Northwoods Sporting Journal, May 2022

Fly Fishing Doesn’t Come Easy For Clovis Thick May 2022

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Maine’s Wild Trout -Bob Mallard

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 3

Fishing Spring Brooks

The State of Maine, and certainly a good deal of Northeast, is blessed with a host of arteries, if you will, of vein-like brooks and streams, carving out dents, caverns, and archways through our lands. Some are just trickles, seeping from cool underground springs. Others are formed by overflowing outlets and inlets from lakes and ponds. Each, it seems, has a journey to fulfill to reach their final destination.

Brook trout, Salvelinus Fontinalis, inhabit only the cooler confines of these tributaries, being restricted by those waterways that are well-oxygenated, and with brisk temperatures that hold up through the critical months of July and Augusta. That can be devastating to the species if otherwise. Aquatic plants too, are a factor in producing life securing oxygen, as well as harboring the availability of life sustaining food supplies.

To survive the onslaught of predators, such as herons, hawks, eagles, mink, otter, and snapping turtles is another challenge.

Hooking injuries, and diseases, too numerous to mention, are other considerations, though most of these are not harmful to consumers. Floods are a real hindrance too, as well as contamination and the water flow. All these things contribute to the well-being of our brook trout population.

The over-harvesting by anglers and a reduction of spawning sites are also factors. These may be the worst of all.

Another important consideration is the longevity of the trout life. In

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME and becomes closer to the brook trout’s feeding habits, as aquatic insect hatches begin to occur-such as mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies---for the most part.

May is a great time to take your offspring brook fishing. But don’t forget the fly dope!

“Fishing Spring Riffer.”

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today’s world, it is perhaps very short-lived. From the egg to adult is somewhere between one in a thousand, more or less, depending on conditions. Then surviving to an average size of say ten to twelve inches or more, is also so trivial it is too hard to believe. This, of course, depends on so many situations, as mentioned above.

Is it any wonder fisheries biologists recommend certain restrictions on various waters? Over-harvesting can be one of the most devastating factors.

That said, what about all those little brookies in tiny books? Early season worm dappers like to drift their baited barbs into those

road culverts as water levels clear and become very appealing, to say the least.

That old saying: “When the alder buds begin to burst into leaves, it’s time to go spring brook fishin’”. Another would be: “When Mayflowers bloom, it’s time to dabble a worm”.

That would be if one can find a Mayflower plant these days, I have found a few, but it took years for me to find and identify this ground vine with minute, sweet-smelling blooms.

But, I digress: There is no question but as the spring season wanes, fishing fortune increases ten-fold. Muddied water flow clears, drops,

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On The Cover

Fly Fishing Doesn’t Come Easy For Clover Thick - Pg 16 Maine’s Wild Trout - Pg 25 Fishing Allagash Lake - Pg 34 Rifle Scope Facts - Pg 33 Blast and Cast - Pg 12 Overhauling Doe Permits - Pg 28 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 66

Contents

3. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 6. Basics of Survival - Joe Frazier 7. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 12. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 13. Post-Script From Pocasset - Josh Reynolds 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 21. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau 22. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 24. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard 26. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 28. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 31. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 38. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 42. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. On Point - Paul Fuller 46. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 52. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 53. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary 55. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 58. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 59. Fitness and Hunting - Mike Miner 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 61. SAM News - David Trahan 62. Anticosti - Mark Cote 63. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 65. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

The Sportin’ Journal The Outdoor Paper For “Maine Folks”

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprehensive and readable monthly outdoor publication. Published at the trailhead of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Sporting Journal prides itself on being an independent voice for the region’s outdoor community for more than 28 years. Some of our writers are seasoned and specialized outdoors people who will share their know-how and insights; some of our contributors are simply lifelong outdoor people with interesting stories to tell.

Our aim every month is to capture the essence of Northern New England’s remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring memories, portraying outdoor humor, and sharing experiences and outdoor knowledge. We also keep our readers up to date with late-breaking outdoor news and hard-hitting editorials about fish and wildlife issues.

Anyone who loves to hunt and fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors a treasured place, is more than likely to find some special connections amid the pages of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

www.sportingjournal.com

Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970

Vol 29 Issue 5 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

The Northwoods Sporting Journal (ISSN#1548-193X) Postmaster: Send address changes to: Northwoods Sporting Journal, PO Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Northwoods Publishing Group Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds Editor - V. Paul Reynolds Director of Marketing - Victor Morin Assistant Editor - Josh Reynolds Associate Editor - Donna Veino Graphic Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram Operations Manager - Annette Boobar Webmaster - V. Paul Reynolds General Sales Manager - Victor Morin Jr. Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin & Michael Georgia Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs and articles about the Maine outdoors.

Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned.

All rights reserved, 2022. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

“A Hiker’s Life” - Pg 10

By Carey Kish

Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 66. Real Estate

Cover Photo: Writer Bob Mallard with a nice brookie!

Anticosti - Pg 62

By Mark Cote

Green Mountain Report - Pg 52

By Bradley Carleton

Native Fish Talk - Pg 25

By Bob Mallard

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 6

Basics Of Survival

May 2022

Cold Water Immersion

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME When you suffer a sudden immersion in cold water, such as your canoe tipping over, you suffer a reaction called “Cold Shock”. This happens instantly and can be fatal in seconds. Self rescue is almost impossible and your only chance of survival is prior planning and equip-

more dense than air so you lose body heat 25 times as fast as air. Just because the ice is out does not mean it is safe to put the canoe in.

When you fall in the water several things happen instantly. All the body responses are involuntary, you have no control over them. You gasp and fill

Cold water gear is not as much to keep you warm when boating, but to help you deal with cold water shock when you fall in water any colder than 70 degrees. ment.

Cold water is something people rarely consider when deciding to go out. If you are in a boat and the air temperature is 50 degrees, that is comfortable with a sweatshirt.

Water, however, is much

your lungs. If you are under water, this gasp reflex is why you can drown instantly. You can also start to hyperventilate and lose all control of your breathing.

Your body closes off the blood vessels in your arms and legs to force

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blood to the body core to maintain heat. This causes severe cramps, pain, and loss of motor control.

There is a huge increase in heart rate and blood pressure which can cause a heart attack, even in healthy people.

Mental reaction is no better. You can experience terror, confusion, inability to make decisions, feeling of impending doom, feeling like you are suffocating. You will not be able to carry out the steps for self rescue.

When your arms and legs get that cold that fast, the muscles and nerves stop working. Your hands stop working and you can’t even position your body to be face up out of the water or position your back to waves. Swimming becomes impossible after only a couple seconds. You can’t help yourself and you can’t help others to help you. All this can happen in less than one minute.

Cold water gear is not as much to keep you warm when boating, but to help you deal with cold water shock when you fall in water any colder than 70 degrees. Here in New England almost all water is less than 70 no matter the time of year. With as fast as cold water shock effects

you, your clothes may be the only thing that saves your life.

A wetsuit is made of neoprene. The thicker the neoprene, the colder water you can withstand.

They are designed to trap a very thin layer of water against your skin. Your body warms the water in the suit and that is what keeps you from losing body heat. A wetsuit must fit you properly to work. If it is too big it will not trap the warm water, cold water will move in and out of the suit and take away your body heat.

A dry suit is just the opposite. A dry suit keeps the water out, but does not insulate. You need to wear a fleece or wool sweater under the drysuit to trap air and keep you warm.

Whatever you insulate your body with, you need a neoprene hood or balaclava to protect your head and ears from the cold water. A regular wool or polypropylene hat will be useless to protect from cold water shock.

To protect your hands, you can use either neoprene mittens or gloves. The mittens are warmer and more for kayaking. Neoprene gloves are not as warm, but you have use of your fingers. Your hands must be protected at all times

from the cold water or you will lose use of them very rapidly.

I should not have to say this, but ALWAYS wear your PFD. Even with a PFD you might not survive cold water shock but without one you basically have no chance. Always wear your PFD. The reason you wear cold weather gear is so you can get back into your canoe/Kayak and out of the water. You have to keep warm long enough to self rescue. You need to be able to think and to function in order to survive. You either have to be able to get back in your boat or swim to shore. With cold water shock you have not minutes or hours, you only have SECONDS to survive.

Be sure to test your gear and practice self rescue in cold water. Practice swimming in cold water and be sure your gear works the way you need it to when your life is on the line.

Understand the risks before you go out on the water. The air might be 65 degrees but if the water is 45 degrees is it worth the trip?

Joe is a husband, father, author and marine.

Joefrazier193@gmail.com

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Bingham Special This month’s fly is the Bingham Special, and it’s a great fly that not many know about. I found the recipe for this little gem in Dick Surette’s Trout and Salmon Fly Index. Dick

credits this streamer to Bob Bedell who used it on the ponds in the Bingham area, hence the name. I really like the wings on this fly; grizzly saddle hackles are a traditional way to represent baitfish in Maine and the partridge breast shoulders set up a good baitfish profile.

The hook originally used for this fly is not made anymore. The original hook is a 6x long streamer hook, and you may need to seek out a substitute from another hook manufacturer.

Daiichi 2340 is a good one.

I substituted calf tail for impali (impala) because it is a commonly accepted switch.

Recipe for the Bingham Special Thread - Black Hook – Mustad 9575 or Daiichi 2340, 10-12 Body – Silver Mylar Throat – Peacock herl directly under the hook, white calf tail below that, both as long as the

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hook shank Wing – Underwing of yellow calf tail, over which are 4 grizzly saddles, tied on top.

Shoulder/Cheek – Brown partridge breast

Eyes – Highly recommended.

When you tie on the Mylar body, start behind the eye and put a thin coat you wind. When you get to of head cement on the the bend in the hook, wind threaded hook shank before forward over your wrapsback to the point of origin.

The two layers, with the coat of cement, will serve you well when sharp teeth take the fly and you want to cast it again. A trout’s teeth can shred a fly body in one take.

Tie this fly in small casting sizes, 10’s and 12’s, and put it on the end of a sinking line. Cast it out,

Page 7

The Tyer’s Corner

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

and then retrieve it slow and deep using a technique the old timers call “dredging”. Watch what happens.

Hugh Kelly has fly fished and tied his own flies for over 50 years. He and his family live in Detroit where he ties flies, drinks Moxie and plans fishing trips. He can be reached at hkellymaine@gmail.com and he blogs about fly tying at puckerbrushflies.com

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

New Sunday Hunting Law Sunday hunting in Maine or not? I can think of few other more tenacious outdoor issues that have been so perennially debated over the years, yet never resolved to anyone’s satisfaction. Even hunters themselves have been divided over this issue. There have always been compelling arguments on both sides of the question.

Personally, I have never had a problem with “a day of rest” at deer camp, even when I was a 50- hour- a week working man. And yet I understand where Sunday hunting advocates are coming from.

So what’s the answer, the solution?

To their everlasting credit, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the State Legislature took this hot potato in hand and did what any responsible stakeholders should do. They sought as much well-documented information and public opinion as possible before proceeding with Sunday hunting legislation.

The findings of an indepth survey, which was farmed out to an independent research agency, underscored how Main-

Golden Retriever Man To the Editor: I saw the cover with Jim Finn. I’ve been fishing this crazy “bug” for a few years and it is spot on the best darn subsurface creation, well, along with Dick Empies golden shiner. I was having a bit of an issue ordering from Jim (wanted to have some originals!) so I called him. What a nice man! We chatted fishing for 15 minutes. I did finally get my order through. Actually my wife did. Thanks again for the nice article (on Golden Retrievers) and sort of introducing me to Jim. Craig Poulin Eustis

ers harbor vastly contrasting views on the question of Sunday hunting. Within the survey, there are varying views and nuanced arguments expressed by Maine citizens. Boiled down, hunters, by a wide margin, support Sunday hunting. And the geographical demographic is clearcut: urban and southern Maine residents oppose it; rural and northern Mainers support it.

Relying heavily on the data, the State Legislature has put forward a Sunday Hunting bill that seems to have legs. LD 2014 has come out of Committee favorably And reportedly has a good chance of enactment. If passed, it will allow Sunday hunting of all game north of an East/West line that compromises Route # 9 and Route # 2. It will allow private landowners anywhere in Maine to Sunday hunt on their own land.

Additionally, with written permission of the landowner, others may also Sunday hunt on private land.

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, which is largely supportive of the bill, is hedging on one aspect: the language of

the bill that allows Sunday hunting on any private land with written permission of the landowner. SAM spokesman David Trahan views this as a precurser to the dreaded reverse posting, which sportsmen see as akin to the plague.

One argument being invoked by advocates of the Sunday hunt is this: “Maine is only one of two states in the nation that doesn’t allow some form of Sunday hunting.”

Does this really hold any water, one way or the other?

Sunday hunting in Maine does seem to be close to becoming law. The North/ South demarcation seems to be a sensible and practical compromise that accommodates public opinion on both sides of the fence.

The public will get a chance to weigh in before it becomes law.

- VPR

Forever Appreciative consistently for the last five men with an enduring love To the Editor: Some years ago I contacted Paul Reynolds in desperation. Southern Maine had burgeoning fishing pressure and it was difficult to find a place where I could take my young grandson who could encounter consistent success while fly fishing. There’s nothing like catching fish to build enthusiasm for the sport! I wrote to you in desperation seeking a new location after several non-productive trips. You recommended a northern Maine sporting camp. Consequently we - including my son, grandson, son-inlaw and I - have gone there on an annual fishing trip

years or so with the exception of one year marred by Covid and have loved it, the great outdoors, the conviviality, the clean, fresh air and the fishing, sometimes great, sometimes not, but in the end it doesn’t make any difference, does it?

I taught them all the rudiments and it has been such a pleasure watching them become so proficient.

For a while I won the biggest fish/most fish bragging rights, I have now relinquished those rights and have been deposed by each of them and I feel nothing but joy to have relinquished those rights while watching their personal growth. They have truly developed into accomplished fly fisher-

Feeding Deer Needs to Stop!

for the sport and it’s been such a pleasure to me to know all of us have built cherished family memories that we will look back on fondly and appreciate that we all had the opportunity to spend this special segment of our lives together and will always regard as exceptional occasions in our lives.

So this email is a hearty thank you to you, for taking time from your busy schedule to reply to a request for help and I just wanted you to know how meaningfully that act of kindness impacted our lives and we will be forever appreciative.

To the Editor: I am an eighty-one year old dairy farmer of fifty years and a white-tail deer hunter of seventy + years. I have hunted deer in Maine for nearly forty years. After having visited feeding sites and reading numerous reports of deer biologists and commissioners, all reports that I have read lead to one conclusion. Artificial feeding and baiting needs to stop!

Here are the reasons why: The biologists and commissioners are strongly opposed to feeding deer.

Feeding deer can often

Steve Fairbanks

(Letters cont. pg 9)

May 2022

Letters

(Cont. from pg 8) make them more vulnerable to starvation, predation, disease and vehicle collision, among other things. Evidence shows that supplemental feeding of deer concentrates deer populations above ecologically sustainable levels, resulting in significant harm to available browse and the health of the surrounding forest. Browse is damaged, producing smaller quantities of browse for many years or browse can also be completely eliminated.

Additionally, vehicle collisions are known to increase near feeding sites and we all know that predation is also a problem. Pulling deer from a natural deer yard, consisting of hundreds or even thousands of acres and concentrating them into a one acre feeding site, clearly makes them more vulnerable to disease.

The larger the number, the larger the threat.

I have visited a couple of feeding sites in Maine over the last few years.

Neither of these sites have any browse left. At one site, there was in excess of one hundred deer. At the other site, there was between two and three hundred deer being fed rows of corn on the ground within a one acre site. The deer stood sideby-side and head-to-head, feeding daily within the same area, an area eventually containing mud and animal waste. It is difficult to imagine how anyone could view this as a healthy environment.

Last, however most important is the prevention of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) within the deer herds of our states.

This disease now occurs in twenty-five states and four

Northwoods Sporting Journal Canadian provinces, most recently in Quebec, less than one-hundred miles from the Maine border.

We know from telemetry that Maine white-tailed deer range into Quebec during the summer months.

Studies show that CWD is readily spread from deer to deer. It wears a deer down, eventually killing every infected animal. It is fatal, having no effective treatment, no vaccine and no resistance.

Without action from hunters, state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies, CWD will continue to spread. As a result, this would do irreparable harm to deer herds throughout New England, including Maine and New Hampshire.

CWD is nearly impossible to eradicate, once it becomes established in the wild. It is transmitted from deer-to-deer or through the environment. It is widely viewed as one of the most significant challenges in the history of modern wildlife conservation. CWD is also known to be carried by elk, caribou, moose and domestic members of the deer family. If established in Maine, it will have devastating impacts on the state’s deer herds, the Maine hunting heritage and Maine’s economy.

New York State now restricts feeding or baiting of deer, prohibiting these activities at all times of year. This includes use of mineral blocks or powders.

A new regulation addresses the mixed message sent when hunters enter stores filled with massive stocks of deer feed, even though the proprietors know full well that it is illegal to bait or feed deer in NY. Now a distinct label must be posted on feed marketed to

attract deer, advising them of its illegal use in the state.

In the state of Massachusetts, baiting is prohibited during the ten days prior to the deer hunting season. Bait includes any natural or artificial substance that is ingested and used to entice deer. Deer feeding is allowed, but discouraged.

Vermont does not allow feeding or baiting any time of the year. Deer Project Leader, Nick Fortin, states that, “Supplemental feeding has little or no benefit to the overall health of a deer.” There was a case a few years ago in New Hampshire, where twelve deer were found dead as a result of feeding.

New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Deer Project Leader, Dan Bergeron and Vermont’s Deer Project Leader, Nick Fortin, both agree that the best way to have deer survive the winter is to focus upon efforts to conserve, support and create areas that offer good shelter and food sources.

Bergeron says, “Quality deer habitat is far better for

long term management and sustainability of our deer population.” Furthermore, he said, “Having to rely on winter feeding, is not a management approach, it is a complete failure.”

A few years ago, I was asked to come and speak at a deer hearing in Pittsburg, N. H. The hearing was at the school and was packed. It had to do with antler restriction and was held by the New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Dept. Antler restriction results in placing all of the pressure on the best genetics, while saving the poorest. This is clearly a poor management practice.

I was strictly opposed to it. It went nowhere. When the meeting ended at 9:00 P.M. and I was to make my one hour trip back home, I encountered deer all over the streets and around the houses of Pittsburg. The deer were starving, because they were lured there with hand-outs. At that time, it was also evident that in that area, the natural feed of browse was depleted. This especially alarming sight

Page 9 was a result of baiting and feeding deer.

In conclusion, it is most important that Maine and New Hampshire get on board with New York and Vermont. Let’s be proactive now, rather than wait for a disaster and then need to react. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Willard H. Taft Island Pond, VT

The Article on Wolves To the Editor: I want to point out an error in V. Paul Reynolds recent article on wolves: “There are an estimated 9,000 gray wolves in a number of Rocky Mountain States. Under the ESA, which is intended to protect endangered species, the feds in concert with their professional wildlife biologists, have the authority to remove or delist any listed species that it deems as ‘recovered.’”

There are not an esti(Letters cont. pg 23)

Page 10

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Traffic whizzes by me on Highway 40 at Donner Pass, a far different scene from the dusty wagon trains of more than a century and a half ago. The 7,113-foot pass is named for the ill-fated Donner Party, which in late 1846 was unable to make over

from connecting the dots back to Kennedy Meadows.

Recently, from the black lava cliffs of Hat Creek Rim, I bid farewell to majestic Mount Shasta and welcomed Lassen Peak into focus. The crown jewel of Lassen Volcanic Nation-

May 2022

PCT: The Halfway Point

John Muir extensively explored and wrote passionately about the mighty Sierra Nevada, “the Range of Light.” Ansel Adams brilliantly captured the Sierra through his black and white photography, and the climber Galen Rowell scaled its soaring summits and inspired many with his stunning photos. I’ll be thinking of all three as I happily hike through this

tanned and weathered from constant exposure to the elements and sport my requisite share of cuts and scrapes, bruises and bug bites. I’ve shed 25 pounds and am in peak physi-

and I get bored. The miles come easy now and reward with head-spinning vistas galore, and lakes and streams aplenty for fine campsites and good water.

I retired my first pair

cal condition thanks to 108 days of climbing up and down mountains. My calves could rival those of the bicyclist guy in the Liberty Mutual commercials.

Each day I walk about 20 miles—much more and it feels like work, any less

of boots, Lowa Renegade GTX Mids, after 1,100 miles and received a new pair in the mail courtesy of my wife. I’ve not had a single blister on the PCT or in more than 4,500 miles of hiking in this model of boots over the last four years.

Recently, from the black lava cliffs of Hat Creek Rim, I bid farewell to majestic Mount Shasta and welcomed Lassen Peak into focus. the Sierra before heavy snowfall forced them to encamp, ill-prepared. By spring, nearly half of the westbound emigrants had perished from exposure and starvation.

I’m unlikely to resort to cannibalism as the Donners are rumored to have during their tragic winter, but with an empty food bag, a grumbling stomach and nobody yet interested in giving me and my hiking companions a ride to Truckee for serious food and drink relief, well, I guess anything is possible.

Donner Pass marks the halfway point of my Pacific Crest Trail journey, 623 miles southbound and 702 miles northbound for a grand total of 1,325 miles to date. I’m just 448 miles

al Park, the snow-capped 10,463-foot mountain is the most southerly of the ancient volcanoes of the Cascades. The park’s Lower Twin Lake offered an entertaining night’s camping, complete with aggressive deer and a pesky bear.

Crossing the North Fork of the Feather River in the Plumas National Forest, the PCT officially enters the Sierra Nevada.

It was several days more in the thick pines and brushy chaparral, however, before I reached the dramatic Sierra Buttes and the sweeping granite walls and spires, emerald lakes, wildflower-adorned meadows and lingering snowfields that characterize this country as I’ve come to know and love over the years.

incredible wilderness landscape once again.

Three and a half months into the 2,654mile trek, my hiker hunger is enormous. One evening in camp, for example, from supper until bedtime, I chowed on chocolate bars, cookies, chips, candy, a two-person freeze-dried dinner and more. When I tallied up the wrappers come morning, I’d eaten 2,500 calories. At Burney Falls State Park, the 129foot cascade was pretty, yes, but it was the general store I really wanted to see.

Two hot dogs, chips, soda, a huge roast beef sandwich, more chips and two beers, then ice cream and I was still hungry.

These are the glory days of the hike. I’m

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and author of the AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

His new book, Beer Hiking New England, will be available in Spring 2022.

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Legendary Grand Laker

When I first started my career as a fishing guide, I was admittedly a more modern-equipped angler when I hit the lake with clients. I began with a modified vee, aluminum bass boat with raised casting decks, modern elec-

a center console covered with a T-top canopy with rod holders reminiscent of off shore rigs completed the layout. It’s great for larger fishing parties and quite comfortable for long days on the water in Junior Lake.

At the time, I thought I had

sports to finish breakfast and load up for our day’s excursion, I had an epiphany. Big, long, square-stern wooden canoes sat hitched to pickups all the way through the driveway to the pro shop. They were wide beamed, with big rockers and elegantly finished interiors. They were beautiful.

And I wanted one.

Over the next two years, I delved into the history of the Maine Grand

Page 11

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME Last year I stumbled into an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. A friend and fellow guide decided to sell me his 1970’s era Lance Wheaton Grand Laker after my insistent badgering following his purchase of a brand new Wheaton Laker, one of the last Lance would build in his long and storied career. The Wheaton Laker

Big, long, square-stern wooden canoes sat hitched to pickups all the way through the driveway to the pro shop. They were wide beamed, with big rockers and elegantly finished interiors.

They were beautiful. And I wanted one.

The Grand Laker is a legendary craft. tronics, GPS and a bow all the bases covered – until mounted trolling motor. I started working in Grand It was a bass fishing ma- Lake Stream where the chine. As I progressed, I highest concentration of added a 20 foot pontoon fishing guides in the state boat, specifically retrofit- of Maine ply their trade. ted as a fishing vessel. The The first time I pulled lounging furniture was into Weatherby’s Lodge removed, rubber non-slip and joined the queue of decking tiles added, and guides waiting for their

Laker. I learned how and why they were made; for fishing the big remote waters of northeastern Maine.

I learned the names of the craftsman that built them; the Pop Moores, the Bacons, the Tobeys, the Wheatons, the Spragues.

Each canoe builder had a signature style that was recognized from East Grand Lake in the north to West Grand Lake in the south. I learned how special that tradition was and is to this very day.

is highly prized for its size and stability and I felt like I hit the lottery. Authentic Maine Grand Lakers are becoming hard to come by and to have one of the legends of the canoe building community was humbling.

Quite frequently when

travelling with my Laker on the hitch and headed to guide a trip, I receive thumbs up hand gestures from folks passing me by.

I have people stop by when I’m fueling the truck at the gas station and want to see the canoe and take pictures of it. I certainly understand, the Grand Laker is a part of the living history of Maine.

Many tell me stories of a descendant family member who owned one and the experiences they had as children.

When I’m asked by newly minted guides that have grown up in the world of modern fishing and all of the equipment and gear it requires, why I choose to fish from an ‘old canoe’, the answer is quite simple – tradition. It seems the older I get the more I yearn for it. There is nothing more (Laker cont. pg 23)

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

At camp, this guy and his gundog - after a morning of chasing pa’tridge - found a comfy place to spend some time with their favorite read, the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Where do you read your copy of the Sporting Journal? At camp, in the boat, at the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo of you with your copy of the Journal at an unusual place. If we like it, we will publish it in the Journal. If we select your best shot for publication, we’ll send you an exclusive Sporting Journal hat created just for the occasion. Send your Jpeg photo and a short blurb to vpaulr@tds.net. Please include your contact information, too. www.sportingjournal.com

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Sporting Journal Northwoods

South Of the Kennebec

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME

Before I get a dozen emails correcting me, I purposely call this article “Blast” and “Cast” instead of the age-old practice of casting for fish and hunting game during the same trip.

Many of the wild turkey hunting season are held in

fishing?

Far too many turkey hunters are so caught up in the chase, they forget that Maine offers all day hunting and fishing, both fresh and saltwater. So, why not take advantage of both, or as we old salts call the ef-

More than once I have seemingly struck out on a roosted longbeard only to reach into my vest for a portable fishing outfit. The rush of a babbling brook sometimes drowns out the gobble just a couple dozen yards away.

May and again in October, the prime times for turkey hunting and fishing. Maine offers a day-long season for wild turkey in the spring, with a two bearded turkey only season, the primary purpose for the trip is to hunt wild turkeys. Why not capitalize on the excellent turkey hunting and prime

fort, a “blast and cast.” If you prefer, in the fall, make turkey hunting secondary to catching fall salmon, trout or other species.

More than once I have seemingly struck out on a roosted longbeard only to reach into my vest for a portable fishing outfit. The rush of a babbling brook

Blast and Cast

May 2022

sometimes drowns out the tag would soon be filled flies, tiny spoons and a film gobble just a couple dozen the woods went silent. I canister filled with dillies yards away. And, more thought I heard sot clucks or small streamside worms than once I have dropped of a hen but convinced and critters. my fishing gear, crouched myself it was just two birch Then, don’t forget down in front of a tree and trees rubbing together in where you are, especialcalled a longbeard right up the wind. ly in southern or eastern Maine. Schoolie stripto the edge of the ers and even a few water I was fishing. keepers usually make In short, a their way into Maine “cast and blast” eiwaters by May first. ther way you say Schoolies are great it is definitely a fun on a fly rod but “BLAST.” Then, if if you want fish for no gobblers reward camp dinners, Maine your distraction, Double your success by planning offers without a doubt, the hunter just may a “Blast and Cast” trip! the finest Black Crapcome back with no turkey but a limit of trout.

No such luck as my pie fishing opportunities One memorable cast and gobbler-in-the-hand sound- north of the Mason-Dixon blast happened a couple ed off going away. After line. This writer makes a years ago. half an hour with no more decent living all summer I was certain I had responses from what I was catering to southern folks an easy hunt when three convinced were top-notch who make the trip just for jakes and one heavyweight hen pleadings I decided it the 2-3-pound crappies. gobbler sounded off just was time for the “cast” porAdd excellent bass as the second signing of tion of my morning. and perch fishing to the birds greeted the first rays A fishing rod is too springtime brook trout and, of sun on the pine tree cumbersome to pack in the of course the fiddlehead tops. The boss longbeard turkey vest so I carry a plas- ferns to complete a specbarked the youngsters qui- tic zipper bag with a small tacular meal. et, began coming to my spool of 6-pound mono, Too many time far too soft hen yelps and purrs. five feet of floating flyline many of us turkey chasers Then, when I thought my and a plastic lure box with have tagged out early in the season (or day) and wonder what to do next. If you are a visitor to Maine and paid the non-resident license fee, why not expand the license to a combination and take advantage of the bounty that lies right in front of you during the trip?

Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Guide and Outdoor Writer. His columns and features have been published nationwide for nearly 60 years. Inducted into NE Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019.

He operates Orion Guide Service in Southern Maine and makes custom game calls at www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Itchin’ for Fly Fishin’

I’m addicted to Podcasts. They are a great way to fill your brain with interesting conversations and information when you are driving or just doing a menial task, like cleaning the house or doing the dishes.

Pop in your earbuds, go on spotify and find a topic you’d like to hear people talk about. Lately, I’ve

this is really the point of listening to podcasts. Mostly, I love their enthusiasm for all things fly fishing and it gets me motivated for the upcoming season.

My dad taught me how to cast a fly when I was just a wee lad, but the bulk of my experience was focused on still water, small trout ponds that were diffi-

waters are often the most difficult fisheries to find success. The fish get a lot of pressure, there are often crowds and without a guide to help show you where to fish, how fish it and what to use, the chances of finding success (if you define success as catching fish) is remote. If you are new to the sport, hiring a seasoned guide or going

Page 13

Post-Script From Pocasset

by Josh Reynolds, Wayne, ME river system. These ponds are an opportunity to really refine your cast. When I was a kid, my dad would call it chasing dimples. If the trout start rising to the surface, its great practice to shoot for the dimple/rise.

Don’t know where to start? Try maps 50 and 51 of The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, this resource is the fisherman’s best friend.

The area included on the maps is loaded with little trout ponds, many are re-

If you are new to the sport, hiring a seasoned guide or going with a friend who knows the water is invaluable. May I also suggest…give the small trout ponds a try.

been finding podcasts on outdoor topics – fishing and hunting. This week, I came across a Maine based podcast series called “In the Film” hosted by Maine Fly Guys (www.maineflyguys. com). If you visit the site, you’ll find their podcasts.

Maine Fly Guys was started by brothers Greg and David LaBonte in 2019. Greg is a college biology professor and fly fishing, fly tying addict.

The boys are young and are focused on the pursuit and conservation of native, wild, Maine fish. They have interesting takes on Maine fisheries – some things I agree with, some I don’t, but it gets you thinking and

cult to access. Places where the fishing was hot when the hatch was on and the fish were always brookies and usually small. I didn’t really start fishing rivers until later in life. In my late twenties my brother introduced me to Grand Lake Stream and I also spent 4 years living and working close to the West Branch of the Penobscot where the itch to river fish really took hold.

There are lots of new people coming into the sport, which is great, and so many seem to start out on these and other great salmon and trout river fisheries in Maine. Maybe I’m soft, but these fabled

with a friend who knows the water is invaluable.

May I also suggest…give the small trout ponds a try.

The old timers know, this is a great way to cut your teeth with a fly rod during May and June. The fish are eager and hungry.

You don’t have to figure out a vast and complex

More times than not, if you hit the spot, you’ll get a hit.

More great practice on how to hook the fish, operate the net and how to make a clean release with out hurting the fish. If you like the taste of a fresh caught trout, and it’s legal, you’ve got a meal as well if that’s your thing.

mote, but some really good ones are just off the road (Telos Road, Golden Road and in Baxter State Park).

Good luck!

Josh Reynolds is the Assistant Editor of The Journal. He can be reached at jreyn207@gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Outdoor News - May 2022 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds

May. The sweet of the year.

For the angler who likes to get after lake landlocks early, who loves to feel the bite of the wind on his face as his Grey Ghost Streamer fly trolls smartly through a brisk “salmon chop,” the sweet of the year may be late April or early May. The trout angler, on the other hand, who waits patiently to match the hatch with a #14 Parachute Adams, may not taste the sweet of the year ‘til late May or early June.

The challenge for all fishermen, of course, is the timing: being there and having a line in the water when the sweet of the year comes calling.

Over the years we have seen that, when it comes to spring in Maine, expect anything.

The sweet of the year may catch you by surprise, so get the spring chores done, and be ready to get after those fish!

Tight lines.

Great Splake Debate

For many anglers, fish identification is almost like second nature and usually Maine’s fish species are relatively easy to identify, but of course there are a few exceptions. Lately I’ve seen some debate on social media, with folks trying to ID splake and brook trout.

It seems every ice fishing season this debate rears its ugly head, and without a lot of experience the two species can sometimes be mistaken for one another.

Let’s start with the basics: What is a splake?

Splake are a hatchery hybrid cross between a male

van was wearing a helmet, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Davan was transported to Wiles Funeral Home in Farmington.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted at the crash by NorthStar Ambubrook trout and female lance, US Border Patrol, lake trout. This hybrid is break not produced outside of •Asking a friend or Rangeley Fire Department, the hatchery environment relative with a computer and the Rangeley Police Department. More inforbecause the two parent spe- for help in applying cies spawn in completely Applications must mation will be released if different habitats. Splake be completed by 11:59 pm it becomes available. are genetically stable, and (ET) on May 12, 2022.

Vermont’s Trout are technically capable of reproducing, but success- Maine Woman Dies Fishing Season ful wild reproduction is In Snowmobile Despite lingering Crash extremely rare, if not pracsnow cover in some areas A Maine woman died of the state, the Vermont tically nonexistent, and has never been documented in early this winter when she Fish and Wildlife DepartMaine. Splake tend to be crashed into the trees after ment says anglers can still faster growing than both she failed to make a left- have fun and be successful of its parent species and hand turn while snowmo- early in the season if they tend to live longer than biling. keep a few strategies in At approximately mind. brook trout. These qualities make this hybrid trout an 12:25 pm., Marjorie Da“Just like any other effective tool for fish biolo- van, age 52 of Oquos- time of year, anglers fishing gists and can create a trout soc, was driving her 2016 early in the spring should fishery where other native Polaris Pro S 600 with a adjust their tactics based coldwater species are un- group of friends. Davan on conditions,” said State likely to thrive. Naturally, was the third snowmobile Fisheries Biologist Shawn a hybrid of any species in a group of four sleds Good. “Trout will become can be difficult to identify traveling on ITS 84 in more active with warmer because they take on quali- Lower Cupsuptic Town- water temperatures. If you ties of both parents, but I ship when she failed to can find a good location am going to give you a few negotiate a left-hand turn and present your bait or pointers that you can use in the trail, and crashed into lure without spooking the to identify your catch and several small trees and was trout, you’ll have a good hopefully end the debate thrown from the machine. chance of catching a few No one witnessed the fish, and enjoy a nice day (for now). crash but the last member outside.” of her group traveling beGood adds that findHow to Enter the hind her came upon the ing a small to medium lowMaine Moose scene, found her unre- elevation river or stream Lottery sponsive, called 911, and that is not too murky from MDIFW no longer began performing CPR. spring runoff can be key. accepts paper applications NorthStar Ambulance was Trout are coldblooded and – you must apply online. If the first to respond to the may be slow to bite espeyou do not have access to a crash, but Davan passed cially with low water temcomputer or the Internet at away at the scene. peratures, so it is important home, we would suggest: An initial investiga- that they can also see your •Using a computer at tion by the Maine Warden bait, lure or fly. your local library Service indicates that she Larger baits can often •Using a computer was likely traveling too be more effective for enticat work during lunch or a fast entering the turn. Da- ing early-season trout into

biting. Spin-anglers should try nightcrawlers, egg imitations, or bright colored spoons and spinners. Fly anglers may find success in the early season by drifting large, more visible flies such as wooly buggers, streamers, or San Juan worms along the bottom in slower pools and runs.

Trout will often hold close to the bottom in the deeper areas of streams during high flow conditions to conserve energy.

Choose locations and tactics that allow you to fish using a slow retrieval right along the bottom. Focus on deep holes behind current breaks created by big boulders, downed trees or log-jams where trout may be resting. If possible, approach the hole from downstream as trout will often orient themselves facing the current.

While Vermont offers excellent and diverse fishing opportunities for wild trout, stocking also occurs in many lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers where wild trout populations are low or absent. This generally happens in April and May each year once the ice has melted and following spring runoff.

“Early in the season, like on opening weekend, you’ll probably have more success if you focus on (News cont. pg 15)

May 2022

News

(Cont. from pg 14) waters known to hold wild trout,” said Good. “Despite unpredictable weather during early spring, each year anglers report catching impressive trout during opening weekend.”

Good also reminds anglers to check the department’s website frequently as updates are made to the Trout Stocking page. “This is a great tool for anglers to see what nearby waters have been stocked, as the page gets updated several times per week,” said Good. Visit this link https://anrweb. vt.gov/FWD/FW/FishStockingSchedule.aspx and click the “See What’s Been Stocked” button to stay informed as the spring progresses.

Anglers who like to fish and release their catch don’t need to wait for opening day. Nearly all waterbodies are now open year-round to catch-andrelease fishing for trout in Vermont. Check the 2022 Vermont Fishing Guide and Regulations which is available free from license agents, and it is on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website at this link: https://www. eregulations.com/vermont/ fishing/ A helpful overview of the new fishing regulations can be found at: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/new2022-fishing-regulationsoverview The department reminds anglers that in almost all cases regulations have been simplified. For any river, stream, lake, or pond not listed in the Index of Rivers and Streams or Index of Lakes and Ponds go to General Fishing Regulations on page 52.

Bird Feeders and Bears

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders and keeping them stored until December, to avoid attracting bears.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“Although we typically recommend taking down bird feeders by April 1, we are asking Vermonters to take them down early this year,” said Jaclyn Comeau, the department’s bear biologist.

The department is already receiving bear reports as of March 7, and encourages Vermonters who experience a conflict with

bears to submit a report through the Living with Black Bears web page. The warmer temperatures predicted now will stimulate more bears to emerge from their dens to seek any food sources they can smell.

“Preventing bears from having access to human-related foods, such as bird seed, is key to successful coexistence,” Comeau

Page 15

added.

Bird feeders are just one of the things that can attract hungry bears. Other sources of food that bears find appealing are garbage, open dumpsters, backyard chickens, pet food, barbecue grills, campsites with accessible food, and food waste.

“Purposely feeding a (News cont. pg 30)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

The Adventures of Me and Joe In Me and Joe’s endless years of high school incarceration, physical education instructors came and went at random intervals.

The one who left the most lasting impression was a tall beanpole of a man named Lucien Frizz.

Mr. Frizz was actually an English teacher, but at the time no job in his chosen field was available. So he took the vacant Phys.

Ed. teacher’s position in Mooseleuk to sort of pass the time until something better came along.

Although exercise seemed a foreign activity for Mr. Frizz, he was unbelievably passionate about things he personally enjoyed. For the most part, this was a good thing for us.

Instead of doing pushups, Mr. Frizz might have us hiking through the woods identifying birds. Rather than climb ropes and do laps, Mr. Frizz taught us to tie fishing flies. To the boys of Mooseleuk, Mr. Frizz seemed like a gift

by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME from heaven. It was when he tried to teach us how to fly fish that problems arose.

“I’ve a special treat for you boys this week,” he said as we toed the line in the tiny Mooseleuk gym.

“We’ve studied the joys of nature together. We’ve learned the rudimentary basics of tying flies. This is all good experience for you and healthful exercise. Now it’s time you all learned how to fly-fish.”

Clovis Thick looked puzzled. “Nice of yer ta offer, Mr. Frizz. If it’s all the same ter you, I’d jist as soon fish fer trout.”

We all laughed, although it was clear that Clovis was serious and didn’t know what the laughter was about. Mr. Frizz just smiled, brushed his mop of tangled hair back with one hand, and patted Clovis on the shoulder.

“No, no, Master Thick. I mean, we are going to learn how to catch fish with a fly rod.”

Clovis now adopted a

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Find Marty somewhere in the Northwoods Sporting Journal (Hint: he will be located in one of our ads) Send us the page number he’s on and you could be a WINNER! Win a FREE Northwoods Sporting Journal Marty Hat. We will draw one winner from all correct entries submitted each month. We will announce the winner in the next issue.

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To the boys of Mooseleuk, Mr. Frizz seemed like a gift from heaven. It was when he tried to teach us how to fly fish that problems arose. doubtful expression. “Always used my c’lapsible steel rod with got o’worms.

Thass what my daddy always used.”

“Yes, but catching fish with a fly rod is so much more…well…refined,” Mr. Frizz gushed.

“That put more fish on the table?” Clovis asked suspiciously.

Mr. Frizz scowled.

“Let’s put it this way, Clovis…with a fly rod you don’t have to dig worms and you don’t have to rebait your hook so often.”

“Oh!” a smile spread

over Clovis’ face. “Thass different! Lead me to that there fly rod!”

It was a motley crew that assembled on the banks of Priest Logan, behind the school, for our first lesson in fly-fishing. Somewhere Mr. Frizz had begged, borrowed or bought enough fly rods for the nine of us. He lined us up along the shore and handed each boy a rod, complete with reel, line and backing. He only made one mistake that I could see. He put flies with hooks in them on all the leaders.

It started out fine. Mr.

Frizz taught us that in flyfishing you cast the line rather than the lure. He showed us how to hold the rod, how to keep from flexing the wrist, hold the arm close to the body, and how to concentrate on getting down the technique rather than reaching for distance. Most of us got it right away. Then we started actually casting.

“No, no! Lift the rod tip! NO! Hold the line with your left hand. That’s the way! NO! Don’t go back so far! You’re going too far (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

Shown actual size

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May 2022

Entries must be postmarked by 5/16/22 to be eligible for this issue.

If you just can’t get enough of reading our Me & Joe Adventures, check out the All Outdoor section of our new Northwoods Sporting Journal website:www.sportingjournal.com You’ll find an ample supply of Me & Joe stories to keep you checking for a long time.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 16) ahead… you’re slapping the water! WAIT! Everybody STOP!” By the time he got us all quieted down, Mr. Frizz was awash with sweat, his stringy hair was hanging in threads and Joe had hooked his fly into the back of my shirt.

We started out a little slower the next time. Mr. Frizz regained some of his composure and most of us began to catch on. Much to my surprise, the basic technique of fly-casting wasn’t all that complicated.

We began to keep our back casts in the air, rather than slapping the ground, and we actually started laying line out on the water, our flies floating jauntily on the surface.

Suddenly, Joe’s fly disappeared in a swirl and his rod tip bent over. Line began whizzing through the guides.

“Use your finger to slow the line,” Mr. Frizz said excitedly. “Use the palm of your other hand to slow the reel!”

Joe did as he was told and the fish slowed, then stopped.

“Now start to crank in line!” Mr. Frizz said.

“Take your time. Tip the rod to one side, then the

other. That’ll make the fish swim more and tire quicker. Maybe it’s a trout!”

“It’s a pickerel,” Joe said as he worked the fish.

“That’s pretty much all they is in Priest Logan.”

He was right. Finally the 18-inch pickerel slid up onto shore, flopping in the sand.

M r. F r i z z d e f t l y picked up the squirming pickerel and removed the fly from its jaw. I noticed Clovis’ mouth drop open as Mr. Frizz tossed the pickerel back into the water.

“Boy, that was great!”

Joe couldn’t stop grinning.

“This here fly-fishin’ is more fun than I thought. I’m gonna ketch another one!”

We all returned to casting, trying to remember what Mr. Frizz had taught us. All of us, that is, except Clovis. No matter how hard he tried, Clovis couldn’t seem to get the hang of casting with a fly rod. Maybe bait fishing was too ingrained in his genes.

He kept trying to cast the fly, rather than the line.

One minute the line would lie in coils at his feet. The next minute his fly would be caught in the trees behind us. Mr. Frizz was very patient, but even he was becoming exasperated.

“No…eleven and one, Clovis… eleven and one,

not nine and three!”

“No, Mr. Frizz,” Clovis said, glancing at his watch as the line fell about his shoulders. “It’s only ‘bout a quarter to ten!”

“Seems like forever,” the teacher muttered under his breath.

“Now, look…Clovis…hold the rod straight out in front of you. That’s the way.” As Mr Frizz patiently explained, Elmo Dorkman leaned over to watch.

“Now, lift up smartly with the rod tip and move the rod all the way back to just back of straight up and down. That’s the way!

That’s the way!” Mr. Frizz because more and more excited as Clovis seemed to finally be doing it right.

“Now, as soon as you feel weight back there, move the rod firmly ahead to shoot the line!”

Clovis moved the rod firmly, one might even say rashly, ahead. The line shot forward. The leader followed. And the fly caught Elmo Dorkman firmly behind the right ear.

Off balance and tugged by Clovis’ powerful cast, Elmo plunged ahead, lifted from the ground, and dove in a shallow arc into the water. For a moment, only his legs flailed above the surface. The rest of us hurriedly came to his aid,

pulling him coughing and sputtering back onto dry land.

For a short time things got rather tense. Finally, Mr. Frizz was able to get the fly free of Elmo’s scalp with the aid of a pair of pocket pliers and the smaller blade of Joe’s clasp knife. We even managed to get the bleeding stopped.

After we were sure that Elmo wasn’t going to bleed to death, Mr. Frizz led Clovis a short distance away along the shoreline for a private lesson. I don’t know how Mr. Frizz felt, but the rest of us breathed a sigh of relief. I did note that Mr. Frizz’s frizzy hair was mostly standing up straight.

Much to our surprise, Clovis finally made a pair of perfect casts. The line lay out beautifully and the fly touched water with scarcely a ripple. But Clovis, being Clovis, couldn’t let well enough alone. He told us afterward, now that he had the hand of it, he was going to see just how far he could pitch the darn thing.

His back cast was powerful. The rod bowed sharply as it loaded and Clovis drove forward with all the power in his meaty shoulders. The line shot forward almost faster than the eye could see and the fly lodged in Mr. Frizz’s

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tangle of hair, snatched it free, and sent it sailing out into the Logan.

Our collective mouths dropped open. Mr. Frizz clasped his naked skull with one hand and jerked the index finger of the other at the water.

“My toupee! My toupee!” he shrieked. “Get that back here this instant!”

Clovis fearfully twitched his head in the affirmative and began cranking as fast as he could on the old single-action reel.

But it was too late.

Beneath the skidding hairpiece, the water bulged ominously. A pickerel nearly three feet long, obviously convinced that a sizeable muskrat was trying to escape, lunged through the water’s surface and clamped the toupee firmly in his teeth.

Everyone just stared.

Everyone, that is, except Clovis. Fly-fishing might not have come easy to Clovis Thick, but once he got it, he got it well.

Palming the screaming reel, he slowly stopped the pickerel’s powerful run.

With the rod bent dangerously, they played the fish carefully, giving the line when he had to, reeling when he could, always keeping pressure on the big fish and allowing no slack.

(Me & Joe cont. pg 19)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

As a young man I dreamed of moving to Alaska. Finding the middle of nowhere. Building a cabin. Trapping and hunting. Living off the land.

reading old books about Alaska wilderness trappers that had fascinated me as a young man. I dreamed again about blazing trails in the bush and surviving in

May 2022

More Than Wolverine

ping fur for a living. This was back in the 1970’s, when fur prices were high enough for a hard working trapper to make wages.

Jim ran his trapline from a remote cabin more than 40 miles from civilization for over 40 years. And in 2020, I had the opportunity

My new book “More than Wolverine, An Alaska Wilderness Trapline” documents my trip to the Alaska bush and explores the history – both natural and human – that shape this special place.

Then, life got in the way.

An education, a good job, a wife and kids, a home and a farm all happened over the course of fifteen years, and that Alaska dream kind of drifted into the background.

A few years back, life kind of settled down a bit and the Alaska wilderness bug bit me again. I started

the remote Arctic. I began to share those dreams with others, and as a result, I met a new friend.

You know that whole Alaska dream I’d had back in my teens? Jim Firmin had done it. Fresh out of high school, he and his brother moved to a remote village on the Yukon River with a dream of trap-

to join him on a journey I’ll never forget.

In February 2020 I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska and then to the village of Fort Yukon. Jim and I took snowmachines and toboggans 45 miles up the Porcupine River to his remote trapping cabin. We spent two weeks cutting trails and setting traps for lynx,

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wolf, marten and wolverine in one of the more remote places on earth.

This area was once a home for families who made a living trapping fur.

It was a bustling place, with traplines spread throughout the territory radiating out from the village. People spent most of the year out on the land hunting, fishing and trapping, with only occasional visits to town to catch up with friends and resupply. Today, it’s a quiet country. Most people live in town, and only a few venture out from time to time in search of fur.

There are some who have bucked the societal trend toward town life and continue to live in the bush like the old timers.

If you’ve watched the TV show “The Last Alaskans”, you know some of them.

(Wolverine cont. pg 19)

May 2022

Wolverine (Cont. from pg 18)

Tyler and Ashley Selden are just north of Jim’s trapline – a short distance by air, but unreachable by land. Bob Harte’s old cabin and Charlie Jagow’s place are reachable via a long snowmachine journey if you bring plenty of gas.

Heimo and Edna Korth are further north still, on the edge but still within the greater Fort Yukon area. But there aren’t many others.

The trip was quite an experience. I trapped and snared lynx and wolverine, roamed the vast Porcupine River and dozens of miles of bush trails, endured minus 50 degree weather, and experienced the isolation that makes the place so special. It was a taste of what I could have experienced if I’d made a different life decision all those years ago. A brief taste.

My new book “More than Wolverine, An Alaska Wilderness Trapline” documents my trip to the Alaska bush and explores the history – both natural and human – that shape this special place. If you’ve ever had a similar dream, no matter how brief, I think you’ll enjoy coming along for the ride.

“More than Wolverine” is available on Amazon.com, and signed copies are available directly from me. Send $25 to: Jeremiah Wood, 408 Goding Road, Ashland, ME 04732.

Me & Joe

Northwoods Sporting Journ

(Cont. from pg 17) None of us believed he could do it. But slowly, grudgingly, the giant pickerel came closer and closer to shore. When it was a scant ten feet from the sand, Mr. Frizz leaped into the water, formed a scoop with both arms, and heaved the fish out onto the shore.

It was a quiet walk back to the school. Mr. Frizz stalked ahead of us, trying to regain some measure of dignity. The task was difficult given that the

raked and torn toupee sat atop his skull like a crow that had struck a car windshield.

None of us poked fun, however. Mr. Frizz had taught us the joys of flyfishing and most of us kept at the sport for the rest of our lives. Joe, especially, took to fly-fishing like a duck to water. To this day, he is the best fly caster I’ve ever seen.

Clovis also remained a fly-fisherman, although in a somewhat altered form.

As we walked slowly back to the gym, Clovis with the big pickerel dangling from one hand, he tried to put into words the life lesson he had learned this day.

“Fish on the table!” he said, staring at his catch with unconcealed admiration. “Ya know, I allus thought this here fly-fishin’

business was sissy stuff.

Now I know that ain’t the truth. Takes a real man ter do this castin’ business the right way and I mean ter keep at it.” He looked thoughtfully at the rod clutched in the other hand. “’Course it’s jist like any other kind o’fishin’,” he said looking at us wisely. “Yer got ter be sure an’ use the right bait!”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Aroostook Woods & Water

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME Back in March, as we stared out at a bleak, never-ending sea of ice, the conversation turned from ice-out patterns, to flies that had brought us the most success over the

read about this guy.

This produces a seamless segue into the patterns that are righteous and sacrosanct, and those which are hell-spawn creations of a diseased and unkempt

Confidence Flies

Stimulator in my life!”

And I do, I hate it. I might carry one; I can’t even tell you what size it is. Why do I carry it if I despise it?

Probably because Dave Klausmeyer told me to. I need to stop listening to people…

The point being: Confidence. We all know the names for one simple reason we can’t live without what these tyers gave us. I know I can’t. years. These discussions can be beer-centric, and if you’re not careful, you can turn into a High Churching trout snob in the blink of an eye. You’ll spend a twelve-pack browbeating your buddies, telling them why your choice of flies is so vastly superior to theirs.

I’ve never done this; I just

mind. Sentience is a terrible thing to waste, I tell them.

“The Stimulator is the best searching pattern ever invented!” shouted someone, who I won’t embarrass by naming here. And I was all like, “Noooooo! You’ve got to be kidding me! God, I hate that pattern! I’ve never caught a fish on a

Alderfly (wet) Obviously, the stimmie isn’t one of my ‘confidence’ flies. I know there are people out there who swear by it, and for good reason, but that pattern and I just never hit it off. So, what are your confidence

flies? We all have favorites, and we live and die by them because they always catch fish, even when they’re not supposed to. And when they stop catching fish, and the obvious answer is to change to something the fish are actually keying on, do we break off and tie on a better choice? Of course not; we’re fly fishermen.

My stubbornness harkens back to my youth. Back then I had two lures: both red and white Mepps, either in #00 or #0. I sneered at those who showed up with some willow bladed monstrosity, or God forbid, a Panther Martin. I knew I was right and, in my sanctimony, I was an insufferable child.

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ity status. The names are awash with legendary tales of derring-do and wreathed in glory. The images fairly drip with technicolor fish slime as they look out from the pages of various glossy publications. The people who tied these towering monoliths are in many cases, just as famous as their progeny: John Barr, Hans Van Klinken, Theodore Gordon, Herbert Welch, Carrie Stevens, Wladislaw Trzbunia Niebies (go ahead, I’ll wait while you puzzle that one out). Their patterns run the gamut; dries, nymphs, wets, streamers. Others remain in the shadows, though we know their flies.

Not many people would be able to name a Stewart pattern, but they’ve been taking fish for damn near 200 years. I’d throw Fly Rod Crosby in here as well, except that she never named the sublime creation that was responsible for taking all those 5-pound brookies, and at least one 10 pounder.

The point being: Confidence. We all know the names for one simple reason -we can’t live without what these tyers gave us.

I know I can’t. Seriously, if you sent me out on the stream tomorrow without Nemes, Petrucci, and Fran (Flies cont. pg 29)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Farmhouse Chowder

With every season in New England, there is an opportunity to celebrate your game. Now is the time of year when we transition our wild game from a Winter to Spring theme.

In any case, its time to start thinking about recipes that are transitional in nature – moving away from heavier flavored themes to lighter recipes.

Soups and chowders are a great way to usher in this food comfort, and your game can play a role.

Speaking of heartwarming food for the soul, you can take any variety of game and make a delicious soup. Since our timing is Spring, I’d like to share a tasty soup with you that has a connection to our colonial history.

When you think of chowder, you probably envision milk or heavy cream combined with some type of fish. What many are unaware of is something called a Farmhouse Chowder. It focuses more on the creation of a clear bone broth resembling a soup.

Paradigm shift; I shared with them that Farmhouse Chowder historically dates back to colonial times when humble ingredients were used and combined with protein such as wild game.

Chowder has evolved over time, from a cauldron over the fire to many more sophisticated versions, but one thing remains – it brings comfort to our table, and in the Spring, it’s a great option for your wild game.

This recipe is a tasty way to utilize parts of your wild turkey that many times get ignored, transforming them into a compelling

farmhouse chowder! I hope you enjoy making this one.

WildCheff’s Wild Turkey Farmhouse Chowder Ingredients 2-3 lbs. of wild turkey legs and thighs 4 quarts of water (16 cups) 2 large, sweet onions 2 large carrots 1 lb. of Maine all-purpose potatoes 8 oz. of Savoy cabbage 4 oz. of smoked bacon, rind removed, cut into 1/3 inch dice 4 sprigs of fresh thyme 4 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves 1 Tsp. of black peppercorns Sea salt ¼ Tsp. of caraway seeds, finely chopped 4 T of unsalted butter 1/4 C of Italian parsley, chopped Directions Place the legs and thighs into a large stockpot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil, skimming any white foam that rises to the surface.

Lower the heat so the broth is at a low simmer.

Meanwhile, remove the leaves from the 3 sprigs of thyme. Reserve the stems and chop them (you should

have approx. a teaspoon).

Add the thyme stems to the broth, along with the coarsely chopped onion and carrot, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and bacon rind. Season lightly with sea salt, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the broth from the stove. With

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

onion and diced carrot, thyme leaves and the caraway seeds, stirring until the onion is softened, but not browned.

Paradigm shift; I shared with them that Farmhouse Chowder historically dates back to colonial times when humble ingredients were used and combined with protein such as wild game. tongs, transfer the pieces of wild turkey to a large bowl. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, discarding the bones and tendons. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer – you should have approximately 8 cups of bone broth.

Heat a 4–6-quart stockpot over low heat and add the diced bacon.

Cook until the bacon is crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot.

Add the butter, diced

heat. Use a slotted spoon to mound the chowder ingredients into center of your serving bowls. Ladle some of the clear bone both around. Sprinkle top of chowder with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite crusty bread!

Note: This is also a Add the potatoes and great recipe using whole reserved turkey bone broth, pheasant or grouse, split bring to a simmer and cook with kitchen shears, followover medium heat until the ing the same method. potatoes are cooked but WildCheff - Denny still firm. Add cabbage and simmer for 5 minutes more Corriveau is award-winning National Game Chef, until it starts to soften.

Remove the farm- Metis First Nation Chef, house chowder from the and the Founder of the heat, add the wild turkey Free-Range Culinary Instimeat and taste to see if you tute, the only national wild need to add any additional game cooking school in salt and pepper. Let the the country. You can learn chowder sit for an hour so more @ www.wildcheff. the flavors meld together. com or visit him on InsTo serve, warm the tagram @ thewildcheff or chowder up over medium Facebook at @WildCheff

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 22

In Defense Of The Harbor Pollock

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME Sportsmen are a strange breed. We secretly relish the struggle within our pursuits. When fish and game come “easy,” we criticize - ourselves, others, and at times, the creatures themselves. We denounce the buck shot in the back field as lesser than the one taken off the side of a mountain. Perhaps it is the fisherman who finds himself most guilty of this tendency. Somehow the trout caught by the roadside culvert is deserving of less praise than the one caught

two miles upstream, over the beaver dam, through poison ivy patch, and beneath the hornets’ nest. We slander fish who bite readily, with choice words for the pickerel who snatches our spinnerbait, the yellow perch who swallows our sewn smelt, and the chub who slurps our caddis fly.

The old standby species who are all too eager to bend our rods take an unwarranted beating from the angler.

As fishermen up and down the New England

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Harbor pollock are juvenile offshore pollock, the same species inhabiting Jeffreys Ledge, Platts Bank, and the local fish market. They

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ki rigs, jerkbaits, chunks of hot dog, strips of tinfoil, and an assortment of unidentified freezer burned items from the last decade.

There is something to be said for a fish that will bite a Dardevle or fly as willingly as a piece of tinfoil

In short, it is the indiscriminate palate and gluttonous appetite of the harbor pollock that has saved many New England anglers from returning home with an empty pail. typically range from four inches to just over a foot in length. The harbor pollock is not an especially handsome fellow; his belly is a yellowish-cream color, and gradually transforms to a drab bronze, and a dark olive-black back. However, once in a while, a lucky angler might catch one of a striking maraschino cherry

Gulf of Maine. Here is why Junior deserves a bit more appreciation: Reason #1: They Bite…

Anything I have caught harbor pollock on pieces of shrimp, sandworms, bloodworms, snails, clams, mussels, squid, slivers of mackerel, Clouser flies, spinners, spoons, diamond jigs, sabi-

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or mystery meat. In short, it is the indiscriminate palate and gluttonous appetite of the harbor pollock that has saved many New England anglers from returning home with an empty pail.

Reason #2: Mr. Reliable Mackerel might be here, then they might be there - and pretty soon they will probably be over there. Or, if the bluefish are running or the porpoises are thick in the bay, the mackerel will vanish for a spell. Harbor pollock, on the contrary, are homebodies. Expect to find them in the same vicinity day after day, tide after tide, whether underneath the local pier, (Pollock cont. pg 35)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

above (WY, ID, MT, eastern WA, and eastern OR), which is managed as a dis(Cont. from pg 9) tinct population segment. mated 9,000 gray wolves I appreciate your inin the Rocky Mountain volvement in the discusStates. According to each sion. I hope this informastate’s respective wildlife tion helps. agency, these are the following populations: — Aaron Bott Montana: ~1,100 Utah State University Idaho: ~1,500 Wyoming: ~300 The New Doe Permit Oregon: ~173 System Washington: ~170 The total is closer to To the Editor: 3,300 (and this was the estiI emailed Paul Reynmate in 2021 and is now estimated to be 2,800). 9,000 olds a couple years ago is the estimated number for about the doe permit questhe entire contiguous US. tion and it seemed fitting to A l s o , t h e F e b - me to retouch after reading ruary 10 ESA relisting his recent article (Overdoes not affect the ~3,300 hauling the Doe Permit wolves in the Northern System). The new sys(Letters cont. pg 41) Rocky Mountains listed

Letters

Laker

(Cont. from pg 11) pure and invigorating than paddling into remote coves, with clients fly-casting and being deeply ingrained in a long-standing fishing heritage. In a canoe, you are part of the landscape, a part of the ecosystem.

The only noise heard is the whip of the fly, the gentle dip of the paddle, the crash

Page 23

of the fish taking the lure.

It is all magic.

John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine.

He also works as an outdoors writer and can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @writerjohnfloyd

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 24

The Northwoods Bowhunter

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME June 2019 was my first and only spring bear hunt in New Brunswick with Taxis River Outfitters.

I arrowed a nice boar on the third evening and my wife and I fly fished two mornings. Americans could not cross into Canada for hunting and fishing from

June that occur during the bear rut and with high success rates and great opportunities to arrow a big boar.

Two of my friends arrowed their first bears, both giant boars over 400 lbs, with excellent New Brunswick bear guides.

My friends Lisa Go-

In Maine, you can only spring bear hunt on tribal land with guides but spring success is double that of fall hunts. spring 2020 until last fall but the border is open now and the Canadian outfitters are eager and ready for our business.

In Maine, you can only spring bear hunt on tribal land with guides but spring success is double that of fall hunts. New Brunswick has biologically sound hunts in May and

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Terry and Lisa converted a 4 bedroom farm house into an all inclusive hunting lodge for guided bear and moose hunts.

They also have Atlantic Salmon, Sea Run Brook Trout and Striped Bass fishing. Meals and lodging are included and hunters arrive at noon on Sunday and depart at noon on Saturday. A maximum of 4 hunters are in camp each week and you can expect to see 8-15 bears each afternoon sit. Tree stands or ground blinds are carefully set up with shot distances less than 20 yards. They are fully booked for 2022 and the 2023 openings are filling up fast.

Black bears are the perfect bow hunting quarry at bait sites because you

Robb Cotiaux with his first bear. 411 NB boar shot with a recurve. have time to size and sex the bear, know the exact shot distance and can wait for a perfect broadside shot. Hunters can use a

crossbow, compound bow, traditional bow or firearm.

My friends Robb Cotiaux and Jim & Tim Wescott (Spring cont. pg 37)

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May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Maine’s Wild Trout

Page 25

Native Fish Talk

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME

“Gliding across a wild native brook trout in Maine.” (Ben Brunt) Having recently written about wet-lining ponds, it reminded me once again just how unique and special Maine’s wild native brook trout ponds are. Nowhere in the nation is there a bigger inventory of selfsustaining native trout, charr, or salmon lakes and ponds. It is a kind of experience found in very few other places.

While I learned to fly fish for trout on stocked rivers and streams in New Hampshire and north central Massachusetts. I honed my craft and solidified my lifelong passion for fly fishing on Maine’s wild native brook trout ponds.

I was first introduced to Maine’s brook trout ponds by a displaced Mainer from Auburn named Craig Hallock. He was working at Colman’s Sporting Goods in Woburn, Massachusetts at the time. After fishing together locally, he invited me to northern Somerset County to fish the ponds of his childhood.

In the mid 1980s, central Maine was a much wilder place than it is today.

There were far fewer roads, and a 4x4 was not a luxury, it was a necessity. Armed

number may be closer to 30 than 50.

If there are any wild native brook trout ponds left in Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, they are likely tiny waters on private property.

Outside of Maine, New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont, there are very few self-sustaining native brook trout lakes and ponds remaining.

Of the 680 wild native brook trout lakes and ponds

roughly 50 have never been directly stocked, and may or may not have received stocked fish from a tributary source. Of those that have been stocked, approximately 125 have not been stocked in twenty-five years or more.

Roughly 465 of these ponds are formally designated State Heritage Fish waters. They are legally protected from stocking and the dangerous use of live fish as bait.

with an old green and black brook trout lakes and ponds Delorme Gazetteer, limited in Maine. This represents and simple camping equip- roughly 90% of the remainment, a couple of fly rods, There are roughly 680 self-sustaining native brook trout and a canoe strapped to the roof, we ventured into the lakes and ponds in Maine. This represents roughly fabled Ten-thousand Acre 90% of the remaining wild native brook trout lakes and Tract in my well-worn ponds in the nation.

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A t e v e r y c o r n e r, ing wild native brook trout in Maine, approximately Approximately 115 of the road got worse with lakes and ponds in the 500 are under 100 acres, the wild native brook trout trees encroaching more nation, and is the largest and fairly referred to as ponds less than 100 acres and more, more and big- inventory of wild native “ponds.” are classified as “Remote” ger rocks, and puddles trout, char, or salmon lakes More than 300 of by the Land Use Planning and stream-crossings. We and ponds in the contigu- these waters have never Commission (LUPC). This passed a few small col- ous United States. been stocked. Another (Trout cont. pg 35) lapsed old wooden strucTo put this in pertures, an abandoned 1940s spective, New Hampshire vintage car, and a couple has just three formally of blown out bridges we designated “Wild Trout had to go around. But what Management” ponds. And impressed me most was while there are several the incredible amount of others, the total is likely water: Streams, flowages, less than 10 statewide. Acand ponds. cording to Vermont Fish There were moose, & Wildlife, “Most of Verdeer, hare, and grouse ev- mont’s brook trout pond erywhere. And the roads fisheries are supported enwere littered with coyote tirely through stocking… A and bear scat. Owls and few ponds are not stocked hawks broke from the road- at all.” The actual number side trees as we passed, appears to be roughly 10. and animals darted across Per the New York Dethe road as if they were in partment of Environmental a hurry to get somewhere, Conservation, “…the vast and willing to risk their majority of our brook trout life to do so. It was unlike ponds are stocked. Ponds anything I had ever seen… totally sustained by natural There are roughly reproduction probably total 680 self-sustaining native less than 50.” The actual

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

Best Bassin’

May 2022

Wilson’s RK Craw

Yes, you might imagDuring my yearlong with his Sage fly rod, Mack

by Bill Decoteau, ine I was hooked. My pas- quest to find what I con- spent nearly seven-years sion for the Black Bass sidered the perfect ‘Craw- designing and modifying Hampden, MA has never ceased running fish’ imitation, (One that his RK Craw into the perfect Crawfish My first introduction which included several through my imitation. into the heart throbbing small round beads between veins. Soon i t s t a r t e d “This thrill of battling the Black the fly and a small silver b r a n c h i s a ctually Bass species actually came cupped spinner blade. With ing off into the 2nd genas a youth while I waded a flip of my spinning rod what I have eration of my crystal-clear cold-water I sent my offering just Wilson’s RK casting for trout. As strange above the shallow pool. labeled as streams of Craw,” stated as it may seem, my creel As I was about to flip my genealogy.

Mack. “The contained four beautiful spinning reels bale with my Each stream 1st GeneraRainbow trout ranging in hand I noticed there were defining its tion witnessed This article is dedicated to Mr. Darrell own chronmany modiPhilbrook who tied his last fly on ological fications and order my February 22, 2022. tweaks in my Wilson’s RK Craw in three colors; Moss admiration efforts to desize from fourteen to now several loose loops on my Olive, Mud Brown Molted Tan. grew to an sign a Craweighteen inches. Having spool. Picking the loops (Photo courtesy of Mack Wilson) fish fly that fought that hard running, out I thought nothing of my unparalleled drag pulling eighteen inch- bait’s whereabouts, then respect. Not only for the was hand tied and not a could impart some similar er into slower current near stood up as I flipped the Black Bass, but also for soft plastic molded bait.), actions and enticing feaa shallow pool I finally bale.... And, that’s when it those innovative, creative I turned to Fort Smith, tures of a bait I used fifteenwas able to guide her into happened! The drag started individuals dedicating Arkansas’s Mack Wilson years ago called a Wiggle singing to the tail walking their lives to fishing with a and his RK Craw. With Bug. The major disadvanmy net.

Sitting on a large rhythm of what I would willingness to share their over sixty-years experience tage with that design was boulder I re-tied my pre- soon learn was a Small- knowledge so others may hand tying his flies and the downward facing hook develop their same passion. chasing Smallmouth Bass point, which had a tenrigged small red streamer, mouth Bass. dency to snag quite often.”

With that Mack Wilson headed back to his tying vise. His next intention was to add foam to the RK Craws body in an effort to get it to stand on its tail with the hook point off the bottom. Dissatisfied with the uncharacteristic action the foam produced, Mack removed it from his RK “GATEWAY TO THE NORTH MAINE WOODS” FEDERAL Craw and concentrated his design efforts around the hook point position facing Lights up. “I still wanted the RK Craws head and pinchers to incline slightly in an upward angle. However, it was imperative the fall rate emulated the natural movement of a Crawfish.”

Working with several prototype RK Craws tied with OVER 1,000 DIFFERENT LURES IN STOCK! various weights, Mack 111 Garfield Rd Ashland, Maine 04734 435-6890 Wilson found a 1/32 oz. dumbbell weight was the perfect match for both his (Craw cont. pg 27)

North Maine Woods

GATEWAY VARIETY

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Craw (Cont. from pg 26) size #4 and #8 hooks.“ Deciding it was imperative to match the average size of most crawfish.

Wilson discovered the finished size of his RK Craw on size #4 and #8 hooks profiled just enough difference to imitate the average size variance he wanted.

With his research and design completed Mack Wilson started tying his newly designed 1st Generation Road-Kill Craw. “I had already decided on the ingredients for the RoadKill Craw recipe,” stated Wilson. Utilizing dubbing underneath a clear vinyl shellback produced his three crawfish color options, Moss Olive, Mud Brown, Molted Tan, Bucktail, crystal flash, squirrel tail and rubber legs protruded from the RK Craws body.

While, hand made melted monofilament produced the eyes, thread divided shell rib sections.

“As for the 2nd Generation of Wilson’s Road-Kill Craw, much of that is due to my Facebook Friendship with Darrell Philbrook of Maine. I first received contact form Mr. Philbrook wanting to purchase several of my RC Craws. On my second contact with Darrell he inquired, “How do you tie this crawfish fly”? I responded have you done much fly tying Mr. Philbrook? “Well I’m 84 years old. I have been tying flies since I was a youngster, owned a fly tying company and supplied L.L. Bean with 3,000 flies/ month at one time...Plus, I invented an electric deer hair stacker. But, I would sure appreciate you showing me how you tie the RK

Craw.”

Mack Wilson continued, telling me how he and Darrell Philbrook spoke on the phone just about everyday sharing fly tying techniques. “Darrell suggested I dye my vinyl shellback to produce a more realistic texture appearance. This was the major modification to the 2nd Generation RK Craw, as well as several tying techniques he taught me. I can honestly say Darrell Philbrook has made me a much better fly tier.”

(Contact Mack Wilson @ MACKWilsonflies@

Page 27

gmail.com) God Bless and Best Bassin’ Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau is an outdoor journalist with a strong passion for pursuing the Black Bass. His activities include; emceeing The Bass University weekend educational seminar programs, as well as emceeing benefit tournaments such as Maine’s Annual May Special Olympics Team Tournament, Fishing For Freedom, and working with the USO.

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Outdoors In Maine

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Overhauling the Deer Hunt

of it all, we can only hope that the stakeholder group

by V. Paul Reynolds, seizes the day.”

Ellsworth, ME **** Fast forward. The Last fall in this col- will allow the Department umn I reported: to continue to meet deer stakeholder group did its **** management objectives work, legislation was draft“Clearly, the any-deer while also providing a permit system needs a thor- transparent system that has ough overhaul. Through a some predictability and eqlegislative order, a stake- uitable access for hunting

Next fall a big game license will allow a hunter to harvest a doe, (with a permit) and a buck in any WMD where any-deer permits (ADPs) have been issued. holder group has been assembled and is conducting meetings this fall and winter to address the issue. No doubt there will be a public input period once the group has drafted a recommendation.

Part of the charge to the stakeholders is as follows: “the stakeholder group should consider recommending changes that

opportunities.”

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine SAM is surveying its membership to get feedback that will be fed into the overhaul process.

If this situation presents itself as an opportunity to vastly simplify the deer management process, particularly for hunters confused by the complexity

been drafted and will soon be “out of committee” and on its way for a legislative vote and enactment.

As explained to me, this is how the overhauled doe permit system will

any WMD where any-deer permits (ADPs) have been issued. The hunter can harvest a buck, like the past, but, will also have the option to apply, (free) and if chosen, purchase for $12.00 an antlerless deer permit in appropriate WMDs. Under this scenario, a permitted hunter would be able to harvest both a doe and a buck in the doe-rich WMDs. If this laws passes, you will be able to harvest both a buck Additional and a doe in some WMDs. permits ed (LD 116) and, according work. Next fall a big game that are unclaimed can to SAM spokesman David license will allow a hunter then be purchased over the Trahan, a major change in to harvest a doe, (with counter for the same $12 the doe permit system has a permit) and a buck in each. The best part of all is that once you obtain your doe permit, you are free to harvest a doe and a buck in your season of choice: bow season, November firearms season or the muzzleloader season! For example, a bow hunter with a permit can take a doe during the October bow season and then take a buck in November According to Trahan, there are two advantages accrued from this approach: 1) More effective deer population management 2) A significant amount of additional revenue (from the sale of antlerless per284 North Rd, Detroit, ME 04929 mits) to be earmarked for (207) 487-3338 purchasing protecting deer wintering habitat, including predator control.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Flies

(Cont. from pg 20) Betters in my boxes, I’d spend the day locked in an epic struggle, engaged in all-out battle with the forces of ultimate darkness.

And I’d probably lose.

I know a guy, he’s a good egg. He’s one of those guys you could sit next to at a school board meeting and you wouldn’t have to worry about him instigating Armageddon. He has a thing for Mickey Finn’s like I have for Stimulators.

Wanna’ watch his head explode? Just whisper the name, “Mickey Finn”, in his ear. He claims it’s the dumbest pattern ever invented (You know who you are, …Doug) I, on the other hand, have always had a fine relationship with that pattern. One memorable day on Stone Pond, he was forced to watch as I caught a beautiful 15” brookie while trolling a Mickey Finn behind my kayak. I’ve really enjoyed spending the last 10 years or so rubbing his nose in it. Friends are funny like that.

Which brings up another confidence-type behavior: fishing the inappropriate fly. People who throw size #12 Slim Jim’s to trout sipping #20 BWO’s, and catch fish! Bob is good at this; he enables delinquent behavior in trout. I’m out there throwing perfect imitations, right down to size, color, and silhouette; …and sucking wind. Bob turns to me and says “Even trout get tired of chateaubriand; give em’ a Twinkie!”

Speaking of another confidence fly, albeit pure evil; The Mop fly. Simple, ingenious, life-like movement, …and I hate it. I have a friend who keeps sending me amusing videos

of people tying the Mop. This is a man steeped in the sciences and culture, a man with whom John Houseman would have been proud to sip brandy with. And yet, he’s been utterly seduced by a fly spawned by a Turtle-Wax product. Tragic, really.

I swear, if I see Davy McPhail tying a Mop fly,

Page 29

Hunt

I’m going to quit fly fishing and move to Vermont where I’ll finish out my (Cont. from pg 28) days in a tree stand, fishing lawmakers seized the day? for muskie with a .30-06. At face value, this overhaul seems to be logical and Mike Maynard is an generally comprehensible, obnoxious purist (not re- and worth a try. The public ally) who lives in the woods may have thoughts about of Perham, Maine. He can this overhaul before it bebe reached at perham- comes the law of the land. trout@gmail.com A fellow deer hunter, with whom I discussed this new approach, popped this question: “Why not simply allow a licensed deer hunter to harvest both a buck and a doe in the doerich WMDs and be done

C e nt r a l Ma i n e

with it?”

Hmm. Your thoughts?

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on “The Voice of Maine News - Talk Network.” He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www. maineoutdoorpublications. com. or www.sportingjournal.com. Contact email — vpaulr@tds.net

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News

(Cont. from pg 15) bear is not just bad for the bear” said Comeau. “It is also dangerous for you, it causes problems for your neighbors, and it is illegal.”

The department offers the following tips to coexist with bears: Take down birdfeeders between late March and December.

Store garbage in bear proof containers or structures—trash cans alone are not enough Follow the steps on our web page for composting in bear country Use electric fences to keep chickens and honeybees safe Request a bear-proof dumpster from your waste hauler Feed your pets indoors Never feed bears, de-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

liberately or accidentally And for Vermonters who wish to connect with and appreciate songbirds after taking down their birdfeeders this spring, the department will be partnering with Audubon Vermont to highlight alternatives like the Native Plants for Birds Program.

“Birds and native plants co-evolved over millions of years together,” said Gwendolyn Causer, Audubon Vermont’s communication coordinator and environmental educator.

“Native plants provide essential food resources for birds year-round and also host protein-rich native butterfly and moth caterpillars, the number one food for songbird nestlings. And best of all, they do not attract bears.”

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with bears and inform measures for coexistence with this species, the department asks Vermonters to submit reports of bears engaging in potentially dangerous behavior like targeting bird feeders or garbage bins, feeding on crops or livestock, or investigating campgrounds or residential areas, through our website’s Living with Black Bears tab.

New Hampshire Moose Lottery

If you want to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall, now is the time to enter the 2022 moose hunt lottery and try your luck on the adventure of a lifetime — hunting moose in the rugged woods of the Granite State. The lottery entrance fee is $15.00 for New Hampshire residents and $25.00 for nonresidents. A total of 40 permits will be issued in this year’s lottery.

To enter the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery, visit www.huntnh. com/hunting/moose. html where you can complete your application online or print out a mail-in application. Applicants without internet access can call 603-271-2461 to request an application by mail.

Lottery applicants are encouraged to apply online and early, so there is less chance of submitting an incomplete application.

Moose hunt lottery applications for 2022 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Eastern Time on Friday, May 27, 2022.

Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing, and winners’ names will be announced on June 17.

Applicants can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonuspoint system improves the

May 2022 chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply in each consecutive year.

Each point translates to a chance in the drawing.

For example, last year the overall odds of a resident applicant being drawn were 1 in 98, while resident applicants with a total of 18 points had a 1 in 35 chance of being drawn. For nonresidents, the odds increased from 1 in 480 overall to 1 in 192 for applicants with 18 points. Your chance of being drawn and offered a permit in the lottery will improve if you rank all wildlife management units on your application. You will have the option to decline a permit if drawn for a unit you prefer not to hunt.

In 2021, 6,195 people entered the lottery for the (News cont. pg 56)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Page 31

Birchbark Moose Music

This late-September morning was from the pages of an 1890 issue of Forest and Stream.

Frost edged the margins of the wild strawberries that crunched under foot on the narrow moose trail that meandered to the northern lake.

A bouquet of cedar, bog laurel, and moose mingled in the chill air. The lake, an ebony mirror, glistened with the arc of the Milky Way suspended above and reflected below. In the starlight, whispy apparitions of paper birches mingled in a mirage with the black spruce on the shoreline. We found a smooth-topped granite erratic along the shoreline and waited, emersed in the silence and beauty of the north woods.

The growing pale sky in the east waked us back to our purpose, to call in a bull moose. When the last handful of fading stars signaled the witching hour, my uncle raised the birchbark call, took a deep breath, and sang the lovesick wail of the cow moose. His libretto echoed back and forth between the fir-clad hills. A bull grunted his antiphony from the sedge meadow at the inlet. My heart pounded like a timpani, louder than the hollow cracks of the

approaching bull’s antlers against the hackmatacks.

We turned to each other and grinned. It was going to be a good one.

For many years, my uncle traveled to Maine

to draw a moose permit, May and June is the time to make a birchbark bullhorn. This is when the sap is running and the outer summer bark easily separates from the inner winter bark. Bark harvested in May will retain a dark winter layer. This can be carefully scraped away to make designs on the

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME provide a sheet of bark about 24 inches wide.

Birch bark has an outer and inner layer. To remove just the outer layer, make a vertical cut no more than ¼ inch deep and about 24 inches long. Make

to find a tree far from public view. Take no more than you need. Better yet, peel a piece of bark from a tree that has just been cut for firewood!

To make a proper moose call, look for a birch

For many years, my uncle traveled to Maine each September to kidnap me away from my college books and larnin’ for a few days to sing with the moose.

Part of the autumnal ritual was to find a paper birch to make a moose call.

Illustration by Mark McCollough.

each September to kidnap me away from my college books and larnin’ for a few days to sing with the moose. Part of the autumnal ritual was to find a paper birch to make a moose call. Years ago, Uncle Don departed to hunt moose with Orion among the starfields. One of his finely crafted instruments still hangs from a moose rack in my home. I learned the song of the moose and called in many bulls with that birchbark call.

For those fortunate

moose call. Bark harvested in June or July is a light honey-brown.

Bark taken in the proper way in early summer will not kill the tree, and a birch will regrow over the scar. If you wait until September, the inner bark may separate with the outer bark. The cambium, the critical growing layer of the tree, may be exposed and damaged, and the tree may die.

The ethics of harvesting birchbark is a sensitive topic. We all have been appalled by the nimrods who deface the paper birches next to campsites, in state parks, or along highways.

Plan to harvest from a birch in an area likely to be cut or cleared. Contact the landowner for permission. Take a hike deep into the woods

horizontal cuts around the circumference of the tree at the top and bottom of the vertical cut. Try to avoid damaging the inner layer of bark, the living part of (Music cont. pg 37)

about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. It should have a clear section of bark at least 24 inches long and free of branch scars and large lenticels (those horizontal lines in the bark). This will

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Spring: Deer Scouting

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME Winter let go of its icy grip earlier than normal this year. In mid-March, the north country saw temperatures reach 60 degrees for a few days. That started the spring thaw, settled the snow and brought the streams and rivers up. It’s not uncommon to have a thaw in March, but usually old man winter takes over

eliminated them from the area, although there always seems to be a few that show up, the threat to the deer is almost nil. Those 27 brought the total to 203 since we started hunting coyotes with hounds five years ago. Shout out to all the guys involved in protecting the deer.

Once again, it’s time

bucks travel to and maybe is one of their hidey holes.

Sometimes I’ll go scout a place that I haven’t hunted for a long time because it was cut over and didn’t favor the deer. Quite often, after 10- 20 years these places are once again good for the deer. Spring scouting gets me dreaming and planning for the upcoming season.

Anyone that follows me knows that my main focus when scouting for

down as much sign. They don’t need to. Every buck knows where to find the does long before the rut starts and will travel far and wide to get to them. They will make scrapes near the does, but don’t waste any time making them randomly throughout the woods.

It always amazes me that just when I think I know all about a certain piece of woods, a buck will take me to some obscure part of it that I had never been to. again. This year, that didn’t happen. We had a lot of 40-degree days after that and the maple trees began giving up their sap. It was great for the sugar camp operators, that some years don’t get started until midApril. It was also great for the deer as the snow settle and uncovered moss and buds that had fallen from the trees over the winter.

That’s good nutritious food that they can really use that time of the year. The Jackman crew once again kept the coyotes at bay and managed to kill 27 of them. That pretty much

to do some spring scouting for deer. I know the hunters in southern half of the state have been scouting and looking for sheds for quite some time, but up north we are lucky if we can wander a snow-free woods before late April. Any spring scouting I do, is to check out new areas that I might have tracked a buck to the previous fall. It always it amazes me that just when I think I know all about a certain piece of woods, a buck will take me to some obscure part of it that I had never been to. I love finding these places where the

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deer is looking for “signpost” rubs. I call them the secret to unlocking a Big Woods Bucks territory. Since signpost rubs are made along a buck’s travel routes throughout his territory, finding them is the best way to piece together where the bucks are traveling. I call it breaking down the big woods. When scouting, I am also looking for any sign made by bucks and deer in general. In the big woods of the north, you won’t find as many common rubs or scrapes as you will in other areas. It’s both a function of deer densities as well as the fact that big woods bucks just don’t lay

Usually the older a buck gets, the more deliberate he gets about laying down his sign. I’ve tracked many big old bucks for miles on end, that never made a rub or scrape over their day of traveling. Even when checking through lots of does. It’s almost like they just don’t want to waste time and are only interested in finding a willing doe.

I’ve tracked many bucks by scrapes that they

don’t bother to freshen up.

I think this is just a function of the bucks don’t rely on meeting a doe at them, they are always going to the does to check them. I say all this to make the point that a big woods buck is quite different than a buck anywhere else. I learned over forty years ago when I first started hunting in the big woods, that I was dealing with a different deer than I was used to in southern Maine. When I first started guiding deer hunters and running my sporting camp, I told the hunters that they would have to forget most of what they knew about deer hunting and learn how to hunt in the “Big Woods”. I also learn that hunters either embraced the big woods and loved hunting it, or they hated it and would go back to hunting where they were from. So get out there and do some scouting and have fun trying to figure out the haunts of those big old bucks.

Until next month, “Good luck on the trail”!

Hal is a Master Maine Guide and Author. He lives in Moose River, Maine with his wife Deb. Hal can be contacted at: hal@bigwoodsbucks.com

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

Rifle Scope Facts

Bigger is always better and cheaper equals good value. Right? Not in the case of rifle scopes. Saving money is a great thing, but not when the purchase does not do what you want.

Here is what I mean. The

For another even more obvious change, look at an elk size target at 180 to 200 yards on any day with your bargain scope set at 9x, your sight picture will be distorted and fuzzy.

Further, your field of view

to 5x scope which gives a very bright, clear image in low light. For deer hunting I have a 3x to 9x variable scope with a 30mm objective lens which covers most big woods deer duties. I also have a 3x to 9x with a 40mm objective lens on my Western big game rifle for longer shots on elk and mule deer. In days past, fixed power scopes were the norm. These were

Page 33

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

but it is so simple, it bears repeating. Once you decide your sight in distance, put up a target with a 1 inch grid pattern and visible bullseye. Set up a rest with shooting bags or a lead sled or another rig that holds the rifle steady after the shot. Set your target

opportunity. So, make it a point to take a child or a new shooter with you and have a fun day at the range.

Shoot straight.

Tom is a Registered Maine Guide. He is the owner/operator of Shamrock Outfitters in Orient

With an economy grade scope in broad daylight, a full-size target like a deer at 25 to 50 yards, with the power set to 3x, you will most likely be fine. Take that same sight picture in a low light situation and your shot will look much less clear.

(Photo by Paul Huston)

way companies reduce costs for optics is by using cheaper lenses with less polishing and curve. They also use straight lenses instead of prism lenses. They further cut manufacturing costs by not coating the lenses. The most common hunting scopes today are 3x9 power scopes. That means that at the low end, it has 3 times magnification and can be increased to 4x-5x-6x-7x-8x up to 9 times magnification. With an economy grade scope in broad daylight, a full-size target like a deer at 25 to 50 yards, with the power set to 3x, you will most likely be fine. Take that same sight picture in a low light situation and your shot will look much less clear.

will be reduced by a large percentage. Other features that can be critical are lens diameter. These are commonly 30mm, 40mm and 50mm. The objective lens diameter gathers light to highlight your target.

The larger the objective lens, the more light the scope gathers. However, a 50mm lens is very large and requires high mounts.

This could be fine for a long-range Western rifle, but most woods rifles here in the Northeast, 30mm to 40mm lenses are the norm.

If you are a gun enthusiast like me, you may specialize a bit more. As an example, for bear hunting, which is a close range, low light affair here in New England, I have a 1.75x

mostly 3,4 or 6x scopes for general use. Today, variable power scopes are the norm. Customer service is also a consideration. Like any other product we buy, things can go wrong. A company that stands by its product is one that gets my business.

So, you have purchased a quality scope, mounted it on your rifle and are ready to sight it in. I have described this method of sight-in before,

in the middle of a large background like a 4’ piece of paper or cardboard. Take your first shot aiming at the bullseye. Without moving the rifle, adjust your scope by moving the crosshairs to the point of impact by manipulating the knobs.

Take a second shot at the bullseye. The second shot should be very close to the bullseye. The third shot should be a fine adjustment and you are done. This process can be a teaching

Maine with his wife Ellie.

He is a retired police officer as well as a retired manager from two major firearms manufacturers.

He is an NRA Certified Instructor as well as a Hunter Safety Instructor in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. You can reach Tom at Shamrock Outfitters (207) 694-2473. Please visit our Facebook Page: Shamrock Outfitters and Properties and come visit us on East Grand Lake.

Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine Woods Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

It is that time of year again. Time to tie a few new trolling flies, put some new line on that spinning reel and plan a fishing adventure. A spring fishing trip to Allagash Lake is a real wilderness expedition that you will remember for a lifetime!

Allagash Lake is the gem of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway headwater lakes. It has special regulations in place to help ensure visitors have a true wilderness experience.

There is no vehicle access within a mile of the lake, no power equipment of any kind allowed, canoes and kayaks without motors are the only watercraft allowed and special fishing regulations apply to this lake.

This all adds up to excellent fishing and a remote camping experience unique to the Maine Woods.

There are three access points to Allagash Lake.

You can park at the gate and portage a mile to the lake on the old road/trail that leads to the ranger station in the southwest corner of the lake. You can drive close to Johnson

Pond, put in at Johnson Pond, paddle across the pond, paddle/wade down Johnson Stream to Allagash Stream and paddle downstream to Allagash Lake. Or you can put in at Upper Allagash Stream and paddle three miles to Allagash Lake.

My personal favorite in the spring is the Johnson Pond route. There is a big shallow cove where the brook leaves the pond.

In the summer, this cove can be a challenge to get across but in the spring the water is usually high enough to float right to the outlet. When you float down the small stream, it is like going through a cave of alder bushes. There are a couple of old beaver dams to carry over and I’m sure a few other obstacles to navigate around before you get to Allagash Stream.

It is easy paddling all the way to the lake once you hit the stream. This threemile trip is not for the faint of heart or the physically challenged but the reward you will feel when you get to the lake makes it all worth it.

MAINE WOODS GUIDE SERVICE

• Canoe Trips • Fishing • Hunting • Wildlife Watching Matt LaRoche - Registered Maine Guide 207-695-2877 www.mainewoodsguide.com

Spring Fishing Allagash Lake

May 2022

Allagash Lake from the top of Allagash Mountain. (Photo by Bob Johnston) The Upper Allagash Stream access is the easier water route and about the same distance by canoe as the Johnson Pond route, but the last time I drove to this put-in point the last couple miles of road were very rough and had culverts that were washed out.

Upper Allagash Stream is the main tributary to Allagash Lake and primary spawning area for the rainbow smelt. The larger predator fish in the lake follow the smelt to the inlet and gorge themselves for a few weeks every spring.

If you hit it right, the

fishing at the inlet of Allagash lake can be nothing short of fantastic– so good that you may actually get tired of catching beautiful 16-inch native brook trout.

You might get a few trout larger than 16 inches but that size seems to be the norm. You will probably catch a few togue at the inlet as well. If you do, the state fisheries biologist would like these fish removed so that the other fish in the lake can attain a larger size. See www. maine.gov/ifw for limits and special regulations.

If you do get tired of fishing and you want to do

something else you can visit the ice caves or climb Allagash Mountain and go up into the recently rebuilt fire tower on top of the mountain.

If you are interested in a spring fishing trip to Allagash Lake but don’t feel like you have the experience to pull it off, I would be happy to guide you or recommend another guide to you. See www. mainewoodsguide.com if you would like to book a trip with me.

If you would like to organize your own Allagash Lake fishing adventure and need some advice, give me a call or drop me an email. I would be happy to give you a few tips on where to go and how to get there.

Matt LaRoche is a retired Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, owner of Maine Woods Guide Service and an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached at 207695-2877 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com.

See www.mainewoodsguide.com

May 2022

Trout

(Cont. from pg 25) means they are undeveloped and vehicle access, development, and logging are more restricted than they are on other waters.

Close to 50 waters are managed under what IFW refers to as “Quality” regulations. Another 20 are managed under “Trophy” regulations, which includes 1-fish 18” and C&R. Approximately 250 have a 2-fish limit. Roughly 150 are restricted to fly fishing only, and another approximately 90 are restricted to artificial lures.

For me, nothing is more synonymous with the Maine fishing scene than wild native brook trout ponds. This is the one thing that absolutely separates Maine from the rest of the pack, and no matter how hard they try, no one will

ever catch up, or even get close.

Add remoteness, an informal trail in, a lack of development, a fly fishing only restriction, and some protective regulations, and it takes things to the next level. If there is anything more unique and special than Maine’s wild native brook trout ponds, I haven’t seen it…

BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years.

He is the former owner of Kennebec River Outfitters, a Registered Maine Fishing Guide, and a commercial fly designer. Bob is a blogger, writer, and author. He is also a native fish advocate and founding member, Executive Director, and Maine Board Member for Native Fish Coalition.

Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout

Northwoods Sporting Journal Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them and Favorite Flies for Maine: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts. His next book, Fly Fishing Maine: Local Experts on the State’s Best Waters, is due out Fall 2022. Bob can be reached at BobMallard.com or info@bobmallard.com

Pollock (Cont. from pg 22) schooled around the channel marker, along the jetty, or on the ledge. For those introducing youngsters to the sport and looking for constant action, the harbor pollock - Mr. Reliable - has your back.

Reason #3: Striper Bait Anyone who tells you striped bass don’t eat pollock has not fished for stripers long enough. In fact, one of my first “keeper”

stripers fell for a pollock chunk nearly twenty years ago - a time when striped bass seemed like more of a rarity. When I examined the stomach contents, as all young kids love to do, a pile of grass shrimp and two small pollock spilled out on the newspaper.

When mackerel are hard to come by, striper fishermen should not think twice about filling their livewell with five to six inch pollock. Since pollock tend to swim deeper than mackerel and will head straight into a kelp bed if given the opportunity, striper fishermen should suspend them several feet beneath a float.

As can be expected, fishing a live pollock is most effective in rocky areas and along ledges.

Reason #4: Good Eats As the squirrels of the sea, harbor pollock offer a sustainable and readily accessible food source to

Page 35

the opportunistic angler. A pollock can be fileted similar to a perch, then baked or fried. Dipped in beaten egg, coated with bread crumbs, dropped in hot oil, and sprinkled with Old Bay - fried harbor pollock is nothing to scoff about.

Just don’t forget the lemon and tartar sauce!

Please note: As of this writing (March 2022), there is currently no size or bag limit on pollock in Maine Territorial waters.

Be advised that regulations often change annually and differ in Federal waters.

Jonah Paris teaches English at a small high school in Southwestern Maine. A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his girlfriend, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com

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Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME The touch of the oars sent us gliding softly onward. Only the whisper of water broke the stillness.

Rolando rowed with relaxed ease, a quiet smile visible beneath his old straw hat. We were birding on Lago de Yojoa, in the central highlands of Honduras. Around us rose the cloud-forested ridges of the

destination. It was in this way that I discovered D&D Brewery and Lodge, in the small village of Los Naranjos. Part micro-brewery, part eco-lodge, D&D is popular with locals and the backpacking crowd.

Owner Bobby Durrette is an American, innovative and dedicated to giving back to his employees and

Lago Yojoa: A Birder’s Mecca

sky of early morning. There were black-bellied whistling ducks, often seen perching in trees, and an otter parting the green-brown water. Purple gallinules and northern jacanas, easily spotted by their bright yellow or orange markings, were abundant.

The brown limpkin, a light brown wading bird with spots, and the snail

May 2022

This huge water lily dwarfed any that I’d seen before. (Photo by Laurie Chandler)

A shiver of awareness went through me, part the thrill of the unknown, part joy at the dramatic beauty all around. Mist blurred and softened the steep mountainsides.

Santa Bárbara and Cerro Azul Meámbar mountains.

Known for its biodiversity, Lago de Yojoa is the largest natural lake in the country and a birder’s mecca.

Adventure travelers flock to Costa Rica or Belize, but do not often consider Honduras. If they do go, it’s to dive at Roatán, on the Caribbean coast. But Honduras has much more to offer. After two trips to help build houses there, I felt ready to plan a solo trip.

Traveling alone, I like to make a personal connection in advance. Flying into the city of San Pedro Sula, I wanted to have a driver waiting and a secure

community. Back in 2013, Bobby was starting up a library in the nearby town of Peña Blanca. I arrived with a suitcase weighted down with Spanish children’s books.

D&D is just a stroll away from a canal that flows into Lago de Yojoa.

A birding excursion with local ornithologist Malcolm Glasgow seemed like an excellent way to get to know the lake. After fresh-brewed coffee at Malcolm’s place, we rented binoculars and got onboard. The action started right away. A pair of toucans rocketed past, black silhouettes against the gray

kite, a broad-winged raptor, share an unusual diet. Both eat only the large water snails whose empty shells lay scattered on the muddy shore. Malcolm pointed out numerous snail egg masses.

They clung to reeds above the water, to escape hungry dragonfly larvae.

There were familiar species, too—the spotted sandpiper, least bittern, grackle, cattle egret, and green heron. Somehow it seemed strange to see them so far from home.

A shiver of awareness went through me, part the thrill of the unknown, part joy at the dramatic beauty all around. Mist blurred and softened the steep mountainsides. Below, a boat cut crisply through the water. The sheer number of birds in view was amazing.

Abruptly, the mood was broken by a loud blowing and splashing. A dark figure with a snorkel rose from the water, snorting and displaying a goodsized fish impaled on a spear. He wore only ragged shorts whose original color had long been lost. We

Rustic boats cluster along the shore of Lago de Yojoa. (Photo by Laurie Chandler) rowed alongside his boat to admire the morning’s catch. The boats that the local fisherman use are rustic works of art. Handcrafted, in shades of brown or faded red or green.

Along the shores of the lake are dozens of places to sample the local culinary specialty. Freshly caught fish are marinated overnight, then fried crispy.

The whole fish is served with traditional sides of pickled red cabbage and onions and fried plantains.

I would return to D&D twice more in the years ahead. With my daughter, I kayaked the lake and went zip-lining over the 140-foot Pulhapanzak Waterfall.

Bobby took us to Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park, and to learn about coffee production. Ecotourism is on the rise, and there are a myriad of bird species to add to your life

list, some 400 in all.

Before planning a trip to Honduras, consult the CDC and U.S. State Department websites for the latest travel alerts. Due to COVID and other safety concerns, it has been over five years since I have visited, but I know I will go back. When I do, there will surely be a warm welcome at D&D Brewery and Lodge.

Laurie Apgar Chandler is the author of Through Woods & Waters, which provides an adventurous look at Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and Upwards, the story of her 2015 solo self-propelled thru-paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

For more information or to purchase the books, visit www.laurieachandler.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Spring (Cont. from pg 24) hunted Northshore Guide Services in 2015 and have returned several times since. Robb asked me to share the story of his first bear hunt with North Shore Guide Service.

Robb states; “This was my first ever bear hunt.

Upon arrival at the lodge we were impressed by the staff and accommodations.

We fished in the mornings and bear hunted afternoons and evenings until dark. During the first three hunts, Jim and Tim had seen multiple bears each evening but I had not seen a bear yet. It was decided to move me to a different tree using a climber in 8 inch diameter Balsam Fir adjusted for my left hand draw with my recurve bow.

Music

(Cont. from pg 31) the tree. A utility knife with the blade set shallow will help regulate the depth of the cuts. Use a pocket or putty knife to gently pry and separate just the outer layer of bark. Once started it will readily peel in May and June – not so in the autumn.

The moose call is made with the tan-colored side of the bark will be on the outside, white on the inside. There are two methods of constructing the cone. The easiest method is to immediately roll the sheet of bark into a megaphone shape. The “mouthpiece” should be about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter and the open end about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. This method leaves an outside seam that spirals around the outside of the moose

That afternoon after an hour on stand, it began to rain heavily. An hour and a half later, the sun came out making the raindrops look like diamonds. I heard a stick crack downwind of me over the sound of water drops from the trees.

I gasped as the first bear I had ever seen while hunting came to the bait and began to feed. He looked huge and I quickly decided to try for him while slowly standing. I remembered to bend my knees and pick a spot then drew and released a 160 grain Zwickey tipped arrow at only 8 yards. It was a quick and lethal shot though the lungs.The bear woofed, ran north and I heard my first bear death moan a few minutes later.

I waited 2 hours for Terry to arrive and told him I had arrowed a big one. After a short search, we found him call. The second method is to lay out the sheet of bark and cut out a trapezoid about 24 inches high, 5 to 6 inches wide at one end, and 16 to 20 inches at the other. This method results in a straight seam that runs the length of the moose call. Roll and overlap the edges of the seams about two inches.

If the bark dries out or is difficult to roll, pour hot water over the inner side of the bark, and it will become pliable. Whatever method is used, apply tape or string to hold the moose call in a cone position until the bark is dry and you are ready to glue and stitch the pieces together. Trim the mouth and exit holes with scissors or a knife so they are even. I reinforce the open end with a 1-inch strip of birchbark about 25-30 inches long.

Traditionally, Native

dead, only 50 yards away.

He was the first and only bear I saw that trip and weighed 411 lbs!”

If you don’t want to wait for the fall bear hunts in the northeast, try for spring bears in Canada!

Brian Smith is a Retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He is a life member and 1st Director at Large of the Maine Bowhunters Association.

He was awarded the MBA “Bowhunter of the Year” in 2005 and 2008 and the largest Maine Archery Bear Award in 2008 and 2018.

He is a NRA Life Member and longtime member of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine serving on the SAM-ILA Board. He can be reached at bowhunter@ mgemaine.com.

Americans fastened birchbark baskets with pitch and split spruce root. You can use wood glue and clamp the pieces of birchbark together. When the glue dries, bind the seams with twine, leather, or artificial sinew. To avoid splitting the bark I predrill the holes with an 1/8-inch bit for leather lacing. I also add a leather thong to carry the moose call over my back when hunting.

It’s not difficult to learn effective cow calls and bull grunts. There’s nothing more heart-pounding than using your birchbark call to beguile a rutcrazed bull to within a few yards.

Mark McCollough is retired wildlife biologist who called in several bull moose last fall. He can be contacted at markmccollough25@gmail.com

Page 37

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME As a mom you always hope that your kids will be interested in something that you are interested in and you’ll be able to pass down your knowledge and your passion to them. For Judy Durland passing down her

keys, deer and moose.

Like my dad and I, Glenn and his mom regularly hunt together and his stories about Judy’s hunts are incredible. There was the time when she was turkey hunting in the woods

Judy Durland: Outdoor Mom

were not in the fields.

There was also the time when Judy noticed a fresh rub on her way out from her stand to get lunch. She decided to stop near a rock wall and call in case the buck was nearby.

No sooner had she started calling when she heard crashing and thrashing that started coming closer and

Like my dad and I, Glenn and his mom regularly hunt together and his stories about Judy’s hunts are incredible. passion to her son and grandchildren has fundamentally changed their lives.

Judy’s son, Glenn was a guide at Allagash Adventures the week that I went on my moose hunt. Aside from the cook, I was the only woman in camp and Glenn and I struck up a conversation about women who hunt. Glenn started sharing stories about learning to hunt from his mom and all of their adventures in the woods chasing tur-

and successfully shot a bird and called in a game warden. The warden had been checking the next property over when he heard the shot and came to investigate. He was surprised to see a turkey hunter in the woods but more surprised to see a woman by herself and cleaning the bird out.

He commented that he was surprised that there were turkeys in the woods to which Judy looked at him and asked where he thought turkeys went when they

closer to her. Before she realized what was happening, a buck jumped over the rock wall, looked at her and froze only a few feet away.

Or there was the time that Judy put some scent out and as she climbed into her stand. Before she got to the top, she heard a deer close by and climbed back down, got into position and waited for that deer to step into the opening. Her season was in the first few minutes of the day.

Judy’s mom was also

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the woods was a new adventure to get excited about.

S h e is the type of outdoor woman that we need more of.

The kind that does not need social media to gain followers and prove their Judy Durland skills. She is an avid outdoorswoman a passionate, hardworking and by watching her, Judy hunter. We need women taught herself how to hunt like Judy to teach and and fish. There are hours mentor the next generation and hours of stories of about putting in the hours stalking moose through and being just as happy sitthe forests, shooting two ting and watching nature as turkeys with one shot and they are about a successful all of the interactions with hunt.

I wish Judy the best of deer throughout the years.

When she was a taxider- Mother’s Days and thank mist, she enjoyed hearing her for sharing her passion hunters sharing their stories with her family, friends about that particular hunt or and community. Here is the one that got away. She to a fantastic 2022 hunting loved the shared apprecia- season! tion and excitement.

Erin is a member of Judy never apologizes for who she is and what the Professional Outdoor she is passionate about. Media Association and A true hunter, it was easy the New England Outdoor for her son and grand- Writers Association. She is sons to get just as excited a senior writer for Drury about that morning trip Outdoors’ DeerCast. You into the woods, cutting that can read about Erin’s adfresh track or hearing the ventures and contact her at first gobbles a cold spring www.andastrongcupofcofmorning. Every trip into fee.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Dueling Bucks

W. H. Hatch, a northern Maine guide, witnessed a savage fight only three miles from his camp, and wrote the following account, publishing it in Shooting and Fishing, March 17, 1904.

“There, directly in the road, not thirty paces

roundings. I immediately shrank to a crouching attitude and slipped in behind a small fir tree, from which place I could see without being seen. Upon looking them over, I saw they were both big bucks with good heads, but one was a trifle heavier and stockier that

and forward, first one and then the other gaining a few feet.

I intently watched to see if these two had made the death lock, but as I looked, the largest buck, getting a firm footing, swiftly bore his lighter antagonist backward, and, canting his head, would have thrown him, but the other one, realizing his danger, quickly shook his head loose and, making a terrific bound to one side,

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

his heavier opponent, and seemed to fight faster and push matters. In one of his rushes, he caught the big fellow a little to one side on the neck and brought him to his knees, but before he could gore him, the big one gained his footing and sprang away.

They fought desper-

The immediately wheeled, backed away a few paces, then sprang at each other with all the power they were capable of, meeting horn to horn with terrific force.

away, were two magnificent bucks, their heads down and horns locked in fierce combat. They were at it in good shape, and I instantly saw they had not seen or heard me. They were thoroughly maddened and too intent on gaining some advantage over one another to notice their sur-

the other. The smallest one was a light-reddish color one the back, shading to tan on the sides. Evidently they had not been at it very long as both deer seemed to be fresh and fought savagely.

When I first came upon them, their horns were locked and they were pushing each other backward

escaped the cruel horns.

The immediately wheeled, backed away a few paces, then sprang at each other with all the power they were capable of, meeting horn to horn with terrific force. It was the gamiest fight I ever saw, and all my money was up on the smallest buck.

After backing away and coming together, they would strain each muscle to bear each other backward and down, until one would get his head canted a little, then it was break loose and get away or be thrown. The lightest buck was a trifle quicker than

backward, then down, and in a moment more the sharp antlers of his stronger rival would have been buried in his side. Quickly raising my rifle, I placed a softnosed metal patched bullet in the neck of the big buck, just in front of his shoulder.

At the crack of the rifle, he dropped like a log, falling on the other deer, who quickly freed himself and sprang to his feet.

Looking at the fallen deer, he seemed to realize that something was wrong, and, throwing up his head, he caught sight of me and instantly wheeled and bounded several paces away, and trotted leisurely into the black growth. Two does, having seen the battle, sprang out of the brush, waiting to join the victor.

ately for some time, neither gaining any advantage, though I could see plainly that the terrific pace was telling on the smaller one, and he was fast becoming winded. The big fellow made a savage rush, catching the other one a little off his guard. Although Steve is an avid hiker, the smaller one met him paddler and historian, havhorn to horn, he could not ing collected over 26,000 stand the force of the attack Maine Woods articles to and he was borne swiftly date.

Old Tales of the Maine Woods Steve Pinkham Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

Plenty of Birds

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

If you believe everything you read, wild turkeys in this country are declining. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation there were approximately 1.5 million wild turkeys in North America when the organization was founded back in 1973. Four decades later

bag limit from five to three and prohibited the use of decoys during the first ten days of the spring season, Georgia also pushed back its opening day a week later on private land and until the 2nd Saturday in April on public land, about two weeks later than in 2021. The bag limit was

tion and survival. Habitat degradation and declining prime brood habitat, disease, the increase in predators, populations have reached carrying capacity and even hunting pressure are mentioned.

It does appear turkey numbers have declined in some regions of the coun-

required if the downward trend continues and hunters will have to adapt in kind, but I wouldn’t worry about wild turkey hunting coming to an end.

That’s certainly true here in Maine and the northeast. Maine is currently home to an estimated 60,000- to 70,000 wild tur-

try but by no means is the sky falling. Turkeys are adaptable and will adjust to changing habitat and weather conditions and if needed to hunting pressure.

It might be one reason why more and more turkeys are being seen in urban and suburban areas, places where habitat conditions might be more suitable and hunting pressure is limited.

I really don’t know the answer but I believe wild turkeys are here to stay. Hunting season dates, bag limits and other changes might be

keys, an impressive number considered restoration efforts only commenced in the mid-1970s and Maine held its first hunting season in 1986. Hunters in WMD’s 7 and 9 thru 29 can kill two bearded birds this

If you research this issue at all you’ll discover a number of factors are believed to be the reason for the decline in turkey numbers. Everything from changing weather patterns and out-of-date hunting season structures are mentioned... that number had increased to almost 7 million birds, one of the greatest conservation triumphs and wildlife comebacks in modern times. Today, according to the NWTF, that number is down to between 6 and 6.5 million birds.

Whether you believe turkeys are on the decline in some regions of the country or if a one-half to one million bird decline is anything to be concerned about some states are taking it seriously. Alabama pushed its spring opener back this year by a couple weeks, lowered the spring

also reduced from three to two bearded birds. Similar changes have also been put in place in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Kentucky.

Ohio also lowered its statewide spring bag limit from two bearded birds to one.

If you research this issue at all you’ll discover a number of factors are believed to be the reason for the decline in turkey numbers. Everything from changing weather patterns and out-of-date hunting season structures are mentioned; some suggest early spring openers are affecting breeding, poult produc-

spring and one in WMDs 1 thru 6 and 8. Elsewhere birds are also doing well.

In New Hampshire hunters can take two bearded birds if none are taken in the fall, and Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island each have a two bird limit this spring. In Connecticut the spring limit is five bearded birds on private or state land.

I don’t know what the situation is in every New England state but it doesn’t seem turkey numbers are declining by a great deal, if at all, at least judging by current spring back limits and population estimates.

Judging by what we’ve seen this spring I dare say hunters will have plenty of opportunity. If things should turn around I have no doubt biologists will be aware of it and make adjustments as needed.

But for the time being, here in New England at least, I’d worry more about outsmarting those spring gobblers

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Letters (Cont. from pg 23) tem will work for making money, but not for culling the doe’s here in Maine’s breadbasket. I can tell the people making these laws don’t actually hunt. Two big problems.

1. Hunters who live on border areas between WMDs are now forced to shoot a doe in one zone.

There will be people that can’t shoot a doe in there backyard because they like to hunt behind there aunt’s house five minutes down the road. Last year they had a permit or two in each zone.

2. In November, when the majority of deer hunt-

ing occurs the doe’s like to herd up and run in groups.

Now there are no more double or triple kills. That will slowly educate them over time making it much more difficult to kill more of them. Last year hunters could keep shooting.

I would estimate 1/3 of all the doe’s that could have been managed will walk this fall due to new laws.

Walter Rines Sabattus

Dams on the West Branch

linocket is very concerned with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) plan to require Brookfield Renewable Power, through the dam relicensing pro-cess, to install fish ladders in all their dams on the West branch of the Penobscot River. Because of the lack of a required Risk Assessment at West Enfield and open fishway, Northern Pike, White Catfish, Largemouth Bass and other in-

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vasive species would have total access the the upper Penobscot, West Branch and tributaries.

There is also a plan to introduce alewives into the West Branch above Medway Dam, to justify the installation of fishways that would also pass these highly invasive species, all of this would have a one two punch at devastating our world class salmon fisheries and last remaining native Brook trout fisheries in the Northeast. Our Landlocked Salmon and Brook

trout fisheries are very important to our economy and the preservation of these species should be top concern! We see no benefit to allowing Pike and White Catfish to invade our Lakes and streams and we should not allow such disregard to our fishing heritage to be threatened.

Jimmy Busque Millinocket Treasurer Fin & Feather club (Letters cont. pg 45)

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Maine Outdoor Adventure

Spring has sprung, and the cycle of life renews... May is a month of rebirth for all our natural world. In the case of some fish, a time of breeding, and for others, a time of plentiful feeding opportunities. Charr, in North

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME seems to captivate me as one of New England’s most interesting, greatest sport freshwater fish.

The very location of lake trout will be determined by two factors. The water temperature as well as the location of their

Lakers on the Fly

May 2022

they were born. Their mission, much like the run of salmon, spawning in the fall.

Salmon, also have evolved to take advantage of this feeding opportunity.

Some native Salmon, inherently feed on this tasty plankton-eating, morsels.

Even wild salmon from fish stocking eighty to one hundred years ago, find it in their nature to follow

The tenacity, and historical value this fish presents, always seems to captivate me as one of New England’s most interesting, greatest sport freshwater fish.

America, is commonly found in cold, deep water, glacial lakes. In North America, our native charr consists of brook trout, lake trout, and arctic charr (blue back charr). Lake trout, also called Togue, Mackinaw Trout, Great Lakes Trout, or Salmon Trout, is typically a large, voracious feeding fish. The lake trout are commonly found in Canada, Alaska, New England, and the great lakes basin.

For the intent of this article, we will focus on Maine’s lake trout. It is personally one of my favorite fish, I guess because I’m a predator myself! The tenacity, and historical value this fish presents, always

food source. Lake trout are very much an opportunistic freshwater predator. I often refer to them as “freshwater sharks”, and deservingly so! In spring, lake trout are coming out of being closed in under ice, with lower than normal oxygen levels. As ice-out occurs, water is reoxygenated and the metabolisms increase in fish. In the case of the lake trout or “togue”, they certainly take advantage of this unique time of year.

Their efforts are now being focused on preying on a high concentration of spawning rainbow smelt.

Every spring, freshwater smelt take their annual run from lakes and swim up the rivers where

these smelt, and make it a hay day! Along with these feeding fish, smelt also has to contend with feeding brook trout and whitefish.

Unfortunately, nowadays, other dreaded invasive species, such as smallmouth bass, pike, and others are certainly tipping the scales of survival for the native fish.

The lake trout, being around since the dawn of time, have naturally been feeding on the cycle of life when the opportunity presents itself. A lake with a spawning smelt population will present an opportunity for both fish and man.

Whichever water body you may be fishing, chances are that a freshwater shark is

“Spring Lake Trout” there ambushing, chasing, and feeding on those smelt.

Fly-fishing for lakers is certainly a small window of chance. The challenge of being present fishing at the right time, with the right forage imitation, in the correct location, and when fish are hungry, is certainly the challenge. Perhaps that is the appeal of catching a laker on a fly.

There are certainly many ways to catch a lake trout. As a lover of lake trout, I enjoy every legal way of catching a fine, ma-

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ture fish. Here are some tips and considerations for your pursuit of this beautiful, native fish that may help guide you through some lake trout fly fishing. As with any fish, being aware of the environmental variables such as water temps where the fish are, and where you are exposing them to is a big one for me.

I always avoid targeting lake trout in August. In August, the fish will be located in the deep, cold, thermal layer of the lake. Yes, they can be caught, but in more cases have no chance of surviving being subject to the trauma of pressure and temperature change. I restrict my lake trout fishing to winter and shoulder months that provide cool surface water temperatures.

At this time, fish will be located where their food is. For beginners, fishing a good eight-weight rod will work in most cases. During the smelt spawn, any 2-3” (Fly cont. pg 43)

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Some Pet Peeves

This peeve of mine has been on my mind for a long time. I have talked about it some, mainly to Dot I guess, but it is time I wrote it down and see if any others share my peeve.

I’m talking about the most useless thing we do as

ing people.

As I understand it, daylight savings time was implemented was during World War II. The idea was that it would be an energy saver. That idea has since been proven false and so nothing I can think of justi-

And, again why? Why can’t we join in with Atlantic Canada and have what amounts to daylight savings time year around. That idea made a lot of sense to me. I admit I do not follow politics very closely, but if there is some legality preventing us from being the independant Mainers that we like to think we are, would someone please enlighten me.

Northwoods Voyager

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME

narios that we are subjected to. Some look like they were thought up by a sixyear-old as he played outside with some friends. The thing is, as I sit here thinking about some of them, I have no idea what they are advertising. Do those outlandish scenes really reach

We reset our clocks twice a year. Why? It makes no sense at all.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

humans in this day and age.

We reset our clocks twice a year. Why? It makes no sense at all. It does not magically add an hour of daylight to our day as some of the talkers on TV would have us believe. No, it takes away an hour from those of us who are morn-

fies continuing to do it. But we do! Again, why?

Some politicians have tried to change it, at least in Maine, but a stumbling block was that we had to have New Hampshire or Vermont, can’t remember which, join us in order for it to be possible for Maine.

Fly

guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford.

He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and recreation adventures. When Rich is not on adventures, he serves as a board member for the Native Fish Coalition, Maine chapter. He is also an outdoor writer, tree farmer, fly-fishing instructor and certified NRA firearms instructor.

(Cont. from pg 42) streamer or smelt imitation should work just fine. Focusing on shoreline, pools and any ambush points are typically good targets for feeding fish. If you are planning on releasing the fish, it is a good practice to leave the fish in the water, reducing trauma and increasing survivability.

Rich is a Registered Master Maine Master Guide and owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors

Another pet peeve of mine is television commercials. Why do we have them at all? Back when I received my TV broadcasts over an antenna on the roof I knew the commercials were necessary for the stations to pay their bills.

That made sense, but now I pay a good amount of money to the cable company to bring television into my home. Yet, the commercials continue.Why? How about the commercials themselves? Who thinks up the bizarre sce-

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Page 43

someone and encourage them to buy whatever product they are promoting? I guess they must because they just keep on coming.

As for myself, very often after a commercial plays out, I ask myself, I wonder what they are advertising?

It didn’t register with me at all!

Well, I could go on and on, I have other peeves, but you get the idea and I promise I will not bore you again with my rants about things that peeve me. I will confine my rants to Dot. Poor lady!

NOTE: As I was preparing to send this column to the editor I heard on TV that there is a movement (political) toward making daylight savings time permanent. If enacted it would not take place until 2024 as I understand it. I hope it happens, but why wait two years?

Gil Gilpatrick is a Master Maine Guide, and is the first living recipient of the Legendary Maine Guide award. He is a life member of the Maine Professional Guides Association, a founding member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, and served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides from 1996 to 2010. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is the author of seven outdoorrelated books. Contact him at Gil@GilGilpatrick.com

Page 44

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H.

In last month’s column, we presented Part 1 of the trained retrieve. Here is part 2.

Step 4: Once we have movement toward the glove, we continue

glove. When the glove is in the mouth, as always, I release the ear pinch and also say “hold”. The dog needs to remain holding until the drop command is given. If holding is a

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Trained Retrieve…Part 2

all three commands: fetch, hold and drop. Continue to give a treat reward for a job well done.

Step 5: With this step, we replace the glove with new objects: dummies, plastic bottles, etc. Simply make sure there are no sharp edges which can cut or harm the dog’s mouth.

Each repetition should be

At this point, we should be ready for retrieving birds. Ideally, we have frozen birds (quail or chukar) in the freezer.

the exercise until the dog clearly reaches for the glove. The dog goes from just tolerating the glove to actually wanting the glove.

He wants the glove because it knows that by taking the glove the pressure is off.

It’s in Step 4 that I introduce the “hold” command.

The dog reaches for the

problem, continue the ear pinch into the hold but only for another three or four seconds. I don’t like an extended ear pinch. The dog will understand what you want with the hold command. If need be, tap the under chin of the dog while saying “hold”. This means we are now using

May 2022

at a different distance. We continue with three repetitions per session.

Step 6: At this point, we should be ready for retrieving birds. Ideally, we have frozen birds (quail or chukar) in the freezer.

We put out a place board and heel our dog to the place board. We then softly

The trained retrieve produces consistent retrieves. give the “whoa” command. Immediately upon picking With the dog standing still, up the bird, we give the we throw the frozen bird recall command. Don’t and shoot our training pis- let the dog play with the tol. Since we’ve worked bird. The dog needs to on whoa on a place board come to you directly. Hold earlier, the dog should re- out your hand, as you did main steady with the throw with teaching the “drop” of the frozen bird and the command, and when your shot. After the shot, we dog has reached you, give give the command “fetch”. (Retrieve cont. pg 57)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Letters

boat on the required boating license legislation.

Your dad did right by you (Cont. from pg 41) teaching you the safe way to operate watercraft. Too Boating Lessons many boaters are lacking lessons today. I’ve taken To the Editor: I think V. Paul Reyn- the Coast Guard boating olds article is missing the safety class twice; once

as a kid in CT when my parents were taking it, and again in my 30s as an adult for my own license. Both times it was a worthwhile experience full of critical information I am grateful to know now. And every time I’m at the local town

Page 45 beach on Lake Maspenock in MA (no license requirement here) and I watch a boat or PWC blow through the no wake zone 30 feet from the swimming buoys and kids in the water I am more certain it’s needed here. Freedom comes with

responsibility and accountability for how it’s exercised. Too many boaters are missing the latter two these days.

- Aaron Townsley Hopkinton, MA

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit

The Sierra Club

Over the years, debate has ensued over whether the national environmental organization, The Sierra Club, actually has been an adversary of our hunting rights in this country. Not so long ago, the NRA, a proponent of hunting rights, dropped its supporting membership in the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) because of OWAA’s support of the Sierra Club.

Some outdoor writers have taken a middle-of the-road posture, arguing that it is not inconsistent to embrace both of these politically potent national organizations, NRA and the Sierra Club. A few hunters I have known belong to the Sierra Club with no compunctions.

Increasingly, we live in a seductive age of information overload in which truth becomes more and more difficult to discern, most especially with well-funded and skillfully marketed power groups like NRA and Sierra Club.

The only defense, I believe, is to follow actions, not so much the words. Check this out.

The Sierra Club recently has renewed its push to change the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area into a National Park and Preserve, thereby closing off tens of thousands of acres to hunting for area sportsmen. Their plan is to re-designate a large portion of the area as the Delaware River National Park.

Sierra Club has pushed this idea for about a decade, but due to push-back from hunters and hunting organizations, they have not yet succeeded in getting this change through Congress. Of course, hunters know that with National Park designation, hunting will be prohibited.

This re-designation to a National Park would effectively post a “no hunting” sign throughout tens of thousands of acres of public land that hunters from several states have enjoyed for decades.

And the Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter – the leader on this move – is not shy about why they are pushing so hard for this change right now. From their website“… we’re aware that the current favorable climate in Congress is tenuous. We are working to get this legislation passed in the current session … The change could happen as simply as with the attachment of a rider to an appropriations bill.”

In other words, move fast to ban recreational hunting in the Delaware Water Gap before the Democratic majority in Congress is overturned in the mid-term elections next fall!

Effectively booting hunters out of 70,000 acres of traditional hunting ground in one fell swoop is a strange way to promote conservation, which is the mantra of the Sierra Club. Obviously, the Sierra Club does not embrace the concept that “hunters are the conservationists.”

You can walk the middle of the road on this if it suits you, but not I. Closing down the Delaware water gap to recreational hunting is not the first anti-hunting initiative pushed by the Sierra Club. This group is toxic to the American hunting heritage, and just can’t elude the Homer Spit Quack Test: if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, it is probably a……..

(Home Spit lives on a lake in Maine and likes to keep a low profile.)

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Page 46

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME Although not every newborn coyote takes their first breath of fresh air in May, (January copulation’s result in late March or early April). Pups births are about two months after copulation. Predator hunters would do well to place a decoy, sound off a few

teenage coyotes become fair game. Coyote season remains open year round in Maine allowing an ambitious hunter plenty of time to shoot a “V” back. Not every state has year round coyote hunting; however, the tactics mentioned in this column will work any-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Summer Coyote Action

the time being.

While growing up I’ve used just about all makes and models of calls.

It wasn’t until the year 2012 that I was introduced to the Buck Expert and Mick Lacy predator calls,

it was a marginal hit that could quite possibly not be life threatening. Mostly I hunt coyotes during the day since I love the challenge and the sportiness of it. I also film everything I do outdoors with my video

that I became satisfied.

No one knows what the next year will produce for calls but in the meantime I’m sticking to my trusty Buck Expert X-Treme 3 in 1 Predator Mouth Call and the Mick Lacy closed reed predator calls. In only three months – about two weeks total of actual hunting - these calls brought in six coyotes, all during daylight hours. Sadly my shooting skills need desperate refining to say the least. Out of six coyotes I called in, I only shot two!

I blood trailed one for a mile until the bleeding became tiny specks and eventually I determined

cameras. It needs to be daytime to get better video footage. Occasionally I resort to night hunting if my daylight sightings dwindle and sometimes shut off altogether. Enough storytelling! You’re reading this to be informed and motivated to go coyote hunting, so here goes!

All you need to get the job done would be some sort of distress type call that sounds good and most importantly, that you trust can call in a coyote. Top off your ambush with the right wind direction and some attractant lure. A decoy - if you have one - to better fool those weary summer

coyotes.

After a long winter of being chased by hunting dogs, called to, and shot at, any coyotes that survived to see another summer might be extremely difficult to outsmart. You’ll want to

A climb in the coyote's population could possibly mean non-stop action from summer to winter in some areas you hunt. distress notes, get in ready position, sit motionless and stay on high alert from June on.

Code of ethics tug on the brains of some hunters telling them to hold off until the pups are all grown up even when the state law says it’s legal.

After some suckling on mommy’s teats, a couple weeks of regurgitated feeding and about one month of emulating papa, the

time of the year.

A climb in the coyotes population could possibly mean non-stop action from summer to winter in some areas you hunt. It would be a good time to learn about and become proficient with those new predator mouth or electronic calls you might have gotten for Christmas. Or you just felt like buying the predator calls to suppress the hunting addiction for

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be on top of your game by choosing an ambush spot carefully, approaching your sit spots ever so cautiously (fox walking), staying motionless longer, and only scanning your surroundings with your eyes. If hunting with video cameras then get your perrole or B-role shots out of the way before sounding off the first distress notes so that way the camera(s) are focused in the general direction you expect a coyote to appear. If you do have multiple video cameras or a cameraman or woman then you might be OK to get right to it. Definitely easier said than done, I can assure you!

The pesky business subsides and now you sit tight hoping a ghost dog pops up someplace out in front to make your shot easier. It’s possible for the hunt to play out this way given that your sit spot al(Action cont. pg 48))

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Page 48

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME If you’ve got some deer meat left in the freezer and want to do something a little different with it, try this. It is my Grandfather Smith’s tried and true recipe. He was well known for it, and when he gave you a jar, it was considered a great gift.

It used to be that putting up deer meat meant freezing most of it to have over winter, and jarring some of it. Mincemeat was a staple in my family’s household. I am not sure how many people use mincemeat anymore. This is a supper dish, not really

dessert. It is made the old English way, with finely chopped or ground venison, simmered together with apples, raisins, spices, molasses, vinegar, and cider, then made into steaming hot pies, for a good winter meal. He used lard for his crust. Sometimes I do, but usually I have Crisco in the cupboard, so use that.

I had not tasted any mincemeat for quite a number of years now and had forgotten it. Then a friend had some extra meat and was looking for a decent minced meat recipe, so I

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Gramp’s Savory Mincemeat Recipe

sent him Gramps. In return, he gave me a few jars of it and many memories came flooding back. I’m fussy about mincemeat and don’t buy the stuff they sell these days, usually without deer meat — or any meat for that matter! So Matt’s gift was a real treat. As delicious as I remembered it. Gramp always said to adjust the ingredients to fit your taste. The following is how he liked it.

This recipe has a tang to it because of the amount of apple cider vinegar it calls for. For my own liking, I would cut the apple cider in half to begin with, then add from there, if de-

Stove should be fitted sired, once the concoction has time to simmer and with a wire on top of the meld together. burner to keep the mincemeat from sticking to the bottom of the pot. SimGramp Smith’s mer over low heat, stirring Mincemeat occasionally. Add a little Grind: 6 cups deer meat 18 cups apples (he likely water, if needed.

Cook slow, then jar. used Macs or whatever ones were nearby) Suzanne AuClair lives 3 lbs. raisins Add: 4 cups apple cider near Rockwood. She has vinegar (maybe start with been writing about the Moosehead Lake region 2 cups, then add to taste) 4 cups meat stock for 27 years and produced a state anthology,“The Ori1 1/4 quarts apple cider gins, Formation & History 4 Tblsp. cinnamon of Maine’s Inland Fishe3 Tblsp. allspice ries Division.” She is an 2 Tblsp. salt Add molasses and brown award-winning member of the New England Outdoor sugar to taste.

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script in your mind, done everything right down to the “T” and seven minutes later there he is staring you down. Moving slower than death you eventually ease the rifle butt to your shoulder. After careful aim and a gentle squeeze a coyote lay stone dead. This scene plays over and over in my mind.

Justin has a Wildlife Biology Degree from Unity College. He also is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). Justin has thousands of acres to hunt on every year and it’s not uncommon to find him scouting and hunting year round. His book: “Wild Maine Outdoors – Hunting Tactics, Tricks, & Secrets” is now available,www.wildmaineoutdoors.com He is the owner of the online web based TV show called, SPIKES and GILLS on YouTube.

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Crested Caracara

I wrote about the Maine visit of a very rare bird, a Steller’s Sea Eagle in my March column. I hope it will remain in May so I might be able to see it.

During my birding years I have seen some rare birds.

On Nantucket Island I saw

Another rare bird I saw on Nantucket was a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

I still chuckle when I remember how it happened.

I was a group of very experienced and world traveler birders. No way did I feel confident about recogniz-

a Jackdaw which had been blown westward across the Atlantic in a storm. A European member of the Corvidae or crow family of birds. It is pigeon-sized and has a black tail, back and top of the head while the rest of its plumage is dark slate gray. This bird was easy to locate as it daily liked to sit on the roof of the Coast Guard building.

ing birds around them and so I stayed quiet. At the edge of a field everyone was peering through spotting scopes hoping to locate that gull. At a distance a huge group of gulls was feeding. I happened to notice the Lesser Blackbacked was only a short distance in the field from us among a few other gulls.

No one needed a spotting

scope or even binoculars to see it! It was just calmly walking along.

I was rather intimidated by my esteemed birder company and hesitated to say anything. But one guy came up to me and slyly suggested I point out the bird. I guess he had seen me competently identify birds earlier. So I did speak up. We had a good laugh and he and I birded together for the

Page 49

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME Manomet Bird Observatory. If she agreed with me and then spread the word, birders would love to see it. It was a Caracara and later was confirmed to have escaped from a falconer.

Meanwhile I was gaining more confidence.

Golden Eagles are very rarely seen in Mas-

the phone and apologized because after he thought about it, he knew I had been right. I told him there was no problem as birding is always just fun for me. So now I really felt confident and could trust my own ability to spot and identify birds. A few years later I was aboard a ship on a pelagic trip to the Hydrographer Canyon deep down One summer afternoon I was in the Atlantic Ocean. I saw shocked to see a Crested Caracara just sitting atop a fencepost. This is a a Yellow-billed Tropicbird and an even rarer Whitemember of the Falcon family and fairly faced Storm Petrel and common in fields of central Florida and pointed them out to fellow southern Texas. birders. Sharing with others rest of the trip with much sachusetts. But on one my love of nature, especonfidence. Sometimes winter morning I spotted cially birds, will always being over confident is not one sitting on a tree limb be a fun and worthwhile a good idea! One summer on the shoreline of a pond. pastime. afternoon I was shocked to A Bald Eagle was perched Karen Holmes lives in see a Crested Caracara just next to it. I was with a sitting atop a fencepost. group of birders led by one Cooper, Maine. She is the This is a member of the of the most well-known Washington County, Maine Falcon family and fairly and respected birders in Annual Loon Count Coorcommon in fields of central Massachusetts. I said this dinator. Every summer she Florida and southern Texas. was a great opportunity to volunteers to do a route But here was one in a field compare and contrast the for the Breeding Bird Surin Massachusetts! I knew two eagle species. He said vey for the U.S. Fish and I needed to have a friend one was not a Golden but Wildlife Service. She looks who lived nearby verify an immature Bald Eagle. forward to any opportunity the identification. It was I decided not to contra- to be a citizen scientist and just too unusual! She was dict him in front of others. an educator in DownEast the former director of the Anyway, he called me on Maine and elsewhere.

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Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont It may be a simple matter, the topic I come back to, time and again.

Taking this into the woods as the spring turkey hunting season is almost here, amounts to the same things as fitness, scouting (and more scouting before opening day) and being proficient with your shotgun.

That thing that you must take into the woods — even if you are a newcomer — is confidence. By confidence, I mean using all of what the Creator has given you up there in your big brain.

Be careful, here, that I am not talking about overconfidence. This trait will, in due time, come back and bite you where the sun don’t shine. Bringing confidence in the

woods, be it during deer, turkey, bear hunting, whatever, will increase your odds of success. Note here that I did not say that it will guarantee your success; Any veteran turkey hunter, with a collection of long beards and scary spurs, will tell you that wild turkeys, especially mature birds, will in time, make a fool of you.

Here’s one example: Many years ago, before I shot my first mature bird, I had a tom gobbling like mad while I was perched on a steep ridge early one May morning. He is coming, I told myself. All of that noise came to a halt, for maybe 30 seconds and I shut up, assuming that, any moment now, his bright red head is going to pop up,

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Confidence In The Turkey Woods

right below, for that moment of truth.

Nope. As I sat there, as still as I could, something caught my eye, way to the left. That old tom had circled around and was circling around my position.

It made no sense to me. It

A tom gobbled, right on top of that owl hoot, probably 60 or 70 yards away. What the what? The tom never gobbled back to my yelps and, if you think about it, why should he? I am an excited hen; he wants a date.

But he did not come

As I sat there, as still as I could, something caught my eye, way to the left. That old tom had circled around and was circling around my position. made all of the sense in the world to him. I didn’t kill that tom.

Here’s another. Walking along the spine of a small rise, yelping as I went, I motioned for my oldest son Dan to pause.

We hadn’t heard a bird for an hour. And, just on a whim, I cut loose with a vocal barred owl sequence.

in from the place where he sounded off, with that one and only loud, piercing gobble. No, that wise old gobbler circled 180 degrees and came in from the OPPOSITE side!

Luckily, Danny stuck a decoy on that little ridge, settled in behind a fallen log and I, after leaning my shotgun against a tree,

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May 2022

called with very soft yelps.

When the tom emerged, he came right up close to the hen, in strut, and was actually nudging the decoy. To be honest, this was maybe the second of third long beard that Dan was close to killing, and I was really excited for him. But what most impressed me was how statue-still my son was, with this spectacular tom, in full display, only 15 yards away. Then with its fan up and its head tucked in, the bird turned around.

Dan came up with the shotgun, I let loose with a single yelp, the head popped up and Danny took the shot.

Confidence, on the part of my son, killed that bird. It was a 3-year-old gobbler, with one-inch spurs and a 10 1/8-inch beard.

After more than 35 years of spring turkey hunting, I am still learning.

Some toms come in easy, but most do not. Confidence in your skills can make the difference in putting a tag around those difficult gobblers.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and the Barre Times Argus and a freelance writer.

Have A Safe & Happy Memorial Weekend!

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Parro’s – A Destination Gun Shop

Waterbury, Vermont is where sportsmen and women go for everything firearms. Parro’s Gun Shop and Police Supplies opened its new facility in August to

counter and handguns in glass top cabinets requiring an employee to access a firearm the customer wants to see, Parro’s has them readily available to any-

displayed. “If you wanted to look at one, you had to ask.” That often put off the person who wasn’t sure if they wanted to purchase a firearm but just wanted to look and feel for fit.

Page 51

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

their full range of firearms.

The same was true of Vortex which created another space to display its range of optics in another part of the store.

The handguns are displayed in the open and each has a tether so that they can be picked up and handled yet still be secure.

the delight of many including myself.

Owner Henry Parro stated, “We created a destination.” Those who visit agree. It is paradise for those of us who love firearms of all kinds.

Parro’s has some 2,500 new and used guns for sale at any given time.

There are traditional rifles and shotguns, handguns of all makes and models and the increasingly popular “modern firearms” in many varieties for those who desire them.

Add to that all the accessories one could want as well as a long wall of ammunition with all calibers and brands and you can see why gun enthusiasts flock to Parro’s.

The store is spacious and the high ceilings make it feel even more open and inviting and that is what the Parro’s wanted in their new facility.

The way the firearms are displayed invites you to handle them and get a feel for what might work for you. Unlike many gunshops where the long guns are in racks behind the

one. The handguns are displayed in the open and each has a tether so that they can be picked up and handled yet still be secure. Those in search of a firearm can take their time and check out just about any brand or model they think that might be right for them.

Henry told me that he traveled the country looking at gun shops and sporting goods outlets before deciding on how his new store would be set up. He said he did not like the way the firearms were

Because of the volume of business they do, Parro’s buys in quantities that help keep the prices down for the purchaser.

What you don’t see is the police supplies part of the business that sells firearms and equipment to law enforcement agencies which adds to Parro’s purchasing power.

Wander around the store and you don’t see just a few of a given item, you see pallets piled high.

Ruger was so impressed with what Parro’s were building that they created a store within the store, installing their own display racks and creating a large space to display

Being a full-scale gun shop, Parro’s will buy, sell or trade firearms. Often gun owners trade for a gun more to their needs when they could not justify buying another firearm.

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praisals of individual firearms or collections, ensuring that the owners know the true value of what they may be wanting to sell.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 52

Lake Champlain Guides

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT If April showers bring May flowers, and flowers are a prerequisite to a happy spouse, what is it that drives the other half? I’ll give you a hint. One of them gobbles and the other leaps from the depths. This past month, I have had the good fortune

ing moments. Matt operates out of Tom’s Marina on Basin Harbor Road in Vergennes and runs a big 28’ Baha Cruiser fully equipped with all the equipment we dream about.

FYI: Matt books well in advance so if you’d like to hook up with some dandy browns,

Eddie has hunted ducks for 23 years while growing up on the family farm in Highgate. He has competed at the Clayton, NY Decoy Show, which is the artistic equivalent of the Super Bowl, and has taken first place in the Canvasback and Bluebill categories. As a long-time member of DU, Eddie has donated more decoys than I have owned. He has carved approximately 600 birds, many of them working

adrenaline deprived sleep patterns of the previous month that drives me into the turkey woods hours before anyone else would consider sitting at the base of a tree in the dark for three or four hours. I want

Matt’s charter service has one of the finest reputations in the state for putting his sports on massive fish and maintaining a gentlemanly demeanor at the most exciting moments. to meet two of the most respected outdoorsmen, Matthew Trombley of 3rd Alarm Charters and Eddie Gagne, decoy carver extraordinaire and DU Vermont Chapter Chairman. These two guys have gotten me so fired up for May, I hardly sleep in anticipation of longbeards, leaping salmon and lakers that feel like you’re trying to haul a bathtub full of quivering lead out of the water.

Matt’s charter service has one of the finest reputations in the state for putting his sports on massive fish and maintaining a gentlemanly demeanor at the most excit-

May 2022

steelhead, or monster lakers, get on board early. Third Alarm Charters’ can be found at www.lakechamplainfishingcharters.com or give him a call at 802-345-7949.

Now about this remarkable young man who has elevated the art of decoy carving in Vermont to new heights: I have followed Eddie for a number of years and watched him evolve into one of the finest examples of well-polished outdoorsman, with a deep-rooted love for the beauty and art of hunting over hand carved decoys with spirit that is palpable when you hold them in your hands.

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blocks. One of the dreams on my bucket list is to do a “retro hunt” with Eddie over his spread and watch him shoot his stunning Fox shotgun.

I think that the thing that I most respect about both men is that they have let go of the “Whack “Em and Stack ‘Em” mentality and have progressed into a sincere appreciation of the aesthetics and overall experience of the hunt. Check out Eddie’s website at EdGagneDecoys on Facebook. Both Capt. Matt and Eddie epitomize the term “gentleman sportsman.” We should all take a lesson from them and seek the joy and beauty of our passions.

One of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced in the outdoors is the intense deep gobble of a big tom on a roost at the very crack of dawn. It is the

to be within 80 yards of the thundering greeting to the beginning of the new day. And I want to sneak in quietly and sit without making a sound in hope that the old man in the roost will forget that I put him to bed last night. One piece of advice I got from my turkey hunting mentors, the McCuins of Pittsford, was “don’t drink any coffee” because when I have to hold my shotgun up in the direction of the last gobble for 45 minutes, by the time he finally struts his way in to my decoys, my

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arms will be shaking so badly that I won’t be able to hold a bead on the bird’s head. So, although coffee is my last remaining vice, I don’t drink any for the month of May. Vermont’s spring turkey season starts May 1 and runs through the entire month each day from ½ hour before sunrise until noon and allows us to take two bearded birds for the season. Youth and Novice weekend is the weekend before the regular season and has some specific requirements that you will want to observe, one of the most important being that you must have permission from the landowner, even if the property is not posted. Read up on the regulations on website under https://vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt/youth-hunting/ youth-turkey-weekend.

After you tag your bird, remember you have the rest of the day to fish! The water will have warmed up from the overnight chill and the trout will be more active in the streams with deeper pools and good oxygen content.

So, if April showers bring May flowers for the spouse, it also brings us the opportunity to pursue the wily tom in the morning and flashy rainbows in the afternoon. What’s not to love about May? Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter. org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Advanced Warden School

Page 53

Warden’s Words

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME

Since February of this year, I have been involved in a new and exciting role in my career as a Cadre member for the 2022 Advanced Warden School.

In this role, I have the rewarding and important job of assisting in the training and development of 9 new Game Wardens and 1 Passamaquoddy Tribal Warden as they begin their careers protecting the natural resources of Maine. In the role of Cadre, I along with Wardens Kyle Hladik and Joshua Polland serve as Game Warden mentors, trainers, and facilitators in

making sure each trainee successfully completes the 14 weeks of advanced training specific to being a

a unique training event that was conducted in Baxter State Park.

On March 9 th the 2022 Advanced Warden School travelled to Baxter State Park where we were greeted by the friendly and highly professional staff of Baxter Park. We settled into the Abol Field House where Ranger Rob equipped and ready to be Tice greeted our group successful Game Wardens as the lead instructor for for the citizens of Maine. the week. Rob is a highly I will dedicate an entire trained, professional law

Throughout the week, Ranger Tice along with other Baxter Park Rangers shared with the Warden class their knowledge and expertise on high angle rescues, rope work, belaying and litter carrying.

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article to the Advanced Warden School after the completion of the program in May of 2022, but for this article I intend to touch on

enforcement officer who has over 20 years of experience hiking, skiing and ice climbing Maine’s tallest mountain. Throughout the

week, Ranger Tice along with other Baxter Park Rangers shared with the Warden class their knowledge and expertise on high angle rescues, rope work, belaying and litter carrying.

On March 10th, we rode snowmobiles through the park to the trailhead for the Abol trail. Prior to embarking on the days hike to the “boulder field” area of the hiking trail. Ranger Tice along with two members of Mahoosuc Mountain Rescue, Bob Barabou and Jerry Bernier taught a course on the use of ice axes for self-arresting measures in case of a fall or slip, along with the use of crampons and ice climbing basics.

For someone like myself that had zero experience in winter climbing, standing (School cont. pg 54)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 54

School (Cont. from pg 53) at the bottom of the Abol boulder field and looking up towards the precipice of Katahdin was slightly overwhelming. Throughout the day, practice on self-rescue and climbing technique was conducted and by the end of the day, I felt more confident albeit with sore feet from the stiff winter hiking boots.

4:00 am came early

on March 11th as the class ate breakfast and began preparing for the full day hike to the peak of Katahdin. Joining us on the climb was the Maine Warden Service Colonel Dan Scott, Major Chris Cloutier, Lieutenant Aaron Cross, Corporal Andy Glidden and Warden Scott Martin. The class was motivated by the presence of the senior Warden Service command staff and shortly after daylight, we began the hike up Abol.

The importance of

Vermont

proper base layering and temperature control came into play as we started up in elevation and approached tree line. The weather began clearing as bright sunshine peaked out of the wispy clouds as we came out of the stunted, high elevation spruce and got our first look across the Millinocket region, it’s vast water bodies and the distant mountain ranges of the “100 Mile Wilderness” area.

The new class of

May 2022

Wardens, ranging in age from 21 to 27, quickly scampered up the “boulder field”, leaving their more senior Cadre staff in their snow dust. Crampons were utilized to combat the icy snow conditions we encountered. As we neared the last 200 yards of the trail, ice axes were used for stability as the group of 20 began rock climbing over the massive boulders along the trail.

Reaching the “Tablelands” was a welcome sight after the steep, icy climbing conditions we negotiated.

Wind speeds had increased dramatically as we hiked from the sheltered, south side of the mountain and visibility diminished as we reached the summit of Mount Katahdin.

I had reached this exact location 4 times prior during the summer months, but to see the beauty of ice and snow from atop the peak was a unique and incredible experience. The added difficulties and danger faced by a winter sum-

mit added to my overall appreciation of overlooking Chimney Pond, that I did not have during the previous summer hikes to the top. A quick lunch was eaten by the group as we battled the windchills to eat our pre-made sandwiches.

Our descent from Katahdin was more treacherous as the icy, steep conditions slowed our initial descent before we reached the tree line. After a couple days of sore knees and legs, I look back on this experience as something I will never forget. The experience was equally rewarding for the new Wardens and will be a memory they will look back on with fond memories for the rest of their memorable careers.

“Kale O’Leary is a Maine Game Warden who patrols the Oxbow/Masardis district in central Aroostook County. He has been a Game Warden for 6 years and lives in Ashland, ME.”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

New Blood

Fortunately, and none too soon, there are new guides coming into a business that has been hit hard by attrition. Perhaps the pandemic had a role in this.

The median age of hunting and fishing guides has been getting older and older for decades. The worry was, that with fewer and fewer children being raised in families that emphasize the outdoor, “consumptive” sports like hunting and fishing, and more families surrendering to the lure of the indoor, electronic life, the future of the guiding profession was in danger.

Besides that, the trade has always carried with it its own set of challenges.

ing, or a background in the outdoors. Pairing up with buddies who are pursuing something like fly fishing, or upland bird hunting is a place to start. Every minute spent getting those experiences under your belt are not only fun, but invaluable. As with everything else, there are now thousands of You Tube videos that break down every facet of casting, fish habits and habitats, fly and lure selection, you name it. You can also learn about grouse and woodcock shooting, bird dogs, shotguns, and much more.

Joining a rod and gun club is a good way to immerse yourself in the kinds

less he or she is going to be a loner without any ties to lodges or other guides (a difficult road to take), they will be stepping into a new culture. That culture is based not only on camaraderie, but on very old traditions and practices that have been handed down through generations. For the newcomer, it’s a time of soft-stepping, humility, and lots of listening. Good guides who remember being there themselves will help you to avoid some of the bigger gaffes.

The old days of “find your own rocks,” (in other words, don’t tell the new guy where the rocks and shoals are; let him hit them

Next, where are the skills going to come from if you weren’t raised in a family that promoted outdoor traditions?

Luckily, there are a great many substitutes for an upbringing, or a background in the outdoors.

Not only is the work specialized and unique, but for most licensed guides, it does not provide a yearround income. It must therefore dovetail with other jobs and professions that allow for seasonal work on a part, or full time basis.

For example, being a fishing guide might work well for a teacher who could at least commit just under two and a half months to it during the summer. The carpenter/handyman/jackof-all-trades is probably the best fit of all, since this person never set out to get rich in the first place, and prefers to be in charge of his or her own time.

Next, where are the skills going to come from if you weren’t raised in a family that promoted outdoor traditions? Luckily, there are a great many substitutes for an upbring-

of outdoor pursuits that interest you. There will be classes, instruction, events, and sometimes competitions. What used to be unfamiliar can become very familiar this way, and without taking forever. I can give testament that these methods are working and providing the guiding profession with some new blood. I consider myself blessed to have been brought up in a family that put a rod in your hand soon after you could remain vertical on your own. But people who had no such exposure and then acquire the skills and the passion on their own have done the equivalent of learning a foreign language. I have nothing but respect for them.

There’s yet another challenge awaiting the newly minted guide. Un-

and then he’ll remember) are mostly gone now. The industry as a whole does better when each guide tries to ensure the success of the other, rather than drive up his own stock at the expense of theirs. The same holds true for lodges.

Zero sum thinking (someone benefits only at the expense of someone else) is old, discredited thinking.

Last, but by no means least, a price must be set for the services offered.

The “going rate” is a tricky thing since price fixing breaks federal law, but the median might be something to go by when starting out. From there, it’s a process of growth and development and there’s no end to that climb. If you think you’re at the top of your game, you’ve made a wrong turn. There’s always much more to learn.

Page 55

The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME Still, at some point further down the road, you should value your service as much as your clients do. Underpricing yourself is moving in the wrong direction. It says more about what you think of yourself than what potential customers do. Set out a respectable price and let the marketplace decide if you’re worth it. If your

standards are high and you’re living up to them, chances are your business will only grow.

Randy Spencer’s new book, “Written On Water” is available online and through most bookselling venues. Contact Randy at randy31@earthlink.net

The National Wild Turkey Federation has been dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage since 1973. We have a strong presence in Vermont with chapters spread throughout the state, but we can still use your help! From habitat projects to Hunting Heritage events and fund raising banquets, we rely on volunteers to deliver our mission. If you are interested in becoming a member of the NWTF and helping a local chapter, please go to NWTF. org to get your membership. To find out about getting involved with a chapter near you, please contact Carter Heath, Regional Director for New England at cheath@nwtf. net. To see a list of events near you, please log on to https://events.nwtf.org.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

News

(Cont. from pg 30) chance to win one of 40 permits. More than 1,150 people continued to accrue bonus points because they submitted an application for a point only in order not to lose their accrued points.

Hunters from six states in addition to New Hampshire won permits in the lottery.

While people travel from all over the country to take part in the New Hampshire moose hunt, the majority of permits, about 85%, are awarded to New Hampshire residents.

The number of permits available to nonresidents is

capped, based on the prior year’s sales of nonresident hunting licenses.

New Hampshire’s nine-day moose hunt starts the third Saturday in October. This year’s hunt runs from October 15–23.

New Hampshire has had an annual moose hunt since 1988, when 75 permits were issued for a three-day hunt in the North Country. The state’s current moose population is estimated at about 3,000 animals. The availability of moose hunting permits is made possible by careful monitoring of moose populations. The resulting annual harvest of moose

provides valuable information on their physical condition and productivity and provides a unique recreational opportunity.

Learn more about moose hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh.com/hunting/moose.html

New Hampshire Open Water Season

April 1 marks the official start of the openwater fishing season on New Hampshire’s large lakes, which are managed for landlocked salmon and lake trout, including Big Squam Lake, Lake Sunapee, and Lake Winnipesau-

kee. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department also manages 11 other waterbodies for landlocked salmon, including Big Dan Hole Pond, First and Second Connecticut, Conway, Francis, Merrymeeting, Newfound, Ossipee, Little Squam, and Winnisquam lakes. Pleasant Lake in New London is also managed for landlocked salmon, but is a special exception classified under designated trout ponds, with a 2022 opening date of April 23.

A mild March that has featured heavy rains and wind events has significantly eroded what was a substantial mid-winter ice

May 2022 pack. Although a strong cold front over this week has temporarily slowed the melting process, iceout conditions on the large lakes such as Winnipesaukee are much further along than could have been predicted in mid-February.

Prior to the recent cold snap, the larger expanses of Lake Winnipesaukee were exhibiting the classic “black” color of honeycombed ice, with substantial open-water leads and pockets visible. Regardless of ice conditions or location within the state, please note the last day for ice fishing lakes managed under the landlocked salmon and lake trout designations is March 31. Landlocked salmon may never be taken through the ice.

To ensure the future of high-quality landlocked salmon and other fisheries, anglers must take extra care when releasing salmon, as the percentage of hook-wounded fish continues to be a problem.

Hook-wounded fish are significantly shorter and in poorer body condition than non-hook-wounded fish of the same age. Using rubber nets, proper release techniques, and other considerations can minimize the negative effects of hook wounding, thereby increasing the number of qualitysized salmon available in the future. For more information, please visit www. fishnh.com/fishing/salmonpledge.html New Hampshire fishing licenses can be purchased online at www. fishnh.com or from any NH Fish and Game Department license agent. Reel in lots more information on fishing in New Hampshire, from depth maps to tackle tips, and download the (News cont. pg 66)

Retrieve (Cont. from pg 44)

the “drop” command. If you’ve taught your dog to sit first, then that’s fine.

After receiving the bird from your dog, say “thank you, good girl”. Another point here. Frozen birds for training help prevent chewing. Another point. Frozen birds have very little, if any, scent. Therefore, initially, throw the bird where your dog can see where the bird lands. You want to promote early success. In later sessions, if you throw the bird into heavy cover, don’t be alarmed if it takes awhile for the dog to locate the bird. Locating the bird is entirely by sight.

One step I’ve omitted from this description on teaching forced fetch (trained retrieve), is the use of an e-collar. An e-collar is often used by professional trainers to solidify the process. However, I’m afraid to use it in a written “how to” description of forced fetch. Too much can go wrong. If you feel you need to use an e-collar, visit a professional trainer for “live” training.

In this training lesson for forced fetch, we’ve used negative reinforcement. The ear pinch is negative reinforcement.

Many pro-trainers feel it is still the best method for ensuring a quality retrieve.

Early in this book, we discussed that the more modern thinking is that positive reinforcement is just as effective as negative reinforcement. If you choose positive reinforcement, do everything we cover above, however, simply delete the ear pinch. Another positive reinforcement technique is to put peanut butter on the

Northwoods Sporting Journal

glove (or wooden dowel) …also deleting the ear pinch.

Good luck with your retriever training. A good retrieve makes for a much more enjoyable hunt. Plus, the chances of losing a wounded bird are much

Across 1 Seabird might be Black or Arctic 2 Basswood 5 --- Lake, bordering Mount Blue State Park 6 Hunting wear 7 --- Elm, a k a Moose Elm 11 One often in the crosshairs 12 Increasingly controversial ammo material 13 Stealthy way to approach prey 14 Little Saint --- River, crossing from Quebec 15 --- Turtle

Page 57

less.

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Down 1 --- Pond, Cumberland County smallmouth bass source 2 North Maine Woods body of water which looks like a crustacean 3 Prime hunting target 4 Black ---, Franklin County mountain 8 Dodd fish 9 --- Birch, a lumber species 10 --- Bay, Portland 11 --- Swallow, which often nests in buildings

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May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

Turkey Season – What to Expect

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. To a large extent our snow cover disappeared in mid-March. So many of the critters were moving around early. I watched a couple of big toms in full strut on March 19th which told me that it was going to be an early breeding season. Now, if that crystal ball wisdom is true, come opening day of the spring turkey season on May 1st , the woods may be awfully quiet. The reason being is that the hens may already be on the nest. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, “It takes hens about two weeks to lay a full complement of nine to 13 eggs. Hens will only visit the nesting site long enough to deposit her egg for the day. The rest of her time will be spent elsewhere feeding and roosting. At the end of the laying period, incubation starts.

During this time, the hen

location. That may help save you some time in the long run.

The 38th annual Winni Derby is scheduled to run May 13 th – 15 th. This is THE Salmon and Lake Trout Tournament on Lake Winnipesaukee produced by the Boy Scouts of America – Daniel Webster Council. Registration info can be found at the Winni Derby page on Facebook, or at their website : winniderby.org. Reach them by email at : registration@

May 2022

instructor’s road, you must be at least 18 years old, have successfully comstays on the nest day and pleted a hunter or trapper night for about 28 days. ed course, be able to pass a She needs to bulk up prior criminal background check to nesting and may take a and attend training classes brief recess period around in your chosen field. You mid-day to feed on proteincan then download, print packed insects.” and mail an application by What does all that going to either huntnh.com mean? Well, if the hens or fishnh.com and look for are on the nest and not Becoming a Hunter Edumoving around, the toms cation Instructor or Let’s and jakes will be. But they Go Fishing Volunteers. gobble and expect the hens You can also swing by to come to them, not the Fish and Game Headquarters at 11 Hazen Drive in Come opening day of the spring turkey season on May 1st, Concord and pick one up. the woods may be awfully quiet. The reason being is that the Just think…the next state hens may already be on the nest. record fish or deer may other way around. So, be winniderby.org. Adult Di- unused. Well, there is a way come from a student that prepared to have patience vision tickets are $55.00 put that knowledge to good you taught. How’s that for if you’ll be out turkey hunt- per angler. Junior Divi- use. And that’s to volunteer reward!! ing in May. Remember sion tickets (Under 16) are your time as Hunter, Bowyou’re on their time sched- $40.00 per angler. hunter or Trapper EducaPeter St. James is a ule. They’ll move if and All trout fishing ponds tion Instructor or a Let’s when they want to not just have now opened for the Go Fishing Instructor with member of the New Engbecause you want them to. season. The only thing that the NH Fish and Game land Outdoor Writers AsIt’s another reason for pre- anglers need to remember Department. This is a great sociation, Outdoor Writers season scouting as well. is that all Largemouth and opportunity to give back to Association of America, a Get a good handle on their Smallmouth Bass caught the sport that you’ve spent Board Member of the NH routines, schedules and between May 15th and June a lifetime learning and Wildlife Federation and 15th are catch and release enjoying by sharing those has a daily radio show on only. traditions and knowledge WNTK-99.7FM. Reach him When it comes to with others eager to learn. at stjames.peter@gmail. hunting and fishing in New To get started on the com Hampshire, there are a lot of folks that know a lot about both subjects.

And I’m not just talking about the experts like biologists and guides. I mean Moms and Dads, Aunts and Uncles, Grandmothers and Grandfathers that have passed their outdoor knowledge down to current and future generations. But what happens when there are no more family members to pass that knowledge on to? Sadly, that valuable information just sits there

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May 2022

By Mike Miner Now I’ve read a thousand articles on which phase of the rut is best to hunt. Another thousand on which caliber is the best rifle–it’s 30.06 by the way.

I’ve pored over article after article about the best clothing and gear to wear, or which trail cam is the best.

But rarely, if ever, have I read an article about fitness as it relates to hunting.

Now you’re probably already thinking about tuning out and skipping to the next article with fancy pictures of big ol’ bucks and shiny new rifles, but stay with me for a bit and you will see why this is, and should be, very important to each and every hunter. In this first of two parts, I hope to convince you why preparing the body will improve your chances come this next hunting season.

Why is fitness important? 1. Overall Health: If you’re a male over 45 or a female over 55, chances are, if you don’t already do some sort of activity every day you are at risk for heart disease. We all read the stories every season of a hunter suffering a heart attack or stroke in the woods.

Sometimes these stories have happy endings, but many times they do not.

2. Enjoyment: The more fit you are, the better your hunting experience will be.

If you have to take a break every 5 minutes to catch your breath, chances are you’re going to miss opportunities that you wouldn’t otherwise. Feeling confident in your body will make you a more confident sportsmen. 3. Longevity: I for one want to be that old timer still walking to my favorite hunting spot when I’m well into my 70s and

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Fitness And Hunting 80s, and it all starts with fitness.

The basics: In part two of this article, I’ll go more in depth and give you specifics to work on but right now my aim is to

Cardio: Having the ability to keep moving under load, over terrain, is key whether it’s bird hunting, deer hunting or elk hunting. You need to be able to trek across land

Page 59

out from whatever season.

Here in Maine, bird season starts in late September, so that means start thinking about preparing your body in May or June. Again the second part of this article

it’s on a treadmill, out in the woods, or at a local track. In the simplest of terms, just move. This will increase your blood flow, and combined with a good diet routine (stick with me here, I’m not advocating Now you’re probably already thinking about tuning out and going vegan or giving up skipping to the next article with fancy pictures of big ol’ the IPA’s), this will help bucks and shiny new rifles, but stay with me for a bit and drop some pounds and also prepare the heart, lungs and you will see why this is, and should be, very important to legs for walking the miles each and every hunter. that you need to pursue the give you the broad strokes, and up elevation. Even if will go into more depth on game. As you progress, add the basics of how to prep you’re on the flat prairies, the routines, but I’ll go over in things like hills or elevafor each season. What do you still need to be able to simple ideas. Get moving! tion on the treadmill, and I mean by being FIT FOR put in miles. During bird Start the process–put in the even hiking with a heavy THE HUNT? Now I am season, up here in Maine, miles early. Start small and (Hunting cont. pg 65) by no means saying every- while working the dogs, work your way up, whether one needs to be shredded we average 6 to 10 miles and have six-pack abs and a day. During deer season, bulging biceps. What I am it’s about 1 to 3 miles. The saying is there are ways off season is when you to prepare your body for need to start putting in the months of grueling hard miles and the work. When work, and make no mis- do you start? A good rule take, hunting is hard work. of thumb is about 2 to 3 Key areas for me include months out. Although I GUIDES AVAILABLE cardiovascular health (car- always advocate for yearThe private world of dio), legs, lower back, arms round fitness, I know that North NORTH CAMPS Camps and shoulders. I’ll give you is not for everyone. So Oquossoc, ME Located at Rangeley Lake the broad strokes. let’s start small, 3 months Waterfront Housekeeping Cottages

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Page 60

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME Brook trout measured in pounds rather than inches are not uncommon in the Rangeley Lakes Region, but there is one fish that stands out above all the rest. His name is White Nose Pete, although some refer to this piscatorial desperado as Pin Cushion Pete, for reasons that will

was built in the 1850s of heavy timber felled from an untamed forest that to this day spreads outward for many miles. The massive structure held back the waters of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, the largest of the lakes in this region of western Maine, from those of Richardson Lake.

My encounter with Pete came on an evening in late August. A slight breeze rustled the aspen trees. The scent of balsam was strong...

soon become apparent.

My encounter with Pete came on an evening in late August. A slight breeze rustled the aspen trees.

The scent of balsam was strong as the sun slipped behind the conifer-studded hills along the shoreline of Richardson Lake.

Above me, water thundered out of the bottom of Upper Dam, which

This was quite a few years before the original dam was replaced by the modern structure that presently meets the requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

I was casting a Gray Ghost streamer with fair success, but my mind had wandered as it so often does to the angling legends of this region. In the 1920s,

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Legend of White Nose Pete

writers, artists, and poets such as Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and Ezra Pound gravitated to Paris, France. But if you were an angler, the place to be was Upper Dam, Maine.

Staring across the water, I followed the neatly trimmed lawn as it sloped upward from the shoreline to a row of cottages, many of which were the original camps built beside Upper Dam. The present owners of these cabins carry on the heritage handed down by regulars of years past.

These include the artist, taxidermist, entrepreneur, world-class fly-rod caster, guide, and all-around renaissance man, Herbert Welch, as well as Wallace Stevens, who was one of the region’s preeminent guides from the 1920s through the 1940s. (And no, he was not the poet who shared the same name.)

Wallace’s wife, Carrie, was the creator of the pattern I had been casting for the last few hours, one of many she tied during

White Nose Pete aka Pin Cushion Pete. her time at Upper Dam where in 1970, a plaque was placed on the far side of the structure honoring this first lady of the streamer.

On that August afternoon, my attention shifted back to the dark water under the dam when a huge brook trout rose to inspect the Gray Ghost I’d been working along the shoulder of a submerged boulder. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed as though remnants of

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May 2022

feathers and fur hung from the fish’s unusually white maw as the enormous trout grabbed Carrie’s pattern in the corner of its huge jaw. Swinging its head in the opposite direction, the great fish snapped my heavy leader as if it were yarn. I could’ve sworn it grinned at me before plunging back into the depths under the dam.

I knew that the pools lying under Upper Dam had been home to large brook trout as late as World War II. But by the time I began visiting the region, landlocked salmon had come to dominate the fishery. Even so, from what I was able to determine, the legendary trout known as Pete seemed to survive throughout the years, time and again finding a way to outwit his pursuers. Reports of this extraordinary trout’s exploits began soon after the dam was constructed, continuing through 1923 when another of the Upper Dam notables, (Pete cont. pg 66)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Page 61

Gun Violence in Maine

I usually pay little attention to the propaganda that I receive on my e-mail, most of it is unreliable information and not worth a second look. I must admit, when the Giffords gun control organization gave the state of Maine a grade of “F” for so-called “gun violence” I gave them five big Pinocchio’s!

A little research and I found, in Maine, violent crimes account for just 8%

fords and others a chance to work with me to this end. On January 28, 2019, I wrote a column in the Kennebec Journal titled, Gun debate should be more about safety, in which I made this statement, “Instead of fighting, perhaps it is time to tone down the rhetoric and look at real gun safety ideas that we all might agree on”, I went on with this challenge to the gun control commu-

Maine has the first lowest total violent crime rate of all states; in addition, crime in Maine has declined 9 years in a row. of total crimes, versus 15% nationwide. Maine has the first lowest total violent crime rate of all states; in addition, crime in Maine has declined 9 years in a row.

Giffords made this claim by adding Maine’s suicide by firearms, to the homicide by firearms (average of 10 per year) to inflate the numbers. Really, Truth is, Maine is the safest state in the nation to live.

They have perverted the word violence to include suicide to mean an act of violence against yourself.

Absent the politics of gun control, reducing suicides in Maine is a serious crisis that deserves our laser focus. I gave Gif-

nity, “I will offer a number of gun safety ideas that, when combined, would save lives, I hope people will read these columns for what they are — a sincere attempt to make our communities safer and start the gun safety debate down a more productive path.”

My column was an obvious attempt to reach out to the so-called, “gun safety” community and say, I will work with you in good faith, if you are willing to do the same.

So, what was the answer?

Cricket, cricket, cricket!

In the absence of a response, I approached the Mill’s administration and key Legislators and made a similar offer, this time,

the answer was what do you have in mind? What came next was a series of bills I submitted with bi-partisan and gubernatorial support. The first bill I introduced was to create the School Safety Center at the Department of Education. I started the effort to establish the center as a legislator and finished the job as SAM Director. The center is designed to look at all elements of security in Maine schools as well as the core issues that in many cases lead to teen suicide. When you visit the centers website, they list a series of recommendations for school administrators, of which this is the first is to do a “Comprehensive School Safety Assessment”. Translation, review security at your school and make changes as necessary.

The center makes nine more school security and youth safety recommendations.

The next piece of legislation was to create a sales tax exemption for gun safes and other safe storage devices and a grant program for low-income families and organizations to acquire such devices.

That bill, written by my organization and sponsored

SAM News

by David Trahan, “Executive Director”

by Rep. Patrick Corey on our behalf, was passed unanimously by the Legislature, but failed to receive priority funding in the Legislature’s Appropriation Committee. Undeterred, we introduced it again the next year it was finally enacted and funded.

The third bill was legislation introduced by Sen. Keim that strengthened Maine’s protective custody statute, the so-called “Yellow Flag law that created a system for individuals in a mental health crisis, some suicidal, to have dangerous weapons temporarily removed, but, unlike “Red Flag” had the highest levels of due process personal liberty protections the law could provide. In addition, the bill was designed to connect individuals in crisis with the resources they need to seek help.

The last law, LD 1861, An Act to Establish the Safe Homes Program, designated September as Safe Homes month, directed the Department of Public Safety to create an educational program to

promote safe storage incentives, like the sales tax exception on gun safes and finally, created grants for at risk groups, like veterans at risk of suicide, childcare facilities and other segments of the population where youth and at-risk individuals may come in contact with dangerous weapons. The comprehensive program focuses on making homes and safe.

What do all of these programs have in common is, they were supported overwhelmingly by the Legislature and they address responsible approaches to reducing suicide, accidental injury and building safe schools and homes.

The Governor, the firearm community, elected Legislators and community groups that worked on this effort deserve an A+ for their efforts and Giffords deserves a five Pinocchio’s for missing their opportunity to help and an “F” for not doing their homework!

David Trahan is executive director of SAM.

At long last, revived from the archives of the once-authoritative books on New England streamer flies and how to use them: Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon, by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman.

Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon was first published in 1982 and again in 1992. There were 350 signed Limited Edition hardcover copies and several thousand hard and soft cover copies sold out with the two printings. Many fly tyers view this book as an up-to-date version of new and available streamer fly patterns and crave to have it in their library. Used copies have been selling on AmazonBooks.com for the last few years with a price tag up to $300.00 for each copy! There are 125 pages with 32 color plates of more than 90 classic streamer flies and tying recipes from a Winnipesaukee Smelt to a Barney Google and a Rangeley Centennial. Leeman and Stewart also share with readers many tips and tactics for trolling streamer flies for trout and salmon throughout New England.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 62

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME One of the biggest benefits I feel I have personally gained from hunting so many years on Anticosti is the knowledge collected from being around so many deer. Being present with them in the woods allows you to make sense of their habits, mannerisms, and

island, the sightings are plentiful. In Maine, we see far fewer deer which limits our opportunities to watch and study them.

We have all had a deer detect us somehow and we’ve had them stomp at us in an effort to get us to move and reveal ourselves.

Assuming they didn’t know for sure what he was, he ditched his backpack and slowly followed their tracks, hoping they didn’t go far. body language. I know it is much different there. With no natural predators, they are far less jittery. There are no coyotes, black bears, or even domestic dogs. Hunters are the only things to fear, and with the amount of territory that is inaccessible, there are countless numbers of them that have likely never even seen a human. This allows them to be more apt to reveal themselves casually. With the large population on the

Often, if we just stay motionless and quiet, the deer will relax, flick its tail, and go back to eating or whatever it was doing, allowing a shot opportunity you may not have had otherwise. If you didn’t know to be still, it would see the movement, the suspicion would be confirmed, and all you would see is a big white tail bounding away from you, blowing on every leap. I often think they’re laughing at me!

May 2022

Andy’s Anticosti Buck

My son Andy had a fantastic example this season. He was walking on a trail along the Martin River the first morning of the hunt. He jumped a group of deer consisting of four or five does and a nice shooter buck. He was pretty sure they didn’t see or smell him, but they must have heard him. They ran from his right, across the trail in front of him, then into the woods to his left with flags flying at full mast!

Assuming they didn’t know for sure what he was, he ditched his backpack and slowly followed their tracks, hoping they didn’t go far. They had been milling around the area before he got there for some time so following the right tracks was a challenge. He got off track so he decided to regroup and go back to where he left his pack.

When he got within sight of the trail, he thought he would try to grunt and possibly call the buck back, but the search for his grunt tube ended when he realized it was in his pack.

With nothing to lose, he

The author’s son, Andy, with his buck.

(Photo by Mark Cote)

did his best attempt at a doe bleat with nothing but his mouth. I have heard him do it before, and I’m sorry to say, it sounds more like a drunk goat than any bleat I’ve ever heard! It always makes me laugh!

This time, it worked!

The buck most likely came

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back out of curiosity more than anything, but it jumped over a blown down tree just barely into his view. I have always told him that when a deer doesn’t quite know what you are and you’re in a standoff, stay still! The first one that moves loses.

In this case the deer moved first, and Andy won! It was a dandy, a contender for the biggest buck pool.

Experience is the best teacher, I will undoubtedly still make mistakes, but my Anticosti experiences will hopefully continue to limit them. I can’t wait for my next lesson!

For more information about a stay on Anticosti, call me friends at the reservation desk at 1-800-4630863. Tell them Mark sent you! As always, I welcome your comments at AnticostiMark@gmail.com

May 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Save The Date

I’ve wistfully bemoaned in this space many times about the lack of time I have to go fishing or hunting. I’ve wrung my hands, pledged to do better—and then I don’t, or at least not as much as I want to. The biggest reasons for my woodland tracks filling in with tall grass has historically been my

jobs, I still had time to get my boat on the water four or five days a week.

I never missed an Opening Day, and seldom came home empty handed. As I would craft my soaring laments about how my life had changed, it would nonetheless nag at me: why can’t I find the time? And more importantly, what’s

I’ve given this a lot of thought, because despite all of my devotion to duty and family, I still love being outdoors. work schedule, which for many years was stupidly demanding. I would often start answering emails and even phone calls before six in the morning, and often not really stop until late into the evening. On average, as I would travel around the state, I would log between fifty and sixty thousand road miles per year.

What would vex me, though, is that at one time even though I was working not one but two full-time

the answer?

I’ve given this a lot of thought, because despite all of my devotion to duty and family, I still love being outdoors. When I’m at my busiest, I often keep it all sane by making a list of what I need to get done today and then prioritize it. Sometimes, I’ve started the day with ten priority items, completed fifteen of them, and then ended the day with twenty more to complete the next day.

A change in careers—

year round, but especially during Vermont’s long winters. On my recent visit (Cont. from pg 51) a wide range of shooters station where you can get a were practicing including cup to drink or purchase one white haired lady who bags and boxes from the might even approach my Black Rifle Coffee Com- senior citizen age. pany which advertises, “A When I talked with portion of our profits go Henry Parro it was obvious to veteran, law enforce- that he is proud of what ment, fire, and other first they have built and that his responder causes.” son Ethan is the 4th generaWhile there you can tion Parro to be part of the also pick up local products family businesses that goes such as Vermont maple back to 1940. syrup and honey.

Ethan, like his dad, As I said in the begin- wanted to emphasize that, ning, Parro’s is a destination “Training and safety are and one part that makes it huge for Parro’s.” A 30unique is the indoor range seat classroom is in the that features ten, 25-yard facility where all sorts of lanes. It is the only com- experts offer training and mercial indoor range in the coaching. state and is very popular all Parro’s is located at

Gun Shop

and not entirely by my own choosing—has put me in the position to revisit my priorities and reassess how to get back outdoors.

I’m still busy, and on any given day I can see throwing up my hands in the air and thinking well, there’s always the summer. Or the fall. Or next season.

N o , d e a r r e a d e r, enough of that. I’ve already begun setting aside entire days on my calendar to hunt turkeys, go fly fishing, get the boat out. Maybe I can trick my regimented mind: after all, it’s scheduled. As long as I don’t try to tuck something else in alongside, before, after, or—the real killer—during my scheduled outings, those days are mine.

Here’s the other thing: Before the time began to slide away from me, a priority was established in stone every time Emily asked to go fishing. We still go target shooting, hunting, and fishing togeth-

Page 63

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME

er—when she’s around.

A full-time student at the University of Maine with a busy work schedule when school’s out, it recently dawned on me that she has just one more year of college. To me, there’s no better reason to get out there than to once again take my kid fishing and hunting on a regular basis.

Time will tell whether these strategies will work.

I have a feeling I’m not alone in a lot of this, and I’m betting there’s a lot of advice the readers of this space can offer. Believe me, it would be welcome.

In the meantime, I’m starting small. As the old saying goes, the longest journey begins with a single step. Historically I haven’t done a lot of early-season fishing; “the water’s too high,” and “there’s a lot of 601 Route 2 in Waterbury, feed in the water,” are just VT and is open seven days a week. Phone them at 802-244-8401. You can check them out at https:// www.parros.com where you can take a virtual tour or, better yet, stop by, but I warn you plan on plenty of time to browse.

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He has been a magazine freelancer and syndicated newspaper columnist for 45 years. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.

two of my usual excuses.

Okay, so I’m going to try to prove myself wrong. To do so, I’ve blocked off two days in the early season where I can fish as much as I want. I may catch nothing, like I always predict.

But you can’t catch anything if you don’t put a line in the water. With that simple truth, I’ll get out, and will have a great time in any case. If I get a keeper or two, you can bet I’ll let you know.

Because I’ll make the time for it.

Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and 95.1 FM in Rockland.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 64

Tube Body Flies

Fly Fishing

several fluorescent shades.

Before applying this maby Joe Bertolaccini, terial, it is first necessary Orrington, ME to remove the core with Immediately after ice over a yarn core, providing the tip of your scissors or out in the spring, smelt and a good imitation of bodies tweezers. Length of tubing other baitfish are prime for baitfish patterns. It is for most baitfish patterns targets that provide a diet perhaps best known for its would be about equal to of significant bulk for use on the popular Joe’s the straight portion of the gamefish to be adequately Smelt streamer fly, created hook. Ends of the tubing sustained during the gradu- by the late Joe Sterling of tend to fray easily so it ally warming waters ahead.

Mylar tubing, often referred to as Tubing provides an excelpiping, is made from strips of mylar lent likeness to smelt and that are woven together over a yarn other small fish, simulating core, providing a good imitation of small scales on the sides bodies for baitfish patterns. of their bodies. Additionally, salt water baits can be Danforth Maine back in the helps to coat them with readily imitated with vari- 1930’s. head cement prior to slidous sizes and shades. Two Tubing can be pur- ing over the hook shank. kinds of tubing are in wide chased in several sizes An underbody of use by fly tyers. from about ¼ to ½ inch in floss, yarn, wool, or piece Mylar tubing, often diameter and is available in of foam cut to size and referred to as piping, is a variety of colors includ- shape for floating patterns, made from strips of mylar ing silver, copper, gold may be inserted to provide that are woven together and pearlescent as well as a fuller shape to the body.

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Both ends of the tubing are bound down with clear monofilament thread that blends in well with the body material, using half hitches or a whip finish applied by hand. Wings or

May 2022

or thread as an underbody which will show through, as well as adding appropriate distinctive features that can be applied with permanent markers.

Wings and throats can

Mylar Tubing Body

E-Z Body Smelt throats can then be applied to finish off the fly. Mylar tubing is extremely fragile and will not hold up well unless coated with head cement or epoxy.

Other tubing materials, marketed as Corsair, E-Z Body, Flex Cord or Mesh Tubing are made of woven polyester or nylon fibers that are stronger and more durable than mylar.

They are available in a variety of sizes and colors making it possible to represent many species of baitfish. I prefer the clear or pearlescent types that make it possible to add coloring to the tubing by winding different shades of floss

be tied on, but I have had good success adding only an olive stripe to the top of the body, fraying the loose end fibers for a tail, winding several turns of red thread for gills and painting black eyes on white thread.

Be sure to add at least two coats of head cement to the finished fly. As can be seen, this tubing is more versatile than mylar and can be used on many traditional streamers and bucktails, as well as salt water patterns including sand eels, rainbow and needle smelt, alewives, squid and mackerel. The only downside to this material, being (Flies cont. pg 65)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

Flies

Hunting

(Cont. from pg 64)

(Cont. from pg 59) pack or backpack, which is called rucking. Increase your duration and distance as you progress toward the start of the season Legs: Weak legs will get you nowhere. Now if you’re already doing the cardio phase of this regime, then you’re already ahead of the game. Adding in some supplemental leg building exercises will drastically improve your ability to handle obstacles in the woods, as well as being able to sit for extended periods of time. Now you don’t necessarily have to be able to back squat 400 pounds or perform a 40inch box jump, but having a good strong base is a great start. Again it doesn’t need to be complicated: air squats, box step-ups, or even stair climbs will dramatically improve your strength and stamina in the legs. In part two I’ll go over specific movements to as-

relatively stiff, is that it doesn’t have any built in action.

Trolling along shallow rocky shorelines will be improved by imparting additional movement to the fly, alternately stripping in several feet of line and feeding it back out wiggling the rod tip as you go. When fishing in deep water, the use of a small pearlescent Dodger or spoon attached about ten inches above the fly will add additional movement for better results.

Next month we will be addressing feather wings and hackles.

Joe has enjoyed fly fishing for over 65 years.

His first book, Fundamentals of Fly Fishing, is now available. He can be reached at: brewerberts@ aol.com

sist with this.

Lower back/Back: If you’ve ever walked around the woods with a full pack or sat in a ground blind for a few hours, you already know how important having a strong lower back is. I’ve combined the low back and the upper back here. This is a tricky area to build and work on. It takes considerably more time and effort than most other isolated body parts, but the principles are still the same. Whether it’s a Ruck, or working with a sandbag or deadlifts, building the muscles in the back will dramatically improve your ability to sustain a long day in the woods, especially under load.

Arms and Shoulders: Whether it’s carrying a shotgun around in the North Maine Woods, or raising your 30.06 to your shoulder after a full day of walking through heavy timber, your arms and shoulders are vital to the performance of your firearm. A shotgun

may not weigh much but after a full day of 8 plus miles, you can bet your shoulders and biceps will definitely be feeling it.

Again, you don’t necessarily need to start repping 225 on the bench or doing 500 pushups a day, but a simple strength routine will greatly improve your ability to raise and steady a shot, especially in a sport like bird hunting, where you are constantly raising and lowering the shotgun all day…especially if you miss as much as I do!

Simple things like shoulder raises, bicep curls, forearm work and many other exercises can build the necessary strength you need, as well as make your less inclined hunting buddies jealous as your arms are busting out of your red wool coat come November.

I hope I’ve at least planted a seed as to why I think fitness is vital and important to a hunter, and why being fit is not only crucial to your overall

Page 65 health but also your enjoyment of the sports we wait all year to take part in. As I’ve said I’ll write a part two where I will outline specific exercises for each body part that will hopefully make it easy and fun for you as you prepare for next season. Take care and stay healthy.

ABOUT ME: I have grown up in Maine since I was 5. I saw my first deer at age 6 and have been hooked ever since. An avid outdoorsman, I enjoy hunting for partridge (or Ruffed Grouse), in the North Maine Woods and have a passion for the whitetail deer hunt in November. I work primarily as an IT technician, but I’m also a fitness coach. I’ve coached crossfit classes for over a decade, as well as other types of fitness classes. My passion for fitness is only trumped by my love for all things hunting and fishing.

Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!

IVE ACT O T Y E FRE ILITAR M

In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free.

And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 66

Pete

(Cont. from pg 60) Charles Edward Wheeler, memorialized the legend in his poem: The Ode to White Nose Pete.

Better known as Shang to his friends, Wheeler was an accomplished angler and long-time friend of Wallace and Carrie Stevens. He also was renowned for duck decoys that he carved for his friends, winning first prize in the amateur category of the International Decoy Makers Contest for 12 consecutive years.

It was Shang who encouraged Carrie to tie her first streamer.

By the time Shang wrote his paean to Pete, most anglers agreed that the fish breaking their lines was one of Pete’s descendants, for surely a brook trout could not live for over 100 years. Or could it?

There remained a few true believers, one of whom was another of Upper Dam’s notable anglers, Colonel Joseph D. Bates, who later in life, wrote a number of books based upon his experiences casting streamers in those hallowed waters.

As retold in Graydon R. Hilyard’s authoritative book published in 2000, Carrie G. Stevens: Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies, the colonel (only a captain at the time) fought the wily brook trout on a September afternoon until his line went slack, Pete once again emerging victorious.

Afterward, while stationed in the Pacific, Bates wrote to Wallace Stevens, inquiring as to whether the fish remained at large. Writing back, Wallace enclosed a photograph of the venerable trout’s head mounted under glass. But in another

letter, Wheeler implied that the mount was a fake carved from wood, and that before leaving for that season he’d seen Pete finning contentedly below the dam.

For years the mystery persisted, with sightings of Pete reported from time to time while the wooden mount disappeared from public view. The mount re-emerged in 2010 and now hangs in the Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, with the following words inscribed beneath: Here’s all that is left of White Nose Pete His mouth contained most every fly.

So there was naught to do but die.

-Shang If you’re in the Rangeley Lakes Region on one of those summer evenings when the lupines are in bloom and there is a breeze in the air, take a drive down the logging road. Listen to the aspens whisper their secrets as you walk past the gate. Hear the mighty rush SELLERS LANE

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of water as you approach the newly constructed (Cont. from pg 56) modern dam. Take a mocurrent Freshwater Fishing ment to stare down into Digest at www.fishnh.com/ one of the many deep pools fishing/publications.html below. Blink and you may miss that enormous brook RRG&SA trout with the white nose, Announces Second the one that appears to be Fishing Derby smiling from the swirling In 2020, the Rangecurrent. Look harder and you may spot my Gray ley Region Guides’ and Ghost streamer among so Sportsmen’s Association many others jutting out (RRG&SA) began workof its jaw, for I have it on ing with Maine’s DIF&W good authority, at least as to construct a fishing derreliable as Shang Wheeler, by for the Rangeley rethat ole Pete continues to gion that was aligned with haunt those dark waters their management plan.

By catching and keeping below Upper Dam. smaller landlocked salmon, we hope to improve conThe Rangeley Region ditions for larger trophy Chamber of Commerce fish, as well as improve will be sponsoring the 1st the overall health of the White Nose Pete Fly Fish- population. After a lot of ing Festival on Saturday, work, in June of 2021 June 4, 2022 to be held in we held a very successful and around the Rangeley derby aimed at harvesting Inn located on the main smaller landlocked salmon Street of town. I’ll be there out of Mooselookmeguntic signing my newest book, Lake. DIF&W was able RIVER FLOWERS. Why to be present and collect not drop by and swap a a tremendous amount of data from the catch. Indicastory or maybe two. tions are that we achieved

REAL ESTATE

May 2022

our goals with a very light impact on other species and lake use.

For 2022, the dates have been moved one week earlier, to June 11 and 12.

Goals, rules, and prizes remain the same. We award more than $3000 in prizes!

Our sponsors will also help us to hold a separate Kids’ Fishing Derby during our Outdoor Sporting Heritage Days. That event, held at our Kids’ Fishing Pond in Oquossoc, will have additional prizes awarded in various age groups.

Whether you are interested in entering the Derby, becoming a sponsor or helping as a volunteer you will find all the information you’ll need at our website, https://rangeleyoutdoors.org/salmonderby.

If you can’t find an answer there you can email us at salmonderby@rangleyoutdoors.org If you are planning on entering the derby, we would suggest that you submit your entry forms as soon as possible. Due to capacity constraints, we may be required to limit the total number of boats. In 2021, the Derby filled up early and we had to close registration.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022

LAND FOR SALE IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY

Page 67

REAL ESTATE

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M t C h a s e - Tw o quaint cabins with picturesque trout pond in front.

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Grand Falls- This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use.

This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Rd. ATV and snowsled from this location. Take a look. $79,000

Kingman TWPLarge acreage, plenty of storage space, & room for animals. Rural.

Private on Kingman Rd. Truly a unique property offering a potential lifestyle that you can only dream about. Bring your kids & barnyard critters. $169,000

Burlington- A nice, seasoned driveway and a 16’x24’ concrete pad.

Madagascal Pond is a good warm water fishery and excellent direct access to ATV and snowmobile trails. $79,000

Benedicta- Big acreage year round access & electricity available at Benedicta Rd. Low taxes. Small beaver flowage & high ground just behind it, wonderful locations for a cabin/home. Loads of great recreational opportunities. $169,000

Lee- Looking for some privacy but still need year round access and electricity? This lot is well wooded, fairly level and ready for you to take a peek at on Old Steamboat Road. It could be the property you have been looking for. $37,500

Lee-4.3 acres lot on hardwood ridge, nice views, snowmobile & ATV trails, fishing & skiing nearby, electricity available, owner financing, sited on Skunk Hill Rd. $18,900 Lincoln-1.56+/- acres, field, electricity available, 4 lakes in 1 direction, all of Cold Stream Ponds in another, few miles from downtown, corner frontage on Transalpine Rd. & Folsom Pond Rd. $19,900 Lincoln- Grab this lot now if you want to own one of the few locations left on Transalpine Rd. This large lot feels out in the woods but is only 1.1 miles from the hospital & one more to downtown. Come look today!! $18,900 Lincoln- A nice lot on the high side of Route 6. Surveyed with driveway already in place & electricity available. Plenty of room for a small home or mobile home on the currently cleared driveway. Priced right & ready for you. $17,500

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

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REAL ESTATE

May 2022

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

May 2022 SELLERS LANE

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REAL ESTATE

Page 69

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BERRY TWP: This two room log cabin sitting on leased land with frontage on Round Lake is the perfect spot to spend your summer, spring and fall. Sit on the enclosed porch and just relax and enjoy the view. The Cabin has new windows and door. Cabin is on Balsam Knoll which is off the 19 road. It is priced very reasonable at only $70,000.

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Call today for more information.

Steve Johnson ~ Broker Northern Star RES. 207-316-5631