 2019 series set in Panama, you found the biggest barrier to be something different, is that right?

Wentworth: Yes – I certainly have the survival skills to deal with almost any situation.

But what I underestimated was the need for mental and psychological strength. I did not complete the 2019 21-day challenge, and to me the hard part was the social dynamics.

The Discovery Channel pairs you with people that you would not normally interact comfortably with, since I think the resulting conflicts are good for ratings. Sara Burkett and I were getting along well until we were placed with the two fellas.

One of the two fellas was amazing, mentally, but the other fella brought the team down with what I considered to be a poor attitude.

Sportsman: So you decided to leave?

Wentworth: Mental toughness is a big deal, and I was unprepared for that type of pressure. I chose to leave to allow myself to be in a better headspace.

However, the experience strength-

We asked “Naked and Afraid” contestant, Passadumkeag native Kate Wentworth, to update our readers on how her 2019 experience ended, and how she was invited to participate in a “redemption” series in 2020.

Maine native Kate Wentworth believes her successes and failures on two different series of “Naked & Afraid” have enhanced her survival skills and also toughened her up mentally.

ened my resolve, and I believe we all learn about ourselves when we don’t succeed at something.

Sportsman: So then you had an opportunity to again be on the show?

Wentworth: A year after the release of my

Kate takes a break this summer while constructing a small shelter in Passadumkeag.

first episode, I was contacted by the Executive Producer about my interest in doing another challenge – they called it an opportunity for “redemption.” Of course, I said yes.

This time it was for a 40-day challenge: “Naked and Afraid XL.” Twelve folks who

had never met before, sent off to one of earth’s harshest environments: Mapungubwe, South Africa.

The ancient city of Mapungubwe (meaning “hill of the jackal”) is an Iron Age archaeological site in the Limpopo Province on the border between South

Gwen Grimes of Eagle, AK, Wes Harper of Cary, NC and Kate Wentworth of Passadumkeag, ME share stories inside their boma. Photo: Discovery Channel

Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. It sits close to the point where the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers meet.

Sportsman: Describe the environment.

Wentworth: This is the real Africa – lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodile, water buffalo, kudu, impala, duiker, terrapin, zebra, elephants and giraffes – I have seen it all. I was there. I lived it. Africa changed my life.

Temperatures reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at mid-day.

Water holes evaporate in the heat. You are the hunter, but you also feel like the hunted.

The subtitle of the series was “The Valley of the Banished,” and here’s the backstory.

For centuries, African tribes would banish their weakest members and those who did not contribute, to this area.

Twelve of us were dropped off into four different camps. Eight of the 12 had successfully completed the 21day challenges, which the other four of us were there for redemption. We were instructed that if the group decides someone is not pulling their weight, they can vote that person out of the tribe.

In an effort to avoid being part of interpersonal drama, I decided not to stay with the rest of the group in camp. So I headed out into the savannah.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

42 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

“The Green Lady” Super Ship!

With “social distancing” the buzzword for the summer of 2020, watersports take a turn back to the future. The days of large rafts full of energized folks navigating the raging releases on the Kennebec River may be put on hold or scaled back this season.

That, however, does not mean the pristine waters flowing through the Jackman Region cannot support a canoe here or there. Small solo boats might have to be the new normal for the season. In fact, during

“stay-at-home” orders, I found satisfaction at getting “the fleet” ready for action.

The Green Lady I’ve owned the “Green Lady” since 1985. The 1966 12-foot aluminum boat followed me home from work one evening under the strangest of circumstance.

An older gentleman named George Ledoux owned the boat, motor and trailer, and kept it on a local pond. Whenever I fished there, he let me use the boat – kindness hard to find today.

Anyway, one day Mr. Ledoux decided to purchase a larger boat, and he put the Green Lady up for sale. He stopped by and offered it to me for $600.

Just married and flat broke, I had to say no.

However, some folks refuse to take “no” for an answer.

Two days later he pulled into my workplace and hooked it up behind my truck. Told me to pay him whenever I could.

It took me about a year of giving him a little money here and there to even the score.

I’ve gotten 35 years of

pleasure from his one act of kindness.

When I got the boat, it was painted battleship gray. I immediately slapped some of my favorite forest green on the hull. My son, Matt, named her the “Green Lady.”

Trailer Redo The trailer, much like the author, was made in 1960. With the world on lockdown, I rolled it into my garage and tore it apart. After sending it out for sandblasting, it received new axles, hubs, springs, lights and tires. A fresh coat

of paint, and she looks and rolls like new.

I have three different boat trailers.

I really try to make sure they stay in top shape. Traveling extensively on the highway has taught me the value in keeping any type of trailer well maintained. I often see trailers broke down or abandoned along the interstate.

The usual culprit, rust, either on the chassis or in the wheel bearings, gets most of the blame. What rust misses, old dry-rotted tires take care of. Last (Continued on next page)

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���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 43 (Continued from page 42)

year on my raft trailer, I replaced some good-looking tread that had the starting signs of dry rot.

One last detail, which I left to professionals, involves having the four-horsepower motor tuned up.

That should keep the Green Lady at planing speed. Because this motor is so fuel-stingy, I’ve started paying a premium for fuel with no ethanol in it.

Glimpse of the Past I recently read Images of America – Glimpses of Maine’s Angling Past by Donald A. Wilson. Photos show guides and sports fishing from canoes on Attean Lake, and scenes from Little Big Wood Pond.

All the canoes in the photos appear or are identified as 20foot models. With two anglers or a guide and an angler, they easily meet the six-foot social distance recommended today.

It seems to me that these photos, from the early 1900s, show some pretty large brook trout and salmon coming from our local waters. Advertisements for the various

camps of the day promoted large catches and big trout.

As I read through this book, I also noticed the attire. Guides could be identified by their suspenders. Men posed for hero shots with suits and formal jackets – some sporting three-piece suits.

Women anglers wore full length dresses and fancy hats while manhandling a fish from the front of the canoe.

Now that I think about it, I’ve fished with one, or at the most two, other fishermen. With that said, when I go alone, which is a sizable amount of time, I catch more fish.

Not sure why?

While the Green Lady works fine for solo motoring, I have other options. A canoe and kayak sit ready for action. On the rivers my fishing raft with anchor system can hold me in produc-

tive water. Ditto for my “East Coast Drifter” wood drift boat.

Even my folding Nautiraid Kayak, at 17 feet long, meets social distancing guidelines.

I save this unsinkable military grade vessel for heavy loads and overnight operations.

Big Water Old school water sports take center stage this season with big waters giving everyone a chance to recreate and maintain social distancing. Indian Pond (DeLorme Atlas, Map 40, C-5) has a boat ramp at the northern and southerly ends of the pond.

Boaters need be reminded this is a flowthrough pond for the Kennebec River. The flooded 3,746 acres gives solo craft plenty of room to enjoy the outdoors. Those looking to bring along a rod and reel can target lake trout, salmon and

The author’s 1966 Aerocraft aluminum boat has followed his trucks around for over 35 years. The 1960 trailer received a complete overhaul during the coronavirus lockdown. A modern, fuel efficient four horsepower, four-stroke engine complements “The Green Lady” just fine. The boat and trailer are example of the author’s sweet spot for vintage outdoor equipment. Bill Sheldon photo

brook trout. It also has developed a following for smallmouth bass.

Another canoe-friendly water, Long Pond (Map 40, B-2), serves as a flow through for the Moose River. The MMA railroad tracks run along the southern shore-

line, and overall the shoreline has little development.

It’s hard to use all my small boats in a given season, but this year the “Green Lady” gets the first expedition.

¶

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Five Fish Every Maine Angler Should Catch Maine boasts some rare fish that often go underappreciated by locals. How many on the list have you caught?

Landlocked Salmon Maine’s official state fish deserves to be first on the list, and the state supports one of the largest landlocked salmon sport fisheries in the world!

They are my favorite species to target while ice fishing because they fight the best, so hand-lining them is wicked exciting.

Historically, native landlocked salmon existed in just four lake systems in the state – Sebago, Sebec, Green, and West Grand. Today, wild salmon reproduce naturally in 57 lakes across the state, and they are stocked in 137 lakes. The native Sebago strain is used for stocking.

A healthy salmon from Moose Pond, Bridgton.

Photo by Jeff Miller

Maine and Alaska are the only states with arctic charr, and in our state the fish are present in just 14 waters.

In fact, they are the rarest freshwater salmonid in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

Whether anglers are targeting native, wild or stocked salmon, the fish all love smelts. Trolling with a sewn-on smelt, ice fishing with smelts right below the ice, or fly fishing with a Joe’s Smelt are all effective methods for putting some blue cheeks on your dinner plate.

Brook Trout The best-looking fish on the list, squaretails are the quintessential Maine fish, enjoyed by generations of anglers.

It was the first fish I ever caught on a fly rod. My friend and I hiked into Slaughter Pond (near Baxter State Park), where he kept a canoe locked to a tree. We threw dry flies until dark, and I remember the excitement when I finally caught one – a small, 10-inch brookie. Despite my numerous black fly bites, I was hooked on fly fishing after watching that fish slurp down my Parachute Adams. His

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five trout and my one made for a delicious, true Maine suppah.

The author with a native brook trout in the Eustis area. Kevin French photo

According to Trout Unlimited, “Maine is the last true stronghold of wild, self-producing brook trout in the U.S.,” and is home to 90% of the country’s native brook trout waters. Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D Eisenhower and Ted Williams have all visited Maine to fish for brook trout.

Today, brook trout face many threats from habitat degradation, climate change, and fish introductions.

Efforts to protect native brook trout and arctic charr resulted in the creation of the State Heritage Fish Waters list. Special regulations are intended to protect the nearly 600 waters on the list, where brook trout or charr have never been stocked or have not been stocked in the past 25 years.

Arctic Charr I have not checked this one off my list yet, but I’ll attempt to this year! In general, Maine anglers have little interest in charr, likely due to their small size, remoteness of charr populations, and difficulty in fishing in deep water with light tackle. Those barriers make the success so much sweeter, and I am excited for the opportunity of a lifetime – to catch a native, colorful and exceedingly rare fish in a remote location.

Alaska and Maine are the only states with arctic charr, and they exist in but 14 waters across our state. Charr are classified as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” by MDIFW, and are the rarest freshwater salmonid in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

ter State Park have robust populations, and general law regulations apply. I have heard classic streamers work well when targeting these special fish.

Also called blueback trout, charr are related to both brook trout and lake trout.

They have orange fins dipped with white, have forked tails like a lake trout, and lack the blue halos and vermiculation of a brook trout. In the fall they turn bright orange.

Despite a lifespan twice that of a brook trout, charr average less than 12” in length.

Also known as Sunapee trout, they live in deep, cool, well-oxygenated lakes.

Lake Whitefish Lake Whitefish are another fish native to Maine, and as with the arctic charr, you’ll have to go remote to catch a whitefish.

Dan Vitalis with a whitefish from Ross Lake. Photo provided by Dan Vitalis

Libby Camps, in the North Maine Woods, offers guided charr fishing.

Photo provided by Libby Camps

Despite their rarity, certain water bodies such as Lake Wassataquoik in Bax-

Whitefish are in the salmon family, and closely related to salmon, trout and charr. The fish were almost extirpated from Maine. The stocking program was not successful, and today they can only be found in (Continued on page 46)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 45

— Guest Column —

A Ranger on the Allagash –

“All in a Day’s Work”

by Tim Caverly The Allagash, a river once consumed by industry, became environmentally protected in 1966 when Maine citizens voted to create the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) in order to, in the words of the law, “develop its maximum wilderness character.”

This set the stage for further preservation of the Allagash, and in 1970 the Wilderness corridor became the first state-administrated component in the National Wild and Scenic River System.

For over 130 years, lumber had been heavily harvested along the Allagash.

Framed by dwellings, the watercourse had been logged, tracked, bridged, muddied, dammed and diverted.

For many years, I supervised a cadre of Rangers who were responsible for resource protection and public safety of the AWW. A description of a single day at work will help illustrate how much progress has been made toward recovery of the waterway, as well as the role of Rangers for law enforcement and emergency response duties.

A Day at Work On a warm June morning, with a canoe on the pickup loaded and enough gear to last for three days, my wife and I drove to T8R15. My plan was to enter upper Allagash Stream and patrol my way back to the Head-

The Allagash Mountain fire tower.

Photo by Leonard Jacobs, Jakes Pix

quarters at Churchill Dam. After dropping me off at the Upper Allagash Stream “put in,” Susan drove the truck back to our H.Q. I began floating downstream toward Allagash Lake. My uniform consisted of a trail cap, tan shirt, green pants, badge, and Departmental patches – symbols of someone at work.

Out on the free-flowing water, I relaxed, enjoying the fragrant smell of balsam fir and white cedar. Even during the heat of the day, the water in the bubbling stream flows clear and cool. I sensed the long history of the region – for eons, explorers have shared this waterway experience.

“Now this is the proper way to begin a canoe trip,” I said to myself.

River and Shoreline Alive with Wildlife At the beginning the stream was shallow, so I poled my canoe over ripples until I reached deeper water.

But my presence was not unnoticed by the

Tim Caverly suited up for work at Lock Dam on Chamberlain Lake. Caverly photo

natural inhabitants of the area.

At the resonating sound of crashing branches, I looked across to see a startled whitetail deer bound over a blowdown and disappear.

Continuing downstream, I noticed a wood turtle dozing in the morning sun atop a partly submerged log, its legs blending in color from orange to red, with faint yellow stripes, and its shell displaying a pyramidal pattern of ridges and grooves. Since reptiles do not adjust well to unnatural changes in ecological habitat, their health is a positive sign for the region’s environmental health.

Around an inside bend, a young calf moose stood unafraid in ankle deep water and stared at my passing. Behind a submerged rock, a speckled-colored brook trout waved its square tail back and forth, watching and waiting for an afternoon snack of a caddis fly nymph to float by.

Confluence, and More Wildlife I arrived at a small muddy-bottomed brook on the river’s south side. The landmark, a confluence of Johnson Stream and Allagash Stream, signified the stream was deep enough to paddle, so I put my setting pole aside.

Halfway to the lake, I heard a splash.

Thinking the sound might be the slap of a beaver’s tail, I eased around a 45-degree bend. At the base of a stone ledge, a black bear paddled toward the opposite shore, enjoying a morning swim.

Entering the Lake As I arrived at the 4,000-acre Allagash Lake, I remembered that its name is a translation from the Wabanaki language, meaning “Bark Cabin Lake.” Today, the lake was flat calm.

The bow of my canoe sliced through the watery surface, and I was greeted by high pitched angry squawks. Using my field glasses, I scanned

the inlet to the north, where tents were set up on Ledge and Sandy Point Campsites.

But the sound wasn’t caused by humans.

Instead, the raucous noise came from the flights of Arctic Terns and Bonaparte gulls that were making feathered bombing runs over a shoal of gray rocks, as the birds disputed nesting rights.

Back at the campgrounds, I saw families canoeing, swimming and fishing. Campers returned my wave.

Someone was cooking bacon over a campfire, and the smell caused my stomach to growl slightly, reminding me that my breakfast had been four hours earlier.

Geologic Features To my immediate right was an onshore path leading 180 feet uphill to an area called the Ice Caves. This geological formation includes a series of four underground caverns – 75 feet below ground, the refrigerated dampness holds ice sometimes into June.

Near shore in front of the Ice Cave Campsite, I noticed a father and daughter fish from their canoe. I heard a splash and turned to watch the youngster reel in a speckled brook trout. Watching the father net the fish, I remember early on I learned that on the Allagash, brookies were measured in pounds, (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

46 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

All in a Day’s Work (Continued from page 45)

not inches.

A wilderness beach lies at the north end and parallel to the lake. A stretch of sand leads to the outlet and lower Allagash Stream – a six-mile route to Chamberlain Lake.

Partway down the beach, I noticed a lynx survey the shoreline for any sign of movement.

With my eyeglasses, I continued to inspect the area. Due south was 1,800-foot tall Allagash Mountain. The mountain was shaped thousands of years ago by glaciers, and retreating scrapes from ice shields can still be found on ledges that dot the shoreline.

Through binoculars, I watched as hikers climbed the twenty-foot ladder to reach the cab of a fire tower, where they would be offered a breathtaking view of vast timberlands.

Violators Sweeping my vision back along the shoreline, I saw two men who were camping at the Cove Campsite. I noticed their fishing rods propped against rocks, with lines strung out to

red and white plastic floats bobbing on the water.

Fishing laws for this area only allow artificial lures. I suspected the guys were using worms as bait.

I knew they would not be happy to see me, and through experience I’ve learned when people intentionally break one law, other violations may exist as well.

Emergency Intervened But before I headed over to talk with the anglers, I received a call on my two-way radio from the Allagash Mountain Fire Tower. “We have an emergency,” came the dispatch. “There is a camp counselor here and she reports that one of her clients may be severely injured.”

“Where is their encampment?” I inquired.

“At the Carry Trail Campsite at the south end of the lake.”

“Okay,” I responded. “I am headed over.

Alert the Maine Forest Service we may need their plane for a medical evacuation. Advise the counselor that I’ll meet them at the site.”

Maine Sportswoman (Continued from page 44)

a handful of waterbodies. The largest concentrations are in the Allagash River drainage system and West Grand Lake area.

The schooling fish prefer large, cool water lakes and are commonly targeted by jigging on bottom through the ice. My friend Dan Vitalis had success trolling for whitefish on Ross Lake, and later raved about the taste of the white flaky fish. I guess I need to find out for myself!

Striped Bass This saltwater species made the www.MaineSportsman.com

The author’s wife and daughter leaving the put-in at Upper Allagash Stream.

Caverly photo

I was a little over two miles from the scene. Hurrying to respond, I was pleased the lake had remained calm. My fisherman friends would have to wait.

Forty-five minutes later I arrived, and the counselor led me to a tent where a pale young woman was lying semi-conscious inside a soaking wet sleeping bag. I learned their party of 12 had just finished portaging heavy gear 2.5 miles from Round Pond. One of the females was in the early stages of a pregnancy – a fact she had not revealed to the trip leader – and she should not have been carrying heavy gear.

After making attempts to provide first aid, the leader had gone for help.

I radioed to Greenville for the aircraft and a medical assistant. In about 40 minutes, we were relieved to hear the drone of an

View from the Allagash Lake Outlet Beach campground. Cavelry photo

approaching aircraft.

The young woman was semi-conscious and was taking shallow breaths.

The pilot landed at the site, and a medic performed triage and stabilized the woman for the flight to Greenville’s C.A. Dean Hospital.

Once the plane departed, I gathered necessary information for the formal report, and told the party I would report back if I re-

list because they are approachable – you can catch them from shore, no boat necessary.

The anadromous fish migrate between Canada and The author with a Florida along the 32-inch striped bass. coast, and spawn Photo by Travis Elliott in freshwater rivers and bays. Once overfished, stripers have recovered, thanks to strict commercial and recreational regulations.

Anglers are allowed one fish between 28” and 35”, and special regulations apply to the Kennebec, Sheepscot, and Androscoggin Rivers.

ceived any word about their companion.

By now the day was nearing a close, and it was time to return up the lake to settle into a camp before dark. But first, there were a couple of fishermen I needed to visit.

Tim Caverly has authored ten books about the northern forest. For more information see his website at www. allagashtails.com

¶

Schoolies (smaller striped bass) arrive in Southern Maine in May, are relatively easy to catch, and fight great on a fly rod. Fish near the Factory Island dam in Saco or near the Milford Dam on the Penobscot, using a big soft plastic, bloodworms, or a chartreuse and white fly. Fish the outgoing tide and look for turbulence in the water. By the end of June, the striper fishing is really heating up, which works out nicely, since trout fishing is slowing down.

If you haven’t caught everything on the list, it’s a great year to vacation in our own state, and book a guide to help teach you to fish for the new species.

¶

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 47

The Five or Maybe 10 Things to Look for in the Perfect Fishing Companion The author reveals the secret ingredient that makes for an ideal angling friend, and here’s a hint – it’s got to be free, and there’s got to be a lot of it.

Pssst, reader, can I have a word with you before the editor gets here? I need to let you know the headline on this column is a little misleading.

OK – a lot misleading.

The reality is there aren’t 10 things to look for in a perfect fishing companion that aren’t incredibly boring (good grooming, gives generously to charity, doesn’t smell like fish).

But there seems to be rule in journalism that all articles involving lists of things must have between five and 10 items in them.

So, I’ll have to improvise. If you keep my secret when the editor shows up, I promise I’ll make it worth your while.

The Editor Returns Oh, hello, Mr. Editor, sir. Just getting ready to list the five or 10 things to look for in a fishing companion. Just like it says in the headline. Yep, I’ll be listing them off any minute, so there’s probably no need for you to hang around.

Maybe you’d like to go edit Bill Graves’ Aroostook County column, since there’s really nothing to do around here.

Is he gone? Good.

Qualities of a Fishing Companion Look, I know you don’t want to go fishing with just anybody.

Some people talk too much. Some don’t talk at all. A few idiots keep getting hooks caught in their noses.

You don’t need me to tell you to avoid being stranded in a canoe in the middle of a placid pond with those losers.

You’re probably also capable of screening out potential fishing partners who offer up some admirable qualities – packs a gourmet picnic lunch, tested negative for coronavirus, attracts all the mosquitos to themselves – but displays negative traits that more than offset these advantages – insurance salesman, politician, over-caffeinated “life skills” coach.

If you can figure that out for yourself, what do you need me for?

Funny, the editor often asks me that same question.

The Answer The answer, of course, is beer. And not just any beer. The ideal fishing companion brings everybody’s favorite brand – FREE BEER. Because one of life’s cardinal rules is: Only a complete jerk complains about free

beer.

It can be light, lite, ultra-light, double, triple or so heavy it nearly capsizes the boat.

Doesn’t matter. So long as your pal picked up the tab, whatever it is will prove the perfect complement for a fishing trip.

That assumes, of course, that your companion understands that when you say beer, you mean A LOT OF BEER. If he or she shows up with nothing more than a couple of brewskis to wash down lunch, you should push that fool overboard.

Al the Non-Angler In the interest of full disclosure, I admit I’m not much of a fisherman. Or any kind of fisherman. I don’t mind occasionally floating on that placid pond and all, but I’ve never worked up much enthusiasm for all the gear required to harass fish.

Instead, I like to lean back, soak up some rays, and absorb as much of the beer supply as possible, while my companion goes about casting, reeling, trolling and (for all I know) crappie jigging.

If pressed, I might drop a line overboard, but there’s a reasonable chance I’ll forget

Items from the author’s fishing tackle box.

Diamon photo

to bait the hook. Or even attach a hook.

On occasion, I’ve been known to forego the line altogether. Just me and a rod. And a beer. That I didn’t pay for.

Truth-Enhancer Because, as we all know, beer improves outdoor recreation. It eases the mind. And it enhances creativity.

That big one you never saw a sign of all day? A couple cold ones, and you can tell everyone you reeled in a brookie the size of Godzilla, but had to release it because it was too large for the bed of the pickup.

Beer, among its many positive attributes, suppresses the part of your conscience dealing with lying.

Fini That’s it. End of article. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention to the editor that I was a six pack or more shy of a real list. I doubt he’ll notice on his own, being busy tying flies, red-penciling unsuitable cul-

tural references and answering emails from outraged readers complaining about some guy pretending to be an outdoor writer when he obviously never goes outdoors.

But just in case the editor finishes pulverizing Bill Graves’ copy and stops back here, you can tell him with a straight face that I actually had more than one item on my fishing-companion list.

Because as the day on the pond wears on, and the sun sinks slowly in the west, the ideal fishing companion will prove that he or she is not a one-trick pony. This perfect piscatorial partner hasn’t relied on beer alone to earn such an exalted place in your circle of friends.

Your companion also brought a flask.

Al Diamon writes the weekly column Politics & Other Mistakes for the Daily Bulldog and The Portland Phoenix.

He can be emailed at aldiamon@hernihill.net.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

48 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Fishing the Thermocline Pays Dividends The easiest way to determine the depth of the thermocline, says the author, is to ask a biologist who’s been sampling the lake. If they say the thermocline is 30 feet down, don’t doubt them!

While midsummer heat drives some anglers to the cool ocean, others head to lakes and ponds in search of what may prove the biggest trout of the year.

It seems ironic that coldwater game fish would bite so well during the hottest times of the year. But beneath the surface, anywhere from 30 to 50 feet down, trout, salmon and togue enjoy cool, well-oxygenated water. The thermocline, that layer of cool water that forms when lakes stratify, offers salmonids the perfect place to live until decreasing temperatures of fall usher in cooler surface conditions.

Trolling the thermocline differs from springtime trolling in that while in spring,

a fast-trolled lure or bait usually brings results, it is difficult to troll fast when targeting the thermocline.

That’s because the length of lead line or downrigger cable required to take your offering down to waiting trout creates friction in the water. The faster you troll, the higher your lure or bait will ride.

So it is necessary to go slow. Accordingly, some offerings won’t perform well now. Tandem streamers, for example, are useless at slow speeds because fast speeds are needed to fully compress the wings in order to simulate a fleeting smelt or other baitfish. If pulled slowly, fish have every opportunity to inspect the streamer and determine that it is fake.

Baitfish, shiners and smelt, perform well at slow speeds, as do wobbling spoons.

Trolling Gear Whereas fly rods with sinking lines cannot sink deep enough for summertime trolling, they do not figure into this kind of fishing. However, spinning rods with monofilament line can, when using heavy lures, get down to 30 feet or so when trolled very slowly.

The heaviest and one of my favorites, Li’l Jake, by Spin-ALure, has the shape and weight to get down to the fish. This is certainly not the ideal method, but for someone who lacks deep-trolling gear, it can suffice.

Other heavy lures include Al’s Goldfish and Kastmaster. Both,

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Allen Gallant holds en by trolling the Seymour photo

in medium sizes, are capable of reaching down where they need to go when trolled very slowly. None of these lures spin when trolled. Rather, they wobble from side-toside and that doesn’t cause line twist. If using a lure that does

a brown trout thermocline in

takJuly.

tend to spin, then affix a trolling rudder about 18 inches above the lure.

Some people like at least a 20-foot leader on their lead-core outfit. When they are using a downrigger, they set the lure 20 feet be(Continued on next page)

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hind the downrigger ball.

I, on the other hand, find that such a long leader is unnecessary, and so a 10- to 12-foot leader serves me well. Leader length, then, is a matter of personal preference.

One of my all-time favorite summertime trolling setups works equally well for trout, togue and salmon. A chrome or silver dodger about 4 inches long wobbles and flashes, drawing fish’s attention. An 18-inch leader between the dodger and baitfish complete the package. As for bait, preserved smelt work well, as do golden shiners. In fact, shiners are prevalent in many lakes and ponds, and they catch as many or more fish as smelt.

Thermocline Detection All this talk of fishing the thermocline sounds well and good, but how does anyone locate the thermocline in the first place?

There are several ways to go about learning where the thermocline has formed. One way is to contact the local Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife fisheries biologist. These people monitor trout and salmon populations in Maine’s ponds and lakes. In the course of their samplings, they usually know how deep anglers need to fish in order to stay in the thermocline. If a biologist says the thermocline is 30 feet down, don’t doubt them.

One big mistake summertime trollers

make is to fish under the thermocline. That amounts to fishing in a desert. Fish may take a lure or bait trolled somewhat above them, but will never dive down to take that same offering.

Note that the thermocline may only have a depth (not depth as in how many feet down, but the thickness of the comfort zone itself) of 6 feet, for example. So it is imperative to stay within that range. Basically, if the thermocline is 35 feet down, fishing 35 feet down will put your lure or bait at the high end of the thermocline – a good place to be.

Barring advice from a biologist, a fish locator can find the thermocline.

Highend, expensive units can indicate a line of disturbance and that usually marks the thermocline. Less expensive units, the plain-Jane kind that I use, show fish stacked up at a certain depth, or strata. Don’t be fooled by a display of lots of big fish on the very bottom in 60 or more feet, since these are probably suckers.

You can troll for these all day and never get a bite. What’s worse, the trout and salmon are holding somewhere in between.

should carry at least 8-pound test line.

Modern rods and reels for lead-core fishing have come way down in weight. Graphite rods have supplanted the old, heavier glass rods.

Reels should be loaded with the new, thin variety of leadcore line. Also, reels should have a line counter, a device that makes it simple to return to the very distance you were previously fishing. Modern trolling reels are of a lightweight material, yet are as strong as the old, heavier reels.

For downrigger fishing, manufacturers offer long, flexible rods that are designed to bend easily. That’s why we see people fishing with their rods bent in an arc. This makes it more obvious when a fish trips the downrigger and sends the rod springing up.

But really, any old rod and reel combination will work with a downrigger. One fishing buddy uses his spinning rod. For years, I fished with a medium-weight baitcasting outfit.

If you haven’t tried deep trolling in summer, perhaps this is the year to give it a go. That old monster brown trout is waiting.

Best Rods Spinning rods should be at least medium-weight.

Reels

¶

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50 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

The Effort is What Counts First, the deer hunter got lost. Then the rescue truck got stuck, and the 350-lb. driver of the truck sent to get the rescue truck unstuck, was seriously injured. The ambulance was unavailable, and my Lieutenant was on the phone, wanting answers. What else could go wrong?

It was November 21st, 1989, and it had been dark for over an hour. The wind was blowing a gale, the temperatures were below freezing. There was a dusting of snow on the ground, and more was predicted to fall at any moment.

It was the worst time for the report of a lost hunter to come in, so when the State Police dispatcher called, I was not surprised with the message.

Yes, it was a missing hunter in a big piece of woods on the Charleston/Atkinson town line, somewhere between the Stagecoach Road and the John Doore Road.

I was a Sergeant at the time, and it was nearing the end of a long fall. All of us were getting worn down, but it was time to rally the troops once again.

Gathering the Troops I got on the telephone and had several wardens meet me at the Charleston fire station where we could discuss the situation with the missing hunter’s companions.

The fire department allowed us to utilize their station as a command post and access to their telephone.

This was necessary, as at that time we had no vehicle phones or cell www.MaineSportsman.com

phones.

After obtaining as much information as we could, we traveled up the Atkinson Road to the search area. By now it was snowing lightly and blowing really hard.

I sent wardens Mike Morrison, Dave Georgia and Bruce Galeucia to various locations to fire shots, hoping to get a response from the missing hunter. Utilizing our radios to coordinate, we all took turns firing, but did not get any response. Usually, this means one of two things – either the hunter is out of bullets, or has become incapacitated.

Stuck in the Mud We re-grouped, and Morrison thought he and Georgia could take Georgia’s fourwheel drive truck through an old discontinued road and access some new area. Georgia’s truck was the only four-wheel drive I had available and I was skeptical about the plan, but consented on the condition that they “Don’t get stuck.”

A short while later Georgia called me on the radio with the message, “We are stuck, and I mean really stuck.”

I said, “Well, fire three shots down in

there, and see if you get a response. If not, walk the mile or so back to the Atkinson Road.”

Morrison and Georgia eventually got back to the Atkinson Road with no luck making any hunter contact.

Lads from Rhode Island It was now getting late in the evening, and a couple of exceptionally large lads had arrived on scene offering their assistance.

They were from Rhode Island and riding in a fancy Dodge “Power Wagon” pickup truck that set up high with huge mud tires. They wanted to go down the old road and pull our warden truck out.

Morrison told them that he didn’t think they could pull it out, but they were insistent to try. Reluctantly, I gave in again and said, “Go ahead, but don’t you guys get stuck, too.”

Georgia and Galeucia went with them, and I returned to the Charleston fire station to call Lt. Langdon Chandler, as he had called the S.P. barracks asking if I could call him.

There was nobody at the station, and I went upstairs to a small room where the telephone was locat-

The fellows from Rhode Island tried to use their Dodge Power Wagon to haul the warden’s truck out of the mud. Things were going well until the tow chain snapped and flew back toward the Dodge’s cab.

ed. I got Chandler on the line and started a conversation while holding the phone in my right hand and my portable in the left hand.

“I Think He’s Dead!”

Soon, I received an excited radio call from Georgia. I answered and told him to go ahead. He said, “The chain the R.I. guys were using to pull with snapped and hit one of them in the head. I think he’s dead.”

I can’t tell you exactly what I said, but if I could I am sure it wouldn’t be printable.

I asked Georgia where the guy was, and he told me the injured fellow was in the Dodge truck. I told him to have the barracks call the Mayo Hospital ambulance and for the R.I. guys to bring the injured man out to the road, and that I would head right back up there.

While this radio conversation was going on between me and Georgia, Chandler was still on the phone

and asking, “What?

What’s going on?” All I could reply to Chandler was, “Sorry, Lieutenant, I’ve gotta go!” and I hung up.

Chain Snapped I arrived back at the search area just as the Power Wagon was getting to the road.

The injured man, all 350 pounds of him, was unconscious, and his body filled the passenger’s side of the truck.

The barracks then called and said that the Mayo Hospital ambulance was on a call in Milo and not available. I knew we would have to wait a long time for another ambulance, so I suggested they keep him in the truck and go right to Mayo Hospital.

After they had departed, Georgia explained that when they backed up the Power Wagon to get some slack in the chain so they could give a big yank, the chain snapped. When that happened, the end of (Continued on next page)

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Language Arts What words do you use when a fish hits your lure?

Being an old guy with scores of years of experiences behind me, I have observations of no importance at all.

One of these observations is paying attention to the language people use in different situations.

For example, there was the time I purchased an office desk from Service Merchandise. It was a 6-foot desk, and it arrived in a 1-foot by 6-foot box.

When I set the box on the floor, opened it up and began the process of putting the thing together, my wife stood in the doorway, watching me.

Without warning, she began yelling and cursing, using words that would make a lumberjack blush.

When I asked what had prompted her to deliver such a string of swear words, she

smiled and said she was simply saving me the time and trouble later.

Reacting to Strikes Fishing is one of experiences during which one uses specific language depending on what is happening in the boat. Folks who speak the same language at the dinner table use an entirely different vocabulary on the water.

Take for instance when one gets a bite.

Island Boy always exclaims, “There!” He has done this for 60 years.

No matter the size of the fish, no matter the weather conditions, “There!” is always the word he utters when a fish strikes.

Grandson Trev is another example of one who always says the same thing when the fish hits his lure.

“Fish on!’ he’ll exclaim every time. Then he’ll

True Tales (Continued from page 50)

the chain with a hook on it flew up over the cab and crashed down through the truck’s sunroof, striking the victim in the head.

Georgia’s truck stayed where it was. Eventually we hired a skidder to retrieve it after it became frozen in.

Then it had to be taken to a heated garage to thaw out.

Call the Airplane Pilot I returned to the fire station to call Chandler back and give him the lowdown, then returned to the search area.

Eventually, the wardens came back

proceed to criticize me for not catching anything while he reels his fish in. Every time.

Grandson Mason is another fisherman who has several favorites. He tends to travel between “Fish on!” and “Got one!” Of course, then he also gives me grief about my inabilities as a fisherman, announcing, for example, “You couldn’t even catch a cold!”

Son # 1 has a favorite expression also.

“Yup!’ will always be heard when he gets a strike. He tends to get a lot of strikes. Son #2, “Yes!” is his. We don’t hear that expression very much, because he doesn’t catch many fish.

Niece Speaks Her Own Language The pandemic has added yet another voice to the exclamations heard when a fish hits. My niece, whose

Niece Genevieve on her first angling outing.

Pineau photos

East Coast college ended early because of current events, came to stay with us for the spring.

She had never been fishing. I used this opportunity to spend quality time with her, instead of doing chores around the house.

Once out on the pond, with a minimal amount of instruction, she soon began casting like a pro.

Several casts into her first excursion, she

from the hospital with the good news that the injured man was regaining consciousness. It was well after midnight, getting very cold, so we decided to re-group at daylight.

After arriving home, I spent some time on the phone getting things lined up for the morning, including having a conversation with warden pilot Jim Welch to ask if he could fly after sunup. I also called Wardens Pat Devlin and Dave Priest to ask them to give us a hand.

I slept for about three hours, and headed back to Atkinson before dawn.

The Hunter Had a Good Reason for Not Responding As the sun was coming up, I met

Her catch.

exclaimed, “I’ve got somebody!” She then proceeded to land a nice-sized black crappie.

Her next cast landed another, with “I’ve got somebody!” again coming from the back of the boat! I chuckled at that.

I also noticed she did not give me any grief about my fishing abilities. Guess who I prefer fishing with?

¶

with the wardens and a few volunteers to map out our plans for the morning.

The weather had allowed our plane to get airborne and was almost there when, suddenly, the missing hunter appeared from the woods dragging a buck deer.

We were all very pleased with this turn of events, but of course we had to ask the hunter the question, “Didn’t you hear us last night shooting and trying to get a response from you?”

He responded, “Yes, but I didn’t want to leave my deer.”

I was later informed that the hunter lost two toes to frostbite.

¶

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52 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Moosehead Lake Sees Few Anglers, Lots of Fish It is important that Mainers patronize our state’s sporting camps now. There are only a finite number of sporting camps and lodges here, and each one has a far greater value than any monetary figure.

These places are Maine traditions and we, the sporting public, must do our best to help them survive.

July may qualify as the most enjoyable month to fish Moosehead Lake. Gone are the crowds of May and June. On a stunningly beautiful day on Moosehead, it might take binoculars to see more than two or three boats at one time.

This lack of boats does not indicate a lack of fish, however.

Fishing tactics have changed, though. No longer do trout and salmon frequent nearshore areas, although they do come near to shore during the early morning hours. Instead, fish have dispersed, and we may just as readily find them in the middle of the lake as anywhere else.

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The big concern now is just how deep the fish are holding.

And that depends upon what kind of weather we have had leading up to July. A cold start will see salmonids holding about 40 feet down. Warm weather in late May and through June can drive salmonids down 50 feet and more.

A fish locator will help to determine where fish are holding. But to begin, try setting lines at 40 feet, and raise or lower them accordingly.

Dawn Patrol Even during hot spells, early morning hours see cool water on top, with trout and salmon taking advantage of whatever sur-

face offerings may be present. I have seen brook trout taking flies on top in July.

The well-equipped angler, then, might carry a fly rod, with a dry fly of some kind already tied on. This allows near-instant response if and when fish begin rising within casting range.

I must admit to not carrying a fly rod.

For me, summertime means trolling, not fly fishing. Also, the “morning hatch” only lasts for a short time.

Once the sun rises to a point that it beats down almost directly upon the water, surface activity ceases for another day.

Still, fish will be near the surface just after dawn and they will respond to trolled lures. This would be the exception to the rule that trolling with a fly rod and sinking line becomes ineffective in July.

So if you want some cool, early morning excitement, join the “dawn patrol” and head out on the lake as early as possible.

Additionally, early mornings on Moosehead Lake are a special time. Usually, the surface is flat-calm.

Sounds carry farther, and boats on the dis-

A hazy July day trolling on scenic Moosehead Lake. Photos by Tom Seymour

tant horizon, if visible at all, look way larger than their actual size.

Even smells from land waft out over the water. Taken as a whole, dawn on the big lake ranks as a special, near-magical time.

Lodges Open Given the fluidity of Maine’s plan for re-opening the economy, Moosehead region lodges and sporting camps, it is difficult to say whether or not nonresidents will be able to book a lodging without first going through a 14-day quarantine or certifying they have tested negative for Covid. But one thing is clear, and that is that Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont residents will be allowed to book lodgings.

The virus and resulting lockdown took a grave toll on Maine’s sporting lodges and similar businesses that cater to the sporting public. Now, in July, it is not too late to book a lodging and experience some great open-water fish-

ing. Even better, fish health and condition at Moosehead Lake rank as exceptionally good. Four-pound brook trout, 5-pound salmon and even bigger togue swim in Moosehead, and a visiting angler has every chance of hooking on to one of these oversized salmonids.

It is important that we patronize our sporting camps now, because no one knows how long these establishments can hang on without incoming revenue. But if any business goes under, it seems doubtful that it would re-open any time soon. There are only a finite number of sporting camps and lodges in Maine, and each one has a far greater value than any monetary figure.

These places are a Maine tradition and we, the sporting public, need to do our best to help them survive.

To that end, I recommend that instead of considering vacations to far-away locations, if that is even (Continued on next page)

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permitted, we stay right here in the State of Maine and enjoy the eye-dazzling scenery and high-quality fishing that Maine offers.

And in doing so, we are helping ensure the futures of these treasured businesses.

Varied Opportunities While the coldwater fishery attracts the most attention, other species also live in the Moosehead region. A product of illegal introductions, smallmouth bass have become firmly established in several local waters. The bestknown of these, Indian Pond, stands as a tro-

phy smallmouth water, and people come here from far and wide for a chance at its 4- to 5-pound bass.

Once a hotspot for big salmon, the illegally-introduced bass have caused considerable harm to the salmon fishery. Indian Pond still holds salmon, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (DIF&W) continues its annual stocking. In 2019, DIF&W released 1,000 8-inch salmon in Indian Pond. Now Indian Pond contains a salmon fishery as well as a burgeoning smallmouth bass fishery.

To reach Indian Pond, take Burnham Pond Road from

its intersection with Route 15 in Big Moose Township. The road debouches at the pond, where there is a boat landing. See the DeLorme Atlas, Map 41, C-1.

Farther north on Route 15, Brassua Lake, another salmon lake that also holds a self-sustaining brook trout population, now contains smallmouth bass. These average about 2 ½ pounds, with lots of larger specimens.

Local anglers do what they can to suppress bass growth by catching and killing as many as possible.

But in the end, with bass being such prolific spawners, the bass

Stark cliffs of Mt. Kineo are a must-see sight for visitors to the Moosehead region.

must surely win the battle.

Those who relish bass fishing, though, should give Brassua Lake a try, since it is a new fishery and as such, newly introduced fish grow fast and big.

Note that Brassua

Lake also contains some of the biggest yellow perch around.

Fish of 12 to 14 inches are common. Look on Map 40, B-4, for the boat landing. And please make a meal out of your catch.

¶

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54 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Katahdin Woods & Waters Earns Rare “Dark Sky” Sanctuary Distinction Here in Maine, we should never take our dark, starlit skies for granted.

Almost anywhere in the state, we can look up and see more stars on a clear night than our friends from Boston or New York City might ever see (except when they come to Maine). Because of so much reflected light in the atmosphere, many urban dwellers only ever see the moon, perhaps a setting planet, and if they are lucky, the Big Dipper.

In the rural Pine Tree State, it isn’t hard to get far enough out of town to where it is dark enough to see the Milky Way – that wide, hazy stripe overhead containing bazillions of stars. Those of us who love to go hiking or camping, or who have a remote camp away, look up to see the Milky Way whenever it is clear and the moon has yet to rise.

Dark Sky Sanctuary We were recently reminded how lucky we have it when Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument announced in May that they were recognized by the International Dark Sky Association as the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary east of the Mississippi River.

While there are over 50 Dark Sky Parks scattered across North America, KWwww.MaineSportsman.com

Maine’s new National Monument is the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary east of the Mississippi River.

Residents and visitors should take advantage of the opportunity, learning to identify stars, and watching for meteors and the Northern Lights.

Bright stars fill the sky over a remote cabin on a clear July night. Van Wie photo

WNM is only the 12th Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world. Dark Sky Sanctuary is a more rigorous designation for some of the darkest and remote places with extraordinary opportunities to view the stars.

There are four other such sanctuaries in

the U.S. The Cosmic Campground in the Gila National Forest in western New Mexico is more than 40 miles from the nearest significant source of artificial light. And Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area in western Nevada is one of the darkest

places in the Lower 48 states.

The other two Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the U.S. are Devils River State Natural Area-Del Norte in southern Texas, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah.

More Dark Places KWWNM earned a special designation, but it surely isn’t the only dark place in Maine.

Baxter State Park to the west is equally remote with little light pollution within 20 miles, as is most of the North Woods from Aroostook and Washington Counties to the 100 Mile Wilderness to Parmachenee Lake and across the New Hampshire’s Connecticut Lakes region to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

The backcountry logging roads, ponds, rivers and mountaintops out there offer night skies that are as dark as they were hundreds of years ago.

Stargazing So, what can you see in these dark places? Some of the simpler constellations are easy to spot.

From November until March, Orion marches across the sky, night after night, like a fearless warrior.

Not far from Orion, Pleiades – also known as the Seven Sisters – is visible. On a clear night with no moon, one can easily see five of the Seven Sisters with the naked eye.

It’s never hard to find the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, which rotate round the Northern Star. Follow the two stars on the front edge of the Big (Continued on page 57)

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Tom’s Fourth of July Trout I caught two 10-inch trout in a stocked stream that flowed from a lake – a mini-tailwater fishery. The churning water is well-oxygenated and, because it’s drawn from the bottom of the lake, it stays colder.

July 4 brought another hot and humid day. But the cool of the night lingered into early morning. Mists still rose from the pool, and the water level was perfect for fooling a trout or two.

No one else was on the stream, and indeed no one had fished there for several months. I had the place to myself.

Crouching in tall grass alongside the stream so as not to create a shadow on the water, I cast out my tiny jig and waited as it bumped and bounced its way downstream. Then something interrupted its progress.

Lifting the rod hooked the fish. It was a brook trout of perhaps 10 inches. It fought well on my ultralight tackle. While I kneeled, trout in hand, gazing at its beauty, the world had barely awakened. This was my time and nothing, either natural or manmade, interfered.

After that, it took another 10 minutes to elicit another bite – this one a trout of the same proportions.

These were fish that were stocked back in April and had acclimated to the natural environment. It occurred to me then that

people miss a good bet by not hitting stocked streams later in the year. Fish remain, and if you hit the water early, they will probably bite.

Unplanned Trips A look at the stocking report (printed in each April issue of The Maine Sportsman) will reveal that many thousands of catchable size brook trout, along with lesser numbers of brown trout and even rainbow trout, get stocked in Midcoast streams and rivers each year.

These stockings serve as the catalyst for the first rush of the season – the first time in the year where anglers have a good chance of scoring big.

But as the season wears on, most of us forget about those fish that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) releases for our angling pleasure.

By July, people have long since abandoned streams and small rivers in favor of trolling lakes and ponds for bigger prey. Yet those trout that didn’t get taken in spring remain.

The great majority of stocked streams have little carrying capacity, meaning

that they don’t have enough cold, well-oxygenated water to sustain trout through the summer’s heat. But some have a few cold pockets where stocked trout live and thrive despite summer’s high temperatures. These places are worth seeking out, since they can open up a whole new world of stream fishing for trout.

Something else to consider regarding fishing in streams now is that even if you don’t have time to spend a day on a lake, the local trout stream serves as the place for a perfect, impromptu fishing trip. Even an hour’s break taken catching carryover trout can satisfy the urge to get out and go fishing.

Shady Pools If you decide to try for those springstocked trout in July, don’t waste time on shallow, riffly areas, even if they look enticing. Instead, seek deep pools, preferably those shaded by streamside trees. Bridge pools, too, often hold carryover trout, since they are usually fairly deep, and of course they are also shady. Shady translates to cool, and even a few degrees can make a big difference this time of year.

By July 4th, stocked trout look and taste like their wild brethren. Tom Seymour photo

If you live near a stocked stream coming from a lake, better yet.

These, mini-tailwater fisheries usually have sufficient depth to hold fish. They also have plenty of dissolved oxygen. And because the water is drawn from the bottom of the lake or pond, it stays cooler than on other places on the stream. My 4th of July trout came from just such a place.

By August, though, many of these places become too warm for comfort, and trout migrate to where they can find better conditions.

If you can find where the fish go, they will remain fair game. One stocked stream that I fish flows through a small pond on its way to the sea. The pond can only be reached via a fairly long canoe trip, so few people fish it during the open-water season.

The good news is the fish that migrate here during the hottest part of summer often swim back up-

stream in September. Fish that were stocked in spring that measured 9 – 10 inches have grown to 12 inches. By that time, too, they have become completely acclimated, and act – and taste – like wild trout.

Best Times In July, even in places where trout remain, fishing during the heat of the day usually produces few if any trout. But early morning, late afternoon and early evening fishing sees plenty of trout activity.

And then we have night fishing. This works best on brown trout waters. Even places with little carryover opportunity can harbor a few old monster brown trout.

Choose the darkest night possible – perhaps during new moon. Use surface offerings such as panfish poppers. Large, bushy, wet flies work well, too. Begin with short casts, and gradually (Continued on page 57) www.MaineSportsman.com

56 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

New Project Helps Landowners Improve Furbearer Habitat Late last year, the Carrabassett Valley Trappers were contacted by Christine Parrish of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF).

She wanted to talk to trappers about Pine Marten.

She attended a monthly meeting in January 2020. As it was a bad weather day, there were only a few attendees.

I contacted her later to see if I could help.

I sent her several documents I have on marten, and we talked on the phone about martens and other wildlife-related issues.

Pine Martin (Robert Warrington photo)

The foundation believes improved habitat is good for wildlife, it’s good for trappers, and it’s good for the wood products industry. It considers the Pine Martin and the Canadian Lynx as “umbrella” species, since if habitat can be made favorable for those animals, other species – even upland birds -will also thrive.

In February, I visited her in the New England Forestry Foundation’s Western Maine Mountain Projects office in Farmington, ME. Natural Partners Parrish said she thought trappers were natural partners in her foundation’s efforts because – given our keen focus on the habits and life histories of various wildlife species and their habitats over many years – trappers understand animals in a way that no one else can.

She thought bringing trappers into the equation was also a

good opportunity to highlight how knowledgeable trappers are, and how they are connected to the woods in a way that’s rare in our modern society, where 85 percent of Americans live in urban or suburban areas.

She stated that she would also like to find ways to reduce the opposition that is common among different groups that use the forest in different ways. Parrish believes that the birders and trappers, hikers and snowmobilers, hunters and wilderness advocates have more in common than not.

New Venture for NEFF NEFF has worked with private woodlot owners in Maine and across New England on forestry for 75 years, but this is the first time they have focused on using forestry to improve wildlife habitat for marten and other furbearers, grouse, woodcock, woodland songbirds and other wildlife.

They chose Western Maine because it offers the best opportunity to do that.

NEFF is involved in the management of private woodlots of 10 acres or greater in size. Their projects are ideal for a landowner’s private property to enhance its wildlife, as well as providing long term production of forest products.

Vast Area of Interest The organization

performs its work in the western Maine Mountains, which they call “the Mountains of the Dawn.” I love that terminology, because our North America mountains are the oldest on the continent and they are positioned on the eastern side of the continent where they greet the morning’s sun.

Canadian Lynx (AnimalSake photo)

The group’s area of interest is 98 percent forest, and runs from Baxter State Park southwesterly along the Appalachians, the Boundary Mountains, and along portions of the borders of Quebec and New Hampshire, as well as easterly to the Kennebec River Valley’s watershed.

Using Trappers’ Knowledge How does this in(Continued on next page)

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volve and affect trappers? First, we are knowledgeable about most all the wildlife, their habits and habitat preferences.

The foundation uses two species (the Pine Marten and the Canadian Lynx) as their “umbrella species” whose different habitat requirements also benefit many different species. The health of those two species serves as an indicator of overall biodiversity and related ecological function.

An evaluation of one’s property includes all wildlife, particularly those listed by federal and state governments.

The Maine Trappers Associations involvement with the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan and the current ongoing Furbearer Action Plan broadens the trapper’s knowledge of overall environmental concerns. As a result, we have a depth of knowledge about

the world around us, from the inhabitants of vernal pools to the various species of both common and rare mammals, birds, fish and insects found from the lowlands up into the mountains.

NEFF’s goal is to have property owners maintain their woodlots in a manner that provides a habitat for wildlife while still allowing a sustainable harvest of forest products. NEFF recognizes the extraordinary ecological significance of this region, both as a timberland and as a major habitat for a truly diverse population of wildlife.

Maine has World-Class Habitat This region has been – and remains – a significant outdoor recreational area because of its diverse wildlife. This has created a rich heritage of hunting and trapping along with its famous world-class cold water recreational fishing for a variety of salmonids.

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 54)

Dipper which point at the North Star, the last star in Little Dipper’s handle.

One of the best ways to explore the stars is with the Night Sky app on your phone. Just hold it up, and it tells you what stars are in front of you.

Shooting Stars And who can resist shooting stars or meteor showers? These are rarely visible in urban areas, but fun nighttime entertainment here in the Great Dark North.

The Perseid meteor shower is my

Midcoast (Continued from page 55)

increase the distance. Work in a semicircle fashion, beginning on one side and fanning out to the other side. This allows you to methodically cover all the

The fact that it has been kept and managed as a forest since colonial times gives this region national and global importance.

In fact, this vast region of temperate forest is unique because it has been influenced less by human activities than any other forest of its type globally. It remains largely intact, being dominated by natural regeneration of a high diversity of tree species and associated wildlife.

Recognizing this importance has led NEFF to identify 1) the region’s fish and wildlife habitats, and their specific attributes; and 2) forest and woodlot management activities and practices that may be employed to maintain or create environmental conditions that improve the habitat for wildlife, especially those of state and national concern.

When assessing a property, NEFF reviews many different factors. Among these

are 1) the types of trees found on the property; 2) the specifics of canopy cover; 3) species of wildlife present; 4) wildlife travel corridors; 5) age of trees present; 6) amount of standing and downed dead wood; and 7) evidence of introduced pests or pathogens.

They assess what activities on the land will provide high-quality habitat for a diverse wildlife population, proportions of fir in spruce stands and related impact of a possible spruce budworm outbreak, varieties of invasive plants, and the condition of and types of water sources on the properties.

There are many other things evaluated for the property owner during an assessment. The foundation can provide technical assistance to improve habitat and connect the landowner with funding to pay for improvements if the land qualifies.

The foundation

strives to build resilience into the working forest and the wildlife haven that is globally important for nesting birds, serves as a wildlife travel corridors, is home to 139 rare species of plants and animals, and provides the best last habitat in the lower 48 states for wild brook trout, moose and our furbearers.

For More Information Those who are interested and think their properties within this area may qualify can contact the New England Forestry Foundation Western Maine Project Team in Farmington at 207203-9006, or by email at cparrish@newenglandforestry.org.

More information is available at their web page, where you can check out the interactive map to see the project area: www.

NewEnglandForestry. org/Maine-Habitat.

¶

favorite. It occurs during much of August when you can lie comfortably on a blanket at midnight and watch up to 100 meteors per hour streak across the sky. This year the moon will be favorable for the August 12 peak.

Other major showers are the Orionid shower in late September and October, and the Leonid shower in November, both at 60 to 70 meteors per hour.

The Geminids in December and the Quadrantids in January each entertain us with over 120 meteors per hour.

For more info on meteor showers, go to www.amsmeteors.org

Northern Lights The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are much less predictable but more common than many people think.

Those who frequent the remote, dark backcountry might be lucky enough to catch sight of an aurora every year or two.

Wander outside after midnight in the summer or before bed in the winter and look north. Or check the aurora forecast on the NOAA.gov website. It’s well worth the effort.

water in the pool.

Listen for splashes and slurping sounds, indications of monster brown trout activity. If you spend time doing this, you may well reap surprising benefits.

So good luck, and please consider giving our stocked streams a try this July. The fish await you.

¶ ¶ www.MaineSportsman.com

58 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Intermediate Hikes Helped Family Prepare for Katahdin In 2018, I climbed the Hunt trail on Mt. Katahdin, reaching the summit with my eldest son, the Wildman, on what can only be described as a truly epic day.

On that same hike, my younger son (Manimal) was forced to retreat at tree line, due to feelings of acrophobia.

Having his older brother reach the summit and not him served to ignite my younger son’s desire to hike to the Mt. Katahdin summit, and a year later he had another opportunity.

Calculated Risk I understood that I had a full year to help my younger son gain control over his fear of heights. Having also been afraid of heights as a child, I well understood his trepidation.

I also understood that in order for him to conquer his fears, he would need to hike in progressively more challenging situations, so that he was capable of seeing heights as a calculated risk. That is to say, in life there are thousands of things that can potentially harm you every day – car crashes, ticks, crossing the road, riding a bike – but it is not healthy to live in a constant state of fear of what could be.

Instead, by managing and rationalizing our fears, we can learn to overcome them. (Except fear of spiders, of course – nothing can www.MaineSportsman.com

help with that!)

Progressive Hike 1: Ragged Mountain (1,300 ft.)

Maine has some genuinely great hikes for beginners who are looking to train for bigger mountains. One of my favorites is Ragged Mountain, which is accessible through the Camden Snowbowl, the small community-owned ski area in Camden.

The two primary trailheads are on the right side of the A-frame lodge, and at the pond end of the main parking lot, beyond the double chairlift. There is also a set of kiosks with information and maps available near the boat launch, just before entering the main parking lot.

The Ragged Mountain trails have no real “height” exposure – only the summit has a steep edge where hikers should exhibit caution.

Progressive Hike 2: French Mountain (716 ft.)

A short climb leads hikers up French Mountain, which provides gorgeous, expansive view over small Whittier Pond. The trailhead is off Watson Pond Road, which leaves from the west side of ME Route 27, about a mile north of the intersection of ME Routes 27 and 225 in Rome. Continue down Watson Pond road 0.7 miles from ME route 27, and look for a paved pullout for

parking on the eastern (left) side of the road.

Progressive Hike 3: Mt. Phillip (755 ft.)

Also in Rome, the Mount Phillip Trail is a loop trail. The trail, marked with blue blazes, leaves from the northeast corner of the parking lot heading east and in less than 0.1 miles, it splits.

Bear right to follow the trail counterclockwise.

The trail passes through a grove of tall mature pines, then heads northwest, gently climbing upward through a mixed forest of hardwoods and evergreens. It continues up to a rocky ledge on Mount Phillip’s eastern side at 0.6 miles, and crosses the ledge westward to a rocky, partial summit clearing (755’).

After enjoying views of Great Pond to the south and the Kennebec Highlands to the west, continue the loop trail by descending to the west, then turning in a southerly direction and dropping down into a stand of mature hemlock and back to the junction and parking lot.

The trailhead and parking lot for the trail are located on the north side of Route 225, directly across from Starbird Lane, 1.5 miles east of the Rome Corner (the junction of Routes 27 and 225).

Three Mountain Overview All three mountains feature cliffs and

The Vose family summits Mt. Katahdin in 2019. From left: The author, son Manimal (foreground), son Wildman, the author’s brother Matt, and Matt’s daughter Wonder Girl.

overlooks that could be potentially dangerous if conditions were slippery or if hikers were not attentive to their footing. These areas were mostly located on the mountain summits and overlooks. My son was able to get only as close to the edge as he felt comfortable, and so was able to see drops and hazards without having to be overwhelmed by them as occurred during our 2018 Katahdin hike.

We spent a good part of the spring and early summer of 2019 hiking, and by August I felt my younger son was ready for his second Katahdin attempt.

A Better Plan for Katahdin Success In our 2018 climb of Katahdin, we utilized the Hunt trail, which I would classify as “airy.” In several spots, a single misstep could leave a hiker severely injured.

Knowing that

my younger son had not yet completely overcome his fear of heights, in 2019 we decided to hike the Saddle Trail to the summit. Additionally to get a super early start, we also reserved a spot at Roaring Brook.

The training and planning worked out perfect, and by 10:00 a.m. (about 5.5 hours of hiking) the five of us – me, my brother, his daughter and my two sons – were at the summit of Katahdin.

At only one spot on the Saddle Trail did I see that my youngest son was getting “sketched,” but a quick pep talk got his head back in the game, and he never had any other problems.

We ended the hike back at Roaring Brook campground at about 2:30 p.m., a total of about 11 miles that we covered in 10 hours.

I have hiked Mt. (Continued on page 61)

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The Changing Dreams of a Gun Guy Dreams come easy to sportsmen. Anyone who follows the sporting world finds a field of dreams wrapped in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Fire and flood, pestilence and pandemics come and go, but as Boston Red Sox fans sang for 86 years.

“There’s always next season.” Snowmobilers look forward to that first good snowfall.

Fishermen wait for ice out and the waters to start warming to stir up the big ones. Hunters hope for plentiful game come the fall.

Woven into thoughts of next season and wishes for fair weather, sportsmen spin dreams of new and exciting tools (some call them “toys”). Downeast, a new Grand Laker always adds excitement.

In the Allagash, perhaps a Kevlar touring canoe stirs the blood. Along the upper reaches of the Kennebec River, all the trout folks want a new boron fiber fly rod.

Gun guys look to mark the turning of their favorite hunting season with a long dreamed-of firearm.

I know one young man up in New Vineyard who worked for months, including straight through the darkening days of this Covid-19 virus, saving his pay to purchase a new Savage Axis II deer rifle through L.L. Cote in Errol, New

Hampshire.

I am one of those gun guys also. No matter how wet the spring or hot the summer, I’m looking ahead to the autumn hunting seasons, upland birds being the hands-down favorite.

Tide Changes For decades, the dream upland shotgun around here came in the form of a delicate little side-byside made in Spain by Aguirra y Aranzabal (AyA). A beautiful gun, from a bespoke maker, yet priced thousands of dollars less than any British double gun; but still priced well beyond the reach of us mere mortals.

Fortunately, dreams can evade price tags so long as they remain dreams.

A couple of years ago, the reproduction A.H. Fox A Grade by Savage started to creep into the dream. Priced a little over half what an AyA might fetch, the A Grade seemed appealing. However, Savage only makes 12and 20-gauge versions.

Other options are limited as well. Saving money without getting real satisfaction seems a flawed concept.

Today the Italians are coming on strong, challenging the Spaniards and the rest of Europe in terms of quality, often at lower prices. Respected firms such as Beretta, Fausti, Caesar Guerini, Rizzini, and An-

tonia Zoli make some of the best production shotguns in the world.

Here and now, the BR550 side-by-side by Rizzini may displace an AyA as my dream gun. Priced at $4,775, it also outpaces my reality, but maybe once the Moto Guzzi motorcycle and the Winnebago RV get here, I might save up.

Founded in 1966

by Battista Rizzini, the company built its reputation on over/under and competition shotguns. Today, Rizzini firearms are a blend of state-of-the-art CNC machining technology and traditional Italian craftsmanship.

Abundant Choice At a time when other manufacturers display a “take it or leave it” attitude, Rizzini offers choices to potential buyers of the BR550 – not one choice, but multiple choices, to truly personalize the purchase.

Price point aside, the BR550 has all the attributes of a dream gun, from its stunning good looks to its run-with-the-big-dogs performance. Battista Rizzini still insists on choosing the Turkish walnut stock blanks himself.

Available in 12, 16, 20, and 28 gauges as well as .410 bore, and barrel lengths of 26, 28, 29, and 30 inches, the 550 can fulfill any side-by-side fan’s needs in a field gun.

The 550 is a Round

According to the author, every once in a while something new and exciting comes along and overtakes all earlier dreams. Photo: Rizzini Co.

Body boxlock design featuring a beautifully engraved receiver that is scalloped where the edge meets the Turkish walnut.

The stock comes either straight or pistol-gripped, and a splinter forend comes standard, though a beavertail is available by request. A left-handed stock is also available by request.

The standard chamber is 2¾ inches, but 3-inch chambers are also a request item. Barrels are fitted with screw-in chokes except for 16-gauge versions, which carry fixed chokes only. Purists often want double triggers, but working with gloved hands on a cold day in the western reaches of Oxford

County makes this shooter appreciate the 550’s single selective trigger.

Coming Around The variety of choices for customizing the BR550 to any particular shooter surpasses most other contemporary shotgun offerings, and at a price far less than any truly custom shotgun.

Still, the BR550 is a fiscal stretch for most of us. It’s tough to announce that the family vacation evaporated because of a new shotgun for the upcoming bird season.

Although, 2020 is one of those years that just might justify a shooter’s dream review and just maybe the substitution of some old ideas for (Continued on page 61)

www.MaineSportsman.com

60 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Lake Trout Provide Summer-long Fun I don’t think I ever had the traditional Fourth of July meal of salmon and garden peas. This time of year I’m in the mood for burgers, dogs, bratwurst and steak. Maybe because I don’t target salmon this month, they are off the menu, at least in my mind. Whatever the reason, lake trout continue to provide great sport as summer winds on, despite the heat and typical summer lake traffic.

Motor out onto Sebago Lake’s Jordan Bay (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1) any weekend day this month at sunrise, and you’ll likely see me there, enjoying a coffee and admiring what is likely

I’ve recently added new technology to my arsenal – a “Gofishcam.” This torpedo-shaped device attaches on your line and records high-definition video of what’s going on down there. I’ve learned a great deal about bait presentation, as well as what objects are at the bottom of Sebago Lake. one of the most beautiful scenes in Maine.

You will undoubtedly be part of a small fraternity of anglers on the lake. Maybe a fellow guide or two, fishing on their own or with clients. Glen Gisel, Dan Hillier, Scott Bartlett and Jim Fickett are a few of the noted guides on the lake.

You will also see a few diehard togue anglers who live on the lake and fish almost every day. Peter Dunn is one such angler who

really logs the hours!

Finally, you will almost always see a weekend angler or two; someone who lives close-by and gets on the water whenever they can, typically weekend days. We comprise the Lake Trout Armada, doing our share to cull the over-populated lake trout, reduce feeding competition with salmon and just have fun catching fish. Query any of these anglers and they will have

their tips and tactics for targeting togue.

But one thing’s for certain – you have to fish bottom if you want to catch lakers this time of the year.

In my younger days, I would drag lead core line often with a series of cowbell flashers or a dodger from a short, stout rod and an old Penn reel. My dad and I had two such rods, and we would troll when we tired of casting for bass. We were rarely successful because we weren’t down deep enough. We had no fish finder, so the only time we knew we were on bottom is when we bumped it or got snagged.

My dad always

called this type of troll “fishing blind.” He was right – we had no real idea where we were.

Later, I got a hold of some old tackle – lead rudders made by H and J Tackle of Auburn. H and J was the labor of love for Clayt Hamilton and Charlie Joy who founded the company as a side business in the mid1940s. Some of their more famous makings were the lead fish, a zinc alloy casting or jigging lure.

Hamilton, an ardent angler, soon took the company over himself and produced quite a line of lures and tackle before selling the operation to North Bay Spinner Company of Massachusetts.

H and J lead rudders were used to troll deep, right along bottom, and target lake trout. The three-ounce variety coupled with (Continued on next page)

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���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 61 (Continued from page 60)

steel line does a great job of getting your lure, or what I would use, live bait, down on bottom. Steel line cuts through the water with little resistance, so you can essentially let your line out until the rudder bumps bottom, and then reel up a few cranks. This is active fishing, as you have to adjust the depth as you go through different contour lines.

For the past three years, I have upped my Sebago lake trout game and embraced new technology that has helped me put fish in the boat for myself, friends and clients.

Now, angling with downriggers that keep my bait or lure right above bottom, an electric motor that follows one set depth and a fish finder that is the brains behind all of it, I am catching fish!

By using the chart of Sebago Lake in my fish finder, I look for unique bottom struc-

ture – a deep valley, a sharp drop-off or a consistent stretch of the same depth. I program my trolling motor to follow that contour line and run my downrigger balls about two to four feet off the bottom. I fine-tune until I’m just skimming the lake bottom.

This year I added yet another piece of technology to my arsenal of angling tools; the Gofishcam (Gofishcam.com). The torpedo-shaped device attaches on your line just before your bait or lure and records high-definition video of what’s going on down there.

I’ve learned a great deal about my bait and presentation, as well as what the bottom of Sebago Lake looks like, after reviewing my video footage once I’m home. For instance, the camera has sound, so you can hear what the lure sounds like underwater. I was amazed that cheap swivels are very noisy, while good ball-bear-

ing swivels or beaded chain are nearly silent.

You can also see how your lure acts at various speeds or with a flasher or dodger. It’s also interesting to see what’s on the bottom of the lake. I’ve trolled over too many beer cans, unfortunately, as well as golf balls, sunglasses and a few unidentifiable items.

I’ll be sure to feature my Gofishcam videos on my YouTube channel, so watch for them (troth1966 on YouTube).

Bait and lure choices vary, but over the past few years, I have found Northeast Trollers spoons (northeasttroller.com) that are made like the old Sutton spoons work great, especially in nickel/copper color. They are thin and don’t sink beyond the

Jim Bell shows off a nice Sebago lake trout taken while trolling with the author last summer. Photo

by Tom Roth

line and flutter enticingly. You can’t beat bait, so I troll frozen and pickled smelt as long as I have them.

Finally, I have been experimenting with the imitation smelt and have found Gulp! minnows and the new Live Target twitch minnows work great.

They are always good to have on hand when you don’t have bait. I use a sliding bait harness that allows me to fine-tune the roll of the bait so it makes a rotation every few feet, a nice slow roll – deadly on lakers.

¶

Central Maine (Continued from page 58)

Katahdin in every season and via every trail, and I’ve touched the summit more than 30 times. During all those hikes, I have on many occasions seen adults not perform as well as my 11- and 13-year-old sons and my 12-yearold niece.

Upon settling into our campsite, my brother and I collapsed into our zero G lounge chairs and watched the kid play tag, hide and seek and swim in the stream until it was time for bed. Ah, to be that young again, and to have just an ounce of that vigor!

¶

Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 59)

some bright new ones. To a shooter, every hunting season is special, but I have a feeling that this one coming up is going to be something really special.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

62 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

A Redneck’s Search for the Lost Dutchman’s Mine I’m a dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool Maine redneck. There are guidelines involved with being a member of this distinguished group, but these are only guidelines – we don’t follow strict rules very well.

Here are a few characteristics of a true Maine redneck: 1) We can fix anything with duct tape and bailing wire; 2) We can duct tape and spray-paint rust holes in our trucks so they pass annual DMV inspections; 3) Our truck bodies are more than one color; 4) We enjoy reading The Maine Sportsman while sitting in an old Morris chair by the woodstove at camp; and 5) We like to look for abandoned mines and other old stuff our granddads talked about.

Abandoned Mines If you want to get kids to drop their electronics, try asking them if they want to go search for an old silver mine site. Then have them research and identify the location, plan the trip, and stage the necessary gear – in short, let them take charge of the expedition. This will keep them busy and give you time to drink beer and work on your truck. Oh, and it’s educational for them, too.

Maine has a long www.MaineSportsman.com

The “Old Lincoln School” in Acton is a good place to start your search for abandoned silver mines. (All photos: Val Marquez)

history with mining.

The earliest recorded mine in the area was a bog iron mine in Newfield; it was a small operation, in operation in 1837 and for several years thereafter.

Then, in 1877, a silver vein was discovered in Acton and North Lebanon. The large silver vein runs from the Lincoln School House, a historical landmark in Acton, to the North Lebanon town line. The vein follows the ridge near the east side of Goding Brook. The area has a lot of posted land, so you’ll need to ask permission before entering.

There were 12 silver mine sites in Acton, and three in North Lebanon.

Although that sounds like a lot, in fact each site was only 600 by 600 feet, and many were side by side.

In 1880, the Acton, Boston Acton, Forest City and Portland/Acton mining companies merged and became the “Acton Consolidat-

The site of an old, abandoned silver mine is also a great place to fish for trout.

ed Mining Company.”

By 1882, however, the company had been dissolved.

Questionable Operations If these companies were in business today, it’s likely they would be considered scams. That’s because history hints that fraudulent, over-rated reports were issued to convince investors to fund the mines’ operations. In addition, historians believe some mines were “embellished” as to ore quality and vein size, and some promising ore samples were rumored to have been moved from mine to mine – a practice known as “salting” a mine.

In the western part of the country this activity was commonplace and well-documented, but the mines in the west were isolated in the wilderness, and investors had a difficult time reviewing the mine sites.

However, investors from Portland were

only a one-day ride by horseback, round trip, to and from the Acton mines. Soon, they smelled a skunk in the woodpile and started unloading their stocks.

The resulting loss of funding put an end to the mining operations.

Mining, Trout Fishing and Scouting Everyone enjoys searching for silver mines and, while they are out in the woods, trout fishing with the family. The ability to scout new hunting areas is an additional bonus.

Kids will benefit from these road trips, as well, because it involves Google research, reading and researching each site’s history (not favorite redneck pursuits).

A lot can be learned from local historical societies, and I relied on them for much of the information in this column.

Other Old Mines There are a number of old abandoned

mine sites in this region: The Davis Tungsten Mine was located in Newfield, the Galena Silver Mine was found in Kezar Falls, and the Porter Tungsten/Lead Mine was situated in the town of Porter.

The Porter mine is the most interesting site. I will not give directions. You do the research – it involves some climbing skills.

The Search It took me two years of backcountry trips to locate the actual Porter mine shaft opening. I hiked in and covered one section of the mountain on each trip. I spent too much time searching at the top of a large rockslide – debris of boulders that had been removed for the mine shaft.

On one trip, an Eastern Timber Rattlesnake startled me.

It was sunning itself on a car-size boulder that I was about to jump onto.

After I completed my grid pattern along the mountain, I sat, perplexed, at my favorite spot – a cliff with a great view of the pond below, Green Mountain to the west, and the pure white steeple on a church in Effingham N.H. that protruded out of the green canopy.

Only One Spot Left to Look The only place on the mountain I had skipped was the cliff that reached down the (Continued on page 65)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 63

How to Enjoy Baxter When the Whole World Wants to Be There

Crowds at Katahdin’s summit. All photos: Jim Andrews

When Baxter State Park opens to the public for camping on July 1, expect long lines at the gate. The pent-up demand for access to Maine’s largest wilderness area will be unprecedented.

In fact, in some parts of the park it won’t seem much like a wilderness. Even during a normal summer season, the midday crowds at the peak of Katahdin can feel claustrophobic to the hiker seeing solitude.

So, what better year to go explore por-

tions of the park you might never have visited before? As always, the best places are those we cannot drive to.

Katahdin Lake For instance, we could drive to Roaring Brook Campground and camp in a leanto that is 40 feet from that nice couple from the Bronx in New York City. You know, the ones who had not heard about the Governor’s 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors.

Or we could stop at the trailhead for the Katahdin Lake Trail, and hike three gentle miles to a leanto on the south shore of the big mountain’s namesake lake. Canoe rentals are available at the lean-to, so we can explore the entire lake and fish for trout in the evening. Sandy beaches extend along the south shore, and we can swim out to a spot where we can see Katahdin looming over this newest section of Baxter State Park.

If we get ambi-

Traveler Mountain, as seen from Upper South Branch Pond.

tious, we can paddle to the north shore of the lake, stash the canoe, and hike three and a half miles carrying pack rods to Twin Ponds. At nearly 2,000 feet in elevation on North Turner Mountain, Twin Ponds hold cool water even in mid-summer for brook trout angling.

This hike to the ponds also passes through a corner of the new national monument Katahdin Woods and Waters. Back on the south shore of Katahdin Lake, we’ll

visit the now-closed Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camps before we leave. Teddy Roosevelt stayed here back in the day, on his way to summit Katahdin.

Go North, Young Traveler Every hiker in the northeastern U.S. has Katahdin on their bucket list. Now they all want to climb it before the next pandemic comes along and kicks over all our buckets.

We could drive to Abol Campground, (Continued on page 67)

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64 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Fishing Rangeley Region Brookie Ponds Heat Up The sweltering heat of summer, in full swing during July, slows down a lot of trout and salmon fishing. Certain waters

don’t offer the cooling refuge salmonid need to survive the full force of sizzling temperatures associated with the month of July.

The Rangeley Region, with its higher elevation, creates a slight advantage in this regard. Glacial ponds at higher elevations always seem to have cooler water, and any flows that come out of the mountainous aquifer system groundwater at these higher elevations also will be nicely chilled.

Also look for incoming brooks and streams on ponds or lakes – deep shade from heavily-wooded areas around this region help to keep the running water slightly cooler than flat and

open ground.

Other cooling factors for ponds and lakes, spring holes and seeps, create a thermal refuge of cool water for overheated salmonid.

Most ponds and lakes in this region have a good supply of cool water from spring holes.

Earlier this year I noticed an interesting thermometer at the Rangeley Region Sports Shop (rangeleyflyshop.com) and ordered it from home at a later date. The William Joseph infrared thermometer gives an angler a digital display of water temperatures

from several yards away. As I paddle across a pond or lake, I can aim the thermometer at the water and check temperatures to determine where the cool springs might be on the expanse of water ... I can hardly wait to try it out this summer.

Brookie Pond Fishing It should be easy to explain the breadth of my love of fly fishing for brook trout in small, remote ponds. Anyone who has ever caught brook trout on a small pond way back in the (Continued on next page)

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���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 65 (Continued from page 64)

woods knows what I’m talking about. It’s an extremely earthy experience, both surreal and primordial at the same time.

I really enjoy just sitting out in the middle of a remote pond without doing anything in particular ... just to be out there is enough for me. Sometimes I think I take my fly rod along simply for an excuse to get out on the water.

I have caught pond brookies on streamers but really prefer anything hooked on top. I don’t know – maybe it just the way they take the fly off the surface and fly up into the air?

There’s just something about that kind of fishing that gets me going.

It seems I have a kind of routine to what I use in times of doubt.

Of course, if I see certain bugs hatching, I try and match my fly to the bug. Otherwise, I’ll start off with my favorite fly, the Royal Coachman. If it’s warm enough, I’ll try a Dave’s Hopper. Another fly that often gets a hit when there doesn’t appear to be a hatch going is the Griffith’s Gnat.

There’s really no rhyme or reason to my selections, and often I’ll try some odd fly on a whim. Sometimes I’ll

have a real clue after seeing bugs drop off from the foliage as I enter the pond from the shoreline. I will be learning about aquatic insects for the rest of my life.

“Marsters’ Mayhem” It really helps to step back and re-evaluate your pond fishing every once in a while.

I have fished one unnamed pond for years using the same few flies and doing pretty well. At times, nothing I throw out there seems to attract the fish, and I assume they just aren’t biting that day.

I asked a friend (Steve Marsters) to come along one day and fish this certain pond. We each took out our own canoe from the shore and started fishing in different locations on the pond. I hardly caught anything ... it was one of those days I just figured they weren’t biting.

As I returned to our designated lunch spot that day, I asked my friend how it went.

Marsters usually contains his excitation in most situations, but that morning I could hear a certain crackle of fervor in his voice as he relayed to me his morning of fishing.

“I really like this pond,” Marsters said,

Southern Maine (Continued from page 62)

side of the mountain at a near 90-degree angle to the distant pond below.

There are two things I really dislike, and I had to deal with both on this quest – one is snakes, and the other is heights. It was October, archery season, so I was combining two pastimes I really enjoy – bowhunting, and locating historical sites in the woods.

Old abandoned homesteads, cemeteries, rock walls, grist mills and mine sites keep me awake at night

Steve Marsters with a 20-inch-plus brook trout, caught on a dry fly in the Rangeley Region.

“I just never have caught brookies here like I did today. I hooked up with a couple of real nice fish and a bunch of other average ones.”

When I asked what he was using, he told me how he only had on one fly all day, the “Marsters’ Mayhem.”

This is a fly of his own creation – a baitfish imitation that floats on the surface. For him that day, it worked perfectly – but it was a fly that I would have never thought of using on that particular pond.

Try Something New I am a very routine kind of person, often to my detriment. Anglers should never get stuck in a rut like I do; instead, branch out and discover a whole new world of techniques, flies, equipment and

fishing accessories that work in some of the most unusual ways for your own particular fishing experiences.

My friend’s fly, the “Marsters’ Mayhem,” provides a glimpse of the reason he’s such a great angler. Marsters’ approach to fly fishing can be seen the first time you watch him approach the water. He reminds me of Ginger, my extremely curious bird dog.

Marsters actually stalks up to the water, cranking his neck to look around and take in every detail throughout the woods surrounding the water as well as the pond itself. He often comes running out of the woods with mushrooms for the dinner table even before we get to the fishing area.

I hung my bow on a limb, took off my pack and started climbing down the cliff. This was 20 years ago, and I was still full of myself then. Fear was easily replaced with obsessions.

Today, this old redneck would never venture along that cliff (I have found an easier, safe way to access the mine).

Can You Find It? As I slowly climbed along looking for foot-holes and places to hold on, I came around a rock outcrop. As I peeked around it, I looked right into the dark, water-filled mine shaft.

I doubt that anyone knows where to

He would be an awesome fishing guide, but I think he realizes it would cut into his own fishing time. The more I fish with him the more I learn to let go of my mundane routine and open my mind to new ways of catching fish.

Anglers like Marsters are few and far between – a kind friend that actually enjoys sharing his love of fishing with others.

At some point we are going to get together and tie a few of these “Marsters’ Mayhem” flies. He gave me a few already and I’ll try them this season.

Readers will be able to tell if they work for me by the loud screams of joy they’ll hear echoing throughout the Rangeley Region and beyond.

¶

find the shaft today or even wants to, but if any readers do know its location, I would like to hear from them – there can’t be many of us left. Earlier today I drove to Porter and started the hike to the top – my intent was to do a photo shoot of the mine for this column.

However, my hike was cut short, because the area has been logged off –the once-mature forest is now a jumble of raspberry bushes and sweet fern.

There’s another way in, but I didn’t have the time.

Maybe in a future column.

¶

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66 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Purchasing a Side-by-Side for Off Road Travel – Part 2 If folks only knew how much time I spend thinking about the various options available for off-road travel, they would understand why so many of the hairs on my head have turned platinum-white.

I spend too much time thinking, when I could be out there enjoying.

While I am wasting time indoors thinking about what specific model of side-by-side to purchase, I could be out exploring the trails, and finding new fishing holes, new deer hunting territory and new places to

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bird hunt. Hopefully the information in this column helps shorten that purchasing curve for readers.

To narrow the choice a bit, I asked around and found that the best information comes from other folks who ride a lot. Mix their views with your own personal experiences and you’ll find the machine that best fits your needs. I’ve got buddies who ride in groups from various ATV clubs around the state, and they’ve had plenty of experience riding each of the brand name side-by-

sides.

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, most all current manufacturers of sideby-sides produce exceptional machines. I have driven a Yamaha and a Polaris and will be testing a Honda Pioneer as soon as I can.

I want to see if the Pioneer will carry a hunting buddy and two dogs more comfortably than the others.

In speaking with several sources, only one fellow suggested any machine other than the Honda Pioneer. Their combined thoughts and experi-

ences suggested the Honda as a superior machine by just a bit – less maintenance, longer lasting, as tough on the trails as any of the other side-by-sides.

They also mentioned that the Polaris was a close second, simply because the ride was so comfortable.

Personal Needs Each of the ATV/ UTV manufacturers offers plenty of accessory options for their side-by-sides, and there are several companies out there that deal specifically with aftermarket products to accessorize your

machine. I know exactly what I want – • I’d like the machine to be camo-colored to keep it less conspicuous while checking out my secret fishing and hunting territory; • I want a plow for pushing snow around in my paved driveway; • I need to have a rear cargo area to strap a large dog crate to for carrying two dogs; and • Above all, I want the cab to be completely enclosed (Continued on next page)

���������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • July 2020 • 67 (Continued from page 66)

with a roof, windshield, rear panel and side doors with windows. I’ll be riding this machine whether it’s raining or snowing, getting outdoors no matter what the conditions. I may even put some tracks on it and keep it rolling during the winter months.

Others may have differing needs based on what they expect to be using the machine for; some will require less, some more. One thing to remember when setting this purchase up – human nature makes us pretend that we can always add some accessory at a later date. We all know how that works out – most folks, me included, never follow up on this, and don’t ever get to installing these accessory items.

There are exceptions, but for most of us we should get all of the added features at the time of purchase.

For those of us who will be purchasing a used machine, adding needed accessories at a later date becomes a requirement. Most dealers offer a full lineup of accessory options that can be fitted to your gently-used machine when the time comes for upgrading.

I, for one, will probably be going this route and will report on this in future columns.

Check out the manufacturers’ websites and do a “build your own” vehicle to truly appreciate the large number of add-on features most companies offer. They’ve got cup holders, GPS mounts, cell phone pockets, locking vaults, radios, massive speakers, mirrors, floor mats, bumpers, winches and plow blades. The one item I know I’ll be installing on my used machine is some kind of shotgun/rifle support – I don’t want firearms rattling around while I’m going down the trail.

Trailer Thoughts I can’t really think

Self-Propelled (Continued from page 63)

then join the conga line of hikers the next morning on the newly-reconstructed Abol Trail, still the shortest route from the Tote Road to Katahdin’s peak.

Or, we could be more civilized about this and save our Katahdin hike for September. Instead, we’ll enter the park through the North Gate at Matagamon Lake. We’ll drive to South Branch Pond Campground, but we won’t plan on staying there overnight.

With our own canoe, or a park rental, we can paddle to the south end of Lower South Branch Pond, then wade the canoe up the shallow stream connecting to upper South Branch Pond.

A short paddle on upper South Branch will carry us to a lean-to on the eastern edge of the pond.

From this solitary lean-to we’ll have easy access to one of the most

about purchasing a side-by-side without including a trailer purchase. Although I can ride to trails from my back yard, I definitely want to hit trail systems far from home.

I’ve used plenty of different types of trailers in my life, hauling ATVs, snowmobiles, golf carts and lawnmowers. I’m done with transporting ATVs, UTVs or lawnmowers in the bed of my truck. I had an ATV do a wheelie while I was loading it up into the bed of the truck several years ago, and it really could have been bad if I hadn’t taken quick action to avoid having the heavy machine land directly on top of me during the fall.

I will be getting one of those utility trailers, nothing fancy, that has the rear gate that folds down to create a low ramp for driving the machine on and off without any unsafe issues whatsoever.

This purchase adds another $800 or $900 to the price of the side-

Here’s Honda’s stripped-down version of the Pioneer, waiting for accessory upgrades. Photo Courtesy: Central Maine Powersports

by-side purchase, but I consider it a necessity. I’ll also purchase a cover for the machine, made for protecting the vehicle from flying debris on the road as well as providing good cover while the unit is parked in storage.

Each person will find just the right machine to fit their personal needs, outfitted with the extra accessories they find necessary. I’m sure that after riding the vehicle for a few hundred miles, each of us will also find other items

iconic Baxter hikes. The ten-mile Traveler Loop hike traverses three different peaks that rise over 3,000 feet. It offers exceptional views and an extensive amount of hiking above treeline on an exposed ridge. Total elevation gain is only a few hundred feet less than that required to summit Katahdin.

In short, it offers everything the Katahdin summit hike provides except the crowds. Back at camp, we’ll take a well-deserved swim in Upper South Branch pond and enjoy the solitude.

Paddle Into Baxter Let’s be honest – even the northern entrance to the park will likely be crowded this year. Sometimes to guarantee solitude it’s necessary to sneak into the park through the back door.

Oddly enough, this route begins at Chamberlain Bridge – the often-crowded starting point for most Allagash Wilderness Waterway trips. But instead of paddling northward on Chamberlain Lake with all the Boy Scout groups,

we didn’t think necessary at the time of the purchase.

As I go through this purchase and start outfitting it with various accessory options, I’ll follow up with columns describing my review of the options and the machine, as well as my opinions on any further aftermarket accessories I install. See you on the trail (you won’t see me, because I’ll be camouflaged!).

¶

we’ll head south from the bridge into Telos Lake. The first night we’ll camp at High Bank campsite, with a view of the park’s mountains in the distance.

The next day we’ll paddle to Telos Dam. We’ll portage along an abandoned logging road to Webster Lake. It’s a long, hot portage, but worth it, because the eastern half of Webster Lake lies within Baxter State Park. Setting up camp in the lean-to at Webster Outlet gives us a bunch of options.

The lake itself is spectacular for paddling and swimming. Webster Stream is a trout hotspot – at least earlier in the season. And the Freezeout Trail will take us all the way to Matagamon Lake if we like.

Or there’s always my personal favorite – sitting in a camp chair staring at a campfire with the silent lake in the background.

This is the kind of social distancing we could get used to.

¶

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68 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

The Art of Angling with a Bird Dog By the time July rolls around, I should be well on my way to becoming a pro at fly fishing with my dog in a canoe. Ginger, an eighteen-monthold Vizsla, was afloat a few times with me last summer, but not while I was flinging a fly around.

This summer will be the testing ground for this activity. I may not catch many fish, but I will have this bird dog officially trained to be a good girl in the boat while I go about casting to every fish on the lake or river.

She’s a very smart dog and I’m sure it will all work out, I just don’t want to practice this activity until the water warms up – just in case there’s a spill (I’m pretty sure there will be a few roll-overs).

Many years ago, I had a German Shorthaired Pointer named Nellie Belle – Roy Rogers named his Jeep “Nellybelle” and I kind of copied it. Nellie was a very good swimmer and loved canoeing with me, whether it involved fishing or not.

Her favorite trick was jumping out of the ca-

noe once we got under way, and then chasing me for miles around the lake.

Ginger, on the other hand, has been a little hesitant when it comes to jumping right in the water.

Last summer she kind of “tippy-toed” into the drink when retrieving.

She was only six or seven months old at the time, so this year I’m expecting a little less skittishness in the water.

Dive Right In I can’t really complain at all about Ginger’s first year around

Ginger the bird dog sure has the desire to jump right in. Repetitive training will develop her boating skills. Nancy Carpenter photo

water. She transitioned from fetching on land to retrieving

Get out and enjoy the lakes, mountains, rivers & woods in Western Maine!

~ HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! ~

from water quickly, and was doing fine (Continued on page 70)

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Current Logging Practices – “Slash and Dash”?

What is wrong with our logging industry? I pose this not as a cynical, rhetorical question, but as a legitimate inquiry. With all the wanton waste and general mess that I routinely see, something must be wrong.

A New Era There used to be a time when encountering a new area of timber harvest along one of the many woods roads in northern New England left a good feeling upon the outdoorsman. It represented not only a practical use of the land and a living for the hard-working loggers, but also the promise of new good things to come.

Those sportsmen who are mobility-impaired or just enjoy driving around and seeing new areas were enthused with the new access roads to places they hadn’t seen before. The cuts themselves created new habitat and regenerative growth for game animals.

This is not the case anymore. Now most spur roads to new cuttings are ditched or rocked off so the public can’t access the area, wasting a good road.

And when I can drive up or hike to a new area of timber harvest (or rather, timber massacre), now a sinking feeling overwhelms me. In this age of huge, supremely powerful and efficient

In this age of huge, supremely powerful and efficient logging equipment, it doesn’t take long to make a mess – or leave one behind.

A 20-foot pile of tops leaves an ugly stain along an otherwise beautiful logging road. These enormous mountains of limbs are no longer chipped and just left behind to rot. Why? Emerson photo

equipment, it doesn’t take long to make a mess—or leave one behind.

Nothing Wrong with Making Money I want to preface my critiques be declaring that I am no yuppie, vegan tree-hugger. Nor am I a nanny-stater that wants more strangulating EPA regulations. I want it also to be known that I am an unabashed fan of capitalism. I understand that timber companies are money-making ventures, and I don’t fault them for that. I also understand that loggers are good people doing a job that is awful hard, with long hours and time away from family. I get that time is money.

I can’t help but think, though, that some of the abuses I’ve witnessed can be

avoided—or at least mitigated.

Left-Over Logs at the Yard I don’t have a degree or any relevant experience in forestry, so therefore I won’t make any accusations of overharvest or deforestation. There are just some areas of timberland that lack timber—in some areas I frequent, one is hard pressed to find 200 yards of contiguous mature woods in a 10 square mile area.

If this is actually sustainable, then all the more power to them, but I can’t imagine that this much harvest has long-term goals in mind.

What really perturbs me is not how much they take, but rather how much is left behind. And I’m not talking about standing trees.

One just has to drive up the Parmachenee Road on the Maine/NH state line to see the wanton waste.

There are dozens of yards and loading areas with ten- to twenty-foot-high piles of leave-behinds. Some of these mountains are all tops, which make them extra gruesome to look at—or, heavens forbid, to try to walk over. Other piles have some great-looking firewood, including whole long lengths of mature spruce, beech, and even birch. In decades past, all this leftover scrap would have been chipped, but not any more.

For decades, my grandfather, who built a camp on Parmachenee Lake, had carte blanche from the former landowners to patrol the roads and vacated long yards and

retrieve any downed trees or leave-behinds to cut and split for camp wood. He could also cut any hazardous leaning trees that might soon fall in the road. It was a challenging scavenger hunt that he relished.

Nothing enthused him more than cutting pennies and getting freebies.

One would think that this relationship was naturally a good thing. The landowner looks better in the eyes of the public, for having less visible waste in the yards. The lessee keeps the roads clear for their loggers and gets free firewood.

It’s good for everyone.

But this is no longer the case with most timber land-owners.

They typically don’t allow scavenging by the camp owners, let alone the general public.

Even when they do allow it, they make it so hard by requiring special permits, placing restrictions on what can or can’t be taken, and by placing quotas on how much you can take. These are asinine policies, if you ask me. Good wood now just sits rotting away.

Tree Tops Make the Cuttings Impassible The wood in the yards pales in comparison to how much is left in the cutting itself. Some of these cuts are so full of tops that they are near impos(Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

70 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

New Hampshire (Continued from page 69)

sible to walk across.

And to try to do it after a wet rain or slick snow, is just asking to break an ankle. And

this isn’t an exaggeration. Rubber hunting boots aren’t known for their super-grippy tread – they are more

Western Maine (Continued from page 68)

when last summer ended.

I’m actually glad Ginger is taking this water stuff carefully and slowly – gingerly, to make a play on words. Nellie the shorthair wasn’t the best dog to have in the boat while trying to sneak up on fish. Like a bad trigger job on a rifle, this dog could go off at any time.

You never knew when she would jump out of the boat. Hopefully, after a little boat training, Ginger will learn that I’m the boss and exit the canoe only at my command.

When a dog jumps out of a canoe, the action can tip the whole thing over in a hurry. Boat etiquette for Ginger begins on land, well before I get her in water this summer.

I’ll take her out in the back yard and have my canoe positioned on land.

I will heel her next to me and walk her right into the canoe (I have a tough Old Town canoe that can handle this maneuver). I’ll have her sit and stay, and then I’ll step out of the boat and walk a few feet away from her.

Next, I’ll call her to me and praise her. We’ll do this for a while and then I’ll have her fetch a bumper from inside the canoe, all the while praising her for her retrieve.

After doing this on land for a few days, I’ll move the whole rig out into some shallow water (try to stabilize

Quotable

Sportsman

by George Smith

In 1830, a bounty of three dollars was paid on bear. Wildcats brought a dollar, while wolves were worth eight dollars apiece. Crows brought the killer eight cents each. Porcupines came into the picture in 1903, a bounty of twentyfive cents each being paid until 1932.

From the book 25 Years a Game Warden by Frederick Jorgenson, published in 1937 —

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like greased banana peels.

I’ve actually had to leave big buck tracks I was following that hazarded across such cuts. I’ve had to traipse around the cut and try

to catch the track coming out the other side.

With all the tops down and being so thick with whips, I’d never get a shot at a deer out there, anyway.

So, back to my

original query – To all of my forestry readers out there: What is wrong with the logging industry? Why is this happening?

¶

the boat as much as possible) on the shoreline and repeat the same exercises. She’ll need a little help getting back into the canoe, but should be able to catch on quickly. The key to all of this is repetition; I’ll keep doing this kind of training over and over until she really has things figured out.

Canoe Stabilizers A couple of my older angler friends decided to get stabilizers (outriggers) for their canoe after tipping it over a few times in cold water. I fished out of the stabilized canoe and really liked the thought of not having to think about tipping while fishing. The whole stabilizer rig wasn’t that cumbersome and attached easily and quickly.

I have a few brand-named stabilizers in mind and will be ordering one soon. The next thing to work on will be to create a dry place for Ginger to sit while waiting for me to catch a bunch of fish. I don’t want her to have to sit in a puddle of cold water all day long.

I have plans for a small platform that will level the bottom of the canoe while draining any water that drips from her body if she has been swimming. I’ll cover the level area with interlocking floor mats that also drain water and provide a cushion at the same time ... this, and a few towels and blankets, should keep Ginger warm and comfortable.

I’ll also carry my hand-operated

Sebago statistics from 2013 compiled by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife show that it takes a fisherman an average of five hours to catch any salmon, and close to 10 hours to land a legal salmon. The lake similarly yields about one lake trout every five hours. There is no longer any minimum length requirement for them.

Pete Warner column, Bangor Daily News, April 20, 2020 — We’re not big on hiking trails, just the volume of traffic they tend to create. They create issues for wildlife management – they bring people and dogs. And when you have trails, people want more trails. Then the trails become

Ginger, a Hungarian Pointer (Vizsla), sits patiently in the canoe waiting for the next command. Nancy Carpenter photo

bilge pump (Super Soaker) to extract any larger amounts of water that collect in the bottom of the canoe. I also have a neoprene vest that helps Ginger stay warm and also helps her float.

It has a nice handle on the back that makes it easier to assist her re-entry into the canoe.

This all might sound like a lot of work, but I can tell you right now, it’s actually going to be a lot of fun. Splashing in the water during a warm summer day will be refreshing. I’m just not sure how much fishing I’ll get in with a dog in the canoe. I’ll keep you posted.

¶

the focus, and it shifts away from the wildlife management.

DIFW Wildlife Biologist, Keel Kemper, explaining why there are no trails on most of DIFW’s 105,000 acres.

— If I’m not by water in the summer, then I’m not happy. We swim, we kayak, we fish. I love fishing with my dad at dusk. We go out there, and we catch white perch, and it’s crazy – we can’t make it stop. Then we go home and eat the fish within 30 minutes. It’s awesome.

Jesse Lebreck, an Oakland native and “American Ninja Warrior” competition champion. Down East magazine, June 2020.

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Smilin’

Sportsman While hiking to a trout stream, a woman noticed an old lamp by the trail.

She rubbed it, and a genie appeared.

“Thank you for releasing me from the lamp!” said the genie. “As a reward, I can grant you almost any wish!”

“I wish to live forever,” said the angler.

“I’m sorry,” said the genie. “That’s the one wish I am not allowed to grant.”

“Okay,” said the woman, “I wish to live until the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife issues a set of fishing rules everyone can easily understand.”

Grinning and shaking his head, the genie responded, “Well, aren’t you the smart one!”

•••••••••••••••••••

Send your best hunting and fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com

The Greenville minister announced from the pulpit, “Now, before we pass the collection plate, I’d like to ask that whoever stole the seasoned firewood from outside the rectory last night please refrain from giving any money to the Lord.

The Lord doesn’t want money from a thief.”

That Sunday, for the first time in months, everyone gave!

••••••••••••••••••• Final question on the Greenville emergency responder exam: “What steps would you take in case of fire?”

Top-scoring answer: “Long, fast ones.”

The Smilin' Sportsman Youth Edition Kids! Send your best hunting and fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com.

Q: What do you get when you cross the Atlantic Ocean with the Titanic?

A: Halfway.

••••••••••••••••••• Q: Why did the man stumble into the well?

A: Because he didn’t see that well.

••••••••••••••••••• Patient: “Doctor! Doctor! Everyone keeps copying everything I say!”

Doctor: “Doctor! Doctor! Everyone keeps copying everything I say!”

••••••••••••••••••• The Greenville sheriff reported that four prisoners escaped from custody when the van they were riding in collided with a cement truck.

Members of the public were asked to be on the lookout for a bunch of hardened criminals.

(Check out more Smilin’ Sportsman cartoons on page 73!) www.MaineSportsman.com

72 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

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Remote Waterfront Log Cabin

power, septic, water, Great water sports and fishing. Casco, Maine. 207-671-6613 Joe $95,000 HUNTING/ TRAPPING CABIN In the North Maine Woods T13R10. Great Moose hunting Zone 2, also bird, bear, deer.

Furnished, sleeps 6, shower, propane fixtures, finished in Cedar, PandC lease, $39,900. 207-944-0873 ———————— COMMERCIAL PROPERTY DEVELOPER’S DREAM 6.6 ACRES 370 ft. road frontage on Whittier Rd. in Farmington, Maine, just off Routes 2 and 4. Electricity on site, 4 water hookups and 4 sewer hookups, Tax Incentives possible.

207-474-0778 COMMERCIAL BUILDING WITH RIVER FRONTAGE Rt 2 in Western Maine.

Two floors, stage and balcony, basement, kitchen, bathrooms.

Restaurant, event rentals, fishing lodge, more. Must see! $137,500. FMI: call/ text 207-357-2702 ———————— DOGS

End of the road in T4-R7 on Peaked Mountain Pond, 100 miles north of Bangor.

Within walking distance of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument land.

Excellent Condition, 16’x32’ cabin, sleeps four, insulated, propane lights, heater and appliances. Jotul wood stove. Two generators. New boat docks. 267 ft. frontage on a 1.25 acre secure lease lot. Asking $65,000.

Send inquiries to: carriefitz70@gmail.com or mail to: Camp Owner 56 Hunts Meadow Road, Whitefield, ME 04353

www.MaineSportsman.com

STARTED BRITTANYS Worked on Woodcock.

Prices from $1,800 to $3,000.00 Orvis Endorsed Breeder. Quail Hollow Kennel 856935-3459.

GUN DOG TRAINING At Spruce Meadow

Kennel in Rangeley, Maine.

Experienced with pointing and flushing upland bird hunting dogs. Contact Jeff Hawksley 207 864 3610 or 207 670 8010 ———————— WANTED SKI DOO, ELAN OR TUNDRA Any Condition. Have Cash. Will Travel. Call Or Text 207-522-6940 SINGLE MALE OUTDOORSMAN SEEKING SINGLE FEMALE OUTDOORSWOMAN or would like to be – to share life on a homestead in a very country location in Mid-western Maine. If you, or someone you know, wants to get out of a town or city and has a love of the outdoors and all the activities it provides, it can be at your doorstep! Phone calls please 207-7176094 DEER/MOOSE ANTLERS Buying any size deer and moose shed antlers/racks or antlered skulls.

All grades bought by the pound.

802-875-3206 NEWLY ESTABLISHED SPORTING CAMP in NW Maine seeks Single, Female Caretaker for life-changing opportunity, year round work. Excellent benefits package. Call 207-491-8684.

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The Smilin’ Sportsman (Continued from page 71)

— MEDFORD —

(207) 943-5225 www.dewittjonesrealty.com SEBEC RIVER, MILO - 8 acre lot on the outskirts of town with frontage on Sebec Lake. Lot is not cleared but would make a nice house lot just walking distance from town. MLS #1428294 $25,000

5+/- acres with 325’ +/- frontage on the Piscataquis River.

Recreational trails accessible right from the driveway, go kayaking or canoeing out your front door! Great hunting area and lots of privacy. All the comforts of home, private well, septic system, power, full bath, and 24’x8’ enclosed porch. MLS #1455506 - $129,900

SCHOODIC LAKE, LAKE VIEW PLT - 1.88+/-acres with 215’+/-of water frontage on Schoodic Lake.

— T3 R9 Nwp — Soil tested and surveyed. Power at roadside.

Custom built log home on Cedar Lake with 106 Great location with lots of privacy. MLS #1422878 ft of water frontage.

- $155,000 Open concept living GARLAND POND, GARLAND - 1.82+/-acre lot with with hardwood floors, 200’+/-of water frontage on Garland Pond. Possi- cathedral ceilings ble owner financing. MLS #1359262 - $39,900 and custom kitchen PLEASANT RIVER, MILO - 38.97 acres. Mostly open cabinets. One-floor fields with river frontage. Great for hunting, fish- living with bedrooms, ing, and outdoor recreation. Opportunity to pur- bath and laundry chase two other properties that are connected on main floor, and loft for extra space. Walkout with this lot; one has a home on it and the other is basement with small workshop. Just minutes from Baxter State Park. MLS #1455764 - $327,500 a camping area. MLS #1453712 - $59,000

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR OVER 100 LAND LISTINGS!

Discover Maine’s outdoors on-the-go with The Maine Sportsman’s

DIGITAL EDITION

Avon – Mountain views and 6000’ on Mt. Blue stream. Views of Saddleback, Mt. Abraham and Mt. Blue are great. Good access and public road frontage. 445 acres for $249,000.

ONLY

14 PER YEAR! www.MaineSportsman.com

Rangeley – Approx 3,000’ on Round Pond, improved internal access roads and spectacular views make this 325 acre kingdom lot one of a kind. $799,900

Palmyra – Palmyra 18 hole Golf Course and RV Campground are situated on 433 acres. This is a turn-key business with buildings and infrastructure pristine. $1,500,000

Hancock County - Over 800 acres with 5,400 sq. ft log cabin completely surrounding Fox Pond.

Miles of maintained trails. Adjacent to 20,000 acres of conservation lands. www.foxpondestate. com. $4,300,000

83+/- ACRES Wilton – Diverse lot with mountain views, wildlife and stone walls.

Year round stream with waterfall.

Rolling topo. Good access. Small cabin, as-is. Many locations for house. $119,000 New Sharon - 678 +/- acres with abundant wildlife including deer and upland game birds. Diverse land with Bragdon Brook and Salt Marsh Creek running through the lot. Over 900’ of frontage on Weeks Mills Road. $299,000 or only $441 per acre.

Woolwich - 148 +/- acres. Remarkable lot with small camp.

Hunt, hike, bike, sightsee, harvest some of the large oak and pine. Great westerly distant views from Bigelow Knoll. $150,000.

$

Milo - Recreational opportunities abound on this well-wooded 20 acre lot. Immediate access to ITS 82 and locally maintained ATV trail. Good views. $24,900

King & Bartlett TWP - 770 +/acres surrounding the majority of the 538 acre 159’ deep King and Bartlett lake that supports wild brook trout, salmon and togue.

Remote unique parcel.

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

74 • July 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Stay up-to-date on the latest Maine outdoors news with The Maine Sportsman E-Newsletter!

To sign up, go to www.MaineSportsman.com and click Newsletter.

Western Maine Land for Sale!

Beautiful 374 acres of prime land with long paved road frontage, power, views, and excellent internal roads for ATV and snowmobiling. Fantastic 4 season paradise approximately 30 minutes to Sunday River and 45 minutes to Rangeley Lakes.

This parcel offers both recreational and investment appeal and is awaiting a new owner to pass on a legacy of thoughtful and responsible land stewardship. $255,000

Swift River Properties 207-329-9728

Incredible opportunity to own one of the oldest sporting camps in the Greater Moosehead Lake Region. This wilderness complex with 8 fully equipped rustic cabins and main lodge is nestled among 70 acres of pine, spruce, cedar and birch, and a half mile of frontage on a pristine pond known for brook trout and small mouth bass fishing. Fish, hunt, swim, boat and hike the extensive trail system.

Direct access to snowmobile and ATV trails.

Rich in history and natural beauty, the complex is still run today as a commercial sporting camp business. Potential for expansion for the outdoor recreation investor or an ideal retreat for a private family compound. $400,000. Serious inquiries only.

Contact Amy Wilbur for more information 207-650-9511 mainewoodswaters@gmail.com 32 Pritham Ave. Greenville, ME 04441

SOLON - Cozy, fully furnished camp with many updates in the peaceful Maine country side. Camp has all the amenities you need with electricity, a spring fed water source, and a brandnew hot water heater for showers. Easily heated with the newer propane heater or wood stove. New metal roof installed in 2018 and two newer windows in the kitchen. Hardwood floors throughout and rough granite counter top in the kitchen. Large shed offers storage for all the included equipment and tools you will need to maintain the property. Sit on the new porch with your coffee and enjoy the peace and quiet! Property is only a short drive to in town Solon and the Kennebec River. Just turn the key and you’re ready to enjoy your seasonal get away! MLS#1454284 - $50,000 CARATUNK - Nice camp on leased land. Seller has done many updates including a metal roof and fresh paint on the outside. Camp offers a nice enclosed porch, an open kitchen/ livingroom area, bathroom with a toilet and shower, a woodstove, 3 bedrooms upstairs, and all gas appliances. Enjoy the stream just across the road. The Appalachian trail is next to the property as well. MLS #1452110 - $55,000 SOLON - A work in progress! Part of this camp was originally an old school house, which was taken down to framing and then rebuilt with 2 additions and completed with log siding.

New windows and doors, shingled roof and new posts on concrete pads are great benefits.

Circuit breaker and dug well ready to be hooked up. Lots of inside storage potential as well as an outside shed for storage. Immediate access to ITS trail from your door. Bring your tools, ideas and finish this beauty to your liking. Also see MLS 1357522. You can purchase both of these properties for $95,000. WOW!!! MLS #1351048 - $44,900 CANAAN - Camp!!! Perfect for a nice getaway for hunting or some needed private downtime. Come and snowmobile or ATV as well. Nice enclosed porch area! Bunk area, kitchen and living area with oil forced hot air and an Ashely woodstove for heat. Lug in water for your indoor shower/lavatory area. Gas lights for back up. Camp is mostly furnished. MLS #1400289 - $29,900 ATHENS - Nice 5.06 acre parcel on year round road to set up a camp for hunting or a get away retreat. Electricity is available at the road. MLS #1401306 - $20,000 SOLON - Nice parcel of approximately 118 acres on U.S. Route 201. Great place for a house or camp. Enjoy the area with the Kennebec River close at hand. Hunt, fish, snowmobile from this location.Entrance drive already existing. Currently in tree growth for tax purposes. (Hb355) MLS #1097927 - $99,900 MADISON - 153 acres of land with long frontage on a gravel road and about 6500 feet frontage on Cold Brook with this parcel that is currently in “Tree Growth” for tax purposes.

(Hb149) MLS #948092 - $119,900 LEXINGTON TWP - Approximately 97 acres of land with about 3,750 feet frontage on Route 16. Currently in “Tree Growth” for tax purposes. MLS #979168 - $89,900 07/20

www.MaineSportsman.com

Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker • (207) 233-8275 caryndreyfuss@morton-furbish.com www.realestateinrangeley.com

PARKERTOWN TWP - Fishing/hunting camp on owned land with 100’ sandy frontage on Aziscohos Lake. Off-grid 2 bedroom camp with knotty pine throughout, gas appliances/lights, Empire wall heaters, wired for generator. 10x12 storage shed, 12x12 deck, privy, hand carry water. Peaceful lakeside setting, level lawn to the beach, unobstructed lake/Mt & sunset views. Listen to the loons, gaze at the stars, be one with nature - don’t miss out on this one, inquire today! MLS #1454838 - $178,500 RANGELEY - Fully year-round cottage offers 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, cozy open kitchen/living area with wood stove on main floor and 2nd floor 1/2 bath and spacious bedroom that sleeps a crew.

Just steps to shared 419’ waterfront with dock and legendary fishing on tranquil no-motors Quimby Pond, plus easy snowmobile trail access from your door. Ready for your immediate enjoyment - come see what makes the Quimby area so special, inquire today! MLS #1448121 - $229,000

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RANGELEY - Classic lakeside cottage sited on 1.8 private acres on Rangeley Lake. Offering cozy sun filled living spaces, 2-3 bedrooms, wood stove for heat, screened porch overlooking broad lake and mountain vistas. Gradual slope to 200’ waterfront with wood platform at water’s edge. Family owned and loved for 50+ years, don’t miss out on this one - come make your Rangeley Lake memories here!

MLS #1453103 - $349,000

Burlington - Well-built cute cabin tucked away in the woods with access to Madagascal’s gorgeous private sand beach. ATVing and snowmobiling and POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. Take a look today on W. Madagascal Pond Road. $49,900

Grand Falls - This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use. This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Road. ATV and snow-sled from this location. Take a look. $79,000

Danforth - Only 25’ from the water’s edge, family camp is log sided with a beautiful knotty pine interior.

Large, detached 2 car garage offers parking or storage. Lakeside of cottage is all glass providing great views on Upper Hot Brook Lake. $135,000

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. $299,000

Lee - Privately plowed, seaonal road. Electricity and nice frontage on a beautiful, clean Silver Lake.

Two lots being sold, could potentially sell one lot and keep the other. The well is on lot 14 while the buildings and septic are on lot 15. $139,000

Grand Falls - End of road privacy with power and great fishing pond on Saponac Pond. Cabin needs some luvin’ but its cute, and taxes are cheap. Wonderful location that could be yours, on prime outdoor recreational area in Maine. $79,000

Lincoln - Wonderful private 1.16 to 5.36 acre lots, driveways installed, ability to boat to Caribou and Long Ponds, access to snowmobile and ATV trails, owner financing, frontage on Egg Pond, starting at $49,000 Winn - Amazing recreational area, 5+/- acre lot, building site nestled amongst pine trees, more land and frontage available, 370’+/along the clear, clean Mattawamkeag River. $32,000 Lakeville - Easily accessible 13.1 acre lot, driveway, gravel pad and some clearing complete, extremely private lot, low taxes, just build a cabin to fish and boat on Upper Pug Lake. $49,000 T3R1 - Private 1.9 acre lot, driveway, seasonal road, ATV and snowmobile trail access, other lakes close by, convenient to Lincoln’s amenities, owner financing, 228’ frontage on Bill Green Pond. $21,500

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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