The Maine Sportsman - May 2019 Digital Edition by The Maine Sportsman - Digital Edition

Sportsman The Maine

It’s

TURKEY TIME! Pages 21-26

Brent and Steve’s Most Excellent Moose Adventure

Page 30

Shark Fishing’s New Rules Page 36

Maggie’s Bait — An Effective Trolling Fly Page 61

Is That Mushroom Safe to Eat? Page 45

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2 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 3

Bradford Camps -- just north of Baxter and east of the Allagash –

What’s So Exciting About the Middle of Nowhere? Are you kidding me? Not only does the Middle of Nowhere have a lot to offer that you cannot find anywhere else; it also does NOT have all those things that you cannot get away from! What Bradford offers: • One of the best wild salmon fisheries in Maine, Munsungan Lake • Wild trout ponds with no one else in sight

• Sunsets that are soundless, except for the loon’s call

What Bradford doesn’t have:

• Miles and miles of woods, and the largest old-growth forest in New England

• Reception… no, really – no Wi-Fi

• Floatplanes and pilots to show you how big 3.5 million acres really is

• Traffic – not even a stop sign • No pressure, no boss, no desk Bradford Camps www.BradfordCamps.com 207-746-7777 Maine@BradfordCamps.com

• Moose, bear and birds for the true hunter • Fun hospitality, clean cabins, and delicious meals

TURN YOUR SCREEN TIME INTO GREEN TIME!

Grand Lake Lodge Grand Lake Lodge, with its six cozy cabins, sits right on the shore of West Grand Lake, in Grand Lake Stream. West Grand Lake offers miles and miles of pristine waters – the perfect habitat for landlocked salmon, lake trout and smallmouth bass, with waters so crystal-clear that anglers say you can see the fish before you catch them! Morgan and Tara Rosenberg are in their inaugural year of ownership. They cannot wait to welcome back Grand Lake Lodge returnees and meet new guests setting foot here for the first time. They look forward to providing the same great accommodations right on the water and a short walk to the stream as did the previous owners of 15 years, Chris & Lindsay Wheaton. Local Registered Maine Guides offer guests top-notch fishing/hunting experiences on and around the 31 lakes that make up the Grand Lake Watershed. West Grand Lake is open for

fishing from ice-out through October 1, and stays open for catch-and-release angling from October 1st – 20th. Grand Lake Stream, a world-class landlocked salmon fishery, is open from April 1st through October 20th, and offers a three-mile-long, fly fishing-only stream full of healthy landlocked salmon. Hunting for white-tailed deer, birds (grouse, woodcock), moose and black bear is phenomenal. Guides are available to assist hunters in navigating the thousands of acres of remote land surrounding the lodge. Each of the six comfortably-heated cabins offers a screened-in porch, with a shoreline view, fully-appointed kitchen, full bath

with shower, BBQ and bonfire pit to relax around during the evening, sharing the day’s adventures with each other while star-gazing that’s unlike anything you ever see in the city. Grand Lake Lodge boasts gorgeous scenery and abundant wildlife. making it the perfect family vacation destination. Guest will enjoy fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, exploring, and swimming, all included with their stay. Motorized boats are available for rent, or guest can dock their own. For non-guests who are just spending the day, our equipment is available for rent to access the many islands and explore hidden beaches, satisfying their adventurous spirit. To book your next fishing trip or family vacation, call GLL at (207) 796-5584, email to info@grandlakelodgemaine.com, or visit website at www.GrandLakeLodgeMaine.com.

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4 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial

Successful Sportsman’s Show Demonstrates Continued Enthusiasm for the Outdoors

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication Readership

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 560 • 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

Photo by King Montgomery

Staff members and volunteers from The Maine Sportsman and Sportsmans Alliance of Maine are still recovering and celebrating the success and growth of our jointly-produced, annual three-day extravaganza that is the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show. The event, which attracted thousands of attendees, featured 180 vendors and exhibitors, and offered 120 different seminars. Older folks gathered and reminisced. Young couples brought infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teens – and not one of the teens spent time at the Augusta Civic Center playing video games on their smart phone. Turkey callers, hunting dogs in the NAVHDA room, ATVs, boats and motors, fly tyers, big retailers, mom-and-pops – a heartening sight for those who predict that couch potatoes will soon take over the world. Governor Janet Mills toured the entire arena, shaking hands, accepting congratulations, checking out trout flies (she’s an avid fly fisher) and even listening to the “Tirdy Works” moose-poop ladies give their spirited sales pitch. Steve Abbott, chief of staff for US Senator Susan Collins, stopped in to visit with his brother Scott, who was manning the Maine Bowhunters Association booth. And skilled outdoor photographer (and recent author – see his 2018 A Senator’s Eye: Celebrating Maine, Washington, and the Joys of Scraping the Windshield) U.S. Sen. Angus King put in an enthusiastic appearance. This year’s event was anchored by Sunday’s official Maine State Surplus Firearms Auction, which exceeded expectations and featured standing room-only, nonstop bidding action. Skilled Mainers filled the Art Room with painting, photography and carvings. Youngsters in the “KidZone” room caught trout, shot compound bows and – under the watchful eye of Maine Audubon staffers – pulled mouse bones out of barn owl pellets. State and federal government agencies put in a strong showing, including our friends at DIF&W, and U.S. Border Patrol personnel. Local sporting clubs sold chances for choice firearms, providing a much-needed fundraising boost. Health organizations taught avoidance and treatment of tickborne diseases, and native fish advocates lobbied for keeping northern ponds free of invasive species. Guides and outfitters from Maine, Canada and Upstate New York signed up new and returning customers, and knife-makers displayed their wares. But most important, those in attendance renewed old acquaintances and made new friends. Folks had an opportunity to speak the language of the outdoors, and share their enthusiasm for the natural features of our great state that keep us here and attract others from far away. The show was a festival of positive energy – and a great way to celebrate our survival of another long winter and our optimism and enthusiasm for the coming warming weather. Thanks to all of you readers who stopped by to greet our writers at the Maine Sportsman booth, whether it was to renew or extend subscriptions, or to show us of photos of your latest outdoor adventures. We’ll see you all at the 40th edition of the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show next year! www.MaineSportsman.com

Almanac by Will Lund........................................................ 12 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves......................... 67 A Warden’s Life by Lt. Bill Allen (Ret.)............................... 28 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia...................... 25 Big Woods World by Eric Frigon........................................ 27 Bird of the Month, by Erika Zambello............................... 17 Capitol Report by George Smith..................................... 19 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux................................... 53 Editorial.................................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie.......................... 56 Jackman by William Sheldon........................................... 59 Jottings by Jon Lund............................................................ 8 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon............................. 64 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukowski Gooding........... 24 Letters to the Editor.............................................................. 6 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour....................................... 43 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose................................... 49 Midcoast Report by Tom Seymour................................... 52 Moosehead by Tom Seymour.......................................... 61 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.................................. 41 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie................................ 42 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith........................... 20 Rangeley Region by William Clunie................................. 47 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers................................. 72 Saltwater by Barry Gibson................................................. 36 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth......................... 50 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews...................... 45 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard................................. 70 Smilin’ Sportsman: Adults & Kids by Will Lund.................. 72 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie........................ 44 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery..................... 10 Southern Maine by Val Marquez..................................... 23 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller...................... 55 Trading Post (Classifieds)................................................... 73 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour........................................... 57 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.................. 39 Young Maine Sportsman by Luke Giampetruzzi............ 66

SPECIAL SECTIONS ATVing in Maine by Shane Brown.................................... 31 Maine Moose Lottery......................................................... 29 Saltwater Fishing in Maine by Steve Vose....................... 34 Turkey Hunting in Maine by Christi Holmes...................... 21

On the Cover: In this unusual photo, the iridescent feathers on a handsome tom turkey reflect the rays of the rising sun. The image was taken March 19, 2019 by regular Maine Sportsman photographic contributor Aaron Smith. “I took the photo here in Ashland,” Aaron told us. “I could hear the toms gobbling, so I went out to search for them. There were ten hens and five toms – and this tom was really strutting his stuff.”

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 5

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Letters

6 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

To The Editor

Simple Kayak Sticker Assists First Responders

To the Editor: Jon Lund’s March 2019 “Jottings” column discussed small boat designs. He also wrote about the challenges of fishing from a kayak. This is the time year kayakers will begin hitting the water in earnest. An experience last year taught me the importance of a piece of safety equipment – namely, a sticker on

I arrived just in time to see seven emergency vehicles turn down into the parking lot – the fire truck, the ambulance, the fire chief and four police cars. each kayak identifying the owner and providing contact information. ***** My kayak is yellow. That’s important, because it caused quite a stir at our marina that summer afternoon. A boater reported he’d seen a yellow kayak upside down on the river. Our dockmaster Nick put two and two together and came up with, “Yellow – that’s Randy’s boat!” Being a bit of an alarmist, he panicked and called our son Jeremy. Jeremy set speed records driving to the marina, then jumped

into the work skiff and roared up the river. Meanwhile I was paddling slowly along the Biddeford shoreline searching for snapping turtles, oblivious to the unfolding drama that was about to envelop me. Jeremy spotted me in the shallows, cut the engine and yelled “Dad, are you okay?” “Of course I’m okay. What’s up?” “You didn’t flip over?” “No, I’m fine.” Jeremy looked confused, spun the boat around, gunned the engine and flew back downriver. I was about ready to return any(Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 7 (Continued from page 6)

way, so paddled back to the marina. I arrived just in time to see seven emergency vehicles turn down into the parking lot – the fire truck, the ambulance, the fire chief and four police cars. Blue lights were flashing everywhere. I know the chief pretty well, and when he saw me he asked what I knew, I responded, “Not much – just that someone had reported a yellow kayak upside down on the river.” My own yellow kayak was sitting there on the mud behind me. Soon the fireboat came up the river. Meanwhile, the police launched their Zodiac. With all these officers and EMTs around, I began to feel just a little too conspicuous standing there wearing a life jacket and holding a kayak paddle. I decided to reduce the

chance for confusion by disappearing, which I driveway and back to their regular patrols. did by walking up to our house and changing The next morning I glued one of those free clothes. Coast Guard Auxiliary identification stickers In a little while the fireboat returned inside my yellow kayak. with the yellow kayak. I went back down to Randy Randall - Saco, ME the parking lot to investigate. They had not found anyone in the water or a floating body. The conclusion was that the wind had blown the kayak off someone’s dock – a common occurrence. There was no name or any idenSummer tification on the kayak – no way of knowing who it belonged to, or more importantly, whom the resSaturday, August 3, 2019 cue personnel should be searching Wildwood Function Center, Route 113, Steep Falls, Maine for. We are now accepting Consignments and/or Purchasing Items, Minutes later, all the police and Single Pieces to Entire Collections, for this Summer, 2019, Sporting Auction fire vehicles created a sort of paEvent in the following Categories: rade as they drove single file up the

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This kayak/canoe sticker is available without charge from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and from most kayak retailers. It can save time, money and angst, by allowing rescuers to contact the owners of boats that are found adrift.

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8 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Author’s Lifelong Passion with Fishing “The poacher tosses the stick of dynamite to the warden ….” – so goes the old story. Background: The notorious poacher in his boat is tossing lighted sticks of dynamite into the pond, and gathering up the stunned fish that float to the surface. The warden paddles up silently behind him and, leaping into the poacher’s boat, tells the lawbreaker he is under arrest. The poacher tosses the warden a sputtering stick of dynamite, and asks, “Are you just going to talk, or are you going to fish?” With open water season under way, hardy anglers are streamside or standing in cold water, while others of us are still enjoying the warmth of the stove, talking and planning for the upcoming summer fishing season. No Wrong Way to Fish There are as many styles and nuances of fishing as there are anglers, and aside from the setting off dynamite, most of the styles are legal and acceptable. There is no “wrong way” of fishing unless the angler is not catching anything, which is one reason the sport is so appealing. Some anglers are happy chumming up shark and catching these huge fish with flies the size of a dollar bill. Others troll deep with a downrigger and depth finder, while some are happiest casting dry flies so tiny they need a magnifying glass to tie on the leader. This angler’s happy time is casting wet flies to rising trout on a www.MaineSportsman.com

The current popularity the large-arbor fly reels provides an incidental benefit to those of us stubborn anglers who choose to fish with with traditional fly reels – namely, perfectly good classic fly reels are available for sale on the used market at reasonable prices.

After learning to fish for yellow perch with one-piece bamboo rods, the author eventually graduated to larger quarry. Here he is shown at Samoset Camps, Greenvale Cove, Rangeley with a brace of landlocked salmon.

Maine backwoods pond, but there is lots of opportunity in this state for the shark fisherman, the deep troller, the dry fly purist and the wet fly fan. Worms and Bobbers My introduction to angling was in the form

of still-fishing for yellow perch with my brother and Dad on Lake Champlain. I was five or six. We used old-fashioned one-piece bamboo poles with the line tied to the tip, a bobber, sinker and snelled hook baited with

an angleworm. No reel was needed. Fishing from our boat, I swung the rod out at a right angle to the boat and watched the bobber carefully. When a perch nibbled on the worm, the bobber tipped up on end

and did a little dance. When the bobber disappeared, it was a sign the perch had swallowed the worm and hook, and I lifted the pole into the air and swung the wriggling perch over the boat and dropped it into the boat. We’d unhook the perch, break its neck, re-bait the hook and repeat the process. It was exciting and fun. When we had caught a bucketful of perch, we headed home to our primitive camp, cleaned the fish and had them for supper. It was fun and rewarding – an ideal angling start for a youngster. No fancy equipment or great skill was involved. Cobbosseecontee Brings Fish Variety Soon, our family moved to Maine and later, when the war started, Dad found an old camp for sale on an island on Lake Cobbossee. Angling became more varied and more exciting. Sunfish hung around the dock and would bite anything that moved. Trolling and casting for smallmouth bass was exciting and productive. Hardly anyone else fished for bass in those days. A small spinner and fly worked well. I learned to cast and troll with Al’s Goldfish. Later on came the Jitterbug and topwater action. In June, when smallmouth bass spawned along Cobbossee’s sandy shores, trolling for bass with a single-hook lure was permitted, and a red and white bucktail streamer produced ag(Continued on next page)

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 9

flyrods, and somehow picked up the basics of fly casting and caught a few more trout. When we rowed the boat up to the wooden float, a man came down and helped us pull up the boat, and carried away our fish box. We were accustomed to cleaning our own fish, and were surprised. The trout were served to the guests at breakfast time, but we wondered, were they the same fish we’d caught? We figured out the answer was “no.” We figured the answer was “no,” since we saw diners eating trout at breakfast who we knew had not

(Continued from page 8)

gressive strikes, with the feisty bass leaping into the air. Introduction to Fly Fishing My brother and I were introduced to fly fishing for trout at Tim Pond. My brother Mort and I rowed around one of the classic wooden Rangeley boat, and fished. In our first foray, we used nine-foot Bristol steel telescope rods, which made for pretty sloppy casting, but we caught a few brook trout. Later, we fished with Montague Flash bamboo

caught any fish the day before. Rods and Reels Evolve Soon, equipment styles changed. Fiberglass flyrods were marketed as being better and more durable than split bamboo. Fact is, the early glass rods were heavy, and stiff as a poker. For years, most fly reels were equipped with a click, which provided a moderate degree of braking. Now, large-arbor fly reels have become the vogue. They bring in more line per turn of the crank,

and the large diameter spool minimizes the tendency of the fly line to take on a curl, which can be an advantage when stripping in great lengths of line. Large-arbor reels usually feature an adjustable drag powerful enough to stop a runaway locomotive. But I believe the large arbor reel would look out of scale on my favorite five-weight St Croix graphite fly rod. Anyway, I love to hear my reel click sound off when a rambunctious trout peels line off my reel.

The popularity the large-arbor fly reels provides an incidental benefit to those stubborn fishermen who choose to stick with traditional fly reels. A number of perfectly good classic fly reels are for sale on the secondary market, and often can be purchased at modest prices. And they still qualify as fancy gear for those of us who started our fishing days using one-piece bamboo poles with the line tied to the tip.

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Warmer weather is here, but it’s not too late to celebrate some of the great catches of the past winter. Here, 8-year-old J.R. Miller of Cape Cod shows off a lunker largemouth he pulled through the ice. According to Justin Petelle, founder of “Fishing Maine with Justin,” this catch came during J.R.’s first-ever ice fishing adventure.

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10 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Why Do We Fish? Why do we fish? It’s a good question with no good answer. Do we do it to gain something, or are we trying to get away from something else? Sure, we can say we just like to fish – it makes us feel good, and we’d rather pass the time angling than doing a whole lot of other things in our lives. But that’s kind of an easy way out of the question. We all probably agree that there’s no one stimulus that moves us to fish, or to hunt, or just to go into the woods and along the waters just to be there. Yeah, fish do live in some beautiful places, and we can visit those locales not just to receive or achieve something, but also to be away from things like work, the traffic, home, or even news on television. A complex question, particularly one that involves inner feelings, is not easily answered, so let’s just pick a few plausible responses, and give an example; and then, let the train of thought and emotion flow. Is it the Anticipation? We fish partly because we are seeking something, often of ex-

I used to dream of catching a bonefish on a fly during my lifetime. Then I had an opportunity to do just that. We also caught baby tarpon, snook, jacks, and barracuda. But the permit ignored my fly, despite perfect casts. Now I dream of catching a permit on a fly during my lifetime.

Fish live in some beautiful places, and we can visit those locales not just to receive or achieve something, but also to be away from work, traffic, home, or news on television. All photos © King Montgomery.

pectations at many levels of intensity, of experiences yet to come – like catching a 6-pound smallmouth or a 4-pound brook trout. And we never know what we’re going to get, but we always hope that whatever happens is an answer to a dream, large or small.

Sometimes the realization of a dream is somewhat disappointing. When a fervent wish comes true, it often doesn’t meet those pentup expectations that you lived with for so long. With mingled pleasure at your accomplishment, and a sense of let-down

We fish partly because we are seeking something, often of expectations at many levels of intensity, of experiences yet to come -- like catching a 6-pound smallmouth or a 4-pound brook trout. www.MaineSportsman.com

that it wasn’t more thrilling, you can now move on to other dreams. But sometimes …. Dreaming of Bonefish One of my long-held fancies was catching a bonefish on a fly. When I was a kid—that was before paper towels, seat belts, affordable color

TV, Velcro, cell phones, or computers—I remember reading magazine articles that chronicled the hunt for bonefish on the saltwater flats of the Florida Keys, and in the Bahamas – the latter an indistinct place millions of miles away. Back then, anglers like Joe Brooks, a hero of mine, would tell of pristine tropical flats, azure blue skies with puffy white clouds and, of course, the fabled silver phantom of the flats: the bonefish, that almost-mythical creature was right up there with unicorns in my young mind. Joe, and his protégée Lefty Kreh a few years later, would describe the thrill of the quest for these almost elusive prey, and how, either wading or in a shallow-draft skiff (this was before flats boats), the guide would spot a bonefish – or, more likely, its shadow – and say to the angler: “Bonefish, 10 o’clock, 50 feet.” The fishermen would make a few false casts with a bamboo or fiberglass rod, and drop the fly in the designated spot. (Continued on next page)

I tossed the pearlescent Gotcha I was holding into the air, made a false cast feeding line on the back cast, and shot the fly toward the still unseen target. “Bueno,” said Jose Luis.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 11

The bonefish lay in my outstretched hand, glistening in the warm Yucatan sun. I gripped her as tightly as I dared as she struggled to escape. I could feel the throbbing power in her; she was exceptionally firm and well-muscled. (Continued from page 10)

“Wait, “ the guide would say, then “Strip, strip, now!” … and all hell would break loose. The bonefish would take off on a frantic run that would soon strip the fly line from the reel into the braided line backing. Heady stuff, and I was so hooked on the concept of the bonefishing process, that my dream, no, an obsession, was born. A dream that persisted for over 45 years! Someday, I kept saying. Someday .... Shot through the knee in combat in 1969, then, several decades ago diagnosed with two primary, malignant cancers that had to be bombarded with poisons and then cut out, one of my strongest thoughts during those incredibly difficult and painful times was of bonefish – I can’t die without having caught a bonefish with a fly rod. Dream Becomes Reality “Señor,” the Mayan guide whispered emphatically, “bonefish, 10 o’clock, 50 feet!” I looked and saw nothing; I really hadn’t expected to, from all I’d read and heard. I pointed my graphite fly rod toward the left front of the boat. “Si, Señor, “ confirmed Jose Luis. Calmly, I executed the drill that was em-

When I slowly removed my hand, she sank slowly just under surface until the bright silver of her sides gave way to a mottled viridescence that helps her blend into the bottom where she lives and hunts. Then, like a spirit, a whisper, she was gone.

bossed on my mind over those years—I had done it a thousand times before in my dreams and on the front lawn. I tossed the pearlescent Gotcha I was holding into the air, made a false cast feeding line on the back cast, and shot the fly toward the still unseen target. “Bueno, “ said Jose Luis. Elizabeth sat still and intent behind me awaiting her turn on the front deck, focused now entirely on the circle of water where I had dropped the fly. The Fish was in Charge “Wait, wait,” then “strip, strip. “He didn’t have to say “now,” because I saw the silvery flash of the bonefish as it turned to take the fly. I strip-set the hook, then raised the rod to clear the rapidly departing fly line, and to check the run of this unleashed dynamo as it headed toward Cancun, miles to the north. Now this relatively small, three-pound fish was in charge, running again and again, toward the mangroves, toward open water, toward the boat, till gradually fatigue set in. The bonefish lay in my outstretched hand, glistening in the warm Yucatan sun. I gripped her as tightly as I dared as she struggled to escape. I could feel the throbbing power in her;

she was exceptionally firm and well-muscled. When I set her into the water and slowly removed my hand, she sank slowly just under surface until the bright silver of her sides gave way to a mottled viridescence that helps her blend into the bottom where she lives and hunts. Then, like a spirit, a whisper, she was gone. I watched the spot where I had held her in the water and reveled in the beauty of her after-image. In the ripples of the clear Caribbean water, I saw the reflection of the last 45 years that had held so many dreams. This one, I smiled, had come true, in no way diminished or below expectation, but rich and satisfying, even more wonderful than I thought it could be. A teardrop joined water droplets flicked from my hand, causing more ripples that followed those made by the departing bonefish; and together they all dissipated slowly into infinity. Triple, but No Grand Slam Later, Elizabeth would catch her first bonefish, on her first cast no less, and we’d alternate catching dozens more during our trip. We’d land some baby tarpon, snook, jacks, and barracuda—

When you have used all that time, reflect on love of nature and on fish, and you will soon reach a location not of this world; a place more than a sea of the heart, and more than a stream of the mind. At long last, you will reach the river of the soul.

needing only a permit to complete a super grand slam of bonefish, tarpon, snook, and permit all in the same day. I made what I thought were perfect casts and presentations to three of these very finicky permit, and they kept on going like I wasn’t even there. Now I dream of catching a permit on a fly before I die... ***** There is more to fishing than fish, particularly when you consider all the great people we meet along our angling way, but fish are the little grails that we so passionately seek. When we find them, it is not to own or possess them, but to briefly borrow, admire, respect, and to gently return them to their element – to the sea, river or stream that long ago was our home as well. (Not that I’m averse to keeping a few fish for the frying pan now and then.) And you search for the grail again and again, always moving toward connecting with the absolute quality of the experience, and not merely reveling in quantity of fish captured, measured either by number or weight. Maybe in angling’s version of Buddhist Nirvana, the fish is never taken, and the quest with all its peripheral wonders and wondrous effects upon

you, become the ultimate, and it alone brings fulfillment. I’d just as soon catch an eight-inch native brook trout in a pristine mountain stream on a dry fly presented with a split-bamboo rod than troll up ten 30-pound striped bass from the depths with a pound of lead at the end of the line and on a rod as big around as a broom handle (and I do love catching striped bass with lighter gear). And while quantity in some venues might have a quality all its own, excellence itself is always worth pursuing; you appreciate it so much more once you’ve experienced it. Did I Answer the Question? So, to my way of thinking, chasing fish in the beautiful places where they live is a wonderful way to spend some of our precious allotted time on earth. When you have used all that time, reflect on love of nature and on fish, and you will soon reach a location not of this world – a place more than a waterway of the heart, and more than a stream of the mind. At long last, you will reach the river of the soul. But, I still didn’t answer the question of why we fish – or did I …?

www.MaineSportsman.com

Almanac

12 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

“Snapshots in Time”

Excerpts from the Annals of Maine’s Sporting Past Submitted by Bill Pierce, of the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, Maine Well, we’ve survived another Maine winter. Have you ever stopped to think about how tough the old-timers were? They managed difficult conditions on ungroomed

Born on October 17, 1913 “Togo” was the lead sled dog of Leonhard Seppala and his dog sled team in the now-famous 1925 serum run to save Nome, Alaska from a catastrophic Diphtheria outbreak. However, there’s a bronze statue of another dog, “Balto,” in New York’s Central Park to commemorate the event. Turns out, they immortalized the wrong dog. The best part is that the actual hero, Togo, was an “underdog” from the start. When he was a puppy, Togo did not look like he had potential as a sled dog. He only grew to about 48 pounds in adulthood, which was small compared to typical sled dogs. This “runt of the litter” had a black, brown, and gray coat that made him appear perpetually dirty, so, he didn’t look the part, either. Because he did not seem suited to be a sled dog, Seppala gave him to someone else to be a pet when the dog was 6 months old. However, after only a few weeks as a house pet, Togo jumped through the glass of a closed window at his adoptive home and ran several miles back to his original master’s kennel. This devotion impressed Seppala, so he did not try to give him away again. However, Togo continued to cause trouble by breaking out of the kennel to follow along when Seppala took his dog team out on runs. When Togo was 8 months old, he proved his worth as a sled dog. He had run after the team yet again and slept, unnoticed, near the cabin where Seppala was spending the night. The next day, Seppala spotted him far off in the distance, and understood why his dogs had been so keyed up. Eventually, to control the dog, Seppala had no choice but to put him in a harness to control him as he headed off on a long trip. He was surprised that Togo instantly settled down.

trails without the benefits of polar fleece and Gortex to fend off the elements, nor GPS capability with which to navigate themselves out of dangerous situations.

Togo

Togo, the heroic Alaskan sled dog, and his master, in 1925. When he could no longer pull sleds, Togo retired to Poland Spring, Maine.

As the run wore on, Seppala kept moving Togo up the line until, at the end of the day, he was sharing the lead position with a dog named “Russky.” Togo had logged 75 miles on his first day in harness, which was unheard of for an inexperienced young sled dog, especially a puppy. Seppala called him an “infant prodigy”, and later added that “I had found a natural-born leader, something I had tried for years to breed” Togo began training, and after a few years filled the lead dog position. He became one of Seppala’s most treasured dogs, a close and mutually beneficial relationship that would continue to the end of Togo’s life. At the time of the historic Serum Run, he was an astounding, 12 years old and had been a lead dog for 7 years. His master called him “the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail.”

Great Race of Mercy

In 1925, the famous serum run to save the citizens of Nome took place. The first batch of 300,240 units of serum was delivered by train from Anchorage to Nenana, Alaska, where it was picked up by the first of twenty mushers and more than 100 dogs who relayed the serum a total of 674 miles to Nome. Togo and Seppala first traveled 170 miles from Nome in three days, and picked

This inspirational story begins in Alaska, and ends in Maine. I hope you enjoy it, and that you get out there and make some Outdoor History of your own!

up the serum in Shaktoolik on January 31. The temperature was estimated at -30 F, seemingly made much colder by the gale force winds. Their return to Nome required crossing exposed open ice of the Norton Sound. The night and a ground blizzard prevented Seppala from being able to see the path, but Togo navigated to the roadhouse at Isaac’s Point on the shore by 8 p.m., preventing certain death to his team. After traveling 84 miles in one day, the team slept for six hours before continuing at 2 a.m. The temperature dropped to −40°F, and the wind increased to 65 mph. The team ran across the ice, which was breaking up, while following the shoreline. They returned to shore to cross Little McKinley Mountain, climbing 5,000 feet. After descending to the next roadhouse in Golovin, Seppala passed the serum to Charlie Olsen, who in turn would pass it to Gunnar Kaasen and “Balto.” So although the dog that often gets credit for eventually saving the town is Balto, in fact he just ran the last, 55-mile leg in the race. The sled dog who did the lion’s share of the work was Togo. Eventually, Togo’s accomplishments were recognized, and in October 1926, Seppala, Togo, and a team of dogs went on a tour. Togo drew large crowds at stadiums and department stores, and even appeared in a Lucky Strike cigarette campaign Togo retired in Poland Spring, Maine, where he died on December 5, 1929 at 16 years old. The headline in The New York Sun Times the next day was “Dog Hero Rides to His Death,” and he was eulogized in many other papers. His body was mounted, and today it’s on display in a glass case at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Museum in Wasilla, Alaska. A film about the heroic 1925 serum run is currently in production.

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 13 (Continued from page 12)

New State Record Splake Arthur Osborne was fishing on a northern lake on March 2, 2019 with his son Aaron and several friends. The ice was so thick they had to chip away around the edges of the hole to keep their auger from bottoming out. A flag went up, and Arthur began hauling. After about ten minutes he gave a big heave, and a huge fish appeared at the hole. Then the line broke. While a friend, Dominic Page, held the fish against the side of the deep hole in the ice, Aaron Osborne got a hold of the fish and dragged it out onto the ice.

Arthur Osborne and his state record 10.82lb. splake. Photo by Aaron Osborne

The lunker weighed 10.82 lbs (or 10 lbs 13 oz) on a state-certified scale, and the weight was witnessed by a local warden. It surpasses the previous record – a 10 lbs. 3 oz. fish, caught in Basin Pond on 1993 by Daniel R. Paquette of Augusta. —

Meet the New Game Warden: Brandon Sperrey

Game Warden Brandon Sperrey was raised in Hermon, Maine. He was introduced to the outdoors by his father and grandfathers, and grew up hunting and fishing around the Hermon and Levant region. Sperrey has extensive experience with recreational vehicles, including ATVs and snowmobiles. He graduated from Hermon High

School in 2012. While in high school, a local game warden made an impact on his life, and that experience inspired him to pursue the career of a game warden. After high school, Sperrey went to Husson University, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2016. During his final semester at Husson, he was hired by the Bangor Police Department, and he graduated from the 29th Basic Law Enforcement Training Program in December of 2015. Working at the Bangor Police Department allowed Sperrey to complete many training programs, including crisis intervention, and advanced roadside-impaired-driving enforcement. Sperrey says he is thankful for the opportunity to work in a large city like Bangor, as it allowed him to learn a lot about dealing with people in highstress situations. He worked at the Bangor Police Department for two and a half years before being hired by the Maine Warden Service. He looks forward to making a positive contribution to the community while at the same time protecting the natural resources of the State of Maine. —

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Oh, That Kind of Weed

We here at the Maine Sportsman offices are expected to be authorities on all manner of information, and so it did not surprise us too much in late March to hear from a reader asking for information for a schedule of upcoming “weed inspection classes.” We dutifully responded that the Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for regulating legal cannabis use in this state, and that the regulations called for inspections to ensure that planting volumes and other limits were not being exceeded. “No – I am asking about the milfoil control program,” said our reader. Oh. The back-story is that starting in 2020, all bass clubs will be required to participate in standardized training on aquatic plant and live-well inspection, and all tournament-related inspections must be performed by individuals who have received this training. All clubs will need to provide documentation along with their 2020 affidavit that at least two members have participated in an aquatic plant and live-well inspection training program endorsed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) within the last five years.

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According to Maine’s DIF&W, the first “Aquatic Plant and Live-well Inspection Training” opportunity is April 26, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the USM Lewiston-Auburn Campus, located at 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. This training is exclusively for bass club members, and meets the training requirement for the 2020 tournament affidavit. For information on this and future training opportunities, check with DIF&W or the Lakes Environmental Association, in Bridgton. —

Guest Segment: Lyme Time – 5 Simple Prevention Steps to Enjoying the Outdoors Tick-free by Paula Jackson Jones

As temperatures warm up and ticks become more active, how do we protect ourselves and our loved ones and reduce our fear of spending time outdoors? By following these 5 easy prevention steps, you lower your exposure risk to ticks and the diseases that they carry. 1) Skin Repellents work by masking your scent, making it harder for insects and ticks to find you. There are many options on the market from products containing DEET to natural and organic essential oils. Always read the labels, as some are clearly marked “not safe for children.” 2) Clothing Wearing white clothing and tucking shirt into pants, and pants into socks, does not re-

pel ticks – however, it does make them easier to find. Permethrin, a product derived from the chrysanthemum plant that kills ticks on contact, is FDA-approved in over 2,500 household products, and you can purchase this online, at the local hardware stores and do it yourself (and it lasts through 7-10 washes). Not a do-it-yourselfer? Then you can purchase clothing already infused with a heavy concentration, such as tops, pants, vests, socks, hats, gloves and blankets. The effects last up to 70 washes. 3) Pets Talk to your vet about what options are available, as there is no one size fits all. DogNotGone.com of Skowhegan manufactures dog vests infused with Permethrin, safeguarding your pet against tick exposure from nose to tail. 4) Home Cleaning and laundry products contain ingredients such as rosemary, lemongrass, cedarwood and eucalyptus oils, which are natural tick repellents. 5) Yard From pest control companies to Do-ItYourself products, you have options from chemical to natural/organic products to protect where you live and play. Free range chickens and guinea hens are another option. Groom your yard. Keep the grass mowed short and leaf litter to a minimum. Ticks thrive in moist areas. Adding cedarwood oil or Diatomaceous Earth powder to your gardens beds and borders also reduces tick populations. 6) Self-Care When you come in from outdoors, DO YOUR TICK CHECKS! Remove your clothing, toss in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes. On your body, check the following ar-

eas: Under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, along the back of the knees, in your hair, between the legs/groin area, and around your waistline. Shower products containing rosemary, eucalyptus and tea tree oil repel and wash out any ticks you may have missed while checking your hair (Remember: Tea tree oil is not safe for pets). If you do have a tick encounter, save the tick and have it tested so that you will know for certain if/what you have been exposed to (Maine residents only http://ticks.umaine. edu/; all others www.tickreport.com ). Paula Jackson Jones is President of the MLDSE, the Co-Chair of the Access to Care Services and Patient Support subcommittee of the Federal HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group, the Maine-partner of the national Lyme Disease Association, member of Maine’s CDC Vector-borne Workgroup and active in Maine’s Lyme legislation. You can reach her at paula@mldse.org or visit www.mldse.org. —

State Proposes Full Quarantine for Gypsy Moth

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has proposed a full state quarantine for Gypsy Moth. This means no outside-grown trees (with or without roots) or shrubs can be transported out of quarantined areas without a state inspector’s permit. Logs, pulpwood, bark and bark products are affected, as are mobile homes and associated equipment. —

Governor Mills Signs Shooting Range Protection Law

On March 29th, Governor Janet Mills signed LD 79, “An Act to Protect Shooting RangEducation: es,” into law as Public • Free Education & Prevention Talks Law 2019, Ch. 14. The substantive pro• Free Lunch & Learns vision states that individ• Free Staff Meeting Trainings uals may discharge fire• Free Physician Training (online webinars) arms on a sport shooting Building Bridges range that is within 100 to Fight Lyme Disease yards of a building, if the Free Patient Resources: sport shooting range was • Support Meetings Together established and in regu• Referrals to Lyme Providers lar operation before the • Lyme Legislation in Maine nearby building was constructed. • Online Resources The measure, spon• Lyme Disease & Other Tick-borne Diseases sored by Rep. Patrick • Tick Testing/Identification Midcoast Lyme Disease Corey, is intended to pre• Prevention vent situations in which Support & Education • Symptoms: Adults vs. Children folks build right next to a sport shooting range, and • Lyme & Pets Awareness • Education • Advocacy • Support then try to shut down or • Financial Assistance limit the operations of • And more... www.mldse.org that range. — 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.

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

State Agencies Doing Good Job Reaching Out to Interested Parties We have seen two recent instances in which state outdoor agencies and offices have reached out in electronic formats to effectively communicate with their constituencies. 1) Maine Fur Update The first is “Issue #1” of the “Maine Fur Update,” published by Ms. Shevenell Webb, who introduces herself as MDIFW’s new Furbearer and Small Mammal Biologist.

2) Landowner Relations Activity The second example of the state working to communicate their message, is a blog post by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Landowner Relations and Keep Maine Clean Programs, which is led by Corporals Rick LaFlamme (rick.laflamme@ maine.gov) and Dave Chabot (dave.chabot@ maine.gov). The focus of the Landowner Relations Program is to assist private landowners with

nuisance wildlife, illegal dumping and littering, misuse of their private property, property damage, and to educate user groups about landowner expectations. They work to prioritize the landowner’s concerns and address their issues quickly with the assistance of MDIFW staff and other State agencies and volunteers. The mission of the Keep Maine Clean program is to assist with the cleanup and dispos(Continued on next page)

Shevenell Webb (shevenell.webb@maine.gov), has been designated as Maine’s new Furbearer and Small Mammal Biologist. She has already take a number of steps to communicate personally and electronically with our state’s trapping community.

A Maine native, she used the first newsletter to describe her background and qualifications: “After graduating from the University of Maine,” she said, “I moved to Alberta, Canada and earned my graduate degree at the University of Alberta studying marten fur harvests and landscape change. For a decade, I worked closely with trappers on numerous projects, and recently wrapped up a project with trappers to survey wolverines using camera traps. “I am grateful for the time I spent learning from trappers while travelling in spectacular northern landscapes and I look forward to working closely with trappers in Maine.” The initial edition of Maine Fur Update includes information on various furbearer programs, including fir harvest figures for the fall of 2018, tooth sampling information (the age of animals can be determined through studies of their teeth), the future plan to have fur tagging stations starting in the fall of 2019, as well as information on the lynx, and the incidence of rabies in this state. www.MaineSportsman.com

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al of litter that was illegally dumped. The office provides this service by coordinating with the Maine Forest Service and other agencies, municipalities, corporate sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers through organized clubs. The program has collectively cleaned up over a million pounds of illegally dumped trash from private and public property within the last five years.

Young Maine Artists Spread Their Wings for Junior Duck Stamp by Nick Lund, Outreach Manager Maine Audubon I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no artist. When I was a kid, my parents would hang my drawings on the refrigerator – but only on the back side of the appliance, facing the wall. I do know birds, though, and recent-

ly I had the honor of judging some talented young artists, as part of the Maine Junior Duck Stamp art challenge. Officially called the “Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp,” the Duck Stamp is perhaps most famous as a contest for adult artists, who submit works depicting certain species of North American waterfowl in hopes of being chosen for representation on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s duck hunting license.

American Widgeon, by Dena Arrison

But the Junior Duck Stamp is more fun, letting kids choose any species of waterfowl they want, and combining the art with a full classroom curriculum about birds and the outdoors. It’s less stuffy, and more of a celebration.

Ring-necked Ducks, by Rebekah Guiltner (Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 17 (Continued from page 16)

But it was still a challenge for me and my fellow judges, who included Argy Nestor of the Maine Arts Commission, Kristin Underwood of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and wildlife artists Michael Boardman and Georgette Kanach. More than 500 students submitted artwork for consideration in this year’s Junior Duck Stamp, up from about 200 last year. Entrants were separated into four grade categories, and we were tasked with choosing winners in each group, as well as an overall Best in Show. Laid out on the judging tables in a back room at L.L. Bean in Freeport, the artwork looked like the greatest day of birding I could imagine. Harlequin Ducks splashed along rocky coasts. Mallards and Blue-winged Teal tucked between cattails. Tundra and Trumpeter Swans arched their necks on tranquil ponds.

Blue-winged Teal, by Sarah Guiltner

In all, more than thirty different species were illustrated by young Maine artists. My fellow judges and I oohed and aahed to ourselves as we silently completed our determinations according to protocols overseen by

Fish and Wildlife staff, and eventually came to final conclusions. Awards were handed out at L.L. Bean on March 23, and the room was filled with talented young artists and their proud families. The Best in Show winner was Dena Arrison from Freeport, Maine, for her lovely image of a pair of American Widgeon. Dena’s artwork will now move on to the national competition, with a shot at appearing on a printed stamp. —

Bird of the Month: Snow Goose by Erika Zambello

During the Christmas holiday, my father and I drove back to our home in Cumberland from Freeport, passing the farm fields and neighborhoods of my childhood. One in particular stretches behind the famous Toots Ice Cream stop – rolling hills punctuated with a few trees here and there, white in the winter and green in the summer. Snow had recently melted, leaving the Canada Geese nearly always present here camouflaged against the brown and tan landscape. Except one. “Dad, stop the car!” I shouted, bolting from my seat and grabbing my camera from the back of the car. Another car had already pulled to the side of the road, a young man training binoculars on the very spot that caught my eye. In the sea of brown and black feathers, a single bird glowed white in the morning sun: a Snow Goose. Snow Geese spend the winter months in habitat pockets across the United States before migrating en masse to northern Canada and Alaska for their breeding months. In the east, they normally winter in the Mid-Atlantic, but every so often small flocks or individual birds make it farther north, like our singleton in the field.

All white except for jet-black flight feathers, the geese sport a grin-like dark spot on their pink bills, as well as pink legs. Alternatively, some Snow Geese come in the “blue morph” colors, with white heads but bluegray bodies. Though they can form enormous flocks, covering the sky with their wingbeats, there was something intriguing about spotting the lone Snow Goose in a flock of Canada Geese. Did he get lost? Was there another Snow Goose flock nearby? How long would he stay? Across the United States, there are millions of Snow Geese. In fact, over 400,000 are taken by hunters every year. Their numbers are on the rise: according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds” website, “Populations in the eastern and western Arctic have tripled since 1973, and the central Arctic population has grown by a factor of 25.” Can you hunt Snow Geese in Maine? Absolutely! The last season ran from October 1, 2018, through January 31, 2019, with a daily limit of 25. (Continued on next page)

May 2019 Sunrise/Sunset

May 2019 Tidal Chart

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 5:30 5:29 5:28 5:26 5:25 5:24 5:22 5:21 5:20 5:19 5:17 5:16 5:15 5:14 5:13 5:12

SET 7:45 7:46 7:47 7:48 7:49 7:51 7:52 7:53 7:54 7:55 7:56 7:57 7:59 8:00 8:01 8:02

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 5:11 5:10 5:09 5:08 5:07 5:06 5:06 5:05 5:04 5:03 5:03 5:02 5:01 5:01 5:00

SET 8:03 8:04 8:05 8:06 8:07 8:08 8:09 8:10 8:11 8:12 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:15 8:16

DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu

HIGH AM PM 9:41 10:05 10:24 10:42 11:05 11:17 11:44 11:52 — 12:23 12:28 1:02 1:05 1:43 1:46 2:27 2:32 3:17 3:24 4:13 4:22 5:14 5:26 6:17 6:33 7:21 7:41 8:22 8:46 9:18 9:46 10:09

LOW AM PM 3:32 3:50 4:14 4:27 4:53 5:03 5:31 5:38 6:08 6:15 6:47 6:54 7:28 7:36 8:12 8:21 9:00 9:12 9:54 10:09 10:52 11:11 11:53 — 12:17 12:56 1:26 1:59 2:32 2:58 3:32 3:52

DATE 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

HIGH AM PM 10:40 10:58 11:33 11:45 — 12:22 12:30 1:10 1:15 1:56 1:59 2:43 2:44 3:31 3:32 4:22 4:24 5:14 5:18 6:05 6:12 6:57 7:09 7:47 8:04 8:34 8:56 9:17 9:43 9:57

LOW AM PM 4:27 4:42 5:18 5:30 6:07 6:17 6:54 7:02 7:40 7:47 8:25 8:33 9:12 9:21 10:00 10:12 10:50 11:06 11:41 — 12:02 12:32 12:59 1:23 1:56 2:12 2:47 2:58 3:34 3:40

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Book Review: “A Modern Guide to Knifemaking,” by Laura Zerra Naked, Afraid and Armed with a Very Large Knife -- A reality star and survival expert with Maine ties publishes a quality knife-making book

As publishers of The Maine Sportsman, we receive a number of entreaties each week to publicize new outdoor-related books on the market.

However, the breathless tone of a letter last week caught our attention: You’ve seen LAURA ZERRA on NAKED AND AFRAID and the new NAKED AND AFRAID XL in Alaska on the Discovery Channel …. OK – we’re listening. But in this case, where there’s smoke, there’s fire – and heat-treating steel, and designing a knife blade and handle, grinding, sharpening and even fabricating a heavy-duty sheath. In other words, this is a substantive, quality publication. Laura Zerra is a primitive survival expert who has been practicing her craft around the world, in Panama, the Peruvian Amazon, Colombia, and most recently on the current season of “Naked and Afraid XL, Alaska.” What is her sole survival tool? Yes – a knife. Laura makes her own knives, and tells readers how, with instructions, tips and materials shown in her book, A Modern Guide to Knifemaking. From design to sharpening, every step in the knifemaking process is covered. Laura takes you through choosing and buying steel for your knife, building a forge, shaping your knife, cutting the blade profile, grinding and polishing, making a sheath and sharpening techniques. And who knew Maine was the inspiration for the book and the location for many of the photographs? Ms. Zerra sent a note to us: Dear Maine Sportsman: As a self-proclaimed nomad, I travel constantly and rarely call a place “home”; Maine is one of the few real “homes” I have. When I first got the plan together to write

“A Modern Guide to Knifemaking,” I knew right away I was headed to Maine to work on it. There’s a beautiful wild rawness to the land and the people there, and lots of craftsmen and farmers who still make a living with their hands. I set up my shop in an old maple sugar shack, and it ended up being the perfect place to get the inspiration to write my book.” Good luck to you, Laura – and, stay warm!

Deadline for the First Annual Maine Sportsman Youth Writing Contest is May 15th! The contest is open now through May 15, 2019 to boys and girls in New England in grades 6–12. The written entries should be no longer than 500 words, and must relate to one of the following outdoor topics: fishing; hunting (including sporting dogs); sporting firearms; snowmobiling; ATVing; trapping; boating or canoeing; taxidermy; conservation; or archery. Submissions must consist of non-fiction narratives or essays – there is no poetry division in this contest, and no fiction division. Submissions must be original works, and must have been written within the past year. www.MaineSportsman.com

Submissions from students in grades 6–8 will be entered in the Junior Division; grades 9–12 will be entered in the Senior Division. Winners will receive the following cash awards: • Junior Maine winner: $100 • Senior Maine winner: $100 • Junior New England winner: $100 • Senior New England winner: $100 Additional prizes or recognitions may be awarded. Winning submissions, and selected additional submissions, will be published in The Maine Sportsman magazine. Submit entries in an email or as an attachment to an email. Send en-

tries to Will Lund, Editor, The Maine Sportsman, at Will@MaineSportsman.com, and include the words “Youth Writing Contest” and the writer’s last name in the email caption. Include your contact information, your age and your grade in school, the name of your parent or guardian, and the name of your English or writing teacher. Submissions can also be made through your schools. You will receive an acknowledgment that your submission has been received. Questions? Contact the editor at Will@MaineSportsman.com. Good luck to all contestants!

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 19

Rubber Lures – Legislature Grants Time for Parties to Reach Accord Action on Senator Paul Davis’s bill to require rubber lures to be biodegradable was postponed by the legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, at the request of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Francis Brautigam, DIFW’s Fisheries Division Director, informed the committee that the department would like some time to work on this important issue, and said they’d be organizing a group of both supporters and opponents of the bill, to explore what can be done. The IFW Committee agreed to postpone action on the bill until next year, to give DIFW that opportunity. The committee did allow people to speak at the hearing, and they heard from both supporters and opponents. Opponents were all bass anglers. Both sides offered compelling testimony. I was struck by something

Randy Larry of the Big Moose Lake Association, who submitted a petition with 130 signatures in favor of the bill, said: “The fish are dying. Something needs to be done.” It was good to hear that DIFW agrees, and is willing to explore possible actions and report back to the committee next year. Additional interesting things are happening at the Legislature this year on hunting and fishing issues. I’ll have a full report for you next month. Deer Can Travel 30 Miles In the Maine Bowhunter’s winter 2019 newsletter, wildlife biologist Nathan Bieber presented insightful information about DIFW’s deer research. Bieber reported that DIFW has been capturing deer since 2015 and putting GPS collars on them. Since then, they have handled 266 deer and placed GPS collars on 149 of them. They track the deers’

movements and their mortality rates. Bieber says that mortality rates have generally been higher in the northern study areas (WMDs 1 and 6) than in their central Maine site (WMD 17). “Leading causes of death thus far by study site,” said Bieber, “include coyote predation and malnutrition in WMD 1, roadkill and hunter harvest in WMD 6, and roadkill, coyote predation, and hunter harvest in WMD 17.” He also reported that many of the deer exhibited significant seasonal movements between summer and winter, with their range of travel sometimes exceeding 30 miles (although more common are movements of 5 to 15 miles). Deer in the northern half of the state move to recently-logged or -thinned areas where they can eat young browse, and then they move south to denser softwood-dominated areas in the winter.

Good Work The Aroostook County Conservation Association, with 300 members, has stepped up to help their deer herd. For example, they have planted 6,000 trees (cedar, oak, maple, and hemlock), harvested 145 coyotes, and planted 100 acres of food plots. I thank Jerry McLaughlin for letting me know this. And I also thank the Association for their work.

that tests ticks for pathogens is available at the Tick Lab, housed within UMaine’s new Diagnostic and Research Laboratory. They test for three of the most common tick-borne pathogens – Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis – that are carried by deer ticks. Those ticks are now spread throughout the state. Ticks and Tick-borne diseases are a significant (Continued on next page)

Tick Tests Good news! You can now test ticks here in Maine. I want to thank Maine Woodland Owners for publicizing this in their March newsletter. I am going to share that information with you today. A new in-state service

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20 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Capitol Report (Continued from page 19)

public health issue in Maine, said Griffin Dill, pest management specialist for UMaine’s Cooperative Extension. Dill said the Tick Lab offers tick species identification and uses the information to monitor tick populations throughout the

state. I was not aware, until I read the Maine Woodlands article, that we have another species of concern – the lone-star tick. Field sampling near locations where lone-star ticks were found has not revealed established pop-

Quotable

Sportsman

by George Smith

Federal officials estimate that it will take 75 years — about 15 generations of fish — for Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon to be delisted entirely. That news dims hopes that any angler who enjoyed fishing for salmon in Maine rivers in the past will live long enough to do so again. John Holyoke report, Bangor Daily News, February 12, 2019 —

ulations. Dill speculates that lone-star ticks arrive in the spring on migratory birds. You need to be aware of and wary of lone-star ticks, which are notorious for prompting allergic reactions to red meat and are a vector for several tick-borne illnesses. Dill emphasized the importance of being

[We need] to simplify our rules and regulations so that [the Warden Service] can focus on repeat and intentional violators. Some of our rules [involving] fishing and trapping are pretty complicated, and can be a challenge for staff to understand, let alone the public. DIFW Commissioner Judy Camuso. John Holyoke story, Bangor Daily News, February 18, 2019 — Freshwater just-caught fish may be delicious, but do not overindulge. Because of mercury, dioxins, DDT and PCBs that can be found in Maine waters, the state advises against eating more than quite small amounts. Deirdre Fleming report, Maine Sunday

Sara Capen of Lyman shot this 219-lb. (field-dressed) 8-point buck on October 26, 2018 in Brunswick using her .308. www.MaineSportsman.com

vigilant about ticks as temperatures warm up. “They are active anytime the temperatures are above the freezing mark, and they are especially active once temperatures reach 40 degrees,” he said. Deer tick nymphs, about the size of a poppyseed, “quest”; in other words, they seek a host.

Yup, that host could be you! The fee for having ticks tested is just $15. To submit a tick, or for more information about tick management outreach, personal protection and tick-borne disease prevention, visit www.ticks. umaine.edu.

Telegram, February 24, 2019 — The biggest challenges facing our agency are climate change, engagement, access, and funding. I would like to ensure we have a wildlife management area or water access site within 30 mins of all major communities. It also is imperative to maintain the access we are fortunate to have now. Over 90% of Maine is privately owned. It is essential that we continue to support our private landowners so that both Mainers and visitors alike will be able to continue to access areas to fish, hunt, snowmobile, trap, bird, boating and many other outdoor activities. Judy Camuso, IF&W Commissioner, Legislative Testimony, January 30

Corey Dale of Porter arrowed ths 224-lb. 18-point buck on September 29, 2018 in the town of Buckfield. It was weighed and certified at Village Variety in the town of Parsonsfield.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 21

Five Factors for a Successful Archery Turkey Hunt Bowhunting a turkey successfully is a worthy accomplishment. It requires mastering elements of concealment, calling, shot placement and recovery. It also encourages all-season practicing, which hones your archery skills so you’ll be more confident when that trophy buck walks out in the fall. But many aspects of bowhunting for turkeys differ considerably from hunts for larger animals, and an archer must learn new skills and make adjustments when hunting the big birds. Here are five areas that must be mastered if you are to meet the challenge of a wild turkey bowhunt. 1) Calling the Bird In Close You have probably heard the horror stories of experienced archers making a perfect shot on a bird, only to have it fly off, with their arrow sticking out of it, never to be recovered. While a 50-yard shot is fine with a shotgun, I recommend a max of 20 yards with a

Adjust your pin, since a 20-yard pin will shoot low at 5 yards. Back off the poundage – an 80-lb. draw weight is overkill for a turkey at 20 yards, and it may be necessary to hold at full draw for a few minutes. I shoot 40 lbs.

Shot placement is critical to effective bowhunting for wild turkeys, according to Maine Guide Christi Holmes.

bow. My general set-up includes a couple of hen decoys at about 10 yards, and I will put a few small sticks in the grass at 20 yards to provide a visual cue so I know when a bird is in range. You’ll need more patience to get a bird in that close. Though it’s tempting to call, do not call aggressively if a bird is close. Once the tom is

committed and heading in my direction, I usually shut up. The occasional soft cluck or purr may help get a bird that’s hung up to move in closer, but don’t overcall. 2) Concealment Drawing back with a bow is a big movement, and with a bird at 20 yards, your odds of getting busted increase astronomically. If you know

where a turkey roosts, or likes to strut, setting up and hunting out of a ground blind is the best method. Even if you set up a ground blind in the middle of a field in the predawn hours on the day of the hunt, you’ll find that turkeys are far more forgiving than deer. Wear a black hoodie, with black gloves, and black facemask/paint if

you’re in a blind, since turkeys have excellent eyesight. In fact, they can even notice if you blink! Another option includes using natural material to make a manmade blind. If you like to run ’n’ gun turkeys, here are a few tips for bow hunting without a blind. I like to get in a kneeling position if possible, with my left shoulder facing where I think the turkey will come from. Try to find an area with brush to your sides and back, but open in the front. Timing your draw is critical, and you’ll likely learn the hard way a few times. You could draw back while a tom is fanned out and turned, but watch out for other hens and jakes that could bust you. 3) Equipment You can use most of the same deer hunting equipment for turkeys, with a few exceptions and modifications. Adjust your pin, since a 20-yard pin will shoot low at 5 yards. Back off the poundage – an 80-lb. draw weight is (Continued on next page)

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Keith Dirago of Farmingdale, the self-described “guy with the big beard,” stopped in to visit The Maine Sportsman booth at the Civic Center on March 29th. The next morning, March 30th, he photographed these three strutting tom turkeys as they “turned tail” on the cameraman!

Turkey Hunting (Continued from page 21)

overkill for a turkey at 20 yards, and it may be necessary to hold at full draw for a few minutes. I shoot 40 lbs. Buy broadheads specific for turkey hunting. There are three broadhead styles– a guillotine style if you plan on taking a head/neck shot, mechanical style for body shots, or fixed blade if you’re using shoot-thru mesh. Don’t forget your turkey call – a mouth call is best so your hands are free to hold your bow and release. 4) Practice in Realistic Settings Turkeys have a small kill zone and not much blood, which leaves little room for error if you want a chance at recovering a

bird. Practice, practice, practice. Just like you would pattern your shotgun, do short practice sessions as often as possible on a 3D target if you can. Lakeside Archery in North Yarmouth has one you can use for $10/hour (field tips only). Bring your hunting stool/chair, and shoot from that, or shoot from a kneeling position if you don’t plan on using a blind. If you’re going to hunt from a blind, set it up and make sure you have room enough to draw back in it without your bow sticking out. Practice shooting out of it in your backyard if you can.

5) Shot Placement Once a gobbler is in range, wait for it to be fairly calm, then take your shot. Depending on the pose of the bird, target areas include: a) between the neck and beard; b) wing butt; c) anal vent; or d) head/neck. Unlike archery deer hunting, you do not want the arrow to pass through a turkey. The ideal shot is one that penetrates at least one wing, and hits vitals. This ensures the bird cannot fly, and results in a quick kill. If you’re going for a head/neck shot, set up a jake with a hen, and wait until the gobbler assumes the dominant position in front of the jake. Aim about 5 inches below the

Careful concealment, proper shot placement, and lots and lots of practice paid off for the author with this nice tom.

head. Once you’ve made the shot, hustle over to the bird and step on its head or neck. Remove the arrow if it hasn’t passed through. If you don’t get the dirt flop, the bird may take off, and without leaving much of a blood trail. Watch and listen for crashing in the woods

– did it fly? Or run? Now your woodsmanship begins. Best of luck! Let me know how it goes. Christi Holmes is a Registered Maine Guide. She can be reached at ChristiHolmes87@gmail. com.

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 23

Wild Turkey Populations Decline in Parts of Southern Maine Wild turkey flocks in my area of Shapleigh once averaged around 25 birds each year for a decade – flocks were stable. Recently turkey populations took a nose dive. I’m often asked why. It’s a combination of a few things, including winter conditions – a wet spring can wipe out a complete hatch of birds two wet springs in a row can really affect turkey numbers. But it’s more complicated than that. Wild turkeys are either “hunted or hated” – what I mean is if you enjoy hunting them you like them, but, if you don’t, then folks hate them – a true love/hate situation. Most landowners hate them. One upset land owner can destroy a whole turkey flock in a short time. A flock I’ve hunted for years has been decimated by a farmer that has killed at least 50 turkeys (in his own words) over the winter because they were eating his cattle feed. It’s not just farmers – homeowners dislike them as well. Wild turkeys eat bird feed, scare off songbirds, and crap all over lawns – in other words, they aren’t good neighbors. Many landowners have problems with their dogs eating turkey droppings in their yards, becoming sick and incurring high vet bills as a result. The problem is turkeys form large wintering flocks that then feed at bird feeders and farmers feeding stations – when you step in turkey crap a few times and catch

A flock of wild turkeys I’ve hunted for years has been decimated by a farmer who admitted to me that he’s killed at least 50 turkeys over the winter because they were eating his cattle feed.

Toms like these two are becoming rarer in certain parts of Southern Maine. The author has a few theories why. Val Marquez photo

your pet eating it, then turkeys become a pain in the butt and not the noble game bird many consider it to be in other parts of the country. Hunting Populations There are still good areas to hunt – agricultural farms with open fields and hardwood forests with oaks and beech trees are prime habitats that support flocks of birds. Agricultural areas offer perfect habitat for turkeys; corn and hay fields offer perfect forage. North and South Berwick, Sanford, Acton, Alfred and Waterboro all have hilly terrains with apple orchards and fields laced with hardwoods. Dayton, Hollis and Lyman are other areas with good habitat for turkey, as well.

Northern sections of the region include Newfield, Limerick, Limington and Parsonsfield. These towns are generally mountainous, with hardwood forests and fields. These are areas that I prefer to hunt, for a few reasons. I live there and know this area well. I prefer this area because of the larger tracts of land and fewer hunters. Turkeys are more difficult to locate here – they aren’t as visible as in the more rural areas. Deep woods turkeys are constantly on the move. There are large tracts of country side available to hunt though and I like to hunt large forested areas. You should never overlook public lands. Scout “Wildlife Management Areas” in this

region – every one has turkey populations. Walk the road systems within the WMA looking for sign and listening for turkeys calling in the early morning. Key on Food Hen turkeys have one concern, and that’s food – their whole world revolves around it. They need nutrients to produce young in the spring months. So how turkeys use the land and available food sources is important to locating birds. Find where hens frequent, and toms will be nearby. During rainy, misty days, turkeys gather in fields to feed – they avoid forest areas because of noise involved with rain dropping means they can’t hear predators, and also predators can walk

quietly on the damp forest floor. Generally, in these conditions turkey prefer open spaces like fields. Scouting this type of terrain, you will locate flocks. Last year’s acorn crop is still available. Birds love them in the spring and will gobble them up, so hunting hardwoods is smart under these conditions. Never overlook New Hampshire – their turkey populations is estimated at 40,000 birds. When you consider the state’s smaller size compared to Maine, that equates to some excellent hunting opportunities. Unit J2 runs along our western border. It has accounted for 22 percent of New Hampshire’s fall archery harvest over a few years. I have found when trying to gain landowner permission in these prime areas that it is best to ask early and not wait until the season opens. These areas receive hunting pressure, and most landowners only allow a few hunters on their land. Ask before others and avoid the “There are already too many hunter on my land now – sorry” statement. Turkey at Dawn— Trout at Noon I had my way with the trout in the small stream until sun peeked over the treetops. When the sunshine reached the water, the trout abandoned their feeding stations, retreating back into deep, dark holding areas with their bellies full from a night of feeding. (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

24 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Curried Wild Turkey Stew We should change the dates for wild turkey season, just to fool the birds. They disappear on Youth Day, and then reappear a month later. I swear they know when the season starts and ends. I see ten times more turkeys right after the season closes.

I made this following recipe two different ways. The first is set forth in the directions below, and in the second, I cut fresh turkey in chunks, tossed it with the spices and then baked it, to maximize the Middle Eastern flavors.

So try it both ways, and let me know your favorite. Bon appetit, and happy, healthy wild game meals!

This recipe will satisfy you with an exotic flavor and a silky feel from the combination of curry and coconut. It is also a great way to use up leftovers – turkey, chicken, squirrel or even iguana (which really tastes like dark chicken meat). I love python! I tried to get on the python hunt a few years ago when Florida’s Fish and Game Department held the first hunt, but it didn’t work out. I’m still trying. Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 large onion, chopped • 3 carrots, scrubbed and chopped • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tablespoons hot curry powder, or to taste* • ¼ cup arrowroot or ½ cup flour • 6 cups wild bird stock, or chicken stock • 3 cups cooked wild turkey, chopped • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • ½ teaspoon cardamom, ground • ¼ teaspoon saffron (optional) • 1 can coconut milk • Pepper for dusting Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat; add onions and carrots, and sauté 15 minutes. Add garlic, flour and curry powder, and stir. Add stock and bring to a boil for 2

Southern Maine (Continued from page 23)

It was time to change tactics. Trout can be caught at high noon when they hide out. Here’s how I’ve had luck while bottom dredging with large nymphs or worms. Tie on a large stone-fly nymph, size 8 or even larger. Add some non-lead split shot, and cast near under-cut banks or deep pools. Basically, these are worm-fishing tactics. If there are under-cut banks, then trout will be there in numbers. Also, submerged logs and head and tail waters in pools are good spots to seek trout. A location to try is the Ossipee River that flows from Effingham, New Hampshire www.MaineSportsman.com

minutes, then lower to low medium. Toss chopped turkey with saffron, cardamom and garlic powder in a bowl. Add wild turkey and coconut milk to stockpot, and simmer until heated thoroughly – about to Cornish, Maine. It has smallmouth bass and brown and rainbow trout. A Muddler Minnow works great on this section of the river. Casting cross current, swimming it with quick jerks, can result in strikes. To fish this section effectively, you should considers a float trip – it’s the best way to fish the more remote sections. Put in at a boat launch site located at Route 25 Bridge in Effingham, New Hampshire and drift-fish downstream. Make sure you locate the Maine/ New Hampshire border before lowering your line, or consider buying a one-day New Hampshire fishing license for a minor fee. Turkey hunting season, and the best trout fishing of the season all in the month

10 minutes. Serve in a bowl and dust with black pepper. * For thicker stews, add ½ cup flour and a little more curry powder.

Dean Knight of Acton with two turkeys killed on the same morning. Val Marquez photo

of May. With cabin fever behind and dogdays of summer ahead, it’s a great time to live in Maine.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 25

Feel Young Again... Take a Kid Hunting! I’m in my fiftieth year. My once-youthful appearance left the building long ago. I’m feeling my age, as well. Long sits on the hard ground used to be easy. These days, sitting motionless in an awkward position against a tree, stump or brush pile is a recipe for sore muscles, a stiff back or worse, a rib popping out of place. As the saying goes, it sucks to get old. Fortunately, modern medicine has provided us older folk with some awesome low-grade pain killers to alleviate those aches and pains. However, the natural remedies of spiked adrenaline and endorphins are equally effective. Over the last couple of turkey seasons, I’ve discovered that taking youngsters out to enjoy the sport is providing more of those spikes than when I hunt alone. Ready for his First Turkey Hunt Two seasons ago, one of my college buddies, Tom Poirier of Biddeford, reached out and asked if I’d be willing to take him out turkey hunting with his son Travis. While he felt Travis wasn’t ready to shoot his own bird, he did believe taking him on a successful hunt would pique his interest and get him excited for the following year. I wrote about that hunt last year. In short, Travis was not only excited about his father’s success; he was already looking forward to 2018 and his chance to bag a bird.

Travis’s dad had readied Travis’s 20 gauge on a set of shooting sticks. As a nice jake walked into range, the youngster whispered, “I’m going to shoot that bird.” “Oh no you’re not!” replied his father. “Wait for the big bird behind him.”

Twelve year old Travis Poirier bagged this beautiful tom turkey on Youth Day 2018, while hunting with the author and with Travis’s dad. Here, Travis lugs his 20-pound bird three-quarters of a mile back to the truck. The wild turkey sported inch-long spurs and a 10-inch beard. Photo: Joe Saltalamachia

In the early spring of 2018, Tom and I agreed that Travis was ready for his first Youth Day

experience. I needed to prepare for the young hunter, to make certain his experience would be a

good one. Thinking back to my youth and other hunts when youngsters ac-

companied me, I knew a ground blind would be key. Concealing the movements of a fidgety kid is paramount to success in any Youth Day hunt. In addition to setting up effective cover, I’d have to find some birds that would cooperate. Finding a couple of flocks would give us a better chance. It didn’t take long for me to locate some cooperative birds. A week before the season, I found a large flock. Within this group, there were five or six jakes, and eight mature toms. The remaining hens and jennies would be enough to keep the big boys in that general area until Youth Day. I located a second flock on a different farm that wasn’t quite as large; however it was big enough to provide us with a solid plan B. I took a quick video of one flock and some stills of the second, and sent them to Tom. I returned to each field later that afternoon and built two oversized brush blinds. There’d be three people and I assumed Travis might need space to move around if he was bored. In time, I’d be thankful for the extra space – and it wasn’t for the kid. First Bird for Travis! Tom and Travis arrived at my house Friday night. We brought their gear inside, and went over our plan. With the excitement Travis showed, I knew there’d be no trouble get(Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

26 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Big Game (Continued from page 25)

ting him out of bed at 4 a.m. We’d need to be at our field at least an hour before daylight. The dirt road leading to the field still had snow and frost on it. We’d have to walk three-quarters of a mile and get to our blind under cover of darkness. We settled into our blind without spooking birds from the roost. Within 25 minutes, we heard our first gobble. The birds were in a great spot. Our morning was going to be amazing! As the sun peeked over the horizon, I saw a few birds fly down about 200 yards away. I knew it’d be tough to call the toms away from the hens, so I decided to call more to the girls than the boys. At first the tactic seemed to work. Unfor-

tunately, at about 100 yards and over a slight knoll, the flock hung up. I knew they couldn’t see our decoys. I whispered to Tom and Travis that I was changing the plan. Taking advantage of the blind spot, I crawled out, grabbed our strutting tom decoy and retreated back to the blind. My plan was to walk through the woods behind the blind and to our left, come back to the field edge and place the tom decoy higher up where the flock could see him. I was able to get about 40 yards west of the blind and move the decoy into plain view. Every bird in the flock saw our decoy and started moving in our direction.

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“Let the Jakes Walk By!” In the lead were a couple of mature hens. They were followed closely by three jakes. Tom had readied Travis’s 20 gauge on his shooting sticks and was ready. As a nice jake walked into range, Travis whispered to Tom, “I’m going to shoot that bird.” Tom quickly replied, “Oh no you’re not! Wait for the big bird behind them.” As the jakes passed the blind at 20 yards, four or five big toms followed. One of the larger birds came out of strut. I gave a few calls so he’d pick his head up. Travis did exactly as he’d been taught, sealing the deal with a perfect head and neck shot! Boom! He had a gorgeous tom on the ground! After some excitement, birds flying all over and Travis realizing he’d killed a trophy tom, we took plenty of pictures to commemorate the hunt and began our long walk back to the truck. As an added bonus and to teach Travis hunting isn’t all fun and games, we had him carry the 20-pound bird all the way back to the truck. I hope Travis never forgets his first bird. We’ll be at it again this spring. Taking these kids out really makes me feel young again!

Bowhunter James McGinnis of Harrison harvested this impressive 217-pound, 9-point buck on November 26, 2018 in Harrison.

Patrick Whitney of Jonesboro scored this 18-point, 220-pound buck in Centerfield on November 25, to earn his “Biggest Bucks in Maine” patch from The Maine Sportsman magazine.

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 27

Modern Technology and Big Woods Tracking by Eric Frigon

Long before I could legally hunt, big woods deer tracking was in my blood. My neighbor, Gary, was gracious enough to bring me along and introduce me to it. Once it bites you, there really is nothing else. Thanksgiving day, 1986…at the age of 16, I was anxious to prove to myself and my mentors that I could track and kill big woods bucks solo. I set off into the woods before daylight, and jumped a buck before I could see. I stood still, waiting for light to come. I worked my way up to where the buck had jumped and found where he left his bed and tried going between two spruce trees. There wasn’t enough room between the trees, causing his antlers to remove bark off each tree. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I followed that buck’s tracks for a couple of hours as he went in and out of other deer – he was by far the biggest buck track that I had seen, and my hopes of catching him were high. As we started to come into a fresher cut, he slowed down and was browsing, causing me slow down as well. I eased up over a small hump, when I noticed him walking about 80 yards in front of me. He had no idea I was there. I raised my Winchester 30-30, placed my sights on his neck, pulled the trigger, and the buck dropped in his tracks. As I ran up to him, all I could think about was how big he was and the fact that I had done it alone.

Anyone who spends time in the woods should carry one or two compasses, and should learn how to use them, in conjunction with a topographical map. Compasses don’t require batteries and will perform accurately in any weather conditions or with any amount of cover overhead.

He dressed out at 205 pounds, and had eight points. Find Your Way The biggest fear I had as a beginning tracker was getting lost, or not making it out of the woods before dark. It was a fear that was overcome as I learned more and more about maps and compasses. With current technology, it is easier to be relaxed in the deer woods and concentrate solely on tracking that big buck, but all the technology is still no substitute for knowing how to use a map and compass. All of the things I learned about tracking would be useless if I had a fear of getting lost. These big bucks travel way too far and in any direction, never caring where they end up … to be success-

The author carries a Delorme “InReach Explorer” that is always linked to his phone. Not only does the unit work as a GPS, but its “SOS” feature allows a hunter to get help, anywhere, in an emergency.

ful, you need to be able to do the same. At Ease Today, I carry a few things that make life easier and greatly improve my odds of killing that “Buck of a Lifetime.” The first items are 1) a topographical map of the area I’m hunting; 2) a navigation-style compass; and 3) a ball compass, pinned on my jacket for quick reference. Keep in mind these items don’t require batteries and will work for you in any weather conditions or amount of cover overhead. Next is a Garmin GPS that will remain off to save battery life. I will either have a Garmin Montana 680 or a Garmin RINO 655t. The RINO is handy when you are hunting with friends and want a 2-way radio

to stay in contact with them. Lastly, a Delorme “InReach Explorer” that is always linked to my phone. In my opinion, the most important feature on the InReach is the SOS button. Not only does it work as a GPS, but it also allows you to get help in an emergency if you need it, no matter where you are. Remember though, no matter what you take with you into the woods, if you don’t know how it works, it will do you no good. Knowledge is key! Hal’s Thoughts I grew up hunting in the old days before the advent of GPS technology or any of the modern conveniences that hunters have today. When I began tagging along with my father into the deer woods, he carried a brass Silva

pin-on map compass. I don’t know how often he needed to use it, but he always had it if he needed it. I remember wandering the woods on my own or with a friend from a very young age. I didn’t have a compass and never thought much about it. I always managed to make it out of the woods, and don’t remember being afraid when I was in the woods. I think that was because my father didn’t instill fear in me by telling me that I could get lost. I just found my way out. Even before I was ten years old, I paid attention to the features in the woods such as streams, ridges, and types of trees. This probably contributed to the natural sense of direction I have. Hunters who have grown up in the modern-day world of technology start out at a disadvantage, as it gives them a false sense of security. The GPS will tell them where they are and how to get someplace, but they don’t bother to see land features on the way. Don’t get me wrong – technology is great, and I embrace it, but never use it as a substitute for good old-fashioned map and compass. Electronics can fail, but your compass will not. The best thing you can do for yourself or a youth you take to the woods is to learn how to use a map and compass. Even if I take a GPS reading to a point, I use my compass to get me there, and to get me back.

www.MaineSportsman.com

28 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gone Hunting At about 7:15 a.m. on November 30, 1994, I received a call from Warden Mark Thompson of Morrill. Mark said that his father-in-law, Keith Fuller of Morrill had gone ’coon hunting the night before, and had not yet returned home. I advised Mark that I would contact Warden Pilot Dana Toothacher, to get him started for the area, and that I would check the roads on Frye Mountain on my way down to Morrill. I contacted Warden Dave Berry of Lincolnville and explained the situation to him. Dave said that he would check all of the roads in his district while working his way toward Morrill. Dog Collars Set to Certain Frequencies After checking the roads on Frye Mountain, I headed for the Fuller home in Morrill, where I met with Mrs. Fuller in an effort to gain more information regarding Keith’s favorite hunting grounds. In conversation with Mrs. Fuller, I asked her if Keith was using radio collars on his dogs. She said that he was, and that he had just had them rebuilt. I asked her if she had any idea what the frequencies might be, and she said that there was a receipt somewhere around the house from the people who had rebuilt the collars and that she thought the frequencies might be on it. She went into another room and then came back with the receipt. Sure www.MaineSportsman.com

The Warden Pilot stood the Cessna 185 right on its tail and went almost straight up in an effort to stay over the hole in the ice at Bartlett Stream as long as possible.

Equipped with a radio receiver tuned to the frequency of the collar worn by the hunting dog that had gone missing along with his master, the Warden Pilot flew the Cessna 185 above the frozen stream where the two had disappeared. Photo Source: Flickr

enough, the frequencies of both collars were listed on the receipt. Starting the Search Now we had to locate a receiver that could pick up the frequencies of Mr. Fuller’s dog collars. After making several calls to ’coon hunters and bear hunters in the area, the Warden Service dispatcher, Kathy Chamberlain, located a Mr. McPhee of Camden who had a receiver that was capable of picking up the signals being transmitted by Keith Fuller’s dogs. I sent a warden to Camden to pick up Mr. McPhee and his receiver and to transport them to the Belfast Airport, where our pilot could pick them up and start the search for Mr. Fuller and his dogs. Warden pilots are very

familiar with the use of radio telemetry equipment, as they use it frequently to locate game animals that have been collared by our biologists during research projects. Shortly after the pilot lifted off from the Belfast airport, the receiver in the aircraft started picking up a signal from one of the dogs’ collars. Within a few minutes, Warden Pilot Toothacher radioed me to say he had located Mr. Fuller’s pickup on a woods road which ran along the north side of Quantabacook Lake. I drove to the area north of Quantabacook and located Mr. Fuller’s pickup. Keith’s son, Loren, was with me. Hole in the Ice on the Stream We checked the truck and found the tailgate

down, the driver’s side window down, and the key in the ignition. I attempted to track Mr. Fuller, but lost his track in a large stand of hemlock. Our pilot indicated that he was picking up a strong signal from one of the dogs’ collars on a point of land where Bartlett Stream flowed into the lake. Warden Pilot Toothacher also said that he could see a hole in the ice on Bartlett Stream. Loren Fuller and I traveled down the ridge to the mouth of Bartlett Stream, where Loren found one of Keith’s dogs tied to a tree. It appeared that the dog had been there most of the night. Warden Toothacher was given the frequency of the other dog’s collar. I

still remember that Cessna 185 coming across the lake extremely low and disappearing into the mouth of Bartlett Stream. As he flew over the hole in the ice, Dana stood that 185 right on its tail and go almost straight up in an effort to stay over the hole as long as possible. He radioed me to say that whenever he was over the hole in the ice, he would get one click on the receiver. Tragedy Unfolding It was becoming more and more obvious that a tragedy was unfolding in front of us. I called for the Warden Service Dive Team and an airboat. At 2:25 p.m., Keith Fuller’s body and that of his dog were recovered from the waters of Bartlett Stream by Warden Service Diver Roland Tilton. It appeared that Keith’s dog had broken through the ice on the stream, and in the process of attempting to rescue his dog from the stream, Keith had fallen in as well. Yes, it was a successful search, but the results were certainly not what we were hoping for. To this day, whenever I pass through Searsmont, I glance at Keith’s headstone which can be seen from the New England Road. The wording on the stone says simply, “Gone Hunting.”

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 29

Cabela’s and DIF&W to Host Maine Moose Lottery and Festival, Saturday, June 8, 2019 Here are the details: 1) You have until May 15 to register online for the moose lottery (no paper applications this year). 2) The moose lottery will be conducted my Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and held Saturday, June 8, 2019 at

Cabela’s store, 100 Cabela’s Blvd; Scarborough, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 3) A festival will be held in conjunction with the lottery; the activities are still being organized, but Cabela’s told The Maine Sportsman their folks are “hard at work to ensure this is the day that Maine’s hunting heritage

deserves.” 4) The results of the lottery drawing will be available online by 6 p.m. on the evening of the lottery. 5) Each successful applicant will be notified by mail and email within a few weeks of the drawing.

Check out a reader moose hunting story on the next page!

www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Northern Hospitality — a Southerner’s Moose Odyssey by Brent Siler, Memphis, TN

Editor’s note: Last year, Steve Howard of Berwick was selected in the moose lottery. His son was unable to join him, so he contacted his nephew, Brent Siler, whom he described as a “city boy from Memphis, Tennessee.” This is the nephew’s story. I’ve been coming to southern Maine for twenty years, but I’d never even seen a moose. It’s the official symbol of your state, but until this past October, as far as I was concerned, the great northern moose is just a figment of someone’s imagination at the Maine Office of With two adventures already behind him (spotTourism. ting the big bull moose, and getting it loaded So when my uncle-in-law told me he’d been onto the trailer), subpermittee Brent Siler of selected in the Maine Moose Lottery and asked Memphis Tennessee had no way of knowing me to come hunting with him, I was skeptical. that a third, equally-exciting series of events But I said “Yes.” I took a 10-hour online awaited him on Maine’s I-95 southbound. safety course, purchased a license, and Stephen Howard photo borrowed hunting gear and a rifle from a minutes, and then I saw what looked like friend in my home state of Tennessee. a Maine postcard – a massive bull moose in In other words, I was ready to go. profile about thirty yards back in the forest. It Not So Golden Road looked too big to be real. When I arrived in Maine, my uncle told I said to my uncle: “I am 100% sure there’s me we were going up north to a camp off the a moose back there!” “Golden Road.” The closest town was named My uncle drove a few yards beyond the “T4 R15.” This seemed suspicious, because in spot, and we got out of the truck and loaded the South, we name every town, creek, and our rifles. I showed my uncle where the moose cove. I’d never been any place where folks gave had been. By now, the big bull was heading up and just giving townships numbers. away from us, but it was still within range. The “Golden” Road is not even paved, much My uncle took two careful shots, and the less Golden. By the time we arrived at camp, big animal was down. It was 8 o’clock in the we’d truly left civilization behind – in fact, I morning, and we had been hunting for about had lost cell phone service three hours earlier. an hour. We went scouting. My uncle showed me My uncle looked at me and said, “Now how to look for moose tracks, droppings, and comes the hard part.” signs that a moose had been feeding on plants. No Exaggeration But we didn’t see any moose; in fact, no one at My uncle’s statement was not hyperbole. the camp saw a moose that day. We spent about an hour with a chainsaw Dressing the Part clearing a path to the bull. Then we connected Next morning, we awoke at 4:30 and a small, gas-powered winch to the moose. headed out. I was dressed in state-of-the-art Even with the help of some passers-by, we had hunting gear – a long sleeved work shirt, a dragged the huge animal only about ten yards waterproof jacket, pull-up waterproof pants, before the winch started smoking and gave and boots with two pairs of socks. I kept a hat, out. gloves, and an extra jacket in the truck. We then tried to drive the truck close My uncle, the Mainer, wore a short-sleeved enough to use the hitch. All we accomplished denim shirt and jeans. was getting the truck stuck at a 45-degree We parked the truck off a logging road, angle upwards at the edge of the trees. and I learned that rather than chasing moose We were ten miles from camp, with a through the thick woods, we’d be calling them 1,000-pound moose and a stuck truck. This to us. That made a lot of sense to me. was not good. My uncle began calling the moose with Divine Intervention a contraption he’d made from a piece of wet But then, the nicest thing happened – rawhide and an old Folgers coffee can. Much to other hunters began stopping by to help. Two my surprise, the contraption sounded exactly guys used a canoe paddle to help dig the truck like a moose – really. out. Then they used their truck to haul ours off Unfortunately, nothing came. I leapt at the steep banking. every forest noise, but my uncle explained that But then, rather than leaving, they if a moose were walking up on us, it would continued to offer their help. This amazed sound like a freight train. me – they were all on their own hunts, having After about 20 minutes, we decided to been selected in the lottery or chosen by the unload the rifles and go to a second site. permittees. Just Like a Postcard So these guys, some of whom may have We drove down the road for about five waited for years to get the chance to hunt a www.MaineSportsman.com

moose, volunteered to stop their own hunts and help us drag the bull moose out of the woods. With ropes and pullies and the two trucks, we hauled the big animal to the road. More Friendly Folks We gutted the moose (no small task). Then I sat with the carcass for a couple of hours while my uncle went back to camp to get the trailer. Hunters in every truck that drove past stopped to see if I was okay and to exchange moose stories. Several groups of young boys got out with their dads to see the moose, staring wide-eyed at the massive animal. Once my uncle returned, some other nice folks stopped by to help us drag the moose onto the trailer. With that last bit of charity, we were ready to get back to camp. We made it back at about 4:45 p.m., covered in mud, exhausted and completely happy. Other groups of hunters came to supper and exchanged stories about their hunts. Everyone we met was as pleased for us that we got a moose as they were for whatever happened to them. It was a pleasant end to a wonderful hunt. One Last Adventure But our exciting adventure was not over. Heading down I-95 early the next morning, we slowed for construction, and were hit from behind by an 18-wheel logging truck, which had been cut off by a passenger vehicle. Our trailer was wrecked, and the moose spilled half out onto the road. But the truck driver – a kid who looked about 20 – used his industrial crane to lift the moose high in the air so it could go into the bed of our truck. However, the state trooper who was directing traffic would not let us block both lanes of traffic to complete the transfer. He suggested we proceed two miles to the next exit, where we could put the moose in the bed of our truck. This led to the improbable sight of the huge animal dangling in the air during the slow, 20-minute procession down the road. With all our gear already in the back, the only way to fit the big animal in was to put him in the sitting position. For the rest of the trip to the meat cutter, we were met with waves, thumbs-up, and comments from a helpful tolltaker who had to duck out of the way of the bull’s long legs protruding out our truck bed. All About the People The trip will always be my biggest Maine adventure, but what will stay with me longest are memories of the people – the ones who helped us get the moose out of the woods; the supportive other hunters in camp; the truck driver with the winch, and those operating cars that drove beside is on the Interstate. Maine is my home-away-from-home, and the people showed me why I love it here and why I will always come back.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 31

What’s New in the World of ATVs and UTVs by Shane Brown

As we get ready to head out onto the trails for another year of riding, it’s always fun to take a look at what the manufacturers are offering for new and improved models this year. There are some great trail riding vehicles being offered up this year. Whether you are looking to purchase one yourself, or you just want to know what’s coming at you down the trail, and it’s great to see how the

major companies have met the riding public’s demand for innovation, styling and utility. So let’s take a dive in, and see what’s new for 2019. Arctic Cat

2019 Wildcat XX Photo credit: Arctic Cat

As Arctic Cat fans know, “the Cat is back” -because 2019 marks the return of the Arctic Cat name, rebranded from the previous label, Textron Off-Road. And what better way to celebrate than by having the Wildcat XX model being named as Sport UTV of the Year by several ATV-related media outlets. The Wildcat features a 998 cc, 3-cylinder, 130-hp engine, plenty of ground

clearance and plenty of interior room. Welcome back, Arctic Cat! Honda

Honda Talon. Photo credit: Honda

Big Red is going after the sport market this

year with an aggressive new 1000cc, big-power, big-suspension thrill machine they are calling the Talon. Based on my own experience as one who’s had a chance to ride one of these units, if you are interested in this style of machine I believe you will not be disappointed in Honda’s offering. The new model comes in a trail-friendly X model, and a desert R model, (Continued on next page)

Contact Your Local Can-Am ATV Dealer Today for the Latest Models and Offers!

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AUBURN Wallingford Equipment 2527 Turner Road 207-782-4886 wallingfordequipment.com

HODGDON Tidd’s Sports Shop 154 Calais Road 207-532-6476 tiddssportsshop.com

AUGUSTA North Country Can AM 3099 N. Belfast Avenue 207-622-7994 northcountryh-d.com

JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 jackmanpowersports.com

DETROIT Huff Powersports 284 North Road 207-487-3338 huffpowersports.com

LEEDS Reggie’s Kawasaki Ski-Doo 255 US HWY 202 207-933-4976 doitatreggies.com

FORT KENT Fort Kent Powersports 377 Caribou Road 207-834-3659 fortkentpowersports.com

LINCOLN Lincoln Powersports 265 W. Broadway 207-794-8100 lincolnpowersportsme.net

GREENVILLE JUNCTION Moosehead Motorsports 13 Moosehead Industrial Park 207-695-2020 mooseheadmotorsports.com

COLEBROOK, NH Lemieux Garage Inc. 161 Main St. 603-237-4377 lemieuxgarage.com

© 2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserve<!.™.®, and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc. or its affiliates. 1AII other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. In the USA, the products are distributed by BRP US Inc. BRP reserves the right, at any time, to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Some mcxlels depicted may include optional equipment. BRP highly recommends that all ATV drivers take a training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or, in USA, call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. In Canada, call the Canadian Safety Council at (6131 739-1535 ext 227. Read the Operators Guide and watch the Safety DVD before riding. Wear appropriate protective clothing and helmet. For side-byside vehicles, fasten lateral net and seat belt at all times. Never engage in stunt driving and avoid excessive speed. Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Side-by-side vehicles and ATVs are recommended for drivers aged 16 and older, and passengers aged 12 and older only. For off-road use only. Never ride on paved surfaces or public roads. Always ride responsibly and remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.

www.MaineSportsman.com

32 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

THE CAT IS BACK #PASSIONISPOWER

See Your Local Arctic Cat® ATV Dealer For Current Promotions! EAST LEBANON Northeast Motorsports 451 Carl Broggi Hwy. 207-457-2225 nemotorsportsofmaine.com

(Continued from page 31)

so customers can match their model to their intended use and terrain. This machine boasts 17 inches of suspension travel, and it’s one of the few machines on the market to offer a solid gear transmission rather than the traditional CVT belt drive. Honda is continuing their great line of Side X Sides, with the Pioneer 500, 700 and 1000, as well as the long-standing Rancher, Foreman, and Rubicon lines of ATVs. Kawasaki

SIDNEY Kramer’s Inc. 2400 West River Road 207-547-3345 kramersinc.com

GORHAM BERLIN, NH White Rock Outboard Jericho Outdoors 351 Sebago Lake Road 232 Jericho Rd. *Offer valid at participating U.S. dealers to U.S. residents on new and unused 2010–2015 Arctic Cat ATV models excluding youth, rental, government and special services models. See dealer for details and 207-892-9606 603-215-6002 program dates. 4.9% FINANCING FOR 60 MONTHS valid on 2010-2015 models, Financing provided through Sheffield Financial or FreedomRoad Financial and is subject to credit approval; not all applicants will qualify for credit. Financing promotions void where prohibited. 2-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY valid on 2015 models and includes six-month limited factory warranty and 18-month extended service whiterockoutboard.com jerichooutdoors.net contract through Cornerstone. REBATES UP TO $1,000 valid on 2010–2014 models and varies by model purchased. Offer subject to change without notice. Excludes tax, freight and dealer setup. Only ride an ATV that is right for your age. Supervise riders younger than 16. Arctic Cat recommends that all riders take a training course and read and understand the owner’s manual operation. safety information, your dealer Safety Institute at eye (800) 887-2887. ©2015 Arctic Cat Sales Inc.,andThief River ROVs can before be hazardous to operate.For Improper use or cantraining cause severe injury or death.see For your safety, each or ridercall mustthe wearATV a seat belt, approved helmet, protection and protective gear. Avoid excessive speeds be particularly careful on difficult terrain. All ROV operators must be 16 years old and have a valid driver’s license. We recommend that all riders take a training course and read and understand the owner’s manual before operation. See your dealer for Falls, MN 56701. safety or training information or visit http://rohva.org. ©2017 Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Thief River Falls, MN 56701.

THE WORLD LEADER IN OFF-ROAD POWERSPORTS — See Your Local Polaris Dealer for the Latest Promotions! — HODGDON Tidd’s Sports Shop 154 Calais Road 207-532-6476 tiddssportsshop.com

LEWISTON Central Maine Powersports 845 Main Street 207-689-2345 centralmainepowersports.com

OQUOSSOC Oquossoc Marine Inc. 87 Carry Road 207-864-5477 oquossocmarine.com

JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 jackmanpowersports.com

LINCOLN Richard’s Sport Shop 239 W Broadway 207-794-3363 richardssportshop.com

TOPSHAM Woody’s Performance Ctr. 70 Topsham Fair Mall Rd. 207-729-1177 teamwoodys.com

WARNING: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2019 Polaris Industries Inc.

www.MaineSportsman.com

ATVing in Maine

Kawasaki Mule MX Photo credit: Kawasaki

Kawasaki came into the 2019 model year with a brand new 60-inch wide Mule that offers a lot of great options for the sport utility market. The new Mule MX is designed to project a “work-with-me-all-weekand-take-the-dog-trailriding-on-the-weekend” attitude. With a very large dump bed and a powerful 700cc engine, it’s plenty of machine for most people’s needs. Plus, the fact that it is 60 inches wide means it will accommodate passengers in comfort. Kawasaki is also bringing the great lineup of Mules, Teryx, and Brute force ATVs back as well, so they should have something to offer a wide variety of customers. Yamaha Yamaha’s 2019 lineup is highlighted by the all-new Wolverine X2. Coming on the heels of last year’s release of the four-seat Wolverine X4,

Yamaha Wolverine X2 Photo credit: Yamaha

the Wolverine X2 is Yamaha’s effort to bring the success of that large model to a 2-seater package. It’s 60 inches wide – a popular size with customers – so this machine is likely to sell very well and may soon become their best-selling machine. Also for 2019, Yamaha has brought back the aforementioned Wolverine X4, the complete Viking 3 and 6 lineup, and the hyper-sport YXZ1000R. Finally, Yamaha is also offering a full line of conventional ATVs, for those who want narrow, maneuverable machines. Can Am

Can Am Maverick Sport 1000R. Photo credit: Can Am

Can Am is coming into 2019 at full speed, with a complete redo of their Outlander line. They have revised every model, from the 450 to the 1000R powerplant. They’ve also entered the Side X Side market with a new Maverick Sport 1000R that is going to be a great seller, meeting demand for the popular 60-inch size. It’s offered in either a 2- or 4-passenger option, so customers will have choices based on their needs. In addition, Can Am is continuing with the ever-popular Commander (Continued on next page)

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 33 (Continued from page 32)

line, its “Defenders” utility line, and the full selection of hyper-sport X3 models. Polaris

Polaris RZR Photo credit: Polaris

For 2019, Polaris has presented a continuation of each of the great models they offered last year, with some great additional features and significant technology options and upgrades. The company is maintaining the full lineup of trail-friendly sport RZR machines, with a wide variety of package options. The utility lineup of Ranger sees the addition of Ride Command options

which gives riders the seven-inch touch-screen features, including integrated navigation, smartphone connectivity and factory-installed in-dash speakers. The sport utility lineup of General continues for 2019 with lots of options, as does the great conventional ATV lineup of Sportsmans. As you can see from the photographs, all this new technology and power is being presented in stylishly-enhanced body panel and fenders, and aggressive wheels and tires, and a wide range of electronic features. So get to your local dealers to check out the new and improved lines and to take advantage of spring pricing promotions.

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SKOWHEGAN Whittemore & Sons 257 Waterville Road 207-474-2591 whittemoreandsons.com

LEWISTON Central Maine Powersports 845 Main Street 207-689-2345 centralmainepowersports.com

TOPSHAM Woody’s Performance Ctr. Wolverine R-Spec 70 Topsham Fair Mall Road 207-729-1177 teamwoodys.com GORHAM, NH Absolute PowerSports 461 Main Street 603-466-5454 absolutepowersportsnh.com

1 Offer available on approved purchases of new 2016-2019 Yamaha Motorcycles, Scooters, ATVs and Side-by-Sides made on the Yamaha Credit Card issued by WebBank, member FDIC. Subject to credit approval as determined by WebBank. Offer valid 2/1/19 through 6/30/19. Available to cardholders of the WebBank Yamaha Card. Account must be open and current to be eligible for this offer. Promotional 2.99%, 5.99%, 9.99% or 16.99% APR with Minimum Payments of 2.92%, 3.05%, 3.24% or 3.57% respectively of the purchase price balance, based on your creditworthiness, are effective until the purchase is paid in full. Minimum Interest Charge $2 per month. Standard APR 15.99%-23.99%. 2Customer Cash offer good on select models between March 01, 2019 through June 30, 2019. See dealer for additional customer cash available on prior year models. 3The Yamaha 10-year-belt warranty covers all Assembled in the USA 2019 models with the exclusive Ultramatic Automatic Transmission, including the all-new Wolverine X2 and X4, Viking, Kodiak and full-size Grizzly models. Professional drivers on closed course. Always protect the environment and wear your seat belt, helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Read the owner’s manual and product warning labels before operation. Model shown with optional accessories. Vehicle specifications subject to change.

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Camping, Striper and Squid Fishing at Freeport’s Winslow Park by Steve Vose

Just 6.1 miles away from the busy and crowed streets of downtown Freeport is a hidden gem – beautiful Winslow Memorial Park and Campground. I have been camping here with my friends and family for the past several years, and each and every year I can’t wait to return. The reason for my exuberance is that the facility is so well maintained and that there exist dozens of fun activities for grown-ups and kids to enjoy. As an added bonus, they even accept dogs, for the fee of only $1 each! The campgrounds facilities include a tidal beach and boat launch (perfect for anything from trailered boats to canoes and kayaks), picnic tables and grills, a fishing pier, a playground and a

The author with his best striped bass of the 2018 season -- 27 and 9/10 inches ... not quite a keeper.

volleyball court. There’s also a small cottage onsite called the “Tea House” that is loaded with games and books – perfect for entertaining the kids on those rainy days!

For structured entertainment, the campground hosts a summer concert series with local bands on weekends, so be sure to check out the schedule on their website (freeportmaine.com; see “Winslow Park and Campground” under the “Quick Links” on the right hand side of the page). The campground itself

has 23 waterfront tent sites, boasting expansive views of Casco Bay. Sites can be reserved for the bargain price of only $14 for Maine residents and $30 for non-residents. Visitors looking for RV hookups or more secluded wooded campsites can choose from 100 different camping locations, all uniquely beautiful. Just be warned,

campsites fill up FAST! To ensure visitors secure the campsite location and dates they prefer, reservations must be made by the first week of May. (Looking at their website recently, I noted that they are switching to a new online system this year.) Additional details related to the reservation policy, application and mailing address are all available on the website (listed above). To find Winslow Park in Freeport, refer to the DeLorme’s Maine Atlas, Map 6, D-1. Great Local Eats It never fails that even the most beautiful summer day can quickly turn miserable with an unrelenting afternoon thunder shower. When this happens at dinner time, the ravenous hordes can get angry. Have no fear, however – only eight minutes away from Winslow Park is the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company (harraseeketlunchandlobster.com), located at 36 Main Street, South Freeport. Here, customers will find a great-tasting assortment of fresh seafood that can be enjoyed in(Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 35 (Continued from page 34)

side their dining room or outside on picnic tables. Also remember that patrons are welcome to bring along their favorite beer or wine to enjoy with their meal! If looking to take live lobsters home or back to the campground, HLCC offers packing boxes and gel-packs to suit all traveling needs. Harraseeket River Striper Fishing in Kayaks One of the pursuits I find most enjoyable during my stay at Winslow Park is a morning paddle in my kayak, fishing for striped bass. With a watchful eye on weather and tides, kayakers can safely navigate from the Winslow Park boat ramp down to the mouth of the Harraseeket River. A few years ago, I caught the largest striper of my fishing career off the small rock island at the mouth of the Harraseeket River.

If camping without a boat, still bring your salt water rod! Excellent fishing for striped bass can be had either by tossing plugs or chucking bait off the campgrounds rock pier, located by the playground, or at the boat launch on Stockbridge Point. Squid Fishing Anglers who just can’t get enough of fishing, can also fish these spots in the evening for squid! All that is needed to fish for squid at night is a light, a regular fishing pole and a squid jig. Squid jigs can be ordered on Amazon from such popular companies as Zak Tackle, Fishcm, Croch and Toasis. To fish for squid, shine the light on the water, and jig the lure at various depths. When the squid cooperate, anglers can harvest more calamari in just a few short hours than they will likely be able to eat!

Striped bass can be found along the Maine coast, and up into large and small tidal rivers. Here, fly fisherman and Maine Sportsman columnist Luke Giampetruzzi plays a large striper that is trying to escape upstream under a bridge. “If the stripers are not along the beach,” said Giampetruzzi, “look for them around structure, such as bridges, rock islands and pilings -- these can all be good places to fish.” He added a note of warning regarding line strength: “When you’re fishing around structure, it’s a good idea to use a stronger leader. I like 20- to 30-pound fluorocarbon, because fish can’t see it as easily, and it has less stretch.” Read more about Luke’s success in fly fishing for stripers in his “Young Maine Sportsman” column, found on page 66 of this issue.

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New Rules Affect Shark Anglers Last May in this column I reported on several new emergency measures that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) had just enacted to control the catch of mako sharks. Well, those temporary regs have now been replaced by permanent measures contained in what’s known as Amendment 11 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory (HMS) Fishery Management Plan, which went into effect on March 3rd. For recreational shark fishermen who target or may catch shortfin makos (the species of mako that swims here in the Gulf of Maine), the new minimum sizes are 71” fork length for male makos, and 83” fork length for females.

Starting this season, anglers who target sharks, like this outsized blue shark, must use only non-stainless, non-offset circle hooks. Any shark accidentally caught on a J-hook must be released. Capt. Mike Pierdinock photo

Remember – the fork length is the distance from the tip of the mako’s snout to the fork in the tail. This is important to

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targeting sharks of any species (except dogfish) anywhere in Atlantic waters must use nonstainless-steel, non-offset circle hooks. There are no limitations as to the size of the circle hook, the leader, or line, and if you do catch a shark on a J-hook that was intended for another species of fish (e.g., groundfish or tuna), it must be released whether it’s of legal size to possess or not. Finally, if you want to target and catch sharks, regardless of whether you intend to keep one, or just practice catch-andrelease, you must have a NMFS HMS permit, which you can purchase on-line at www.nmfspermits.noaa.gov for $20. And, to obtain the Shark Endorsement, you will have to watch a short video (hmspermits.noaa.gov/ sharkVideoEdu) and take a quiz afterwards, which is done during the on-line permitting process. No, I am not kidding! Actually the video, which is only a few minutes long, is very informative, and shows you how to quickly and easily identify a shark as male or female, which will be very important if you catch a mako and want to bring it home, since the fork-length limit for males is 71 inches, while it’s 83 inches for females. Regulations for other sharks we catch off the Maine coast, including blue sharks, porbeagles, and threshers, remain the same. The minimum size for these sharks is 54” fork length, and only one shark per vessel may be retained on any giv(Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 37 (Continued from page 36)

en day. And although it is legal to fish for white sharks, if you do catch one of any size it must be released unharmed without taking the shark out of the water. Cap’n Quint would no doubt approve! Circle Hook Requirement for Stripers Will Stay Back in January, the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR) issued a proposal to remove the circle hook requirement for striped bass and bluefish. The DMR claimed that when the measure was adopted in 2013, the state assumed a similar restriction would be adopted by other East Coast states. So, they now said, “A circle hook restriction limited to Maine waters exclusively is not an effective management measure for a migratory fish species spanning from Maine to North Carolina.” Funny, but that’s exactly what we told DMR at the public hearings back in 2013. “Oh, but Maine can be the leader in conservation!” was the enthusiastic response. “Other states will follow!” And, having spent nine years on the New England Fishery Management Council, I advised the circle hook proponents and DMR,

“You never restrict yourself voluntarily, because sooner or later you’ll be required to cut back, and you’ll want all the tools you can have.” That fell on deaf ears as well. In any event, the proposal to rescind Maine’s circle hook requirement has died in light of the latest assessment of striped bass stocks coastwide, which I detailed in last month’s column. Apparently stripers are not doing all that well, so every state will likely be required to again cut back in some way, probably in 2020. Interestingly, Massachusetts is already investigating a circle hook requirement and a prohibition on gaffing. They plan to offer these up as mortality reduction measures when the time comes. But since Maine already has those measures in place, we’ll have to come up with something else – perhaps a larger minimum size striper, a shortened season, or catch-and-release only. Something to look forward to, eh? Two-Week Cod Season in September Although it’s not 100% final, as of this writing it appears that bottom fish anglers will be able to

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38 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Saltwater Fishing

here in Maine, as early April sea conditions aren’t generally very favorable, and late September can be iffy weather-wise as well. On the bright side, the haddock bag limit will increase from 12 fish per person per day to 15, again at a 17” minimum size. The season has been expanded to run continuously from May 1 to February 28.

(Continued from page 37)

keep one cod per person (at a 19” minimum size) during the last two weeks of September, 2019 and the first two weeks of April, 2020. The fishing year, for federal management purposes, runs May 1 to April 30th, so the April segment won’t happen until next year. Yes, being able to keep a cod for a total of 4 weeks out of the year is better that the zero-retention we’ve been living with

the last couple of seasons, but the data and the calculations show that the recreational sector could have had a three-month season (August through October) without much of a likelihood of exceeding our annual cod quota. But the commercial fishery-oriented National Marine Fisheries Service said no. Neither of these twoweek seasonal openings will do us a lot of good

Male mako sharks will now have a 71” fork-length minimum size, and females must be 83”, in order to be retained. Shark anglers will need a Highly Migratory Species permit, and have to watch a video and pass a quiz to obtain a shark endorsement. Capt. Mike Pierdinock photo.

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Almost Time for ATV Season! ATV clubs welcome new riders and get them headed in the right direction. Clubs host cookouts, camping trips and group rides, and membership gives riders access to regional trail maps. Clubs maintain trails and are leaders in promoting good landowner relations, which is critical for maintaining access to private property. Warm weather in May gets ATV riders in the Western Maine Mountains (WMM) thinking about hitting the trails. Most trails open this month, depending upon weather conditions. April showers that last into May could extend Maine’s mud season, so anxious riders should check with local ATV clubs for trail openings. Go to the Alliance of Trail Vehicles of Maine (ATV Maine) website at atvmaine.org, and click on ATV clubs to find the list for these local club websites in this area, including: • Canton Trail Riders ATV Club (Canton) • Brettun’s Wheelers (Livermore) • Peru ATV Riders (Peru) • River Valley Riders ATV Club (Rumford) • Roxbury ATV Riders (Roxbury), and • Webb River Valley ATV Club (Carthage). Joining a club allows riders the chance to get together with folks who enjoy the sport, and often leads to future friendships. Clubs welcome new riders and get them headed in the right direction. Most clubs have an events calendar full of enjoyable cookouts, camping trips and group rides Joining a club also allows riders the chance to obtain regional trail maps that outline smaller local

trails that remain open for ATV riding. Clubs work with landowners to gain valuable access, and maintain supportive relationships. A favorite trail in this region runs from Mountain View Campground (mountainviewcampground.com) on Route 142, north of Dixfield (Map 19, E-2). This trail heads east, and then runs parallel with Route 17 until it reaches Township E near Byron, before it heads east to Madrid (Map 19, A-2). The grand ride offers plenty of scenic views and camping in both Dixfield and Byron. Ravenous Black Flies For those fortunate outdoors folks in and around the WMM, the month of May could be described as “The month of the black flies.” In this region, by the time Memorial Day arrives and folks begin to invade all of the backwoods camping areas, the ravenous black flies have begun to mature to their blood-sucking stage. I remember one overnight hiking/fishing adventure in May to the top of Tumbledown Mountain (Delorme Atlas, Map 18, C-1) several years ago that ended with what felt like a death march back to the truck at the trailhead, near the beginning of the Brook Trail on Number Six Road. On the hike up the

mountain, and during the daylight hours, the bugs seemed to be moderate – a little bug dope easily kept them at bay. However, during the late afternoon hours, black flies swarmed in to our location and began feasting on our warm bodies. My wife Nancy and son Brian dove into the tent to escape the chewing insects, but as soon as they opened the screened tent door, a cloud of hungry black flies quickly followed. Even though our party had bug-proof nets to cover our heads, the irritating insects crawled under our clothes and covered us with itchy bug bites wherever they could. Needless to say, when my wife and son awoke the next morning, they didn’t have to twist my arm to talk me into packing up to leave the top of the mountain and head for the truck at the base of the trail. I don’t even think I stopped to fish that morning – the bugs were just too much to handle. Thermocell Nowadays, a company called Thermocell (thermocell.com) produces a bug-repelling device that can handle the most terrible black fly and mosquito problems around. The helpful company makes several kinds of units for keeping the biting bugs

Michigan angler Isaiah Battel and Toronto fisher Caleb Frederick enjoy a “double-header” on the Androscoggin River while fishing with the author. William Clunie photo

at bay. I have yet to try their more expansive patio unit, which they claim provides a larger radius of protection for backyard or campsite use. I have successfully used the smaller devices that can hang on a belt or backpack – I wouldn’t go bear hunting over bait without one. I also hook the smaller unit on my fly fishing vest during the early part of the season, when the biting bugs are most fierce. I have even turned on the smaller Thermocell devices and laid it in the bottom of the canoe when hitting some small ponds early in the fishing season ... it worked perfectly, and I didn’t have to soak myself in all of that odiferous bug repellent. This spring, the Thermocell products will follow me whenever I’m

in the woods or on the water. They are easy to use and very effective, allowing a hunter or angler to focus on their game, rather than on swatting bugs. Local Rivers WMM anglers can find plenty of places to wet a line in this region ... and also find out if their bug protection works adequately. Basically speaking, any of the tributaries to the Androscoggin River in this region hold rainbows, brook trout and brown trout – just be sure to take the early-season bugs into consideration. The Ellis River meanders from Andover (Map 18, D-4) all the way to its confluence with the main body of the Androscoggin River near Rumford Point (Map 18, E-4). Each year, biologists from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

40 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Western Maine Mountains (Continued from page 39)

(DIF&W) stock the river with hundreds of brook trout and brown trout. Anglers can access this river anywhere Route 5 comes close to the water on the west bank. Smaller access roads get close

in places on the east side of the river, too. In most stretches of the river, homes and farms line the banks, so asking permission for access becomes necessary before crossing private property.

The Bear River pours from the mountains in Grafton Notch (Map 18, D-1) and flows to meet the Androscoggin River in Newry (Map 10, A-3). Many of the trout stocked in the Androscoggin River move up this smaller tributary and await the patient angler.

Fishers can access this river from Route 26, near the eastern bank. The pavement comes close to the river in several places, offering easy access. Another handy access point begins where the Bear River meets the Androscoggin. Look for the

Moran’s Landing sign on the south side of Route 2, just east of the Bear River Market. This carry-in boat launch offers wading anglers a great starting point.

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Speaking the Native (Brook Trout) Language Over the past few years I’ve worked in varying capacities alongside many employees, volunteers, associates and collaborators of New Hampshire Fish and Game. It seemed that wherever I went that involved fish, the topic of native/ wild brook trout would rise to the surface of the conversation. In fact, sometimes it would explode right past the surface, as a hungry brook trout launches itself after a hovering mayfly. It seemed that no one absolutely knew exactly what they were talking about, but certainly had an opinion or insight they were eager to impart to everyone within earshot. So I decided to try to get some definitive answers on the subject once and for all. Does New Hampshire currently have a population of truly native brook trout? And if so, what should be done for the fish, if anything? Wild vs. Native In my past perusals of the lawbook and my excursions alongside electrofishing biologists, I knew that there are certain waterbodies that are specifically managed for “wild” brook trout. Does that confirm a “native” population? I arranged an impromptu sit-down with Region 1 Fisheries Biologists Andy Schafermeyer and Dianne Timmins to work through the semantics. Schafermeyer delineated the two titles. He said there are many populations of brook trout that are genetically in-

I asked the two fisheries biologists whether New Hampshire waters hold any true “native” brook trout – meaning selfsustaining populations that had not been genetically influenced by exposure to stocked trout. After a slight hesitation, they both answered “Yes.”

This New Hampshire wild brook trout shows both superb size and brilliant fall colors. One could wonder if it has genetics shared by a sockeye salmon! Photo courtesy of Andy Schafermeyer

fluenced (by decades of reproducing with stocked brook trout), but are now isolated and self-sustaining. These are what the department labels as “wild” brook trout. A consultation of the lawbook will show anglers the waterbodies which are specifically managed for these “wild” trout, mainly in the Nash Stream and Dead Diamond watersheds. Schafermeyer described the elusive “native” classification as brook trout having pure genetic integrity, uninfluenced by stocked strains. When asked if New Hampshire has, by this definition, native brook trout, Schafermeyer and Timmins answered in concert (though with a slight hesitation), “Yes.” Backpack and Background Information The subtle hesitation may have been caused by the department’s history of backpacking fingerling trout into far remote waterbodies in years past.

Several published game wardens of years ago have detailed the (presumably unpleasant) excursion of hauling terribly heavy metal aerator tanks filled with water and hundreds of fish up miles of steep ridges to remote waterbodies – even to some of the highest and most out-of-the-way places in the state, located in the famed Presidential Range. Quite a few of these locales proved inhospitable to sustaining trout populations (too shallow, or warm, or chemically imbalanced), and stocking was subsequently halted. Others are still stocked today via helicopter. The answer to the native question isn’t so simple because, as former published wardens have confessed, trout were often put in locations on a whim, for the warden’s personal motives, or per the request of a friendly attendee of a secret honey-hole. These stories would suggest that perhaps the department’s

records of trout stocking are as muddy as some of the puddles they put them in years ago. So is there actually any telling if anything is truly “native”? Along with brook trout, smallmouth bass and lake trout are considered to be native species to New Hampshire, but as Schafermeyer explained, “It depends on how far back you go to decide that.” These two other species likely naturally expanded into New Hampshire from their previous home ranges over the course of centuries, as climate shifted. Research The “yes” answer given to the nativity of some brook trout today was justified by Timmins with an explanation of the research done in cooperation with Dartmouth College. This part of the conversation turned too sciencey for me to follow, but suffice it to say, Dartmouth has fancy doodads and whatnots which, with a scale or fin

sample, have identified unique genetic makeups, different from the strains of fish stocked out of the state’s hatcheries. The biologists said the Sawyer Pond area and other remote reaches of the White Mountains are likely to house these native populations. The department hopes to continue their research and establish a new alliance with Plymouth State University to further identify these isolated populations. The Public Saga The idea of native brook trout fisheries has been a hot topic of conversation of late. Native squaretails have quite the fan base among Trout Unlimited members, Ivy League grad students, environmental scientists, and purist fly-fishermen. Though these supporters are prominent and vociferous, not everyone is a fan. Schafermeyer recounts that at public hearings, it is unusual to have any disapproval of the efforts to restore or preserve the wild trout populations. He does, though, encounter some average Joes at boat launches and elsewhere who are skeptical of the department’s involvement and regulations. Many passive anglers who like to fish in the brook by their camp just want to use worms to catch a few decent-sized trout for the frying pan. But a stocked brook trout is much different than a wild brook trout. According to data gathered by electrofish(Continued on page 43) www.MaineSportsman.com

42 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Vehicle Preferences of TMS Columnist Ethan Emerson This month’s Off Road Traveler column features another Maine Sportsman columnist, Ethan Emerson. Ethan was kind enough to answer my questions about what vehicle he prefers for traveling the back roads. Emerson has written the New Hampshire column for this magazine for several years now, enjoying the outdoors in that state and reporting on what to do and where to go in New Hampshire. Here’s the information provided by Ethan. Current Ride “I currently drive a

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“Dingers and beepers that sound off when you open a door or leave the keys in the ignition, drive me INSANE,” reports Ethan Emerson. “When I open the door to get a better look at a fresh buck track, I just imagine the buck standing 50 yards away, hearing the alarm and then running for miles on end. GM trucks don’t have those alarms, or at least they have options to turn them off. Hopefully they will stay this way in the future.” 2011 GMC Sierra, standard cab, long bed,” reported Ethan. “I’ve always driven standard cab GMC’s or Chevys. And I’ve always had the torsion bars cranked up in the front to give a little more clearance. In my current truck I also added a small leveling kit to

add a little more clearance, given the longer wheelbase for the eightfoot bed. “I enjoy the long bed tremendously, as I can fit so much more stuff in it. My previous trucks had short beds, and I never knew what I was missing. “This past fall, I did

a four-day wall-tent deer hunt in the remote Adirondacks of New York. It took my entire bed to fit all my supplies. “I also have had caps on my past two trucks. Though I find cap-less trucks to be much more attractive cosmetically, I wouldn’t have it any oth-

er way. Having a cap is a lifesaver and much more practical. I keep gear in my truck bed year-round, without having to worry about it getting wet or freezing. “My Springer spaniel rides in the bed of the truck, without my worrying that he will jump out. And that keeps him from muddying the interior of my cab. “My wife says that the cap makes it a “grandpa” truck. Oh well, she’ll have to deal with it.”

“No Reminder Chimes, Please!” “I’m not mechanical(Continued on next page)

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 43 (Continued from page 42)

ly inclined and am not married to the idea of one brand of truck being better than another,” continued Ethan. “I couldn’t care less about the emblem on the grill. What I will say is that I’ll likely stick with GMC or Chevy for one trivial reason: the lack of alarms. “Dingers and beepers when you open a door, don’t buckle a seatbelt, or leave the keys in the ignition, drive me INSANE. I can’t explain to you how infuriated I get when I ride in my dad’s Tundra, and the alarm dings literally 50 times while you are fumbling with your seatbelt. Or when I open the door to get a better look at a smoking-hot buck track on the side of the road. “I just imagine the buck standing 50 yards up in the woods, hearing the alarm and then running for miles on end. GM trucks don’t have these alarms (or have options to turn them off). Hopefully they will stay this way in the future.” For Smoother Ride, Try Toyota FJ “My complaint of

Ethan Emerson’s mom occasionally lets him use her smooth-riding Toyota FJ Cruiser. This one’s the TRD model, and it fits a lot of camping gear, although not as much as Emerson’s GMC Sierra long-bed with a cap. Ethan’s discussion of the FJ’s soft ride has columnist William Clunie thinking about finding one to convert to off-road use.

my truck and my past trucks,” Emerson continued, “is that they are brutal on the bumpy logging roads. If I hit a pothole, everything cracks, rattles and bangs like the frame just snapped, along with my spine. In contrast, I’ve found my mother’s Toyota FJ Cruiser to be the smoothest-riding backroad vehicle ever. Often, if I’m riding in her vehicle, I find myself flinching in advance of bumps, but never feeling a thing while we glide over them. “For example, I have a camp on a remote mountain pond and the ‘road’ to get into it is 1.5 miles from a dirt-road parking area. Most people walk this 1.5-mile section, because it is faster to walk it

New Hampshire (Continued from page 41)

ing surveys, the average wild brook trout in New Hampshire is 3.75 inches, and this fish may be five years old. A far cry from fry-pan worthy. The average stocked one-year-old brook trout is around 10 inches. Is all the time and money researching, rehabilitating and regulating these waterbodies worth it? What do we gain? Schafermeyer says that “a wild brook trout population is indicative of a healthy ecosystem.” In studying and providing for these fish, biologists are better able to understand and protect the larger stream habitat. They can ensure that things are working smoothly, and identify potential threats to that environment and its dozens of inner species. Getting Involved For those wanting to learn more about the subject, there is a litany of literature published by Trout Unlimited, state and federal agencies, and graduate universities.

than to drive it, because it is a literal boulder crawl and mud slosh. I can walk it in about 35-40 minutes without breaking a sweat. It takes me about 50-55 minutes to drive it with my truck – 45 minutes if I don’t care about the potential damage I’m doing to my underbody. “However, my mother’s FJ cruiser will make it in 25 minutes, offering a comfortable ride – 18 minutes with moderate jostling. The rig is incredible where it will go and how smoothly it will get you there. She has had two FJs, and would probably have them for the rest of her life, if they hadn’t stopped making them. “I would have one, but

I just need to have a bed. A friend of mine has one that he lifted and put bigger tires on. He uses it as his primary hunting vehicle, and has a bed/rack that goes into the trailer hitch. He drives through the deepest water bars to places that I have to park and walk miles to get to.” Clunie’s Note Thank you, Ethan, for this explanation and for the insight into the possibility of using a Toyota FJ Cruiser for a future project vehicle. I have never driven in one, and always wondered how they would do in the back woods. I was told the FJ Cruiser has a regular Tacoma truck frame, but

For those less inclined to read 100-page dissertations, regional biologists are happy to chat about their work. To get involved via club membership, Trout Unlimited, Sierra Club, and Appalachian Mountain Club all donate financially and otherwise to the research processes. Additionally, NH Fish and Game is always welcomes having volunteers help them work a stream survey shift. In addition to participating in a bucket brigade, you’ll be able to watch (and maybe man a net in) electrofishing, take measurements, drug some fish unconscious, watch a GPS implant procedure, and chat up some new contacts and potential friends. Lastly, if you want to have your voice heard on the decisions Fish and Game is making in relation to wild trout—or other contested matters—there are open public hearings throughout the state and calendar year.

they must rig it differently than a Tacoma to give it the ride you describe above. The Tacomas I’ve owned rode very rough unless they also had some after-market suspension work. On my recent 2011 Toyota Tacoma, I had a Rough Country leveling kit and struts added, and really like the ride. With this kit, I can carry a heavy load in the bed and it still rides great. Anyone looking to increase their off-road ride comfort on the Tacoma frame would do well to install the Rough Country option (roughcountry. com).

The home waters of the native and wild brook trout of New Hampshire are often overlooked, as most are located in small brooks in pools merely feet across and only a couple of feet deep. They can be hard to access and even harder to angle, especially with a fly rod. The rod pictured is a 2-weight, which allows the angler to simply flip and dangle a micro fly into the tightly confined cascade. Photo courtesy of Andy Schafermeyer www.MaineSportsman.com

44 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine Wildlife: Phoebe

by Tom Seymour

According to my records, Eastern phoebes, Sayornis phoebe, dull-olive color flycatchers with black heads, show up at my place around the second week of April each year. For me, phoebes announce spring’s arrival as nothing else can. Some hearing loss, a result of years of shooting without hearing protection, has caused me to lose a certain range, so it’s hard for me to hear spring peepers. But when phoebes show up, there is no doubting their presence. It’s the same for me every year. While sitting at my desk, writing, something fluttering past my window outside catches my attention. Getting up and walking to the front door, I wait, and am soon rewarded by seeing a phoebe flitting about, catching flying insects whose presence was unknown to me because they were so small. Black flies aren’t out yet, but there’s something on the wing out there for phoebes to feast upon. If it’s a nice warm day when the first phoebe arrives, I’ll go outside and sit in a folding chair, watching and listening. Soon, a raspy “feebee” draws my eye to a little bird sitting on a fence post, relentlessly raising and lowering its tail. If luck favors me, the phoebe will dart from its perch and grab a flying insect. Better yet, the bird may even hover while it grabs an insect. And with that, I proclaim to no one special, that spring has officially arrived. House Hunting Within a week or so of the first phoebe’s arrival, another phoebe shows up. And then it’s time for the pair to find a suitable site to build a mud-and-grass nest. Unfortunately, at least for me, the birds prefer building their nest atop my outside light next to my back door. The building process includes splattering lots of wet mud all over my outside wall. This induces me to devise innovative means to deter this nest-building. But first, I always try to send the birds a message by removing all traces of their beginning nest. Unfortunately, phoebes are not apt learners and fail to take the hint. They always come back and attempt to rebuild their nest. www.MaineSportsman.com

Phoebes insist on building a nest on a beam in my open barn. Every time I go to the barn to fetch a tool, mama phoebe flies off her nest, all in a huff. It bothers me to disrupt a setting bird, but on the other hand, it’s not right for a little bird to disrupt my life. This contest between me and the phoebes finally draws down to me taking drastic measures in the form of poultry fencing under the eaves where the phoebes love to slap mud. I’ve made nesting platforms under the eaves of an outdoor tool shed, and sometimes they use it. But over the last several years the birds instead opt for a beam in my little open barn. And there they build their nest. Even then, all is not well in phoebe-land, because every time I go to the barn to fetch a tool, mama phoebe flies off her nest, all in a huff. It bothers me to disrupt a setting bird, but on the other hand, it’s not right for a little bird to disrupt my life. At least that’s what I tell myself. In truth, my comings and goings to and from the barn are limited as long as the phoebe remains on her nest. After the phoebe leaves her nest she feels free to perch on anything she wants while she assizes the prospects for catching flying insects for herself and her young. And that “anything” often includes the post antenna on my car. That wouldn’t pose a problem except that, well, phoebes drop loads of “whitewash” anywhere they perch, and that includes on my car roof. The stuff is caustic and unsightly, necessitating constant washing, a real nuisance. The answer to this is to remove the antenna and thus deny the birds from soiling my car roof. And oh, the phoebe also likes to perch on a satellite cable running from the barn to the house. So parking under that cable guarantees a whitewash-splattered

car roof, windshield and hood. Phoebes are messy, if nothing else. Redeeming Qualities Phoebes, despite their unsanitary habits, consume a huge number of flying insects every day. This, plus the little bird’s indomitable nature, has endeared them to me and to many others as well. Every time a phoebe grabs an airborne insect, I tell myself that there is one fewer insect pest to ruin my garden or to bite me. My search to obtain a fixed – or at least an average – number of total insects that phoebes take in one day, was unsuccessful. My reason for wanting this information was to be able to compare phoebes’ insect-nabbing prowess to that of bats and dragonflies. Fortunately for me, my place is loaded with dragonflies and also, bats. But the latter two species seem mostly crepuscular (active at twilight) and so this works out well, with phoebes snagging insect pests during the day, and dragonflies and bats taking up the slack during twilight. Here’s something else about phoebes. Phoebes are the best known of a larger group of birds called, “flycatchers,” and almost anyone who spends time outdoors can easily identify a phoebe. This probably stems from their being such frequent visitors to semiopen locations such as backyards and gardens (in other words, places where insects abound) and also from their preference for nest-building on houses and outbuildings. Couple that with their trademark tail-pumping and easily recognizable song, and you have a bird that everyone – even those who don’t particularly care about birds – is at least familiar with. I’d say that next to American robins and ruby-throated hummingbirds, phoebes rank among the bestknown songbirds. The Lull Sometime in midsummer, phoebes drop out of sight. I often wonder where the phoebes have gone. But the little birds always come back, and when they do, it is often with their now fully fledged young. So in early spring we have one phoebe, and then another shows up soon after. And then, at least for a little while, there are no phoebes and finally phoebes are back in force, not two but many. In the end, all the phoebes leave. But thankfully, they’ll return the following spring and renew the cycle.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 45

A Passion for Mushrooms and Photography

This is the bright yellow Chanterelle, one of the author’s favorite edible mushrooms. All photographs: Kevyn Fowler

Anyone who spends time outdoors can’t help but notice mushrooms growing on the ground, on trees and on stumps. Many of us marvel at the many odd shapes and colors, but few of us can identify the dozens of species that grow in Maine. And even fewer of us are brave enough to gather mushrooms to eat. A Growing Passion Kevyn Fowler is a videographer and photo journalist at WMTW-8 who took a strong interest in photographing mushrooms about 10 years ago, with the side benefit that he can eat some of his subjects. He dazzles his friends with amazing close-up photos of mushrooms that he posts on Facebook. Kevyn’s mushroom photography was displayed at a show at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery in Portland from April 5 to May 5. Kevyn grew up in New Gloucester is an expert fisherman who loves casting for striped bass and chasing trout and smallmouth bass across Maine. I sat down with Kevyn to learn more about how he got started

American Caesar mushrooms, which Fowler says are “among his favorites to photograph.”

These brown funnel-shaped mushrooms are the Black Trumpets, another one of the author’s favorite edibles.

When gathering mushrooms to eat, there’s a saying: “When in doubt, throw it out.” You must learn which mushrooms to absolutely avoid. on this fascinating artistic journey, focusing specifically on his passion for foraging and photographing mushrooms. Which Came First? DVW: Which came first, Kevyn, the photography or foraging for mushroom? KF: The photography, definitely. I got my first camera when I was 13, and later saved up to buy a Pentax with a 50mm lens, but at the time shooting film was pretty expensive. In my 20s, I got a job at Channel 8 where I got into videography, which is all I did for a long time. I put my still photography aside for many years. In 2008, my son got a phone with a nice camera with a Zeiss lens. It took incredible pictures with a macro setting for close-up shots. I thought, “I gotta get one of those.” DVW: How did you get interested in mushrooms? KF: (Laughing) I didn’t know anything about mushrooms. One

day I took my camera out into the woods and said to myself, “Oh wow, look at those mushrooms.” They seemed great for macro photography, because they don’t move. I could get down and compose the shot. My first shots were just “Look at this pretty yellow one,” but then my natural curiosity took over. I bought some books, and Googled things like “orange mushroom on stump.” I quickly realized that I could take some of the mushrooms home to eat! To do that, I had to take it to the next level. I started reading everything I could, and got deeper and deeper into it. DVW: So, you use your photos to identify which mushrooms are edible? KF: Yeah. I take a picture of the top, and then from below of the gills and the stem. I note where it was growing and what kinds of trees were around. That helps you identify which ones are safe to eat.

Fighting the Fear DVW: A lot of people are afraid to eat wild mushrooms. How did you get over that? KF: In the U.S., a lot of people are mycophobic. All they think is “Toadstools can kill you.” But in Europe, there are festivals for people who collect and eat wild mushrooms. It’s popular and a passion for many people. Today, more people in Maine are learning to forage for mushrooms. DVW: So, what do you need to know first? KF: Well, there’s a saying: “When it doubt, throw it out.” The first thing to learn is which ones to absolutely avoid

and which have evil look-alikes. Not all toxic mushrooms will kill you, but some will make you very sick. DVW: What are a few of the ones to watch out for? KF: There’s a poisonous white mushroom in the Amanita group called the Destroying Angel that important to learn. Also, the orange-colored Jack-o-lantern mushroom is pretty nasty, and it’s easily confused with chanterelles, one of my favorites to eat. I’d start with Greg Marley’s book Chanterelle Dreams and Amanita Nightmares: The Love, Lore, and Mystique of Mushrooms. Also, David Spahr wrote a very popular book for this area called Edible (Continued on page 47)

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Boats, Bikes and Brookies – May Has it All! I like to fish in April as much as the next guy. Opening day is always a great time for nostalgia about past seasons and high hopes for the upcoming year. But let’s be honest – we really don’t start to catch fish reliably (and comfortably) until the fifth month. After a winter like this one, just being near the water on a warm day and letting that sun bake our bones can return us to full membership in the human family. If we can be on the water in a small boat that makes it all the better. Or if we got to our secret spot by leaving others behind at a locked gate? That’s gold, my friends. New Boat in the Barn Canoeists say that we can tell we’re getting older when we start buying lightweight solo models.

A 15-foot, 50-pound solo canoe followed me home from Greenville last year. And for a three-night trip from Chamberlain Bridge to Telos Dam, and then a portage to Webster Lake where we camped in Baxter State Park, it was perfect.

The now-discontinued “Northern Light” solo canoe by Old Town weighs in at just 50 pounds. All photos by Jim Andrews

Older paddlers start to realize that the dread of loading, unloading and

portaging our heavy expedition canoes is keeping us home and off the water. Count me among that group. A well-loved fiberglass, solo boat followed me home from Greenville last spring. At 15 feet long, it weighs in at only 50 pounds – a huge improvement over my

Royalex™ tripping canoes. Old Town named this discontinued model the “Northern Light” for a reason. Solo canoes can be a disappointment for those accustomed to their old 17- or 18-foot tripping models. I’ve complained in the past that most solo boats lack the depth and

Maine Camping Guide

capacity to handle much of a payload. And that the center seat arrangement can feel foreign to those of us who usually solo-paddle from a more rearward position. Shakedown Cruise The shakedown cruise was a three-night trip from Chamberlain Bridge to Telos Dam, and then a portage to Webster Lake where we camped in Baxter State Park. Take a look at page 50 of the DeLorme, Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. The Northern Light was built with exactly this type of trip in mind. At 13 ½” deep, and with an 18” bow height, this boat never feels like some kind of shallow, undecked kayak. I carried three-days’ worth of gear and then some additional items for another party whose members were on the trip. But a full week’s worth of gear would be no problem. The one-mile portage trail between Telos and Webster Lakes is never fun, but this boat at least made it painless. Which is quite an accomplish(Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 47 (Continued from page 46)

ment for an older paddler with some failing, and some replacement, body parts. And paddling from the adjustable center seat turned out to be no problem at all. The boat is only 29 inches wide at midships. The sharp vee entry angle of the bow was perfect for splitting the bigger waves on Telos Lake. Tracking was superb. One-sided paddling was easy, requiring only a slight correction twist at the end of the stroke. It was actually hard to turn the little boat off course. I wouldn’t want to navigate a whitewater rapid with it – but for this trip, it was perfect. Fish Where Others Don’t Speaking of perfection – the Telos-Webster canoe trip described above has everything a late-May trout fisherman could ask for. My trip was later in the season, after prime fishing. But I know from past experience that ice-out trolling for brook trout and togue on these two lakes is excellent. Since at least 2012, the Telos Dam area has

been gated off to motorized vehicle traffic. That means fewer May fisherman – because the only access is by boat from Chamberlain Bridge. Canoes may compete with motorized boats on Telos – but not many fishermen will carry their motors over that mile-long portage trail to Webster. Even better, if you love solitary river fishing, the Telos Cut between the two lakes will have a fantastic trout-to-fisherman ratio this month. And Webster Stream below the lake’s outlet is perhaps the best backcountry river trout fishing in the state – more than 10 miles of truly remote river fishing all the way to Matagamon Lake. The fishing’s great here because the access is challenging – it’s an old story. Ride Where Others Can’t Big steel, industrial-style, stay-the-hell-out gates block access to hundreds of miles of Maine’s best May fishing. The answer, where permitted, is a mountain bike, a fourpiece fly rod and a day pack large enough to hold

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 45)

and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England for intermediate foragers and those looking to learn some common edibles. DVW: What are some other ways to learn more about mushrooms you find in the woods? KF: Join some groups on Facebook, such as Maine Mushrooms, or a photo site called Lichens, Mosses, Ferns and Fungi which has over 40,000 members. Everyone carries a camera now, so if you post a few good photos to one of these pages, someone can help you out. You just need to slow down, pay attention, and be really curious. There are so many different mushrooms in different seasons and conditions. There’s always something more to learn, including the cool scientific or Latin names. Favorite Photos DVW: Let’s talk again about photography. What are your favorite mushrooms to photograph? KF: My favorite is the Ridged Tooth

The view from High Bank was great. This day the weather was calm, but paddlers should prepare for wind and chop.

waders, lunch and tackle. You’ll go for the solitude and the fishing, because the fishing is always great when you can leave 90% of the motorized traffic behind. But you might just continue this kind of biking for the wildlife sightings alone. I’ve spotted more black bears, coyotes and other shy animals from a bike seat than from anywhere else. Bears recognize a motorized vehicle immediately as a threat. The sight of a walking human will send them to the brush. But a bike makes them curious. They can’t quite figure it out – and they will hesitate and linger while they try to do so.

Here’s the Telos Cut Outlet, as see from the dam.

Maine Canoe Symposium If you would like to test drive my new-to-me Old Town Northern Light, meet me at the Maine Canoe Symposium in Bridgton over the weekend of June 7-9. Dozens of other canoes are on hand to try out, as well.

Mushroom (Hydnellum scrobiculatum). I’d never seen anything like it: whitish with a red liquid that looks like pooled blood inside the rim. I also love shooting pictures of chanterelles, which are very statuesque. The American Caesar (Amanita jacksonii) mushrooms look like aliens when they hatch from an egg-like volva, and then grow very quickly. They’re such a lovely color. They’re edible, but you have to be more careful – identifying them is more difficult. DVW: Any tips on how to take a good photo? KF: First, learn about your camera, and practice. I like to shoot in the morning light or on cloudy days. I get right down on my stomach or knees. If the sun is too bright, I ask my wife, Lori, to stand there and throw some shade, ha-ha. She’s very patient with me. I might remove some of the clutter of leaves to get a better shot. You can use portrait mode on your phone camera, or stay back a bit and then crop the photo on your computer to zoom in more.

The annual three-day event includes on-water workshops, presentations and hands-on instruction in every aspect of canoeing. Unlike other paddling events, the symposium is about canoes only – not kayaks.

This colorful cluster is Turkey Tail, another vivid favorite for photographing.

Delicious Dinner DVW: What are your favorite mushrooms to collect and eat? KF: My favorites are chanterelles, black trumpets, chicken of the woods, oyster mushrooms, and lobster mushrooms. These are all pretty easy to identify, with some practice. I’m no gourmet, but they are delicious sautéed. Sometimes I put them on pizza. As my friend says, “I like to have hobbies I can eat.”

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48 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Good Life Revealed in the Rangeley Region Sometime in May the ice will dissolve enough for anglers to get out and find open water. Rangeley’s big lakes lure anglers with trolling boats

outfitted with downriggers, planers, big rods and reels, and all the electronics to successfully hook up with the huge salmonids that roam the

big blue water. Those anglers who prefer to fish on foot head for the open water of rolling streams, brooks and rivers in the region. Although these ribbons of moving water often change each season, many of the same familiar holes remain and find stealthy anglers flinging tied feathers and fur into their depths each season. This season I’ll hit those old familiar holes and also search out some new fishing locations – life is good in the Rangeley Region. Big Water Choppy water

and

huge waves in the big lakes and ponds in the Rangeley Lakes watershed require a good boat for the rough water that often kicks up at a moment’s notice. Huge mountains surrounding the lakes block out the view of the horizon, and boaters won’t see a storm coming until the last minute. Radios and cell phones tuned to weather channels can help avoid this problem, and a seaworthy boat with a good motor offers anglers a chance to get back to shore with speed and safety. Richardson Lake (De-

Rangeley Lakes Region

lorme Atlas, Map, A-2 and B-2), both upper and lower sections, holds plenty of salmonids ready to test the tackle. For several years now, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) biologists have banned the taking of smelt on Richardson and its tributaries by any method, in an effort to increase the food resource for the salmon, trout and togue in this big lake. The traditional trolling method dictates fishing close to the shoreline for brookies, and farther out for salmon or lake trout. Streamers or lures (Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 49 (Continued from page 48)

run from one foot to 30 feet under the surface, with most hits happening nearest to the top. Electronic gear helps locate feeding fish, and gives a more exact measurement for optimum trolling depth. Smelt congregate and run up the inlets of Richardson Lakes, and offer anglers a premium trolling location. A concentration of baitfish like this puts hungry trout, salmon and togue in a feeding frenzy. Anglers with the right combination of gear and techniques often see fast action at these inlets. These same searching and fishing methods often prove successful on any of the other big waters in the Rangeley Lakes Region. Small Water Rangeley’s smaller ponds offer anglers with smaller craft a place to fish without worrying about turbulent waters. Their relatively diminutive size makes it easier to exit if an unexpected storm appears, and winds don’t cause the waves to rise as high as the bigger

lakes. Round Pond (Map 28 E-4), a 166-acre anglers’ playground, holds both salmon and brookies. Although the depths run up to 50 feet in places, May fishing works best if you keep your lines shallow. Access the pond from Dodge Pond Road, off Route 4/16, just east of Oquossoc. Fish these smaller ponds similar to the big lakes, keeping the boat close to shore for brook trout and farther out for salmon. Focus on incoming sources of water, such as streams, brooks, and springs. Dodge Pond (Map 28, E-4), another little salmonid gem, contains 230 acres of trolling water. The maximum depth here is also about 50 feet, with great fish taken using the above methods. Both of these ponds receive protective cover from high winds by the ridge of mountains to the northwest. A couple of anglers in a canoe or Rangeley boat, slowly fishing across either of these two ponds, epitomize the traditional Rangeley fishing scene from days past. The

mountains in the background and the flat water in the foreground present a picture-postcard view of the way it used to be – and the way it remains today. Fast Water The Rangeley Region holds so many wonderful lakes and ponds that an angler can get confused and the large number of great fast-water fishing holes can easily boggle the mind. Brookies grow tough living a life in the moving water of a surging, cold-water stream or river, and put up quite a fight when hooked. Playing them in the strong current adds to the thrill, and often winds up with the snap of a light tippet. As a guide a few years back, I had repeated opportunities to fish the Upper Magalloway River (Map 28, B-1) with a number of skilled clients. The experienced fly-fishers would hit this one secret spot, and the first cast always produced a strike from one of the biggest brook trout in that particular stretch of the stream. I would stand on the bank just downstream

The spectacular view from “The Height of Land” on Route 17 overlooks Toothaker Island on Mooselookmeguntic Lake. William Clunie photo

from the anglers and watch as their line would go from tense to slack after the tremendous first strike. Their eyes would remain on the moving water as they smiled and said something like, “What a nice fish … I wasn’t ready … the first cast.” Then they would chuckle, grumble and thrash that hole for another good ten minutes without success. I couldn’t help but chuckle either. I could tell they were happy with just having had a chance at the tough, moving-water brookie. The charge I got from watching their attempts at the big fish in that hole didn’t end there. As a guide on the riv-

er, I took a succession of fly fishers to the same hole and warned them about the first-strike capability of the big trout in this particular hole. One angler after another, myself included, would lay the initial cast out there and wham – from tense line to slack in a second. The colorful, finned beasts lay beneath a huge, underwater ledge, in the middle of a highly turbulent section of the river, and had the knack of hitting the first cast so hard they always caught everyone off guard. Could the wise old brookies in that hole be fatter and slower this season? We shall see.

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Eastern Phoebe by Steve Vose

In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis Phoebe) became the first bird in North America to be banded. John James Audubon attached a short-silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe’s leg, in order to track its return the following season to its nesting site. Phoebes inhabit an impressive range, stretching across most of North America. Phoebes breed in the northern United States, migrate south for the winter in September and early October, and typically arrive back in Maine during mid-late March. Phoebes possess heads appearing much too large for a bird of its relatively diminutive size. Evolution equipped the Phoebe with a short, thin bill, perfectly adapted for catch-

ing their favorite food of insects and grubs. The head, typically the darkest part of the small bird’s body, lightens to a brownish-gray colored body that fades into a dirty gray breast and white throat. The Phoebe lacks distinct eye rings and wing bars, making it easy to distinguish from other flycatchers. Phoebes also wag

Questions 1. In what year did John James Audubon band the first bird in North America? 2. When do Phoebes migrate south for the winter? 3. What is the favorite food of the Phoebe? 4. What distinguishes Phoebes from other flycatchers?

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

their tails up and down when standing on prominent perches, making them easy for novice birdwatchers to identify. The Phoebe gets its name, from its sharp fee-bee chirp that frequently echoes through the Maine woods. Regarding habitat, Phoebes are adaptable, and though they prefer open woodland and farmland, they will occasional invade suburbia and nest on buildings and bridges. Nests are comprised of mud and grass, and are usually located in protected nooks. Both the male and female Phoebes care and feed newly-hatched chicks, and often raise two broods of 2 - 6 eggs every year. If successful at avoiding predators, Phoebes can live to be 10 years old.

What do Phoebes do while perching that makes them easy to identify by novice bird watchers? What sound or call does the Phoebe make? What materials do Phoebes use to construct their nests? How many broods do Phoebes typically raise every year? How long can a Phoebe live? Answers on Page 54 www.MaineSportsman.com

50 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Trout and Salmon on the Bite This Month I left work early on a mild May day, hoping to get in some fishing on the big lake before dark. The dock wasn’t in yet, but I had my boat pulled up on the beach so I could use it whenever the time presented itself. I motored out of the cove and before long I was headed across the big bay of Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1). Taking a bearing on the buoys that mark the start of the Songo River, I swung left and headed toward the shoreline. The water was still cool, as ice-out was late in 2018, so I went with my trolling fly rod and a lead-core set-up. I put a frozen smelt on the bait harness at the end of my fly rod and had that in the water first.

When trolling for salmon on Thomas Lake, the Barnes’ special always produces, so I tend to keep one rigged and ready. You can’t beat the Gray Ghost, either, so I also carry plenty of those flies. Next, I rigged the leadcore rod with an orange Mooselook wobbler – my favorite Sebago pattern. Both were in the water and I was sipping on a cup of coffee, as content as I could be. I was marking fish all over the place; on bottom and at all depths – typical for May on this lake. The bottom-dwellers were likely togue, but I was after salmon. I set my trolling motor to follow the shoreline in about 20 feet of water. As I made my way between Inner and Outer Islands, I had a fish hit on the fly rod. A few

minutes later I netted a small, skinny salmon. I knew they were still on the bite. Now to find some bigger ones. Larger Fish I turned around and cut between the islands again, this time, in almost the exact spot as before, I had a hit on my lead-core rod. I was out three colors, and this fish felt bigger. The play was not as much fun as the limber fly rod provided, but I knew I had a larger fish by the way he took line. After a few minutes of tug-of-war, a nice, I netted and released a plump

Sebago salmon. Not bad for an afternoon after work! This time of year is great for anglers. Ice-out salmon are still cruising just below the surface, and trout are coming on the bite, too. What a time to be on the water. Thompson Lake For the past several years, Thompson Lake (Map 11, E-4) has been hot for ice-out salmon fishing. Big fish and plenty of action drew me away from my home base on Sebago more than once. Last May the salmon action continued into May, as well, so I’m certain I’ll be on Thompson more this season. On a few windy days, I had great luck with salmon using flies. The Barnes’ special always produces on Thompson Lake, so I tend to keep one rigged and ready.

You can’t beat the Gray Ghost, either, so I carry plenty of those flies, too. Imitation minnows such as the Gulp! smelt have been producing well for me on Thompson Lake, so if live smelt become scarce, I always have another option. Last year during May, I found fish along the Agassiz Camp shoreline toward Abrams Point. Trolling along the western shore adjacent to Potash Cove also produced. Occasionally, I was also rewarded with a Thompson Lake togue. Trout Trolling May weather and warmer water temperatures bring trout to the table. There are so many lakes and ponds in this region that boast good trout fishing that it’s hard to pick a spot to fish. Here are a few of my perennial favorites: • Little Sebago Lake (Map 5, C-3) is heavily stocked with rainbow and brown trout, including some bruiser brood stock rainbows. Troll(Continued on next page)

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ing flies and small lures right along shoreline this month produces results. I start out dragging flies in anywhere from six to 20 feet of water. The shoreline fluctuates wildly on Little Sebago, and you can find yourself on a gravel bar quickly if you don’t watch your depth chart or know the lake. I know this gem pretty well, but I always seem to find myself reeling frantically and turning away from shore on each outing. Top lures on Little Sebago are the small Rapala floating minnow in gold or silver color patterns. Al’s goldfish and other small spoons work well, too. • Coffee Pond (Map 5, B-2) in Casco is a gorgeous little pond to troll for splake. You will need a small boat to get into this shallow launch, but if you hit it right, there are some decent splake to be caught. I use my square-stern canoe with a vintage Evinrude 3-horse outboard to ply these waters. Trolling dead smelts (live bait is prohibited) or flies close to shore is the best bet to tempt these brook trout/lake trout hybrids. I fish in about 20 feet of water, and keep my offering close to bottom. If you don’t snag bottom once in a while, you aren’t fishing deep enough! • The Range Pond chain in Poland (Map 5, A-3), Upper, Lower and Middle, can’t be beat for trout angling. These ponds receive thousands of brook, rainbow and brown trout each year, and some decent holdover fish are lurking in the depths. Trolling flies or small lures such as the Thomas buoyant, Mooselook wobbler or Al’s Goldfish will produce. Again, troll close to the shoreline

with a sinking fly line, and be ready. The Range Ponds are well-developed, so be sure to look for mooring markers just under the surface. I seem to get snagged on one of these on every outing. Other nearby mentionable trout ponds include • Trickey Pond (Map 4, B-5) in Naples, stocked with salmon, splake and brook trout; • Tripp Lake (Map 5, A-2) in Poland, heavily stocked with brown trout, and • Worthley Pond (Map 5, A-3), stocked with brookies and brown trout. With so many spots that promise great fishing, it’s hard to choose. Plus, I’ve heard it’s turkey season, too!

The author shows off a lunker six-pound brown trout he took trolling in this region in 1996.

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52 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Red-Hot Ice-Out Action for Warmwater Species “Ice-out fishing for warmwater species” sounds like a clever writer’s idea of a play on words. But it isn’t a joke at all; in fact, some of the biggest fish of the season are on the prowl and willing to bite within a week or two after ice-out. I became aware of this many years ago while salmon fishing just after ice-out. A big fish hit in a shallow cove. and my heart beat fast, thinking a hefty salmon had nailed my wobbling spoon. But it wasn’t a salmon. Instead, a monster pickerel had hit my spoon. This was both a letdown and a surprise. Now, I regularly target pickerel just after iceout. It’s a great time to pound the shallows, since aquatic weeds haven’t yet begun to grow. This allows the use of light tackle, because there’s no risk of getting hung up in the long weeds. And it’s not only pickerel that go on the prowl after ice-out. Bass, both largemouth and smallmouth, become active now. Bass come as a regular by-catch while ice-out trolling for brown trout. And we’re not talking run-of-the-mill bass, but the biggest individuals in the pond. I’ve taken many 4- to 5-pound bass while trolling for trout in early spring. But for me, these represent more of a nuisance than anything else, since they always interrupt my trout fishing. Bass Day Last spring on May 1 I loaded up my boat with crappie gear and headed to Unity Pond in search of pre-spawn crappies. www.MaineSportsman.com

I hooked bottom, but then the bottom began to swim away. When I finally got the fish to the boat with my ultralight gear, it was so big it would barely fit into the net. I thought I must have a huge brown trout on the line, but I was wrong.

The author displays a 9-pound largemouth bass he caught while crappie fishing just after ice-out.

But the water was so high that the usual places were unavailable. Nevertheless, it was a nice day, and a ride around the pond seemed like a pleasant enterprise. Casting here and there led to nothing, so it occurred to me to try floating down the exit stream. And there my fortune changed. Casting a red-andwhite Crappie Magnet, I got hung on bottom. Pulling as hard as possible failed to free my lure. And then the bottom began moving. This was a fish and a big one. My thoughts were that this was a huge brown trout, a holdover from past stocking programs.

The fish had its way for some time, since my ultralight rod and 4-pound test line didn’t allow me to apply much pressure. But finally, the buggy-whip rod began to take its toll and my fish came up alongside the boat. It was hard to net the fish, since it was so big. And to my great disappointment, my fish was not a brown trout but rather, a 9-pound largemouth bass. After this, I headed on downstream, casting to within inches of streamside brush, hoping to lure a waiting crappie. Soon, another fish hit and it, too, was a bass, not a 9-pounder but a pretty good fish in its own right.

Finally, seeing that my target species weren’t going to bite, I headed home, all the while wondering why the bass-fishing fraternity hadn’t discovered this early season bass bonanza. But it’s never too late, so if possible, try hitting the ice-out scene. It may prove enlightening. New Species For the last year or so, I’ve gotten reports of people taking pike from Unity Pond. This seemed farfetched and hard to take seriously. But then last March someone jigging for crappies (he, too, had a light rod and 4-pound line) hooked a monster fish. After a long battle,

the lucky angler slid a 24-pound pike on the ice. This account came from a fisheries biologist friend, who saw a picture the angler took. The photo, which I don’t have a copy of, clearly showed identifiable features, including my friend’s ice-fishing shack. So now it’s official. Unity Pond contains pike, and big ones at that. Hearing more reports, I’m told that people are taking pike of differing sizes, something that bodes well for pike anglers. Typically, it can take many years for pioneering pike (it is presumed that rather than coming from an illegal introduction, the pike have entered Unity Pond via its outlet stream) to expand their population to any great degree. But hearing of not only big, but also small, pike in Unity Pond, leads me to conclude that we have a brand-new fishery. So my plans for early May include a pike-fishing trip to Unity Pond. Pike, being in the same family as pickerel, bite well just after iceout. And usually it’s the bigger pike that respond now, so chances of taking a double-digit pike look good. And bass anglers should take note, too. For a shot at the biggest bass of the year, hit your favorite bass pond within two weeks of ice-out. And if standard bass lures don’t produce, try using crappie jigs. They work for me. See Unity Pond in the Delorme Atlas, Map 22, D-1 and 21, D-5. (Continued on page 54)

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 53

Past and Present Fishing Stories from Downeast Maine As the beginning of a new spring day began to unfold, the gray clouds filtered out much of the rising sun. The wrinkled, tanned-faced angler saw his 9-foot, Eagle Claw trolling rod tremble slightly as he glided close to the shore of one of Hancock County’s prime game-fishing waters. The excitement of fishing again on open water brought up fond memories of past fishing experiences when an acrobatic salmon had smashed his streamer fly or deep-dwelling lake trout had put up a feisty battle before coming to his waiting net. He inched his 16- foot aluminum boat close to the shoreline, hoping to pick up a salmon, when his Sal-Trout reel began releasing line. The rhythmic bobbing of his rod stopped abruptly and the tip nearly touched the water’s surface. The fish on the other end of the line thrashed wildly as the stooped fisherman methodically reached for his rod.

Tunk Lake provides excellent habitat to sustain healthy populations of salmon and togue. After a thrilling fourminute battle, all that remained between the 2-pound salmon and his waiting net was the 15feet of monofilament attached to the streamer fly. The salmon broke water several more times before the ol’ timer was able to slip his net under the silver-sided beauty. The old gent thought to himself, “There have been lean times when I would have needed this beautiful salmon for my next meal; however, now I just fish for fun.” Shortly after he put his line back in the water, his other rod, rigged deep for togue, began to trem-

ble. The second battling fish made several runs; however, after several minutes, the weathered hands of the elderly gentleman gently lifted the 20-inch lake trout and released it back into the crystal clear water. Before trailering his boat for the day, he caught and released another salmon and two more lake trout. Don Cary of Prospect (a/k/a the old angler) shared many stories with me of his great days fishing at Tunk Lake in Sullivan. Refer to DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 25, D-1. Present Day at Tunk There are many wa-

ters in the Hancock and Washington County that can produce early-spring action like that described in the above paragraphs. One of the favorite salmon and togue water in this region for anglers is Tunk Lake. Tunk provides excellent habitat to sustain healthy populations of both species of game fish. According to Region C Fisheries Biologist, Greg Burr, “Tunk Lake has been fishing well, with good numbers of togue, salmon and brook trout. Salmon are over 20 inches, and some of the togue being caught are ten pounds. Anglers are also catching brook trout

along the shore. Spring fishers find landlocked salmon near the Johnson Grounds on the northwest side of the lake. Salmon caught by open-water anglers often fall into the 2- to 3-pound category, with togue in the 3-to 4-pound range. At Tunk, all landlocked salmon between 17 and 22 inches must be released alive at once. Daily bag limit on landlocked salmon: 2 fish, only one may exceed 22 inches. Another excellent piece of water that attracts many anglers is along the northeast shoreline from the boat landing to Birch Point. This area is a good bet for trollers trying to pick up a few surface-feed(Continued on next page)

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54 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Downeast Region (Continued from page 53)

ing salmon or lake trout. May fishers often use large dodgers followed by a Jerry’s smelt and troll for togue at depths of 30 to 40 feet of water. Togue anglers often catch larger trophies by drifting with bait. Lowering a smelt or a cut-up sucker from five to 10 feet off the bottom usually puts an enticing offering very close to where lake trout are feeding. DIF&W biologist Greg Burr also mentioned that togue anglers may want to adopt “the catch and cook philosophy” to slightly reduce the present laketrout population. Consistent with that approach, there is no bag limit on togue under 23 inches, and no minimum length limit. Daily bag limit on togue greater than 33 inches: 1 fish. All togue between 23 and 33 inches must be released alive at once. Tunk is closed to all fishing from October 1 December 31. The boat ramp is along Route 182 at the north end of the lake. The

launching area also has adequate facilities for a family picnic. More Waters Downeast Brook trout, salmon and lake trout will bend rod tips on many other waters in Downeast waters this month. Some of the most fertile fishing grounds include the Hancock County ponds waters: • Cathance Lake • West Grand, and • Big Lake, as well as the following Hancock County waters: • Branch Lake • Beech Hill Pond, and • Green Lake. These are only a few of the well-stocked waters in our Region that I will be writing about in my summer columns. According to Region C biologist, Greg Burr, “Now is the time to be fishing in Washington County. Fishing is great, and everything is coming alive.” Grand Lake Stream One water that comes alive in May is Grand

Lake Stream (GLS). This stream is prime fishing this month; for location, see Map 35, B-4. Annual high flows of water often push salmon out of the dam pool down into the hatchery pool and below. High water also pulls some fish down from West Grand and others up from Big Lake. Crystal-clear water and over 3 miles of stream offer fly casters great early-fishing opportunities for feisty brook trout or tail-walking salmon. The best eastern access is from Big Lake to the Meadows. There is western access of the river below Big Lake. Adult salmon should be in the stream now. Hold-over trout, salmon, at times brook trout and small-mouth bass are in the stream. The water flow is usually great for wading in May. Mid-May to late-May is best, when the Hendrickson hatch is in progress. According to my fly-fishing buddy, Don Lynch of East Orland, his starter fly for GLS is a size 12 Hornberg with a tiny Pheasant-tail, beadhead as a dropper. He

According to Region C Fisheries Biologist Greg Burr, “Tunk Lake in Sullivan has been fishing well, with good numbers of togue, salmon and brook trout. Salmon are over 20 inches, and some of the togue being caught are ten pounds.”

also recommended a 4X tippet, and a Weight Forward (WTF), 5 weight fly line fly. However, other fly-fishing friends of mine swear by Bead-Head Woolly Buggers, Bead-

Head Caddis Pupa, small Mickey Finns, or an Adams. So if one fly doesn’t seem very productive, don’t hesitate to try something else.

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Eastern Phoebe 1. John James Audubon banded the first bird in North America in 1804. 2. Phoebes migrate south for the winter in September and early October. 3. A Phoebe’s favorite food is grubs and insects.

Midcoast Region (Continued from page 52)

Megunticook Shines The old Rocky Mountain fur trappers would say that something good or nice, “shines.” Well, in that vein, I say that in May, Megunticook Lake in Lincolnville and Camden shines. Brown trout and rainbow trout go on the prowl after ice-out, and by the beginning of the second week of May, fishing usually heats up. www.MaineSportsman.com

4. 5.

(Quiz on Page 49)

Phoebes are distinguished from other fly catchers by their lack of distinct eye rings and wing bars. Phoebes wag their tails up and down while perching, making them easy to identify by novice bird watchers.

6. The Phoebe makes a sharp fee-bee chirp. 7. Phoebes use grass and mud to construct their nests. 8. Phoebes typically raise two broods per year. 9. A Phoebe can live up to 10 years.

Fishing near shore within a week or two of ice-out produces lots of rainbow trout. My best results come when trolling a Mooselook Junior, a small wobbling spoon with a silver top and copper bottom. This color combination drives rainbows absolutely wild. But for success, it is imperative to go very slowly, keeping the lure within a foot of bottom. By mid-May, trout begin to fan out, and while fishing the middle still won’t bring any strikes, fish will move out to where the water is about 20 feet deep.

Now, my lure of choice changes to orange-and-copper wobblers, orange-and-yellow wobblers and even all-orange wobblers. Something about orange excites both brown and rainbow trout this time of year. For the most fun, try using a fly rod and sinking line, with a 15-foot leader. See Megunticook on Map 14, C-3. So get out and try it for yourself – it doesn’t get much better than this.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 55

Spring Trapping Seasons A spring trapping season in Maine means there may be the chance to trap “open waters” for beaver and muskrat while the pelts are still prime. These two furbearer pelts stay prime longer than other furbearers, in part because they live in a cold aquatic environment under ice during our long winters. This allows their pelts to remain prime for a period after ice-out. Winter trapping for beaver and muskrat continues after the general trapping season closes, and runs into the early springtime. The incidental take of mink and otter occasionally occurs during this season. These other two furbearers are allowed to be taken only as incidentals. Traps may not (by law) be set specifically for them. In the springtime, when open water occurs, beaver and muskrat disperse from their winter quarters. In addition, the high waters of spring help to get them moving. The Beaver

Photo credit: Britannica

If trappers have a period of open water in the spring in which to trap, then many more beaver may be taken, and the associated problems related to their expanding populations will be reduced. When the water opens up, beaver parents drive the two year olds out of a colony to seek homes of their own. Beaver are also breeding at this

A bill just signed into law gives the IF&W Commissioner discretion to extend the spring season on beaver if thick ice prevents trapping. That’s important, since trapping beaver through the ice is extremely time-consuming and is therefore uneconomical. time, and with the young adults of a colony being run off, this causes them to move to other locations to set up housekeeping of their own. At this time, they may be found traveling throughout a watershed. As breeding effort increases, both beaver and muskrat fight and bite, causing damage to their pelts. Trapper effort decreases as the damage to pelts increases, since damage to a pelt decreases its value. Years ago, when beaver brought a decent price, trappers were willing to trap beaver by chopping holes through 30 or more inches of ice. Today, very few trappers would bother to do the labor and deal with the dangers associated with winter trapping for a ten- to twenty-dollar bill. The chopping of the initial hole through thick ice, assembling the underwater trap sets to be utilized, chopping out new ice to see if you have harvested a beaver, transportation of heavy beaver(s) from the capture site and then the processing of the beaver is not worth the dollar amount to be received. Preparing a beaver pelt is among the most labor-intensive tasks involved with any furbearer. When you compare today’s average price for a beaver skin to that in the 1950s or during the later fur boom, most observers would consider a trapper

to be a fool for trapping beaver today, especially during a full-blown Maine winter. The last few winters have greatly decreased or eliminated altogether open water spring beaver trapping. This has allowed the already-excessive beaver population to expand even more. This has put a financial burden on the Department of Transportation and municipalities dealing with clogged culverts and washed out roadways. The large landowners and smaller landowners alike face the same issues, plus the loss of timberlands due to flooding. This session, the Maine Legislature considered a bill (LD490) that went before the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Legislative Committee to allow the department to have the authority to better manage resources by extending or shortening trapping seasons. Currently the commissioner has the authority adjust fishing seasons, but not the harvesting of mammals. Beaver issues are the current reason for this bill being submitted. The bill was amended in committee, and the original language was replaced with text as follows: The commissioner, based on sound scientific wildlife management principles, may extend any open trapping season

on any game species for up to 21 days if the commissioner has concerns about weather conditions or other unforeseen factors that may prevent publicly derived management goals from being met. The amended bill was subsequently enacted and signed into law. It represents an important step toward managing mammals based on science and social needs, rather than politics. The Muskrat

Photo credit: Brett Marshall

The muskrat is another subject. I do not know of, nor have ever heard of, anyone willing to chop through ice here in Maine to trap for muskrat. During any open water in the fall and then again in the spring, it is another matter. Large geographical areas in Maine generally have no open water in bogs or marshes during the start of trapping season. Skim or thin ice prevents the use of a canoe, which is the craft of choice for working in a bog or marsh. Those trapping streams and rivers normally have a period to trap these areas in the fall, but the majority of muskrat are found in the

bogs and marshes where there is a larger food source. During the average year, only trappers in southern Maine and along the coast get to trap during the fall. Muskrat populations in the right environment can be extremely high, and their reproduction abilities ensure a constant population. The volume of muskrat that can be harvested during open water makes them profitable for the trapper. Because muskrat are one of the easiest furbearers to be harvested, most trappers only trap a specific site for just a couple of days before pulling traps and moving to another location. This ensures that there are enough muskrat remaining to repopulate the area for the following year. In the Midwest, trappers normally do not have ice of any depth to deal with, so a trapper may take large numbers through the ice, and by other methods that are illegal in Maine. Muskrat generally do not do the extensive damage that beaver do, but they can cause earthen dams to fail because of their tunneling, and they can also affect water supply systems. On occasion, this requires DIF&W to allow similar animal damage control management to that of beaver if warranted. Unfortunately, the term used by many to address trapping today is that it is a recreational sport. The fact remains that trapping is one of if not the best economical and humane method to manage many wildlife populations.

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56 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Finding New Trout and Salmon Water I really cannot fully describe the sheer enjoyment I get by going to any of my favorite trout ponds to catch brook trout on dry flies. I’ve got a few stocked ponds I hit near my home in the Western Maine Mountains that always produce for me, and it seems like I just can’t get enough of it. At the same time, I constantly try to find new water to fish. I understand, like most seasoned anglers, that for any number of reasons, the best fishing hole can suddenly turn out to be unproductive. Forward-thinking anglers always prepare for this phenomenon by keeping an “ace up their sleeve”; they will always be on the lookout for new water. For me, searching for new water to fish can be almost as exciting as hit-

Sometimes finding good water can be easy, but finding the best fishing location on that water requires a little paddling. William Clunie photo

ting one of my regular, productive streams or ponds. I never get bored with a piece of water that routinely produces – I just love catching fish. It’s just that I have a strong desire to find new fishing territory. I guess I’m one of those “grass is always greener” guys. The stocked ponds and streams provide me with a steady staple, but the searches I’ve been most concerned with

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during the past several years have been strongly influenced by more than just a steady flow of hook ups. I have several specific requirements for new fishing locations, and will pass on places that don’t meet these ideal specifications. In short, I need a place that has a minimal amount of fishing traffic, big fish, and – the last one is kind of an unusual expectation – I want the

place to really give me the feeling that I’m the first one to ever fish it; as if I was the guy who discovered the place. Productive Searching In this age of electronics, I still enjoy pouring over the old paper topographic maps. I get a much better picture of the overall area with a regular paper map laid out on the table. Don’t get me wrong though, I always include elec-

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tronic maps like Google Earth or Map Quest – I’m amazed at the detail and ability to zoom in on areas for closely inspecting the new fishing possibility. First off, I have to limit my search to realistic fishing locations. Even though I like remote fishing locations, I’m not going to look at areas that require access by float plane or parachute. Good access (notice I didn’t say easy access) remains a top priority. With this thought in mind, I have to focus my search on areas that don’t allow convenient access for the general public. I’m not looking for a roadside fishing hole where anyone can pull over and drop a line. When searching for new running water, look for areas that offer a somewhat difficult path to the water, then make sure to go beyond the first hole encountered. Too many anglers get caught up in fishing that first hole and then head back to the truck. Some of the best fishing holes can be found further upstream. When I go stream searching, I carry a small backpack that holds my fly rod (broken down in a tube), a lunch, and just enough gear to get me through the day. Go slow, and fish as many places on the stream as possible, before splashing through them and spooking fish. It’s amazing how a skinny, little piece of water can hold a big fish. Small Ponds Searching out small ponds requires a slightly different tactic with a little less footwork involved initially. I find a (Continued on page 58)

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 57

It All Happens in May May, a month of superlatives, stands as a time of profound changes. The first week may see frosts and even snow. Lakes in much of the state remain frozen, while in coastal counties and to the south, anglers are out in their boats, trolling for trout and salmon. But by mid-May, water in rivers and streams has reached a perfect level for trout fishing. And in lakes and ponds, smelt runs bring salmon to the top, and people trolling streamer flies take hard-fighting, high-jumping salmon on their fly rods. By month’s end, warm weather allows for shirtsleeve fishing. And some farmers may cut the first hay of the season. For anglers, it seems that all things are possible in May. The biggest trout or salmon of the season may fall to our rods while fishing the smelt runs. And while water levels remain at peak conditions, wild brook trout bite like mad in small streams. In many lakes, the first few weeks after iceout see people casting live smelt from shore for togue. This is the only

time of year that shorebased anglers have even a ghost of a chance of taking togue, our state’s largest char, from shore. Soon, after the milky, iceout haze in the water dissipates, togue will spend all their time in parts of the lake where sunlight cannot harm their light-sensitive eyes. In short, May is such a fast-paced month that I often wonder how so many things can get packaged into such a short timeframe. Ice-Out The first two weeks after ice-out offer sometimes spectacular fishing for both trout and salmon. Usually, I’ll spend two or three days trolling streamers on the local salmon lakes, with the rest of my free time spent trolling for brown trout using the same tackle and techniques used for salmon fishing. The reason for this extra attention to brown trout is because there are only a few salmon lakes near my home, but lots of lakes and ponds chock-full of brown trout. And other than when deep-trolling in summer, ice-out trolling offers the

Slow and close-to-shore trolling took these ice-out rainbows. Photo by Tom Seymour

best opportunity to take a trophy brown. Since brown trout are at most only 10 – 15 feet down, ice-out trolling just begs for a 9-foot fly rod and sinking line. But instead of flies, which can and do take mighty browns, I opt for wobbling spoons. Not just any old spoon will do, though. Now, for this special season, any of the gold-andorange or yellow-and-orange wobblers stand as the best bet for nailing hungry brown trout. Shoreline trolling is the only game in town now, since fishing in deep water doesn’t take fish.

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That will change soon enough, but for now, stick to no more than 50 feet from shore. Also, make it a point to hit all the coves, especially those with mud bottoms. Now, brown trout prowl the shallows, searching for baitfish. And they are vulnerable to a trolled wobbling spoon, especially those in the colors named above. Also when ice-out trolling for brown trout, sandy areas or gravel bars demand attention. Here, water warms earlier, attracting hungry trout. Some of my best luck in May comes when trolling in coves that, in a month or so, will become full of pond lilies and pickerelweed. Do baitfish congregate around the developing weeds? Or is it something else that draws brown trout? I haven’t figured that out yet, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s good to have a few

mysteries such as this. Get Ready Too many times, we approach ice-out trolling for brown trout with something of a cavalier attitude. This causes us to let our guard down, in not being ready to haul back and drive that hook home when a toothy brown trout nails our trolled offering. Sometimes we’ll place our rod in a rodholder. But in early May, that’s a big mistake. I’ve done it myself. Big, heavy brown trout have slammed my lure, and because of the fish’s weight and consequent torque, the rod was effectively frozen in the holder. When that happens, fish usually get away. So what to do about this? First, go on the assumption that every strike is from a big fish. And given that big fish have lots of teeth, making it hard to set the hook, (Continued on next page)

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Trout Fishing (Continued from page 57)

we should hold the rod by hand. Then when a fish strikes, we can immediately strike back, greatly increasing our chances of a solid hookup. We need to be acutely aware of drag adjustments, too. Fly reels, like any other reels, come equipped with a drag, a function that allows us to adjust line tension. For ice-out trolling, I tend toward a heavier drag setting than usual. This allows line tension to help set the hook when a fish strikes. During the fight, if it is a big trout, we can adjust drag tension as needed, reducing it when

the fish makes a lightning-fast run and tightening it when the fish sulks and won’t move. One more thing – iceout trolling for brown trout requires that we use extremely slow trolling speeds. Trout aren’t going to make any mad dashes for our lures in the super-chilled water of ice-out. So go slow, and fish as close to bottom as possible without constantly becoming hooked on bottom debris. The Gear While a short length of lead-core line will suffice, my idea of a perfect ice-out trolling outfit consists of an 8- to 9-foot fly

Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 56)

likely pond on the map first – a remote pond that piques my interest with an out-of-the-way location that spells “adventure.” Be aware though: many remote ponds don’t contain enough fish to make it worthwhile. To avoid a long hike into a pond without fish, do enough research before the footwork. I like to hit the computer first by doing a simple search. Type in the name of the pond, a comma, then “Maine,” then click on the site labeled “maine.gov.” This state government site offers information on the location of the pond, the fish in the pond, the area in size, maximum depth, and then a written description. Scroll down to find a map of the pond with the various depths throughout the pond and inlets and outlets. The initial computer search gives searching anglers a good idea of whether or not they even want to attempt a try at the pond. Once the computer work presents a worthwhile pond, anglers can then proceed to the next step – locating where the most likely spot for successful fishing might be on the pond. Look at the maps to determine where the best depth for fishing is probably located. Also, check out where incoming and outgoing brooks are located. Make a copy of the map to take with you, and hit these areas on the first outing. Finding Fish Most remote ponds with good fishing have been well established and www.MaineSportsman.com

rod with a reel filled with lots of backing under a sinking fly line. This gets our lures down where needed, and allows for plenty of control when hooking a heavy fish, while at the same time giving us the most fun for our money. Use a leader no longer than 10 -15 feet, and make sure the line-toleader knot is well-tied and neatly trimmed. A leader knot getting stuck in the end guide has accounted for countless lost trophies. So get out now, because May only comes once each year, and you won’t want to miss any of its angling pleasures.

will have several old canoes or boats chained to trees at the shoreline – this is the first indication that the pond might be worth fishing. I like to get to a new pond later in the day on the first trip in. The water will be warmer, and any hatches should be taking place in the late afternoon. It might sound obvious, but look for rising fish and a concentration of rises indicates a prime angling location. If an angler gets to the pond earlier in the day, before any heavy hatches, search out and fish the locations of interest gleaned from the maps. By doing a little shoreline research, flipping rocks to identify bugs and looking for baitfish, an angler can usually start things off by matching that information with the proper fly for the job. Most small ponds don’t allow for easy shoreline fishing, so plan on packing in a float tube of some sort. Another way to get an angler in the middle of the pond can be a little tougher, but worth the effort – I have a set of wheels with a lightweight frame that straps onto my kayak or canoe, allowing me to easily roll my craft in to some fairly remote locations. I can fill the canoe or kayak with my gear and roll it into some ponds without too much difficulty. Whatever method you use to access remote fishing locations, the reward not only comes from the fish encountered, but in the wild and spacious places an angler “discovers.” And every once in a while, you’ll find that the grass really is greener in far-off, remote parts of the state.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 59

Vintage Gear Doesn’t Stop Bill from Wetting a Line Regular readers of this column have figured out by now that I have a hankering for old fishing gear or homemade fishing paraphernalia. I’ve accumulated “vintage” gear in a variety of ways. Some of it trickled down through the family, while other pieces were born in my workshop. Back in the mid1990s, I traveled to the Gouin Reservoir in Quebec to fish for pike and walleye. As we stepped off the float plane, one of the French speaking guides started clamoring, “beau…beau!” holding my freshly built boat net for all to see. I wasn’t sure, due to

Out came the not-so-vintage reading glasses.

If you plan to drift down the Kennebec from Moscow to Solon, rather than jockeying to have a vehicle at either end of the stretch of river, I recommend you let Joe and Lorena Albuit at the Evergreen Campground shuttle your vehicle for you. At the end of a long day spent manning the oars, it’s nice to just load up and head home. my total ignorance of the French language, exactly what he was saying. Next, he started showing everyone at the dock my hot-off-the-press boat net. Eventually I found a guide with enough English to let me know “beau” meant “beautiful.” Before the trip I set up a jig and made a laminated landing net from ash and mahogany. That net

still serves time in both my drift boats. It now fits nicely into the categories of “old” and “homemade.” While the open-water fishing season opened a month ago on April 1, locals in the know usually wait until the first week or two of this month to get serious wetting a line. Before heading to one of the many fishable waters in the Jackman Region, I decided to study

up on trout fishing. Last year’s catch was a bit off, so hitting the books seemed like a good idea. A copy of Dan Holland’s The Trout Fishermen’s Bible came across my desk. Imagine, in 1962 this best seller only cost $1.95. Okay, perhaps some of the information is a bit outdated, but I do like old stuff, and have trout really changed that much in a mere 57-years?

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60 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Jackman Region (Continued from page 59)

ally occurs by the second week of this month. Anglers in small boats, anchored up, do well casting spinning rods to hungry brook trout.

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trout-friendly structure. Sounds like my Fenwick “Classic Glass” spinning rod would work well here, sending different color spinner blades dancing around the boulders. Anglers can use the boat ramp on Big Wood Pond or the one at the end of Attean Road. Do

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brow-raising rainbow trout. After seeing a reader send The Maine Sportsman a pretty impressive rainbow trout photo last year, I decided to check out this often-overlooked section of river. While I suspect the larger fish tend to hang below the dam in Moscow, I slipped my homemade drift boat in at the state boat ramp located just north of the Route 16 Bridge. For access to the tail water below the dam, head north on the west side of the river (Ridge Road) and take a right at the power line. Check the rules and regulations closely. As I understand them, from the red markers near the launch to the Route 16 Bridge is designated a “Kids’ fishing area.” This means the under-16 crowd may use worms. Some anglers put in at the ramp and motor upstream toward the dam. This requires know(Continued on page 63)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 61

Maggie’s Bait Tandem Streamer Proves its Worth on Salmon For most folks, May in the Moosehead Region is all about salmon. Fish hang fairly near the surface now, making them good targets for trolled streamer flies. One day last year in mid-May, I found myself trolling out of Rockwood with my buddy Bob Lawrence of Lawrence’s Lakeside Camps. We had lots of hits, but few hookups. It seemed that salmon were striking short – something that has always puzzled me. How can a fish grab a lure or fly without touching the hook? It’s one of those mysteries for which we may never find an answer. We managed to hook a few smallish salmon, but nothing to kill and take home. So we began switching flies. Bob said to give each new offering just 10 minutes of fishing time before changing to something else. His reasoning was that if the fish want it, 10 minutes is plenty time for them to take it. We changed flies countless times, with little to show for it. Moosehead’s salmon were playing hard-to-get that day, for sure. And then Bob searched his tackle box and withdrew a tandem streamer the likes of which I had never seen. He tossed the fly to me and told me to tie it on, which I gladly did. And within minutes of fishing with this new fly pattern, my rod began bucking. Far beyond the boat, a very respectable salmon

We had struck out with every other fly in the box, until I tied on a Maggie’s Bait fly. Within minutes, my rod began bucking. Behind the boat, a good-sized salmon leapt clear of the water. This new fly had saved the day. leaped, completely clearing the water. This new fly had saved the day. We both landed nice salmon, and thanks to this newcomer fly, we considered it a good day on the water. Maggie’s Bait The fly in question is called, “Maggie’s Bait,” and is available at Moosehead Bait and Tackle in Rockwood. Maggie’s Bait is distributed by Front Porch Flies, and may also be found in other shops that get their flies from Front Porch Flies. The story behind this rising star of streamer flies goes this way. Several years ago, Maggie Scott, mother of Brad Scott of Moosehead Bait and Tackle, unexpectedly passed away. And as a tribute to Maggie, the owner of Front Porch Flies conceived this new

streamer fly and named it for her. Also, in the event you can’t find a few Maggie’s Bait streamer flies and you are on Facebook, just go to the Front Porch Flies homepage and from there, contact the owner. Or, for the do-ityourselfer, you might try copying the fly shown in the accompanying photograph. It isn’t often that an entirely new fly performs so well. That said, you can bet that I’ll want to add a few more Maggie’s Baits to my collection. And regarding fishing Moosehead for salmon this May, you can bet that Maggie’s Bait will be the first streamer fly I’ll tie on, not the last. Junction Wharf Ice-out fishing at the public landing in Greenville Junction has long stood as a way for anglers

without a boat to take brook trout and even salmon by casting from shore. And nowadays, with the presence of so many huge – as in 4- to 7-pound – brook trout, a trip to the “wharf” could result in a trout of a lifetime. Within a week or two after ice-out, brook trout swim near shorelines, hunting for baitfish. That explains why people out in the middle of the lake seldom take brook trout, at least not until the water warms and brookies become more widespread. According to Mooseh-

ead Region guide Eric Holbrook, the biggest mistake people make now is not fishing close enough to shore. With a boat, it’s easy to see why that could become a problem, what with propeller-dinging rocks. But for those casting from shore, it’s a different story. The exact time that brook trout begin to bite can’t be nailed down. So it is possible to hit the wharf too early and not catch anything. But once trout begin to show up, everything changes. It was always thus fishing here in spring. If you live a considerable distance from Moosehead Lake, it might pay to call ahead to either a local Registered (Continued on page 63)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 63

Moosehead Region (Continued from page 61)

Maine Guide or one of the sporting good shops listed in this magazine to check and see if the magic time has arrived. Once it begins, we can count several weeks of good fishing, before fish disperse. But while it lasts, here are two things to try. First, pick up a dozen live smelt, and fish them either with only a slight amount of weight so that they can swim around naturally or try fishing them a few feet under a bobber. And since we are allowed two lines, try dedicating one rod to live smelt and the other to casting Berkley Gulp! Alive! Emerald Shiners. These lifelike artificial lures come in a liquid-filled container, and can be refreshed by dipping back in the liquid. According to Eric Holbrook, the Berkley offerings rank as the best thing next to live smelt. Moosehead Mystery

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) reports that last year’s fall weir-fishing efforts on Roach River failed to produce any 4 – 7-pound brook trout. Obrey concluded that those huge trout are spawning somewhere else. But for now, the mystery deepens. However, Obrey reports seeing lots of nice trout, with 56 percent of trout showing up in the weir exceeding 16 inches, with a similar figure for salmon. Fifty percent of salmon caught in the weir in 2018 exceeded 18 inches, good news for anglers in this new, 2019 open-water season. Tim Obrey concluded that research indicates a resurgence of brook trout populations in both Roach River and Moosehead Lake. This is in line with the recent steady trend of good news for Moosehead Lake anglers, with brook trout and salmon grow-

Jackman Region (Continued from page 60)

ing the river. Seeing as my drift boat has no motor, we simply let the current take us to Solon. Once again, there goes Sheldon, floating down a river in home brew equipment that includes the boat, oars and that old net. Some day I hope to figure out how to build a bamboo fly rod, to round out the program. We, meaning my wife Denise and I, floated this portion of the river a bit later in the summer. We clocked just shy of seven miles, taking out at the ramp conveniently located along the Kennebec Valley Multi-Use Trail just above the dam in Solon. The better fishing is now. Folks needing a shuttle can contact Joe and Lorena Albuit at the Evergreen Campground. They also run shuttles from Solon to North Anson. I find it’s well worth it to hire a shuttle, as opposed to running multiple cars up and down the highway. At the end of a long day spent manning the oars, it’s nice to just load up and head home.

The author shows off a salmon taken with a Maggie’s Bait trolling fly.

ing larger, on the average, each year. I cannot emphasize this enough, that Moosehead Lake is the place to go in Maine for big brook trout and salmon. So if possible, try Moosehead this year. The trout and salmon await.

Maggie’s Bait flies caught salmon for the author and his friend on a day that other flies did not produce.

Local Flat Water Anglers looking to drop canoes in some of the local ponds have plenty of options just a short drive from the hamlet of Jackman. These often overlooked waters offer solitude and solid fishing for brook trout. As these mountain ponds “turn” after ice out, salmonids spend more time near the surface. Many anglers like to troll this time of year. Both spin fishermen and fly fish guys do well trailing streamers or hardware behind small craft. Trolling speed seems to vary – depending who you talk to. I’ve observed some boats cruising right along and they seem to pick up their fair share of fish. Partially because I’m a slow poke, and most of the time limited to what a paddle can produce, I aim for two and a half miles per hour. If my back is sore I’ll settle for less. Astute anglers might do well to wet a line in Holeb Pond (Map 39, B-2), Crocker Pond (Map 39, A-3) or Heald Pond (Map 39, A-5). These waters offer easy access and a place for guys like me to use their old, homemade equipment.

The Kennebec River has a robust rainbow trout population between Moscow and Solon. This rainbow apparently slipped over the dam in Solon and came to hand during a float trip from the Evergreen Campground in Solon to the boat ramp in North Anson. I’m told these rainbows do occasionally navigate south, giving anglers in the lower stretch a chance at a Kennebec River Grand Slam -- brook trout, rainbow trout, salmon and brown trout. We would like to hear from anglers who net all four species in a single day. Bill Sheldon photo www.MaineSportsman.com

64 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

From “Beer Can” Navigation to GPS Trolling Routes Back in the late 60s, my dad owned an 18-foot wooden boat that he kept tied up in a cove on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. It was just an old lapstreak wood boat with a big-for-the-era 65-horsepower Evinrude motor. Other than the new motor, the boat was typical middle class American. Yup, a soft spot here or peeling there and the floating compass on the dash missing. With the compass missing,

Think about it – out at night fishing for striped bass in the saltwater bay, trolling by rocky shorelines, with only a can of inexpensive beer sitting in the swinging compass holder to tell us which direction was north. all that was left was the floating holder that kept the compass level as the boat tossed about in the waves. Not one to waste an empty compass holder, my father found that it held his beer can perfectly and kept rogue waves from spilling that middle-class brew.

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We spent hours trolling for striped bass around some of the islands in the bay. In fact, many times we trolled well into the night. It’s only when I look back that I realize how dangerous that really was. Think about it – out at night, trolling by rocky shorelines, with only a Closest Full Service Accommodations to Baxter Park

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can of cheap beer telling us which way was north. However, one of my best memories includes my dad holding up my first striped bass for a passing boat to see. “Boy caught it,” he yelled across the waves. Years rolled on and we never had any problems getting home, in

spite of the “beer can” compass. Fifty years later, I sometimes wonder if we got home safely BECAUSE of the “beer can” compass? Some fishermen don’t like to troll. Seeing I was raised dragging hardware behind a slowly moving boat I really enjoy it. First, it’s an effective way to fish. Second, during the slow times it gives me time to think, observe and ponder life’s great mysteries. (Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 65 (Continued from page 64)

While I don’t get the chance to do as much ocean trolling as I once did, I do like trolling for salmonids in the Pine Tree State’s many pristine ponds and lakes. A few things have changed over time. For example, instead of relying on my Dad and his beer can compass, I use a GPS for navigation (although I do keep a compass in my pocket at all times). And second, my boats have shrunk in size and horsepower. In fact, many times paddle-power pulls my lure. Sebec Lake Sebec Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 32, A-2), which lies just north of Dover-Foxcroft, usually has ice-out by May 1. This 6,803-acre body of water offers excellent spring fishing for salmon and lake trout. Most anglers target silversides this time of year, and consider the large lake trout roaming the depths as a tasty side dish. Local intel reports salmon averaging 16 inches, and lake trout that hardly raise an eyebrow at 20 inches. The boat ramp is located at Greeley’s Landing. Find it by following Route 153 North. This facility handles the lion’s share of launches, due to its strategic location at about the halfway point of the lake. The Village of Sebec also has a ramp. Most anglers head to the west side of the lake. That means passing through “The Narrows” and the good fishing on both sides of this funnel. Dragging traditional spoons or streamers from the west side of The Narrows to the mouth of Grapevine Stream rates as another time-honored trolling route. Another route that locals favor runs between South Cove Point and Jordan Island. The deep water here is best trolled

just after ice-out. When I mention trolling routes, it’s because a guide I know, who trolls exclusively for salmon on Lake Ontario, clued me into putting trolling routes into my GPS. Now, in his case he has auto pilot, but he navigates on really big water. Sometimes I’ll track a route I like with the GPS and “save” it so I can try replicating it. While pre-scouting off maps, I’ll draw the route in and give it a try. I’ve come a long way from “beer can” navigation. Peaks-Kenny State Park Peaks-Kenny State

Park deserves a mention. Located on the south shore of Sebec Lake, it has day visit amenities, a gravel launch ramp and campsites. To get more information on this often-overlooked resource, visit the website at www.maine. gov/dacf. It takes a lot of extra work to gear up for both camping and fishing, but with Sebec Lake, you can kill two birds with one stone. Frost Pond Anglers looking for a smaller pond to put paddle to water and match wits with Maine’s prized brook trout need to slow (Continued on next page)

Spring trolling for silversides has a loyal following. Gerry Gauvin, shown here in a 14-foot boat with a nine-horsepower motor, shows that even while approaching his mid-80s he can successfully handle the boat and bring home dinner. Gauvin is a fan of trolling between two and two-and-a-half miles per hour while twitching his streamer. For the last few years Gauvin has tied the Black Nose Dace streamer to the business end of his line. Bill Sheldon photo

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66 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Fly Fishing for Striped Bass Maine anglers are fortunate that our state has a healthy striped bass population. These popular sportfish fight very hard, and the big ones make good table fare too. They are a saltwater fish that can also live in freshwater rivers, as they often leave the ocean to chase bait. Biologists say if striped bass are present, there is a thriving ecosystem, because a lot of what striped bass do is chase bait fish, sand eels and sea worms. Finding Striped Bass When the bass are feeding, they often make a commotion that can be seen by fishermen, because when they are feeding on baitfish they will usually push them up to the surface. When that happens, birds will see that too and fly over to feed on the bait, so remember look for birds . Most of the time when they are feeding on sand eels, they will be cruising up and down the beach but sometimes it can be hard to locate them. They might not be feeding close by, so a good place to start is to look for other structures such as

bridges, rock islands and pilings, which can all be good places to fish. Line and Knots When you ‘re fishing around stuff like that, you need to use a stronger leader. I like 20- to 30-pound fluorocarbon, because fish can’t see it as easy and it has less stretch compared to other lines. However, it does fray easily, so make sure to check it after fighting a fish around structure. You also want to check your knots. You never want to risk losing a fish of a lifetime because of a weak knot. Sometimes when the fish are biting really good and they’re exploding on the surface after bait, all you want to do is get a fly out there, but make sure you take the extra time to have tied a strong knot. I like the Rapala loop knot because it isn’t tight to the eye of the hook, so it allows the fly to move as it pleases giving it a lifelike action. Fly Patterns And when it comes to choosing the right fly it’s all about matching what the bass are feeding on baitfish patterns sand eel

Katahdin Region (Continued from page 65)

down and stop at Frost Pond (Map 50, D-2). This quality water is often overlooked because of its location near the fabled West Branch Penobscot. Folks willing to travel just a bit farther up the Golden Road can take the Telos Road towards Harrington Lake. Turn south to get to Frost Pond and its gravel launch. The 8- to 12-inch brook trout demand light tackle and a quiet approach. Check for current regulations, because special rules www.MaineSportsman.com

patterns and sometimes even crab patterns are all good to have but you can’t go wrong with clouser minnows. They always seem to work and they are a staple in my saltwater fly box. Just don’t hit the tip of your rod with that fly, or you could easily break off the rod tip. Brown, chartreuse and black are all favorites of mine. Deceivers are also very effective as a bait imitation, but when they are feeding heavily on bait they don’t care what it is. Setting the Hook – It’s Not Like a Trout! One more really important thing – when you’re fishing with clousers and when you get a strike, resist the urge to do what people call “trout setting” – lifting the rod straight up really quickly. If you do that, more often than not you will pull the fly right out of the fish’s mouth. So what you want to do is what some people refer to as “strip setting”; that is, stripping the line tight and stepping back – this will result in way more hookups.

The author shows off a striped bass.

(ALO, CI, S-17) apply. Generally, ice-out occurs around the middle of this month. The northwest side has a reputation for attracting brook trout just after the ice disappears. Brook trout also congregate near the outlet this time of year. For those looking to drag a fly, consider the ever-effective Wooly Bugger, because it replicates the leeches that frequent the pond. Also, anything that imitates a smelt deserves a vacation from the fly box. Frost Pond has plenty of smelts and leeches, two food sources to consider before

tying an offering to the business end of a line. Brook trout actively feeding on the surface create a bonanza of opportunities for dry fly fishermen. Go prepared with some Elk-Hair Caddis and some emergers in a variety of sizes and colors. Also bring along a few Hexagenia dry flies for that magic halfhour before dusk. It’s hard to imagine going from “beercan” navigation to Global Satellite Positioning systems, but for the record, we always found our way back to the dock.

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 67

It’s Finally Trollin’ Time Up North It was a long, hard winter throughout Aroostook County – tougher than most in at least the last decade. All-time snowfall records were already broken by February! While the lower half of Maine offers green lawns, budding trees and blooming flowers, we still have random spots of snow here and there in shaded areas! For outdoorsmen however, there is one rejuvenating spring tonic – spring trolling is at hand. A Square Deal With the thought that fast and furious surface action on streamer flies often arrives soon after ice out, anglers from throughout Maine, and a great number of outof-staters, flock to the Crown of Maine. The Fish River chain of lakes garner heavy early season attention; and with good reason – often, the largest brook trout and salmon are boated this month. While all of the seven sister lakes

I get a true thrill from catching two-pound trout, and Square Lake harbors many of these speckled beauties – and some larger. It’s not unusual to hook, play, land and release half-dozen brookies during a four-hour May outing on Square Lake.

There are few thrills comparable to a big fish on a small fly rod, and spring trolling can produce some real bragging-size brutes like this salmon. All photos by Bill Graves

offer rewarding, dependable trolling action, had I to pick only one for ice out streamer fishing, Square Lake would get the nod. Even on weekends during prime spring fishing, crowding is seldom an issue, due to the vast area and multiple hot spots. It’s always a surprise whether a strike will be a silver leaper or a head-shaking square tail. More to the point, I get a true thrill from

Tom Wolters of Michigan and Madawaska Lake visits all the Fish River lakes for spring trolling, and salmon like this silver-slab are the reward.

large trout in the twopound class, and Square Lake harbors many of these speckled beauties – and some larger. It’s not unusual to hook, play, and land and release half a dozen brookies during a half day May outing on Square Lake. Square Lake offers a boat launch at Burnt Landing, reached via Square Lake Road off Route 161, but it’s a rather long, rough haul. My

preference is to use the much larger and open ramp, parking area and wharf on Cross Lake, then make the 10-minute motor through the thoroughfare into Square. For those who care to make a slower trip, trolling the Cross/Square connector can be rewarding. Route 161 between Caribou and Fort Kent offers the best access from north or south. Check Delorme’s Gaz-

Each spring, Caitlyn Helstrom of Presque Isle fishes Square Lake with her Dad, Mike Wallace of Freeport, and the action is top-rate.

etteer, Map 68, E-2 and adjacent grids for full water and road overviews. I use a dual-leader and fly system via a three-way swivel for spring trolling – it allows me to offer a bright attractor pattern, as well as a smelt imitator on tandem hooks. By attaching a non-lead split shot the size of a pencil eraser to the nine foot leader and letting the 12-foot leader run free, my flies run at two depths and lengths. Fish spot the colorful fly from a greater distance in the often murky spring water. Even if they investigate and refuse it, they often devour the trailing bait fish imitator. Over the years, personal experience has locked in certain beliefs regarding attractor versus imitator streamers as well as feather-wing patterns compared to hair and bucktail. My primary go-to tandems are a red and white bucktail with jungle cock eyes, a Jasbo, a gray ghost, a Colonel (Continued on next page)

Layers of warm clothing and a waterproof outer layer are musts to endure the chilly spring weather and brisk wind of spring trolling. Here, Mike Wallace keeps warm during a fast trip across Square Lake. www.MaineSportsman.com

68 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Mitch and Marty Wheeler of Bridgewater troll from the back of Bill Graves’ stable 21-foot Two River canoe on Second Musquacook Lake. They boated several brook trout as well as togue.

The County (Continued from page 67)

Bates, Ouananiche Sunset and a Magog’s smelt. Occasionally I deploy a Rapala in orange or

perch, a Mirror Minnow, a red and white Rebel or a pounded finish silver Mooselook Wobbler as my

Square Lake is renowned for big brook trout, and spring streamer fly trolling is an exciting time to fish. Here’s another square tail coming to the net.

top quartet. The mouth of Square Lake thoroughfare and out toward Rocky Point offers excellent trolling as gamefish hold there waiting to grab smelt

running in the current. Often bait casters anchor up near the inlet making trolling tough, but the number and size of the trout and salmon make the effort worthwhile.

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Visit Goddard Brook inlet and troll the shoreline both directions and then motor north to Salmon Point and Yerxa’s Cove for more action. Limestone Point along the upper northwest shoreline also yields regular strikes this month. Weather can be cold, wet and windy, and certain sections of the lake may get rough, so watch the weather, wear flotation, and visit often the two weeks after ice out – fishing can be fabulous. (Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 69

Tom Wolters of Madawaska Lake visits the Musquacook Lakes annually for spring trolling, and boats many moderate-size lake trout. (Continued from page 68)

Deep Woods Togue There’s a quintet of blue liquid gems deep in the north Maine woods that deserve a visit or two for dependable ice-out togue trolling. Of the Five Musquacook Lakes, three are in Aroostook, and two are just over the border in Piscataquis County. First and Second are the easiest to drive to and access, but even that is no short trip. From Route 11, drive to 6-Mile Checkpoint in Ashland, then onto the Realty Road for a rough, bumpy 90-minute ride to Musquacook crossroads. A right onto a winding two-track will eventually bring sports to a campsite and boat launch on the southern tip of Second Musquacook. Check DeLorme’s Map 62, sector E-2 and E-3 for an overview. Along with rewarding numbers of togue, First and Second Musquacook hold a healthy population of brook trout, and a narrow, fairly shallow passage allows spring canoes and most boats to access both waterways. For at least two weeks after ice out – longer, if the weather remains cool – the normally deep-dwelling lake trout prowl for food near the surface. While the normal array of streamers will elicit strikes from both species, lures and spoons produce more consistent togue interest. I’ve had great luck

with size 8 and size 44 Sutton Spoons in silver and copper/silver combo. A 2- to 3-inch original red and white Dardevle and a pearl Mooselook offer dependable back up. If you find hardware is producing action but flies are not, perhaps the fish are holding a bit deeper. My cure for this is to exchange my floating fly line or level trolling line for a reel filled with sinking tip or full sinking line. I prefer fly rod battles, and an extra 4 to 10 feet of depth can make a notable difference, since

Bill Graves haunts Square Lake hoping for bragging-size trout, but this time it was a silver leaper that grabbed the steamer fly.

fish won’t chase food as quickly in colder water. Togue average 1 ½ to 2 ½ pounds, but there are 5 pounders finning around as well in both lakes. With few coves and inlets, trolling is fairly simple – just work the shoreline slow and steady. I employ a lazy S-route that allows the bait to alternately rise and sink, and a fishfinder offers a definite advantage in locating the best depths for lures and streamers. If you have a full

Red Sox fan Roger Shaw of Mars Hill displays a trout and the copper Sutton Spoon that caught it during an outing to Second Musquacook Lake.

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The Model 77 — Ruger’s Rifle for Everyone Enthusiasts across Maine and across the spectrum of shooting pursuits know and revere the name Bill Ruger. No one in the firearms industry surpasses William Batterman Ruger as a designer, builder or trend-setter in the second half of the twentieth century. Ruger’s biographer, R.L. Wilson, wrote, “Ruger was a true firearms genius who mastered the disciplines of inventing, designing, engineering, manufacturing and marketing better than anyone since Samuel Colt. No one in the 20th century so clearly dominated the field, or was so skilled at articulating the unique appeal of quality firearms for legitimate uses.” Beginning in 1949 with one line of semi-automatic .22 caliber pistols, Ruger took on the big three of Winchester, Remington and Browning, and entered the 21st century with the largest

Three different Model 77s have earned a valuable place in my gun cabinet – a bodacious little pestcontroller called the Model 77/22; a Model 77 RSI in .308 Winchester with a European-style Mannlicher stock; and a .338 Winchester Magnum, a veteran of several Colorado elk and mule deer hunts.

This trio of Ruger Model 77s covers the requirements for Maine’s small, medium and large game. J.C. Allard photo

sporting arms company of them all. Early on, Ruger concentrated on the .22

pistol and the massively successful single-action “Blackhawk” revolver. Ruger came to the hunting rifle market when the company was firmly established with two decades of experience. Model 77s “Sell like Hotcakes” Brought to market in 1968, the Ruger Model 77 bolt-action turned 50 years old last year. Winchester’s Model 70 dates

to 1936. Remington started making the Model 700 series in 1948. Browning started with the Belgium-made “High Power” in 1960. The Savage 110 series dates back to 1958. Starting late never impeded Ruger’s sales or customer loyalty. American-made and often priced below the competition, Ruger’s Model 77 sold then and sell now like hotcakes on Maine

Maple Sunday. New Choices Unlike Roy Weatherby in California and both Winchester and Remington here in the East, Bill Ruger avoided most ballistics experimentation. He concentrated on building hunting rifles for proven cartridges developed by others. The diminutive .204 and the African-powerful .375 and .416 that carry Ruger’s name resulted from partnerships between the Ruger and Hornady after Bill Ruger’s death in 2002. In his lifetime, Bill Ruger oversaw production of the Model 77 in an array of calibers. From the .17 Mach 2 and .22 Rimfire through all the varmint and mid-sized game standards, to heavy-hitters such as .458 Winchester Magnum and .458 Lott, Ruger offered them all. Over the 50 years of production, Ruger courted niche markets by offering the Model 77 chambered for pistol cartridges like .357 and .44 Magnum, as well as larger game numbers such as .35 Whelen, .350 Remington Magnum and .358 Winchester. Here in Maine, Model 77s in .270, .280, .308, .30-’06 and 7mm Remington abound. (Continued on next page)

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�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 71 (Continued from page 70)

Others may be found in 7x57mm Mauser, .25-06 Remington, .257 Roberts and .250 Savage. “Upstart”? On the anniversary of the Model 77, the NRA’s John Bent said, “A half-century on, it’s no coincidence that the upstart bolt-action that took on the big boys remains one of the most respected rifles in the field.” An upstart at its beginning, perhaps, but performance, dependability and affordability made the Model 77 an industry standard wherever hunters gather. Of ten Ruger firearms I own or have owned, three wear Model 77 markings. A bodacious little pest-controller occupies the small end. Called the Model 77/22, it mounts a 20-inch barrel and fires .22 Winchester Magnums from a nine-shot rotary magazine. Next comes a Model 77 RSI in .308 Winchester. The rifle is fitted with a European-style Mannlicher stock. Topping the trio is a veteran of several Colorado elk and mule deer hunts in .338 Winchester Magnum. Each has earned a valued place in the gun cabinet. Always Evolving Despite early writings and rhetoric, the first generation of Model 77s were not true descendants of the famous Mauser bolt-action. They used a Bill Ruger-designed push-feed system rather than a Mauser controlled-round feed. They also used a tang-mounted safety instead of the Mauser three-position switch on the bolt shroud. A second generation Model 77, called the Mark II, emerged in the 1990s. It did incorporate the flat bolt face and a non-rotating extractor claw of the true Mauser-type action.

The 1990s also saw the advent of stainless steel and synthetic stocks in addition to the familiar checkered walnut stocks and blue steel that had characterized the Model 77. With rubber insets at the hand holds, the beauty of the All-Weather Stainless lay entirely in its function. Twelve years ago, the company rolled out the third generation Model 77 now called “the Hawkeye” instead of Mark III. Principal product improvements over the Mark II include a one-piece bolt, steel floor plate, and an entirely new trigger. The Hawkeye is priced above $1,000, so it seems Bill Ruger’s company intends to market to more affluent clientele than those who formerly purchased the Model 77. The new Ruger bolt-action American Rifle seems directed toward the more economy-minded. B u t that leaves a plethora of older, well-used and well-loved Model 77s to be handed down or sold off for at least another 50 years. Secure Future The Ruger Model 77 never gained a world-famous patron like Jack O’Connor was to the Winchester Model 70. It never served as a frequent platform for custom jobs

The County (Continued from page 70)

weekend to camp and fish, or just want some variety of scenery from morning to afternoon outing, there are options near the Musquacooks. Right beside the Realty Road a few miles before Musquacook crossroads is Upper McNally Pond, with a campsite, parking and launch area. Easy to fish and only a max depth of 15 feet, it’s great early season brook trout fishing. This is a great spot to spend a couple of hours. Just south of Fifth Musquacook Lake is another option for a half-day venture: Clear Lake. With a depth of 85 feet, this moderate-size waterway offers a well-maintained boat launch and good population of togue and brookies. One big draw to this waterway is a 6 togue daily limit, each must be at least 14 inches, and only one may exceed 23 inches. There’s a two brook trout per day slot limit as well. That’s a lot of spring action to be enjoyed! Since Aroostook lakes clear of ice at random times depending on location and weather conditions, it’s possible to enjoy a couple of newly-open lakes and like the Remington Model 700. The Ruger Model 77 just went to work by the tens of thousands, giving pleasure to hunters around the world, some of whom depend on their rifles for their livelihood. The old Winchester Model 94 lever-action is often touted as the most popular firearm for hunters in Maine, and given its 124-year history, that may be true. How-

ponds weekly for at least three weeks – even into early June some years. Get out early and often, and explore new locations. And above all else, wear a life vest in these frigid water conditions.

While fly rod and streamer flies are the author’s favorite spring trolling tools, lures can be very effective, too -- it’s tough to beat an original red and white Dardevle.

ever, with only 50 years in the game, the Ruger Model 77 has caught up fast, and it may well be the most popular rifle in these woods now. William B. Ruger’s legacy remains secure. His impact sails far beyond just the Model 77. He touched almost every aspect of the shooting sports, but his imprint on hunting is indelible. Instead of making an art

form for the rich and famous, he chose to focus his effort on firearms for the ordinary folks who put meat on the table and the occasional skin or rack on the cabin wall. In the 22nd century, in places like Millinocket, Mars Hill or New Gloucester, someone will say, “This was your Grandad’s Model 77. It’s yours now.”

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72 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Smilin’

Sportsman After a week of noisily stomping around through the woods south of Greenville, the Massachusetts hunter had not even seen a deer, much less get close enough to shoot one. “You must be the worst guide in the whole world,” he complained to the young Mainer who had tried to lead him to some big bucks. “No, I don’t think so,” replied the Mainer, softly. “That would be too much of a coincidence.” ••••••••••••••••••• Amos: “How’s your young hunting dog doing?” Clyde: “Fine, except last week he chewed open the cardboard box that held our board games, and he ate all our Scrabble tiles.” Amos: “Gee, I hope he was alright.” Clyde: “He’s fine now, but for the few days after it happened, he was leaving little messages all around the house.” ••••••••••••••••••• Judge: “Why did you steal the car?”

Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com

Man: “I had to get to work.” Judge: “Why didn’t you take the bus?” Man: “I’m not licensed to drive a bus.” ••••••••••••••••••• Amos: “I had a bad day yesterday. My toughguy neighbor, Joe, pounded on my door and accused me of stealing clothes off his clothesline!” Clyde: “That’s awful! How did react to those accusations?” Amos: “I was so scared, I nearly wet his pants!” ••••••••••••••••••• The rural cop lit up the farmer’s field, and found an intoxicated and confused man kissing and caressing one of the farmer’s pumpkins. “I am arresting you for trespass and malicious mischief,” he told the man. Realizing his predicament, and thinking quickly, the man looked at the pumpkin, then

at his watch, and exclaimed. “Darn – is it midnight already?”

The Smilin' Sportsman Youth Edition Kids! Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com. Twelve year old Billy and his 11-year old brother Bobbie stole their neighbor’s ATV and helmets, and went racing down the abandoned logging road. “Billy!” said Bobbie. “Our neighbor must have called the DIF&W district office! There’s a warden on our tail!” “Is his flashing light on?” asked Billie. Replied Bobbie: “Nope! Yup! Nope! Yup! Nope! Yup!” ••••••••••••••••••• A hunter tumbled down a steep wooded hillside, was badly injured and was taken to the Greenville hospital.

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His wife called the ER, and asked, “Well, how is he?” “I’m sorry to say,” said the nurse, “that he’s critical.” “Yeah?” replied the wife. “What the heck is he complaining about now?” ••••••••••••••••••• Teacher: “OK, class – Time for a review of European culture. Who can tell me the best thing about the country of Switzerland?” Little Johnny: “I don’t know, but their flag is a big plus!” ••••••••••••••••••• Amos: “The other day, my Mom asked my Dad

to hand her some lipstick, but he accidently gave her a glue stick.” Clyde: “Was she mad?” Amos: “I don’t know – she’s still not talking to my Dad!”

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 73

— TRADING POST — • Subscribers may place one free 20-word line classified ad per month (two-month limit) • Items for sale must include a price • Real estate ads must include an address or location

• The regular rates are $15 for up to 20 words and 50¢ for each additional word • Check, money order, MasterCard or VISA (Credit or Debit) are accepted

• You may submit your ads by: Phone: 207-357-2702 E-mail: classifieds@mainesportsman.com Mail: 183 State Street, Suite 101 Augusta ME 04330

SUBMIT AD AND PAYMENT BY THE 30TH OF EACH MONTH AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. DOGS MILL POND RETRIEVERS Field Trial and Test Bloodlines “True Gun Dog Labs”. Located in Owls Head, Maine. Puppies, started dogs and finished dogs available. 207542-1485 ——————————— CAMPS FOR RENT PARKMAN, ME BUCKS CROSSING, WMD 17 CABINS Turkey, deer, moose, upland game. All amenities included. Great ratesnightly, weekly, monthly. $75/night for two people. 207-277-3183

REMOTE CABIN LEASE ON AROOSTOOK RIVER T9R7. Wild trout/salmon. Abundant snow, wildlife. $75K. E-mail mpetit417@ gmail.com CAMP ON SMALL POND IN SHIRLEY $500/wk. Great hunting, fishing & ATV trails nearby. Also, local hunting club 1/4 mi. away is actively looking for five new members. 207-636-3689 ——————————— CAMPS FOR SALE HUNTING CAMP North Maine Woods T13R10 Great Moose

hunting Zone 2, also bird, bear, deer. Furnished, sleeps 6, shower, propane fixtures, finished in Cedar, P&C lease, $44,500. 207-944-0873 MILLINOCKET AREA CAMP ON TURKEY TAIL LAKE Located in Zone 9. Gas appliances, groomed snowmobile trail goes by driveway. $99,000. Call 207-784-7162 ——————————— CAMPSITES NORTHERN PRIDE

3,911 ACRES MOSCOW - One-of-a-kind property with gorgeous views of Wyman Lake. This wellbuilt, highly efficient, four season home is the perfect place to get away from the crowds.. This could be your vacation retreat or your year round home. Enjoy open access to the pristine waters of Wyman Lake, close proximity to ATV and snowmobile trails, and countless nearby waters to fish, kayak, or canoe. This home features a great room with vaulted ceilings and stunning views of the lake. The spacious master bedroom includes a full bath and large closet. This gorgeous home also features a basement with a finished bedroom and a large room to sleep extra guests or maybe convert into a game room. This is an energy efficient, well insulated home with radiant heat. $179,900 WEST FORKS - Fantastic camp on 4.37 surveyed acres in the heart of the North Maine Woods. Enjoy year round access right off Route 201 on a town maintained road. This is a perfect outpost camp to enjoy hunting, fishing, trapping, ATVing, and snowmobiling. Easy access to nearby trails. This camp comes complete with a large dining room table, refrigerator, range, and beds to sleep a dozen guests. This camps sits on a poured concrete foundation/crawl space and features two forced hot air heating systems and electricity. This is a must see. MLS #1368761 - $85,000 WELLINGTON - MOOSE AND BROOK TROUT! Nice, off-the-grid cabin on 21 acres with spectacular view and over 1,000 feet of frontage on Wellington Bog (Higgins Stream). Enjoy fantastic hunting and cast to brook trout from your own property. This cabin has gas lights, gas refrigerator and range, and large sleeping area. Kingsbury road also serves as an ATV trail and snowmobile access is close by. Also enjoy easy access to Kingsbury Pond. If you are looking for your own private, slice of heaven, this is it! MLS #1323247 - $59,000 ABBOT - Looking for a year-round camp in the heart of Maine hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation? Look no further. This camp has nearby access to ATV and snowmobile trails plus enjoy close proximity to Kingsbury Stream and Kingsbury Pond. This camp sits on two private acres on a town maintained road. Large outbuilding on property with electricity. Camp is wired through the outbuilding. Interior of camp is unfinished, but many walls are already framed up. Great opportunity to bring your own personal touch and turn this place into your dream getaway in the north woods. MLS #1344312 - $49,900 PITTSFIELD - If you are looking for a get a way place hidden minutes from town. 74 secluded acres await your ideas. A nice place to put a house, or a camp. Rock maple for a sap orchard. The land is bordered by the Rail Road tracks, and abuts the snowmobile trail. World class recreational land, within walking distance to all that Pittsfield has to offer. MLS #1408305 - $94,999 ATHENS - Very nice parcel of land, 55+- Acres, sloping and wooded land with frontage on 151. Small farm pond on the property. MLS #1334822 - $70,999 NEWPORT - 14.5 acres of mature, mostly hardwood trees. Land is relatively flat. Great place to see wildlife. Old woods road into property and a cross cable into property on pathway. Long thin entry to wider back piece hence privacy. MLS #1323019 - $22,500 SOLON - Great opportunity to enjoy this 203 acre property with access from two roads and a good interior road to locate and access your new home or cabin. Bring the snowmobiles and ATV to ride on the organized trail systems when you are not out hunting. Property is in tree growth for tax purposes (23025Hb358). MLS #1362466 - $139,000 EMBDEN - Approximately 750 feet of frontage on the East Shore Road with this 69 acre parcel of land. Property is just a short distance to the public boat ramp. Property is in tree growth for tax purposes (Hb152). MLS # 950558 - $58,500 05/19

Dallas Plt - Timber, water, wildlife and views. Four miles of frontage on S. Branch of Dead River and four remote ponds. 1,700’ of elevation. Interior roads. Close to Rangeley. $2,750,000

LODGE, FIRST ROACH POND, KOKADJO ME Seasonal Camp Sites available $2367.50. Hunt-Fish-ATV MAINE in MOOSEHEAD LAKE REGION. Guided drift boat fishing, bear, moose and deer hunts. Lodging/ meals also available. 207695-2890 ——————————— FOR SALE 20 FT. OLD TOWN CANOE 1933 20’ Old Town Guides Model canoe. Great shape. $1500.00 Call Chuck 207-491-9946

SCHRADE CUTLERY FEDERAL DUCK STAMP COMMEMORATIVE KNIVES Fourteen in all 19881989 to 2003-2004. $125 each or $1,700 for all 14 knives. Call John 207534-7464. VINTAGE 17’ OLD TOWN CANOE Completely restored by Old Town. Cruise the lakes and streams in style. $2,600, OBO. Caro(Continued on next page)

192+/- ACRES Guilford - 192± acres w/ views from Oak Hill (920’ in elevation) & in the shadows of 1,326’ Guilford Mt. overlooking First Davis Pond. Wildlife galore with evidence of moose & deer. Cut in 2011. $129,000

Kingfield - Camp on Tufts Pond. Mountain & water views, mature trees, 1,600’ of elevation, brook & remote pond! Ski, snowmobile, hunt, fish, relax! Sugarloaf close by. $599,000.

Bancroft Twp - Acreage on Mattawawkeag River. Camp just 200± feet from river w/exceptional frontage. Mature trees, easy access & special protection designated for Salmon & deer habitat. $139,000

Litchfield - Waterfront parcel with tons of diversity. Massive trees in park like setting. Mile plus frontage on Horseshoe pond feeding into Cobbossee stream. Extensive wildlife. $205,000.

2,900+/- ACRES Rumford & Mexico - Approx. 2,900 acres including Whitecap Mountain (2,000’), South Twin Mountain (2,156’) and Black Mountain (2,300’). Part of the land is an active Sugarbush. Impressive views. Land can be separated. $1,450,000 Greenwood - 283 ACRES - Views of the surrounding hills south and west from 1,300’ of elevation. Ledge outcrops, old stone walls and recreation opportunities. Gravel for access and internal roads. $215,000 Greenwood - 251 ACRES - Views of the surrounding hills, lakes and Mt. Washington. 32’x20’ log cabin shell. Good access & road system. Highest elevation is 1,620’. Recreation paradise. $229,000 Dover/Foxcroft - 93 ACRES – Affordable lot with small stream, good access, internal road system and 1,570’ Parsons Landing Road frontage. Recently harvested. Great area for recreating. Lot can be split. $70,000 Calais - Scenic 45 acre lot on the 627 acre, 56’ deep Nash’s lake stocked with salmon. Over 1000’ of waterfront with peninsula extending into the lake. Good access. Private. Numerous coves, unique shorefront. $75,000

Beauty runs deep. So does our land sales experience.

John Colannino – Broker & Forester American Forest Management, Inc. 40 Champion Lane | Milford, Maine | 04461 O: 207.817.9079 | C: 207.266.7355 John.Colannino@afmforest.com For more information on available properties please visit: AmericanForestManagement.com www.MaineSportsman.com

74 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————— (Continued from page 73)

lyn 603-923-5014 ——————————— REAL ESTATE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: LARGE MULTI-USE COMMERCIAL BUILDING On busy Rt 2 in Western Maine. Large lot, river

frontage, paved parking, three stories. Fishing, boating, snowmobile trail access. Great earning potential. Asking $142k. Financing may be available. 207-562-7564

system for ease of access to most of the property, hunting, nearby lakes, ATV and snowmobile trails. Has been selectively cut. Ideal location for a camp and has been surveyed and soil tested $64,500. FMI please call (207)633-7838 ———————————

WOODVILLE, ME 114+/- ACRES This lovely gated parcel offers privacy, a nice road

WANTED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: REMOTE MAINE SPORTING CAMP SEEKING EMPLOYEES For general labor late April thru late October. Good wages. 207-7318888 or nahmakanta.com WANTED - SKI DOO, ELAN OR TUNDRA Any condition. Have

Cash. Will Travel. Call or text 207-522-6940 WANTED DEER/ MOOSE ANTLERSBUYING any size deer & moose shed antlers/ racks or antlered skulls. All grades bought by the pound. 802-875-3206

Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker • (207) 233-8275 caryndreyfuss@morton-furbish.com www.realestateinrangeley.com

AZISCOHOS LAKE - Beautiful, remote, pristine! Fishing/hunting camp on OWNED LAND with 100’ of sandy frontage. Off-grid camp with knotty pine throughout, gas appliances/lights, Empire wall heaters for heat, wired for generator. 10x12 storage shed, 12x12 deck, privy, hand-carry water. Peaceful lakeside setting, level lawn to the beach, unobstructed lake/mt. views. What a spot to get a way from it all - listen to the loons sing, gaze at the stars, be one with nature! MLS #1339003 - $195,500 NIBOBAN SPORTING CAMPS ON RANGELEY LAKE - Now offering FRONT ROW CABIN #4 - end unit abutting the woods! Fully year-round and conveyed fully furnished featuring 2BR, open living/kitchen area, spacious 3-season porch with direct entry onto private flag stone patio - all just steps from 2400’ prime frontage on the South Shore. Beautiful setting on 45 park-like acres with blend of woods, fields, walking trails. Once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave! MLS #1408087 - $315,000

Macwahoc - Ready to use open floor plan camp, loft, generator included, sited next to little pond, fish or hunt Molunkus Stream, easily accessible, low taxes, 4.2+/- acres on Smith Road. $34,500 Reduced to $29,900

Lakeville - Small cabin, dug well, privy, electricity, and a partially developed lot make this usable day #1 and it could be temporary lodging while you build your new waterfront dream house on pristine Junior Lake. $97,500

Danforth - Cabin will sleep big crew and entertain more on the huge deck. Insulated garage with furnace for storing/working on the toys all year. Fishing out the front and hunting out the back, built for outdoor people on Sandy Beach Road. $78,500

NORTH WOODS CHALET IN RANGELEY PLT Privately sited on 1.5 sun-filled acres with elevated Mooselook Lake/Bemis Mt. views. The meticulously maintained 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home offers comfortable floor plan, spacious main floor deck, roomy master suite. Detached 1-car garage, plus storage shed for your toys. Ideally located for 4-season fun ATV/snowmobile from your door, walk/X-C ski to the Philips Preserve. Quiet area, low plantation taxes. MLS #1400459 - $249,000

Noyes Real Estate Agency 2388 Main Street • Rangeley, ME 207-864-9000 • info@noyesrealty.com www.noyesrealty.com

FISHING & HUNTING CABINS

Mattawamkeag - Private cottage with shower house, shed, privy and covered porch overlooking the water. Gas lights and some wiring done for generator use. Enjoy all the outdoors has to offer on Back Settlement Pond. Not many like this one! $89,000

Topsfield - Mobile home is in remarkably good condition. Very near the shoreline of E. Musquash Lake, can almost fish from the living room. Well, septic and no neighbors breathing down your neck. Nice home or be a great getaway location. $95,000

Lee - Immaculately maintained, 15+/acres of mowed field, drivable paths through wooded sections, and 2 large outbuildings. Only 3 miles from Lee Village, and Lee Academy on Winn Road. Call today to schedule your showing. $179,900

Lincoln - Nice 1.77/2.78 acre lots with 240’+/- of frontage, driveway in, electricity available and owner financing. Enjoy 800 acres of water to play on and snowmobile trails for winter fun on Long Pond. $89,000 Reduced to $59,900 Lakeville - Large lot offers privacy and is on a large cold water lake. Lot has great waterfront, is improved with a driveway, and has a breath taking view. Enjoy the outdoor sports at this one of a kind property on Sysladobsis Lake. $240,000 Mattamiscontis - Nice 1.7+/- acre lot. Located on a year round road not far from I-95 or downtown Lincoln. Enjoy fishing, hunting, and paddling on the Penobscot River. $16,000 T3 R1 - Remote, quietand beautiful. This lot has end of road privacy and is probably the nicest lot along this shore. If you are looking for privacy on a body of water- Look no further right on Bill Green Pond. $29,900

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#430 - MLS #1260074 - Cabin with 4 bedrooms, close to ITS/ATV trails. Includes stream with brookies! Many updates in 2006 include roof, heating, windows, and more. $129,000

#307 - MLS# 1368735 - Upper Dam, fly fish, hunt. Access, Mooselookmeguntic, and Richardson Lake. Annual Lease $1525. Cabin $145,000

# 557 - MLS# 1372557 - Private 20 acres and well maintained trailer off grid in Avon near Mt. Blue Stream and Pond, on ATV trails, generator ready, with bathroom, new roof. $55,000. #590 - MLS#1317532 - Camp in Dallas PLT. easy access to 4- wheeler/sled trails, includes bedroom and sleeping loft, nice open lot. $87,000 #556 - MLS# 1355432 - Furnished hunting/fishing camp near Rangeley village. Turn-key, large garage, brook frontage $95,000

R E A L

E S T A T E

5 LAKE STREET, P.O. BOX 66, LINCOLN 207-794-2460 www.cwalakestreet.com E-mail: cwa@cwalakestreet.com

1-800-675-2460 Call any of our brokers to work for you!

“Tate” Aylward ................ 794-2460 Peter Phinney.................. 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie...................... 290-1554

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR PROPERTIES VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT CWALAKESTREET.COM

Aziscohos Lake – Call us about land and cabins on Aziscohos Lake! Great fishing, remote, close to NH line off Route 16!

LAND — GREAT FISHING LOCATIONS

Water Access Building Lots #610....... Dodge Pond access ......................................................................... 1.1 acres .......$33,500 #600....... Water access, Quimby Pond, Rangeley .......................................... 1.8 acres .......$54,000 — Building lots up to 4 acres with water access to Rangely Lake, ATV trail access, views, priced from $59,000 in Rangeley Overlook and Highlands Acreage and Water Access #683....... Beaver Mtn. Lake, water access ...................................................... 5 acres ..........$49,000 #611 ....... Rangeley Plt., water access............................................................. 20 acres ........$66,000 #606....... Beaver Mtn. Lake, water access ...................................................... 10 acres ........$89,000 #605....... Rangeley Plt., water access, well .................................................... 7.8 acres .......$89,900 Waterfront Land #923....... Rangeley Lake ................................................................................. 0.92 acres .....$95,000 #917....... Dodge Pond, 263 ft. ......................................................................... 3.8 acres .......$160,000 #900....... Aziscohos Lake, driveway, cabin ..................................................... 1.2 acres .......$160,000 #967....... Beaver Mtn. Lake, 292 ft. ................................................................. 2.28 acres .....$179,900 #404....... Rangeley Lake, 190 ft., cabin .......................................................... 0.96 acres .....$259,000 #903....... Loon Lake, 230 ft. ............................................................................ 4 acres ..........$300,000 #916....... Rangeley Lake, commercial............................................................. 14 acres ........$325,000 #914....... Mooselookmeguntic, 240 ft. ............................................................. 6.1 acres .......$375,000

�� The Maine Sportsman • May 2019 • 75

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76 • May 2019 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————