The Maine Sportsman - May 2017

The Maine

May 2017 • $4.99

Wild Turkey

Success

Pages 26, 28, 50, 51

Handgun for Bear Country Page 20

Spring ATV Riding

Page 21

Lessons Learned On Thin Ice

Page 56

2 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

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——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 3

— The Maine Sportsman’s Featured Maine Sporting Camps —

The Pines Lodge and Camps The comfortable lodge and cabins provide the ultimate getaway from hectic present-day life.

Near Grand Lake Stream, The Pines Lodge and Camps has continuously served sportsmen and vacationers since 1884. Carved from Maine’s oldest known stand of Norway red pines, the lodge and five comfortable rustic log cabins provide the ultimate getaway from hectic present-day life. Sit by your cabin fire hearing the loons just as Andrew Carnegie and Calvin Coolidge chose to do many years ago.

Guests in the mainland cabins are summonsed to the lodge dining room by the din-

ner bell to enjoy Nancy’s countless homemade delights and recount yesterday’s adventures with fellow guests, many returning yearly.

If a secluded private island cooking your own meals appeals to you, we have two separate islands, each with its own cabin for complete solitude. This down east watershed is renowned for miles of tremendous salmon and bass fishing, as well as endless paddling opportunities originating from the front dock.

The Pines is the last remaining sporting camp of seven operated by the Norris family.

Going into our 26th year, we are adding to the 108 years of combined sporting camps in one generation! Owners Steve and Nancy Norris make every attempt to assure your time at The Pines is memorable and worth a return visit.

Cabins book quickly, so call 207-557-7463 or visit www.thepineslodge.com. Great photos on Facebook: The Pines Lodge and Camps.

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Tim Pond Wilderness Camp “The Place You’ve Been Looking for and Didn’t Know How to Find!”

Tim Pond Camps, located in Eustis, Maine, consists of a Main Lodge and 11 rustic log cabins. The cozy cabins are equipped with a bathroom and hot and cold running water, and are heated with woodstoves. Delicious home-cooked meals are served in the spacious lodge dining room, and the cookie jar is always full for snacking!

Tim Pond, which has never been stocked, stretches a mile long and is well known for unbelievable fly fishing for native brook trout.

Tim Pond is actually one of only a few ponds left in Maine that is still all-natural. Although a lot of fishermen practice catch-and-release,

each angler is allowed to keep two fish. Brookies are great fighters and a lot of fun to catch, and to eat, if you get “fish-hungry” the cook will fry up your catch for breakfast!

Guests staying at Tim Pond Camps in September enjoy taking a hike up the brook to see the fish as they make their way to spawn, and they are always amazed at how far up the mountain the fish travel, and the small amount of water needed to make the voyage.

Tim Pond offers many adventures and attractions in addition to the spectacular fishing. If learning to fly fish is on your bucket list, then enroll in Tim Pond’s Fly-Fishing

School, or just to learn some new fly-fishing techniques.

Guests can enjoy an energetic hike, go bird or moose watching, or just sit on the porch and read a book while enjoying the beautiful scenery. Deer, moose, eagles and fox are often seen without leaving the porch. And, if hunting is your passion, Tim Pond offers upland game and deer hunting in season.

Make Tim Pond Camps your next fishing or vacation destination. Call 207-243-2947, or visit www.timpond.com.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

4 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication Readership The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 536 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund

Nothing is more self-limiting than going to extremes –

We All Benefit When the Legislature Considers and Debates Wildlife Issues A slew of whitetail-related bills were heard by the Legislature this session, and without exception they were killed by the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Committee.

Deer-baiting; antler restrictions; more any-deer permits issued to landowners – all defeated, just as many similar proposals were rejected by prior legislatures.

It would be tempting, therefore, to consider the debates as pointless, and the time spent on these issues as wasted. However, that’s not the case. In fact, even though most proposals are defeated, the hearing and debates serve valuable purposes.

In short, in order to find the proper middle, one must explore the extremes.

When a legislative committee considers a bill, the process is two-part. First, the committee holds a public hearing. Then, about a week later, a “work session” is scheduled.

Public hearings permit speakers to state that they are testifying in support of a bill, in opposition, or “neither for nor against,” for those who have relevant information but who do not want to take a position one way or the other.

Proponents go first, identifying the problem they are trying to address, and explaining why they believe their proposal will be an effective solution. In cases like deer baiting and antler restrictions, it’s an opportunity to discuss whether these measures are bring tried elsewhere (for example, in other states or in Canada), and how the approach is working.

Opponents then speak, and often this testimony is the most eye-opening. Committee members listen carefully, evaluating the positions of some of the heavy-hitters in the outdoor lobbying world. Is the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife taking a position, and if so, what’s their recommendation? What about Maine Trappers Association, and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine?

Opposition testimony often reveals the “unintended consequences” of a bill. If a legislative proposal increases the chances of shooting a deer, will DIF&W “manage” that increase by reducing allocations of any-deer permits? Will baiting or feeding deer lead to concentrations of the animals, which could result in increased susceptibility to disease? If baiting deer is permitted, would territorial battles between hunters erupt around bait sites?

In the work session that comes later, public input is limited – the public can speak only if specifically invited – and the lawmakers get to debate and discuss their reactions to the earlier public testimony, as well as any input they’ve received in the interim and the results of any research conducted by the committee’s legislative analyst.

In addition to dealing with the bill under consideration, vigorous debate and discussion on controversial topics is helpful in another way – if an issue is raised and debated inside the Capitol complex in Augusta, that action can relieve some of built-up pressure that might otherwise result in citizen-initiated referenda questions being put before voters. If opponents of initiated proposals can point to the fact that the democratic process has already resulted in an issue having been considered, debated and voted down, that may be the best defense against quick-fix citizen initiative proposals.

In other instances, discussion and debate over a bill can prompt DIF&W to take administrative action – informally by a change in policy, or through rule-making – thereby dealing efficiently and in-house with a development or problem that had not previously been brought to the state’s attention.

“Nothing is more self-limiting than going to extremes,” said the late author Marty Rubin. By exploring the extremes, legislative committees and the legislative process help all sportsmen. Awareness is raised on controversial issues; input is received from affected parties; research is conducted and presented; and arguments for and against an issue are developed and honed. Finally, the committee, and then the full House, Senate and Administration, are required to weigh in.

Maine is fortunate to have a knowledgeable group of lawmakers on the IF&W Committee – a group that’s capable of listening to, and then evaluating, testimony from a wide range of perspectives, before reaching reasoned decisions.

www.MaineSportsman.com

¶

MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com OFFICE MANAGER: Linda Lapointe linda@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER:Mike Moreau mike@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER:Chris Brawn chris@mainesportsman.com Second class postage paid at Scarborough, ME 04074 and additional entry offices.

All editorial inquiries should be emailed to will@mainesportsman.com Advertising and business information: Phone: 207-622-4242 Fax: 207-622-4255 Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330 12-Month Subscription: $30 • 24-Month Subscription: $49

TABLE OF CONTENTS Almanac by Will Lund ....................................................... 12 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves ........................ 35 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia ..................... 28 Bird of the Month, by Erika Zambello .............................. 15 Bowhunting by Chris “Bubba” Johnson ......................... 30 Capitol Report by George Smith .................................... 18 Danger in the Outdoors by Guest Author, Alan Haley . 56 Editorial ................................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie ......................... 42 Greater Penobscot Bay by Jim Lemieux ........................ 51 Jackman by William Sheldon .......................................... 48 Jottings by Jon Lund ........................................................... 8 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon ............................ 40 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukoski Gooding ............... 9 Letters to the Editor ............................................................. 6 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour ...................................... 17 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose .................................. 47 Midcoast Report by Tom Seymour .................................. 52 Mid-Kennebec Valley by Shawn Simpson ..................... 55 Moosehead by Tom Seymour ......................................... 44 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson ................................. 68 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie ............................... 24 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith .......................... 27 Rangeley Region by William Clunie ................................ 66 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers ................................ 38 Saltwater by Barry Gibson ................................................ 33 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth ........................ 62 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews ..................... 37 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard ................................ 58 Smilin’ Sportsman by Will Lund ......................................... 38 Smilin’ Sportsman - Kids Edition by Will Lund .................. 61 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery .................... 10 Southern Maine by Val Marquez..................................... 60 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller ..................... 46 Trading Post (Classifieds) .................................................. 69 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour .......................................... 39 Washington County by Steve Vose ................................ 53 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie................. 64 Young Maine Sportsman by Luke Giampetruzzi ........... 61 Young Maine Sportswoman by Alyssa Sansoucy .......... 50

SPECIAL SECTIONS ATV and SxS Trails by Shane Brown ................................. 21 Bear Protection by Bob Mallard ...................................... 20 Saltwater Fishing: Bluefin Tuna by Ben Halloway ........... 31 Turkey Hunts for Veterans by Paul E. Violette................. 26

On the Cover: Nick Bragg of Oakland, ME bagged this big tom in Sidney in 2016. Photo by Holly MacKenzie.

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——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 5

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6 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

To The Editor Experienced Litigant Likes Editorial To the Editor: Thank you for the excellent editorial regarding lynx trapping and the Endangered Species Act in the April issue (“Court’s Decision on Lynx and trapping is the Right Result”).

Your piece touches on a very important issue; namely, some parties’ efforts to use the Act as a cudgel to stop otherwise-lawful activities.

In other words, if trapping (in this case) is taking so many lynx that it depresses their population’s restoration, that’s one thing.

But to use the federal Act as a blunt weapon to stop trapping per se – that, in my opinion, is an abuse of the specific intent and purpose of the law.

I would not recommend curtailing the current abilities of citizens to bring lawsuits under the act, because I don’t think Maine judges will permit that right to be misused.

Like any citizen lawsuit provision, it can (and will) occasionally be abused, but in my 12 years of being an Endangered Species Act litigant in Maine (on Atlantic salmon, American eels and Atlantic sturgeon), the U.S. Federal District Court judges in Maine (Woodcock, Singal, Torreson) are adept at identifying and dismissing cases in which the Act is being used frivolously.

Your editorial note is valuable as a cautionary tale on both the proper and potentially-improper uses that can be made of the Act’s citizen rights.

Doug Watts Augusta, ME —

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving 2016 To the Editor: November of 2016 was a very good month, both for my son Matthew and for me.

First, Matt went out on November 11. He was hunting an area around Caribou that was new to him. It rained for a while, driving him back inside his truck, but then the rain abated and he headed back out. Within an hour and with a single shot, he harvested a nice 8-point buck that registered 206.4 pounds. It was his biggest deer to date.

The day before Thanksgiving, my wife and I drove up to Caribou to visit Matt and his family, and to celebrate the birth of a grandson, Cameron. On that Thursday morning, Matt and I got up early. I borrowed his jacket and his rifle (he was my guide), and we got into the woods at 6:15 a.m. www.MaineSportsman.com

First we saw a cow moose and her calf, and then we both heard another noise. “Something’s coming,” said Matt. “It’s a buck.”

I saw antlers and movement through a fir tree. Then the buck cleared the tree, turned toward us and stopped. I fired, and the deer dropped. It was 7:15 a.m., so we had been in the woods for only an hour.

The buck was my biggest deer ever – 218 pounds, and 10 points (see photo).

The deer weighted 214 pounds and sported 11 points. I shot it with a Marlin .30-30.

I call it my “Election Day Buck.”

I am a long-time reader of The Maine Sportsman, as well as a member of Maine Bowhunters Association and the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine.

Here’s a photo of my buck – feel free to include this letter and the photo in a future issue.

Paul E. Craig Monroe, ME —

Help Wanted To the Editor: If you know where my son and I can find a big buck in the Eustis area, I hope you will send that information directly to us.

I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Terry Thayne – Ludlow, VT —

Dominant Buck?

It was great to have my son by my side when I took this deer. Matt, I really appreciate this Thanksgiving memory.

Michael Papsadora Rumford, ME

To the Editor: I enjoyed William Clunie’s “Freshwater Fly Fishing” column in January’s Maine Sportsman (“Fly Fishing Lessons for the Year”).

However, the accompanying photo surprised me.

Who would have believed, with such luminaries as Lefty Kreh and King Montgomery in the photo, that William would clearly emerge as the dominant buck (see photo).

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Surprising Election Day Results To the Editor: Election Day 2016 was full of surprises, most importantly the nice buck I took that day in the woods in my home town of Monroe, ME. Too bad the photographer cut off his points.

Rick O’Donoghue St. George and Wilton, ME —

Storing Bait Fish in Grandfather’s Toilet Tank To the Editor: I was delighted to read the March issue of The Maine Sportsman and see Steve Vose’s account of trapping his own ice fishing bait.

I didn’t think anyone did that these days, but his story really took me back – about 70 years.

We never bought live bait when I was a kid growing up in the 40s and 50s. Grandfa(Continued on next page)

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——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 7 (Continued from page 6)

g E

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ther trapped bait for all of us.

He had retired when he was in his 50s, which meant he was free to go hunting, fishing, clamming and berry-picking anytime and anywhere he wanted.

During those years I hung out with him.

One of his many pursuits was trapping live bait.

This activity began with him making his traps from ¼ inch hardware cloth or galvanized screening. He cut the pieces with tin snips, rolled them into a cylinder shape and laced everything together with copper wire peeled from an old ignition coil. An old clothesline provided the tether to secure the traps to the shore.

He’d fashion half-a-dozen traps and place them in the Goosefare Brook at Ocean Park and in the Little River at Pine Point. Those marshes flooded at high tide, so we had to tend the traps on low ebb.

I’d come home from school and find Grandfather ready and waiting for me. He had everything he needed – his bait buckets and ice chisel and a bag full of stale bread.

He always wore hip boots, which had been repaired many times over with black inner

tube patches.

Tending the bait traps took up most of the afternoon; the bigger challenge was storing the bait and keeping it alive. The guys tried a number of strategies. A few kept small wire cages submerged in their toilet tank. Every time someone flushed, the fish got a change of water and fresh oxygen.

This seemed like a good idea at the time, but once the women in the household found out what was lurking inside the toilet, they objected.

The solution the guys settled on was a sort of holding tank they built and submerged in the upper reaches of the Little River, near where the old racetrack had been. They built a large heavy wooden crate about the size of a small doghouse. The sides were lined with screening, and they put heavy rocks in the bottom. When they sunk this box in the stream, the top came just flush with the surface of the water.

An old plank ran out from the shore, enabling you to walk over and stand on the top of the minnow box.

The lid was hinged and had a hasp and padlock. Each of the guys had a key.

Before heading to the Odd Fellow’s Hall – where Grandfather was a janitor, and where I learned to play pool – Grandfather and I would lug the day’s catch out to the holding box, lift the lid and pour in many dozens of shiners, mummichugs, and tommy cod.

As the winter wore, on we had to shovel off the snow and break the ice to get into the box and dip out a few dozen shiners. This arrangement worked well for a few years, but as Grandfather grew older it became more difficult for him to carry his bait pails out to the brook.

Grandfather’s basement was mostly sand, and one winter he installed an old clawfoot iron bathtub down there. He leveled it up on some bricks and ran a garden hose down from a spigot in the garage. He filled the tub and let the overflow trickle onto the sand. This is where he kept his bait for many more years.

The ice anglers in the family came and went at all hours via the wooden bulkhead doors. They snapped on the bare light bulb hanging over the tub and dipped at the schools of shiners swirling beneath the light.

Eventually, Grandfather’s legs and knees

faltered, and he had to give up the bait business. At 92 years old, h was beginning to feel the cold of Maine winters. Sitting in the stifling warm kitchen beside the kerosene stove was more appealing to him then being accosted by the sharp January wind blowing across Scarborough marsh.

By then I was a teenager, and Dad and his friends had become accustomed to buying their bait from a few dealers in rural York County. It was just easier that way.

But I will always have fond memories of spending sunny winter afternoons traipsing along behind my Grandfather as we hiked across the Goosefare marsh to pull his bait traps.

Randy Randall Marston’s Marina Saco River, ME —

Tough Lumps for the Lumpfish To the Editor: I thought your readers might enjoy seeing a photo of a scene that played out in Camden Harbor. While I watched a common loon diving and foraging, I got a bit of a surprise – the loon surfaced with a lump fish in its eatery.

Hey, a loon’s gotta eat!

I thanked brother loon for the image and the opportunity to, once again – although not under pleasant circumstances for the fish – see a lump fish. I have not seen one since my s.c.u.b.a. diving days.

Dave Small Old Town, ME

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8 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Different Reels for Different Eras and Styles of Fishing Various styles of reels have developed and gained favor over the years, to meet the needs of different types of fishing. For this angler, high-quality, reliable equipment from the 1940s has stood the test of time.

The speeding motorboat crossed behind our rowboat and snagged the trolling line on the rod my brother Mort was holding. The line tightened and then began peeling off.

The reel screamed.

The rod tried to jump out of Mort’s hands, but he hung on. At the end, the line broke. The centrifugal force popped the cork arbor off the reel.

The time was in the early 1930s, and the place was the Plattsburgh, New York shore of Lake Champlain. Dad had lent us his True Temper steel bait casting rod and Pflueger Supreme reel.

The reel, except for the cork arbor, survived the high rev shock of hooking

onto the Hickman Sea Sled as it sped by.

Pflueger’s Best Dad’s reel was the top model of Pflueger’s extensive line of bait casting reels, and it was a mechanical jewel, costing in the range of $25, which represented a lot of money at that time in the Great Depression.

Pflueger was one of the country’s top fishing reel brands in the 1930s and the 40s. Eventually, the company’s products were beaten out in the marketplace by Japanese fishing-reel makers, which eventually bought out Pflueger.

The Japanese reels featured ball bearings and a free-spooling clutch that allowed the caster to

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free-spool the reel so the inertia of the reel handle didn’t have to be overcome to get the lure traveling.

Dad’s Pflueger Supreme reel was silkysmooth in action. It had aluminum side-plates, whereas Pflueger’s cheaper reels, like the Akron reel I later fished with, were nickel-plated brass, heavier and less durable.

To reduce the inertia of the spool, the Supreme featured a cork arbor.

It had helical cut gears, which are smoother and wear longer. It had lubrication points and a tiny compartment for a spare pawl. (The pawl is the little part that causes the level-wind guide to travel back and forth.)

The reel was made to last a lifetime.

Bait-Casting Reel Still in Use I bought a Pflueger

The silky-smooth Pflueger Supreme reel featured aluminum side-plates and helical-cut gears, and was made to last a lifetime.

Supreme in Maine many years later, and used it for bait casting and trolling. When spinning reels came on the market, I switched to casting with spinning reels and Nylon monofilament.

I still use my Pflueger Supreme for trolling small Mooselook wobblers and Goldfish spoons on Lake Cobbossee. The click is handy for sounding off if you aren’t hold-

ing your thumb on the spool. I usually shut if off when reeling in to save the click.

Great for Kids When introducing youngsters to trolling technique, it is important that they learn to let line out slowly so they don’t snag the bottom, and know about how much line to let out. Kids (Continued on next page)

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——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 9

Lake Trout Chowder All Maine Sportsman recipes can be found online at www.blackflystew.com We know it as togue, lake trout, and a type of freshwater char found here in northern North America.

Let’s just dispel the myth in many people’s minds that lake trout are not good to eat. Some say they are too oily or fishy-tasting and that the only way to make them edible is to soak them in buttermilk, or smoke them.

Even other anglers proclaim: “I just catch-and-release all the togue I catch, throwing them back in the water.”

While issues of taste may affect lake trout caught in certain waters at certain depths, most Maine-caught lake trout taste very good if treated properly.

Trust me on this point, as this lake trout was caught in the cold waters of Jackman, Maine, and it is delicious!

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––————————————————— Ingredients: • • • • •

2 pounds lake trout, cut in bite-size pieces ¼ pound bacon 1 very large onion, chopped 5 red potatoes, cubed 1 sweet potato (orange or white)

• • • • •

4 cups fish stock** 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon savory ½ teaspoon black pepper

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––————————————————— Sauté bacon in cast iron pot. Remove and set aside. Add onion and cook until almost translucent. Add potatoes, stock, salt, thyme, savory, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add chopped bacon to soup or as a garnish (optional).

Jottings (Continued from page 8)

usually find it easier to learn when using an old-fashioned casting reel rather than spin-casting reels, since line peels off in an uncontrolled manner when using spin reels.

The how-much-line decision becomes easier when the line changes color each ten yards, which makes it something kids can watch as they pay out line. If you don’t have a color-change line, a contrasting color thread can be sewed through the line every ten yards.

Recently, I learned that some vintage Pflueger Supreme bait casting reels are listed at auctions on EBay, and sometimes can be bought inexpensively if the timing of your bid is good. These reels remind anglers of the good old days, when equipment was made to last a lifetime.

Large Arbor Reels in Fashion Traditional fly fishing reels are now being replaced by large and medium arbor reels, which allow line to be reeled in more quickly, while at the same time putting fewer kinks in the fly line. These reels have

**Here are three separate options for making fish stock: 1. 4 cups water with ½ cup Asian Fish Sauce 2. Rinse fish bones (I like halibut) well with cold water. Place bones in large pot with 6 eliminated the traditional click mechanism, in favor of smooth-acting adjustable drags.

One upside of the move to large-arbor fly reels is that some of the sturdy old-style fly reels are now on the secondary market, and can be acquired at modest prices.

The traditional reel appeals to this fly angler, who hasn’t yet hooked a fish while fly-fishing that requires a drag powerful enough to stop a speeding train.

I like to hear the sound of a click when a larger-than-average trout makes a run. Besides, I think a large-arbor reel look gormy on a flyrod.

A Different Kind of Angling Speaking of “gormy,” that term can describe a “center-pin reel” used in a style of fishing that is practiced in Britain, and has spread across the country to the west coast and British Columbia. The reel is large diameter, and has no click or drag. Any needed drag is applied to the rim by finger or thumb.

It is used with a long rod – 11 foot or longer – on a fast flowing river, fishing from shore with a streamlined bobber, split shots, and a lure or jig.

cups cold water. Bring almost to boil over high heat (do not boil). Reduce heat to low and barely simmer uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to surface, for 60 minutes.

3. 4 bottles clam juice with 2 cups water

The angler holds some slack line and bends the rod in a bow, releasing it to send the rig to the far side of the river. Flicking the reel causes it to spin, as the line flows out freely, and the angler guides the jig or lure – suspended off the bottom by a small float – to productive territory.

It is fascinating to watch a totally different style of angling. See it on YouTube.

Look, Ma! No Reel!

For another minimalist style of fishing, check out tenaka angling, a Japanese development. The extra-long, flexible, telescoping rod has no guides, and no reel. The line is attached to the tip of the rod like pulling on a sock.

Instead of casting, the angler uses the long rod in a dapping technique.

The goal is to catch small fish, smaller than would interest most Maine anglers.

The technique works well on small streams with no overhead brush, which may be common in Japan or our western mountains, but are rare in our state.

I believe I will go stick to my old St. Croix graphite rod and click reel for fly casting for trout.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

10 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Lefty Kreh: The Man Behind the Legend Story and photos by King Montgomery In the world of sport-fishing – fly-fishing in particular – Lefty Kreh stands out as the bestknown and best-loved outdoor writer and teacher in the world. And he has held that lofty niche for well over 60-years.

John Randolph, the respected former editor of Fly Fisherman magazine, says of Kreh: “Lefty Kreh’s effect on the sport of fishing has been enormous during his lifetime.

I consider him to be the best, and the most influential, sport fisherman in the last half of the twentieth century.”

The venerable Nick Lyons—writer, editor, publisher and all-around fishing philosopher—has this to say about Lefty: “For he’s a man of many parts, even in his eighties, and it is hard, even with fine prose and a wealth of detail and stories, to get the full measure of this remarkable fellow. To have been privileged to hear him, sit across from him, fish with him, is to know more.”

I am proud to call Lefty friend, mentor and frequent fishing partner for several decades. It’s really easy being around this true legend, because Lefty is a homey, downto-earth real person; a regular guy. He’s embarrassed to be called a legend, but it’s true, and it is quite a lofty status considering his humble beginnings.

The Early Years Bernard Victor Kreh was born in Frederick, Maryland on February 26, 1925. His father died when Lefty was six, leaving his mother and three younger siblings.

The family survived on welfare for years, and as Lefty grew, he helped provide food and money by hunting, trapping and fishing along the nearby Monocracy River, a tributary of the Upper Potomac.

He earned the moniker “Lefty” by playing basketball well and using both hands almost equally in shot-making and passing. (Lefty later coached a girls’ basketball team that always

Lefty loves to teach fly fishing and casting, and believes water is essential for learning.

We taught at the Masters School of Fly Fishing on Spruce Creek, PA for several years. www.MaineSportsman.com

posted superb records.)

After graduating high school, Lefty headed to Europe with the U.S. Army for the final years of the Second World War. An artillery forward observer, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the dead of winter (to this day he hates cold weather-- “I ain’t living anywhere you can store meat outside 6 months of the year”); crossed into Germany over the famed Rhine River bridge at Remagen; helped liberate a concentration camp for Jews; and hooked up with the Russian Army at Torgau on the Elbe River near war’s end. He won five battle stars.

While his artillery unit was preparing to deploy to the Pacific Theater against Japan, the war ended, and Sergeant Kreh headed home, with millions of other young men.

Post-War Years Lefty was doing some smallmouth bass fishing guiding on the upper Potomac River not far from his home in Frederick, and Joe Brooks hired him

Lefty loves smallmouth bass, and we fished several times with Virginia’s Mike Smith on the New River.

Lefty Kreh on Pennsylvania’s Yellow Creek in 2007. Lefty and King annually fished some of the famed limestone spring creeks near Spruce Creek. Lefty always wears a smile.

in for a day on the water.

Brooks was a well-known fishing writer and one of the early saltwater fly fishing aficionados. On that day in 1947, Joe’s fly rod out-fished Lefty’s plug casting gear. From then on, Lefty was hooked on fly fishing.

Brooks taught him to cast and helped his acquire his first fly fishing outfit. Brooks remained a friend and mentor to Lefty the remainder of Brooks’ life.

Lefty wrote outdoor articles for the small, local newspaper, and his easy, practical and informal way of writing eventually found its way into national publications such as Outdoor Life and Field & Stream magazines, and others. He was on his way.

One of his biggest contributions to our sport is his fly-casting ability and, more important, his ability to successfully teach fly casting in his books (30 of them), videos, and in person.

He fully understands the physics of the cast—

you don’t throw the line, he says; you unroll it in the air—and puts the concepts into plain, everyday language that, when applied, leads to good casting.

His philosophy: you cast well; you catch more fish; you have more fun.

That’s really what it’s all about.

“A Good Person” Lefty and I have fly fished and done outdoor shows together and spoken at various banquets and meetings around the region. We’ve fished together in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Maine, The Bahamas and other locations. “What’s it like to fish with Lefty?” people often ask me. I always tell them it’s a great experience in which I learn something each time and, most of all, it’s just a lot of fun just to be around a good person.

Lefty is mentor to a number of today’s fly fishing luminaries. The list would make a complete article, but it includes (Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 11 (Continued from page 10)

Flip Pallot, Ed Jaworowski, Bob Clouser, Bob Popovics, Barry & Cathy Beck, and a host of others.

“As my advisor, mentor, and close friend, Lefty has certainly done more to encourage and promote my fly fishing career than any other individual, tutoring my passion for fly fishing, outdoor writing and photography. Countless other men and women can claim the same benefits from his tutelage, and I believe that fact, namely that he has done so much, for so many, for so long, defines Lefty Kreh and delineates his legacy. In return for his mentorship he simply asks that we all share and pass on whatever we have learned from him. His obsession for sharing is contagious. It’s what I esteem most, and for which I most thank him.” --Ed Jaworowski Lefty likes people as much as he likes fishing, and he often combines those passions.

When we’re fishing, he’ll stop and offer to assist a guide, a stranger fishing nearby, or anyone else, with their fly casting.

He loves to teach. When we’re together at a lodge, I’ve seen him tie leaders for other guests, give them flies, and tell them how best to fish the nearby water. And he does it as a friend, not as some lofty know-it-all. He tells me he would rather share knowledge than display it.

“I first met Lefty on the Letort when I was 16-years old. From that first meeting he quickly became friend, mentor, and boyhood hero. Lefty has done more to promote our sport than any other person in the history of fly fishing. His list of accomplishments would go on forever - fly fisherman, tier, innovator, author, photographer – he’s simply the best.” --Barry Beck.

“Barry taught me to

fly fish for trout. Lefty took me to the next level with big fish, heavy rods, and saltwater fly fishing. My life has never been the same. Lefty once told me, “We can either share knowledge or show knowledge.” Thank you Lefty for setting a wonderful example for all of us and for sharing your knowledge with me. I love the man!” --Cathy Beck.

When it comes to writing, Lefty also is a teacher. He writes for everyman, and never uses a long word when a short word will do. He wants people to love fishing as he does, and he helps them do it through his articles, books and personal appearances. With Lefty, what you see is what you get.

“Since the early 80s, Lefty has been a great inspiration to my life. He taught me the importance of honesty and integrity.

It is not about the biggest fish or how many you catch; it is about teaching or helping someone so they can enjoy the fun and excitement that you have experienced.” --Bob Clouser.

Bluegill-Catcher When Lefty and I fish or travel alone together, he comes down off the stage, relaxes, and has a good time. But he continues to share and to teach.

And I’m pleased to say he eats the food I cook, and laughs at most of my jokes, although his jokes always are better, and even at 92 years of age, he remembers the punch lines. He’s just a regular fellow on the inside who happens to be a legend on the outside.

“Just let “Lefty” walk in the room and you immediately get a feel for what this not-so-mild mannered man has meant to the fly fishing life style that has actually evolved around him! There are a thousand folks who say he mentored them (and they can’t pronounce his last name) ... a testament

to his effect upon us all!!!

For me ... since 1964, it has been his phone that rang whenever my moral, spiritual or intellectual compass needed calibration...Aren’t we lucky to call him “FRIEND.” --Flip Pallot Some years ago Lefty and I spent a couple of joyful days in a jon boat with an electric trolling motor fly fishing for bluegills, redear sunfish, and largemouth bass at my rod & gun club in King & Queen County, Virginia.

He told me the story of how he called an acquaintance in Florida to ask if he knew about a pond nearby where he could catch some big bluegills.

The friend said, “Bluegills! Hell, Lefty, come on down and catch some of the 100-pound plus tarpon that are running.”

“Nope,” replied Lefty.

“Sometimes I’d just rath-

The author stepped out of the flats boat to take this photo. Lefty caught a bonefish on this cast! We fished with the late John Goddard (Goddard Caddis) at Rupert Leadon’s Andros Island Bonefish Club around 2004.

er catch a good mess of bluegills.” And he said to me: “King, that guy just doesn’t understand.”

Another bluegill slurped down the popping bug, and Lefty laughed again as he set the hook.

The John Randolph and Nick Lyons quotes at the beginning of this article

are from the Foreword and Afterword, respectively, in the 2008 biography All the Best: Celebrating Lefty Kreh by Flip Pallot. King Montgomery and those quoted above each contributed a chapter to the book.

¶

CORRECTION! CORRECTION! CORRECTION!

26TH ANNUAL

SPRING SPORTING AUCTION The date in the ad for this Sporting Auction Event that appeared in the April issue of The Maine Sportsman was INCORRECT. The correct date is:

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 • 10AM Wildwood Function Center, Route 113, Steep Falls, Maine PREVIEWS: Friday, April 28, 2017, 10AM–4PM Saturday, April 29, 2017, 8AM–10AM This Auction Features 500+ Outstanding Lots of Taxidermy, Guns & Ammo, Canoes, Knives, Traps, Art, Decoys, Sporting Books & Ephemera, Fishing Items, Hand-Crafted African & Native American Items, Twig & Camp Furnishings, Sporting Collectibles & Equipment and More!

For More Information & Photos, Visit Our Listings on www.auctionzip.com and our website www.giguereauction.com AUCTIONEER GERARD P. GIGUERE (ME.LIC. 00884) Phone: (207) 892-3800 or (207) 233-8724 • Email: auctions@fairpoint.net

www.MaineSportsman.com

12 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Compiled and Edited by Will Lund This Month 1971 “Maine Outdoorsman’s Guide and Almanac” Listed Land-line Phone Numbers – Remember Land Lines? -- for Wardens and IF&W Top Brass

by Bill Sheldon

While our current-day The Maine Sportsman does not dedicate the space for such an extensive phone number list, the advent of the World Wide Web has certainly made contacting the Warden Service much easier. Add to that cell phones and even satellite phones, and it’s clear that communication today trumps a four-page list.

In order to contact the DIF&W, I think I’ll take my chances with today’s smart phone over the old rotary dial phone mounted in a phone booth located on the corner of “No” and “Where” Streets.

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Maine Sportsman Writers In the News, Part 1 Maine Sportsman columnist Tom Seymour has been awarded one of the highest honors any fisherman can receive: He has had a trout fly named after him!

Legendary Maine fly tier Ty Coates designed this fly a while back, but it never had an official name. That all changed recently, with the designation “Tom Seymour Dragonfly Nymph.”

In 1971, making contact with a Game Warden required a rotary dial phone and this list of phone numbers published in the Maine Outdoorsman’s Guide and Almanac. Bill Sheldon photo

While comparing the information in the 1971 Maine Outdoorsman’s Guide and Almanac with today’s The Maine Sportsman, page 113 of the 46-year old publication really jumped out at me.

The headline at the top of the page, “Fish and Game Department Personnel,” begins a five-page listing of all “Fish and Game Wardens,” complete with their phone numbers.

The list started with then-Commissioner George W. Bucknam.

From game wardens to fisheries biologists, each officer had a home town listed under the various departments. A few of the rangers in the organized townships listed both a “home” and a “camp” phone number.

The extensive listings also covered members of the “Sea and Shore Fisheries Personnel” and the “Maine Forestry Department Personnel.” Back in the day, contacting the dedicated professionals who protected and defended everything outdoors required getting to a rotary phone. www.MaineSportsman.com

Maine Fly-tier Ty Coates created this “Tom Seymour Dragonfly Nymph,” named after Tom, who is the Maine Sportsman’s resident trout whisperer.

According to Ty, this nymph is one of the best flies available for taking big brook trout.

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“Snapshots in Time” Submitted by Bill Pierce, Executive Director, Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society Excerpts from the Annals of Maine’s Sporting Past, brought to you by the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Rangeley, Maine.

The following article (shown on right) is from the April 8, 1897 Harrisburg Telegraph.

Fly Rod Crosby was interviewed by the reporter while heading up the Maine Exhibit at the Sportsman Show. The piece shares some interesting perspectives on some mid-Maine locations for trout, her indirect answers to

(Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 13 (Continued from page 12)

questions that the reporter thought were as wiggly as an eel, and some final thoughts and advice on women’s wear in the field.

This piece shares Crosby’s prowess as an angler and a preference for quantity of fish rather than size. Most of all it clearly demonstrates her ability to tell a good story, entertain an audience and promote Maine as no one else has since.

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Lunker Yellow Perch Caught in March “Lunker” is not a term you hear frequently associated with yellow perch.

However, on March 26, 2017, Dan Baty caught a lunker yellow perch. It weighed 1.88 pounds, was 15-1/4 inches long and featured a girth of 11-1/4 inches.

Here is his story: On Sunday March 26th, my girlfriend Alisha Biddle and I decided to do a fishing trip in honor of a good friend of mine who passed away recently, Matt Gordon, or as many of us called him, “Moose.”

We went to a small pond in Lincoln County to do some bass fishing, set 5 traps and began to wait.

During the first hour we caught three bass.

About an hour later, a flag went off, so I hustled out to it. The line was running fast, so I set the hook and could feel the head shakes.

Knowing it wasn’t a bass but was pulling hard, I was curious as to what it was.

As I pulled it through the hole I was in shock at how huge this yellow perch was. I yelled to my girlfriend to get the scale. It weighed 1 lb., 14 oz., so we decided to go weigh it on an accurate scale and it came out at 1.88lbs.

Editor’s note: Congratulations, Matt.

No doubt Moose is very proud of you.

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Windham Weaponry Makes Major Gift to Maine Boy Scouts Raymond, Maine, 03/07/17 — Windham Weaponry, the Maine-based manufacturer of quality firearms, has made a major donation to the Pine Tree Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Windham Weaponry’s gift raises the Scouts’ total received during the capital

campaign to rebuild four Scout camps to well past $1.5 million in funding and materials.

In recognition of Windham Weaponry’s gift, the shooting range complex at Camp William Hinds will be named the “Windham Weaponry Youth Shooting Sports Ranges.”

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Moose Lottery Deadline is May 15 To sign up for Maine’s moose lottery online, go to www.maine.gov/online/ moose/ and register.

From the list of lottery applicants, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will administer a chance drawing to select winners for a Maine moose hunting permit.

Applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (ET) on May 15, 2017; the Moose Lottery drawing to be held in June 2017.

Cost will depend on how many chances you purchase.

You will need the name and other information about your designated sub-permittee, and you will need a credit or debit card (Discover, Visa or Mastercard) —

Maine Sportsman Writers In the News, Part 2 On April 8, at the Singletary Rod & Gun Club in Oxford, MA, the New England Outdoor Writers Association presented Maine Sportsman writer William Clunie, with the “Dick Cronin Award.”

The honor was bestowed in recognition of Clunie’s active involvement and leadership with the “Back in the Maine Stream” program, in which volunteer guides teach disabled veterans how to fish.

The president of Back in the Maine Stream, Bob Pelletier, was present for the award. “William Clunie is so good with the disabled veterans,” said Pelletier. Everyone likes him.”

Medical equipment required for certain of the veterans runs on electricity, and those veterans could not visit the remote camps that were not on the electrical grid. “Clunie made calls and got the group a generator,” said Pelletier.

“He took the bull by the horns.”

Congratulations to William Clunie for this well-deserved recognition.

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Mice to be Drafted in the Anti-tick Battle The occurrence of Lyme disease, which is caused by ticks, continues to grow, according to U S and Maine health officials.

In this state, the Central, Down East and Midcoast areas are the most heavily (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

14 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac (Continued from page 13)

hit by Lyme disease.

A researcher in upper New York State has identified the density of the fox population as being inversely related to the incidence of Lyme disease. He theorizes that foxes feed heavily on mice, and healthy fox populations reduce the mouse population.

Now, according to a report from National Public Radio, a second researcher has initiated a strategy that uses mice as a weapon in the fight against Lyme disease. Mice are a vector for the deer tick, and apparently mice do not groom away ticks, as do some other animals.

In the 25 years he has trapped and studied mice, the researcher has seen mice with as many as 100 ticks on their face and ears.

In addition to Lyme disease, each tick may carry a number of other harmful pathogens.

The researcher’s proposed solution is to turn the mice into assassins, treating each mouse with an insecticide that kills ticks by putting the insecticide into a box that the mouse uses as a shelter.

As the mouse enters the box, it is swiped by a small brush that deposits a tiny drop of the insecticide on the mouse’s back. The long-lasting insecticide kills any tick that climbs on.

This year, an experiment will be launched in upstate New York with cooperating families who will locate the boxes in their yards, to see if the mouse boxes will reduce the number of tick-borne diseases.

Some years ago, in an anti-tick experiment, a number of cardboard tubes containing cotton laced with pesticide were air-dropped over an area. The theory was that mice would use the cotton for nesting material, thereby

killing ticks in the mice’s nests. That experiment apparently was not a success.

Ticks are an increasing problem in Maine, and can be a special challenge for hunters with dogs and hunters who use ground blinds.

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Maine Sportsman Writers in the News, Part 3 Starting in mid-May, Maine Sportsman columnist David Van Wie will embark on an epic six-week, 3,000 mile trip that will combine several of his greatest passions: fly fishing, writing and photography. He is calling it the Storied Waters Tour.

The Stored Water Tour was inspired by one of David’s literary and piscatorial heroes: John Voelker, who wrote under the pen name Robert Traver in the 1960s. David contacted Voelker’s daughter for permission to re-print “Testament of a Fisherman” in his book The Confluence. As a result, he was invited to visit Voelker’s “secret” fishing spot, Frenchman’s Pond, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Soon thereafter, David decided to plan a much bigger adventure around his trip to the U.P. He will visit and fish other “storied waters” across the Northeast that appear in books by famous writers, like Thoreau, Leopold and Hemingway, and by lesser known authors including Howard Frank Mosher and Louse Dickinson Rich.

He will explore rivers and ponds from Walden Pond in Concord, MA to the Battenkill in Vermont, from New York and Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, and back across the Adirondacks to New Hampshire and the Maine woods.

He’ll also cast a line where the legends of fly fishing history – such as Lee & Joan Wulff,

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Maine Sportsman columnist David Van Wie starts his epic 3,000-mile fishing journey in mid-May

Vince Marinaro and Ray Bergman – provided instruction and inspiration to generations of fly-fishers.

While visiting these iconic waters in succession through May and June, David will post photos, videos and a running narrative about the places and people he meets on his blog:WatchYourBackCast.com/blog.

Readers can follow his journey by registering their email addresses on his blog page to receive regular email updates, or by following him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram under @DVW_VanWie and #StoriedWaters.

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Muzzleloader’s Bullets Cause Less Lead Fragmentation Than Modern High-velocity Rifle Bullets A recent study by researchers in the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife show that compared to high velocity rifle bullets, muzzleloader 54-caliber ball and conical bullets leave less lead fragments in game meat than a modern lead-core high velocity bullet.

Earlier studies showed that modern rifle bullets leave a significant quantity of lead fragments in game, posing health risks to persons eating game meat, and to scavengers in the wild.

Modern 30-’06 bullets retained an average of 57.5 per cent of their original weight, with the remaining 42.5 percent being fragmenting lead.

Muzzleloader ball and conical bullets retained from 87.8 per cent to 99.7 per cent of their original weight Earlier studies demonstrated that lead fragmentation from a rifle bullet is found in a wider channel that most hunters have assumed.

Non-lead (copper) rifle ammunition is available for many common calibers, but it’s more expensive than conventional copper-jacketed lead core ammunition.

Researchers concluded that the velocity of a bullet is a major factor in fragmentation, and lead fragments are less of a problem when shooting slow-moving round balls and conical bullets propelled by black powder.

(Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

Bird of the Month

by Erika Zambello

Ring-Necked Pheasant

Introduced to the United States from Asia at the end of the 19th century, Ringnecked Pheasants have become a popular game species in Maine and across the country. They are so popular, in fact, that the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program funds habitat restoration specifically for this pheasant species.

Because they cannot establish a breeding population here – it’s rare that then can survive Maine’s harsh winters – thousands of pheasants are released every year.

Ring-necked Pheasants are beautiful birds. Females are a lovely tan/ brown shade with deeper flecks, while the males sport bright red faces, green necks with a contrasting white ring, and copper-colored chests and tails.

To clean themselves, they take dust baths, which actually do remove parasites, dead skin and feathers, and dirt.

These pheasants prefer grassland habitats, and are generally found in fields and marshes, at the edge of forests and on agricultural land. They forage in the open areas for seeds, and in the spring and summer will also add insects and greenery to their diets.

Like most ground birds, Ring-necked Pheasants are not known for their long flights. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, they usually fly no more than 200 yards.

However, they can take advantage of high winds – in 1941, one particularly impressive pheasant used stiff breezes to make a four-mile excursion over a large body of water!

To hunt pheasants in Maine, hunters must purchase a pheasant permit in addition to their regular license, and are limited to two birds each day during the October through December season.

A list of stocking release sites is available on Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website.

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Great Reads About Hunting, Fishing, and More Submitted by George Smith I probably overwhelmed Kristina

Wheelock when she asked for book recommendations. I’ve got bookshelves full of books about hunting, fishing, birding, wildlife, and the great outdoors. Some are very old, some just published, and lots in between.

Kristina is assistant librarian at Gardiner High School, and e-mailed me the following note: “I am always on the lookout for hunting/outdoor books about Maine and beyond. Our students love this hunting/outdoor genre.”

That last sentence was good news indeed, so I plowed through my many books to give her the following recommendations.

Of course, being a shameless self-promoter, I started with my own book, Maine Sporting Camps, published

by Islandport Press last year. It includes a history of sporting camps in our state, and profiles 80 of them, including some wonderful stories.

Next up were two of my all-time favorites, Old Tales of the Maine Woods, and More Old Tales of the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham.

And here’s the rest of the list: • Stoneflies and Turtleheads by Dennis Dauphinee, fly fishing adventures.

• Fish Won’t Let Me Sleep by James Babb.

• One-Eyed Poacher and the Maine Woods by Edmund Ware Smith • Wild Brothers by Jack Aley, Maine animal tales • A Good Man With A Dog by Roger Guay, game warden stories • Nature I Loved by Bill Geaghan • A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich • Dances with Trout by John Gierach • Me and Joe by Walt Protera, hunting adventures • The Insightful Sportsman by Ted Williams • They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They? by Patrick McManus • Remembering Dud Deane by William MacDougall • Gone Fishin’ by William Tapply • Any of Lew Dietz’s books about Jeff White • I also recommended Life on Foot by my nephew, Nate Damm, a Mainer who walked across the country and wrote this book about that adventure.

Kristina said they have one of Paul Doiron’s novels featuring a Maine game warden. I recommended they get his other novels.

They also already have Ghost Buck

by Dean Bennett, a fabulous book, and John Ford’s books of his game warden stories.

I stopped there, not wanting to overwhelm Kristina!

But I did invite her to read the book reviews posted on my website, www. georgesmithmaine.com, where I focus mostly on books by and about Maine.

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16 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

May 2017 Hunting & Fishing Information HUNTING SEASONS AND RULES Youth Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Day – April 29, 2017. Youth hunters may take up to 2 bearded turkeys from WMDs that have 2-bird limits.

Spring Turkey Season runs May 1 through June 3, 2017 in WMDs 7 – 29. Limit 1 bearded turkey in WMD 8*; 2 bearded turkeys in WMDs 7, 9 – 29.

Hunters may use a bow & arrow, crossbow or shotgun.

In WMDs 1 – 6, hunters born in an “odd” year can hunt in Season A (May 1 – May 6, 2017 and May 15 – May 20, 2017), while hunters born in an “even” year can hunt in Season B (May 8 – May 13, 2017 and May 22 – May 27, 2017). All hunters can hunt May 29 – June 3, 2017. One bearded turkey limit in WMDs 1 – 6*. *Hunters may take a second turkey during the season, but the second turkey must come from a WMD that permits the taking of two birds.

Note: Turkeys must

have a securely-attached tag containing the hunter’s name, address and hunting license number.

Hunters must then proceed to a registration location and pay a $2 fee for registration.

Snowshoe Hare season ends March 31, 2017 (ended February 28 on Vinalhaven) Night Hunting for Coyote: Night hunting started December 16 and runs through August 31, 2017. To avoid violating Maine’s prohibition on Sunday hunting, night hunting for coyotes must

May 2017 Sunrise/Sunset RISE 5:30 5:28 5:27 5:26 5:24 5:23 5:22 5:20 5:19 5:18 5:17 5:16 5:15 5:14 5:12 5:11

SET 7:45 7:46 7:48 7:49 7:50 7:51 7:52 7:53 7:55 7:56 7:57 7:58 7:59 8:00 8:01 8:02

www.MaineSportsman.com

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

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

SET 8:03 8:04 8:05 8:06 8:08 8:09 8:09 8:10 8:11 8:12 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:16 8:17

whether there’s a slot limit.

SOUTHERN AND EASTERN COUNTIES (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford south of the Androscoggin River, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington, and York) – Unless indicated by special rule, Lakes and Ponds can be fished year-round, either open water or ice fishing.

NORTHERN AND WESTERN COUNTIES (Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford north of the Androscoggin River, Piscataquis, and Somerset) – Lakes and Ponds: Unless otherwise indicated under the appropriate county in the rule book, closed to open water fishing from October 1 to March 31.

Opening Day was April 1.

Unless otherwise indicated under the appropriate county, rivers, streams and brooks are closed to ice fishing. Waters open to ice fishing are listed with an A or a B code, which defines the winter fishing season. All other waters are closed to ice fishing. ***** Atlantic Salmon can’t be targeted, and if caught they must be released immediately.

Current saltwater fishing regulations are found at www.Maine.gov/ dmr/recreational-fishing/ regs-tips/index.html.

¶

May 2017 Tidal Chart

Portland, ME

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

cease at midnight each Saturday, and can resume at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

Others: There is no closed season for coyotes (daytime hunting), red squirrels, porcupines and woodchucks.

Hunting is prohibited at all times for cottontail rabbits, lynx, spruce grouse and ravens.

HOURS: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, except for migratory game birds (1/2 hour before sunrise, to sunset) and raccoons (night hunting allowed in season). See “Night Hunting for Coyotes” section above for applicable coyote rules.

Ammunition: Nontoxic shot only for migratory waterfowl.

——————— FISHING SEASONS AND RULES If you are 16 years old or older, don’t forget to purchase your new 2017 license before going out fishing for the first time this year.

Go to www.eregulations.com/maine/fishing/ general-law-information/, find the lake, pond, river or stream you want to fish, and interpret the codes that apply.

Look up the “S” (special rules) Codes. Learn the open-water season, the ice fishing season (if any), whether you are limited to artificial lures, or catch-and-release, and

Portland, ME

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

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

HIGH AM PM 3:23 4:11 4:24 5:15 5:31 6:21 6:39 7:26 7:46 8:26 8:48 9:20 9:43 10:07 10:32 10:50 11:16 11:28 11:57 12:03 12:34 12:37 1:11 1:12 1:48 1:47 2:26 2:25 3:06 3:06 3:49

LOW AM PM 9:50 10:09 10:53 11:14 11:58 12:24 1:03 1:32 2:05 2:34 3:01 3:31 3:51 4:20 4:35 5:05 5:16 5:45 5:53 6:23 6:28 6:59 7:03 7:35 7:38 8:11 8:16 8:49 8:56 9:31 9:41

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

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

HIGH AM PM 3:51 4:35 4:40 5:24 5:33 6:17 6:30 7:10 7:29 8:03 8:28 8:56 9:25 9:48 10:20 10:39 11:15 11:30 12:09 12:22 1:03 1:15 1:59 2:10 2:57 3:08 3:56 4:09 4:57

LOW AM PM 10:15 10:29 11:03 11:23 11:55 12:20 12:49 1:19 1:44 2:17 2:38 3:14 3:31 4:08 4:23 5:02 5:15 5:54 6:07 6:47 7:00 7:41 7:55 8:37 8:53 9:35 9:54 10:34 10:58

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 17

Maine Wildlife: Smallmouth Bass

by Tom Seymour

A dyed-in-the-wool trout angling friend was fishing out of Lily Bay on Moosehead Lake when he caught a 3-pound smallmouth bass. This was a seminal moment for him in that he immediately developed a new respect for smallies and their fighting prowess.

I often take smallmouths while crappie fishing. Because smallmouths fight so hard, it angers me that it takes so much time to land them – time that might otherwise be spent catching my target species.

I can hear readers saying to themselves, “That’s a problem I wouldn’t mind having.”

And indeed, countless anglers travel many miles and spend lots of money in pursuit of Maine’s smallmouth bass. Maine, according to how you view it, could be considered blessed to have some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the country. Indeed, Washington County carries the sobriquet, “Smallmouth bass capital of the world.”

Illegal Introductions Smallmouth bass are not native to Maine, being first introduced to several central Maine lakes in 1869. According to the booklet, Maine Bass Waters, produced by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W), smallmouth bass are present in 432 Maine lakes. But that figure is several years old, and the range of smallmouth bass has expanded greatly in that short time span.

The reason for this continuing smallmouth bass Diaspora is that unthinking, uncaring people illegally introduce smallmouths into waters where they never before existed. And many of these waters, particularly in northern Maine, were, before the introduction of smallmouths, pristine trout and salmon waters. What will happen in these places may be foretold by the case of Indian Pond in Somerset County.

Indian Pond was once a prime salmon water. Salmon still swim in 3,746-acre pond, but their numbers and size are greatly diminished despite regular stockings by DIF&W. A friend, a Maine guide, recently sent me a venerable photo of his family standing along the shore of Indian Pond, each admiring a very large salmon. My buddy had a caption for the photo: “Indian Pond before bass.” That caption said it all.

This illegal introduction campaign by the so-called “bucket biologists” has far-reaching consequences, the end result of which may

Like it or not, smallmouth bass are here to stay, so the author recommends anglers follow the timeless advice of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and “Love the One You’re With.” well be the ruination of entire, formally pristine, coldwater fisheries.

Part of the trouble is that once established, nothing known to science can reverse the trend, while the coldwater game fish that warmwater species such as smallmouth bass displace have no such tendency toward fecundity. Our trout and salmon are simply unable to compete with warmwater invaders.

Not Culpable The fish themselves, in this case smallmouth bass, are not responsible for the dire situation created by the criminal element.

Smallmouth bass only do what they naturally do, and that is to spread out and keep growing. Given that, we should not blame the fish, since that is counterproductive and accomplishes nothing.

In many cases, it is kind of like the old Crosby, Still & Nash song, “Love the One You’re With.” So where smallmouth bass have taken over watersheds, instead of bemoaning the loss of a coldwater fishery that will never return to its former glory, those who enjoy catching large, hard-fighting fish might even consider embracing the bronze-colored invader.

In fact, lots of these illegal introductions have spurred a new industry. People from other states, upon learning of the fantastic smallmouth fishing offered in Maine, plan trips here, and that has a spinoff effect. Local businesses, motels, lodges and fishing guides already are tapping into the new gold mine. And, of course, the visiting sportsmen have the time of their lives.

For my part, trout are my first love, and salmon and togue take a close second. But if I could no longer catch my beloved coldwater species, I would probably take up smallmouth bass fishing, since they truly are a sporting quarry. And even a staunch trout advocate such as me must admit that smallmouth bass fight well, frequently jumping and making lots of short, line-sizzling runs.

First Monster Like every other Mainer in my age group, I caught smallmouth bass here and there during the course of my fishing career.

But it wasn’t until 1976 during a trip with some friends to Junior Lake – a great, unsung salmon water – that I had an encounter with a truly huge smallmouth.

We were trolling for salmon, and I had perhaps 80 yards of line out. Action was slow, but then we saw what appeared to be a huge salmon leaping out of the water, far back from the boat. The real surprise came when my rod began to bounce. The great amount of line out accounted for some considerable slack, and when the slack brought up, we

then realized that the fish we saw jump was in fact attached to my lure.

It took a long time to finally whip that fish. My heart beat fast, knowing that the salmon of a lifetime was on the other end of my line. And then the fish acquiesced, floated on its side and my fishing buddy scooped it up in the net.

Than came the unsettling realization that I had caught not a huge salmon, but rather, a 6-pound smallmouth bass.

It was with mixed feelings that I motored back to camp. While terribly let down that my fish was not a salmon, it was necessary to admit that the bass had fought as much as any game fish possibly could. And being a forager at heart, I killed the bass and filleted it. We all had fresh smallmouth bass fillets that evening and they were delicious.

Light Tackle Catching smallmouths on the light tackle typically reserved for brook trout, has taught me a valuable lesson. That is, it is entirely possible, given proper conditions, to land a huge fish on light tackle. Taking these incidental smallmouths has enabled me to adjust my touch, to employ patience and, in the end, land big fish on light tackle.

Even small and medium-sized smallmouth bass fight like the devil. When taken on buggy-whip rods, tiny reels and thin, light lines, these fish are great fun to catch.

Many of our Maine lakes and ponds have large populations of stunted smallmouth bass. In some instances it is possible to catch dozens of fish in one day. And for those who love nothing better than to feel a vibrant, powerful fish on the end of a line, smallmouth bass are indeed of great value.

¶

Tony Weiman holding smallmouth bass. Even a small bass such as this will put up a terrific fight. Seymour photo www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Legislature Kills Deer Bills In March the Legislature held a “deer day” during which the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee hosted five hours of hearings on a whole herd of deer bills ranging in subject matter from any-deer permits to baiting to antler restrictions.

The committee stayed on the trail, catching back up with all those bills soon thereafter, and killing them all.

They didn’t need an any-bill permit to do that!

Antler Restrictions Mike Look of Washington County has been advocating for antler restrictions for a long time, and his testimony on LD 341 was very good. That bill would have limited deer hunters to harvesting deer with 3 or more tines of one inch or longer along the main beam of either or both antlers.

Mike handed out detailed information about antler restrictions, and answered lots of questions from committee members.

Among his other points, Mike noted that Maine is no longer a destination for deer hunters, and has been dead last – or at least in the bottom three – in the percentage of mature bucks (defined as bucks that are 3-½ years and older) in the harvest for several years. He said Maine is considered the 4th or 5th worst state in the nation in which to hunt deer by WideOpenSpaces.com.

Unfortunately for him, no one else stepped up to support the bill, and lots of key people opposed it, starting with DIF&W’s Wildlife Division Director Judy Camuso, speaking for the department.

State Opposition “The Department is opposed to the introduction of a mandatory antler point restriction,” said Camuso, “because it may: 1) significantly decrease hunting opportunity, 2) result in high-grading of our buck population, and 3) do little in terms of actually providing a positive impact to the population demographics, or abundance, of Maine’s white-tailed deer.”

Camuso did acknowledge that, in a DIF&W survey, 50 percent or respondents favored antler restrictions, while 48 percent opposed them. And she also noted that we’ve seen a 73% drop in big bucks.

SAM’s executive director David Trahan also spoke against the bill, telling about how Becky Morrell, Sportsmans Alliance of Maine’s (SAM’s) office manager, got her first deer last year, a spikehorn. “She was very excited,” reported Dave.

Trahan also agreed with IFW Committee member, Senator David

Woodsome, when the Senator said, “I’m disgusted with the lack of protection of deer yards.”

Troy Frye, who maintains a Facebook page titled Allies of Traditional Maine Hunting, drove 2 hours to speak against the bill.

LaVigne the Clincher But it was probably Gerry Lavigne who really killed the bill.

Gerry is the widely-respected longtime deer biologist for DIF&W who, after he retired, started working for SAM. Lavigne is still considered the state’s top deer expert. He has spoken and written a lot about the antler restriction issue, so I won’t repeat all of that here. He spent quite a while at the podium answering questions from committee members.

By the time Lavigne sat down, I knew the bill was dead. And so did the bill’s primary advocate, Mike Look.

Any-Deer Permits The committee con-

sidered several bills that would have given anydeer permits to specific groups. One proposed giving all landowners who allow us to hunt their land an any-deer permit (they currently get 25% of the permits), while another would allocate 10% of the permits to hunters 70 years of age or older (current law gives them to hunters who are 100 years of age or older). Two other bills would have given permits to veterans. And one bill would have allowed owners of 25 or more acres of land that is open to hunters to take a doe without a special permit, on their own land.

The department opposed all of these bills, and I spoke against them as well, telling the committee I usually get an any-deer permit as a landowner who owns 150 acres, and I always give my permit to a young or new hunter.

I reminded the committee that less than 1/3 (Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 19 (Continued from page 18)

of the any-deer permits now go to the large majority of deer hunters, and we can’t afford to reduce that total any further.

Legislature Fails to Take the Bait A lively hearing on LD 62, “An Act to Remove the Prohibition on Baiting Deer,” drew lots of testimony on both sides of the issue. Senator Peter Lyford, a member of the legislature’s IF&W Committee, sponsored the bill, and another committee member, Steve Wood, cosponsored it, along with five other legislators.

Among several opponents of the bill were Dave Trahan of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and Don Kleiner of the Maine Professional Guides Association, along with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Speaking for DIF&W, Jim Connolly, Resource Management Director, listed several reasons for the agency’s opposition.

“Concentrating deer at greater than natural densities exposes them to disease through saliva and fecal matter,” he testified.

He also predicted this would lead more people to feeding deer in the winter, something the department discourages.

More Deer = Shorter Seasons?

Jim forecast that baiting would “likely increase the success rate of hunters, and as a result the Department [would] need to shorten hunting seasons or reduce the number of antlerless deer permits afforded to hunters in order to keep harvests at sustainable levels.”

He also reported that DIF&W is “trying to [increase] the deer population, and we are currently meeting our harvest objectives. We do not need to increase success rates.”

SAM’s Dave Trahan urged lawmakers to vote against the bill, testifying, “We see no real biological or man-

agement-based reason to support LD 62. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has been able to manage the white tailed deer population without having to use deer baiting as a tool.”

MPGA’s Don Kleiner noted, “This bill if enacted would be in effect statewide, and I am here to tell you that populations of deer are not high statewide. Indeed, improving hunter success in some of the management districts could have serious implications for our deer population.”

Bait-Hunting Still Not a Sure Thing I particularly enjoyed Maine guide Guy Randlett’s testimony, in the “neither-for-noragainst” category. And I want to share that with you. Here it is: “Since 2010 my friends and I have spent a fair amount of time hunting in Canadian provinces where hunting deer over bait is legal and popular. Up until then, we devoted two

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wars.’ That is, people claiming a sort of squatters’ rights, so to speak, to the point of some kind of conflict and bad feelings. I am sure you have already heard other concerns as well.

“On the favorability side of this method, it’s just plainly a very enjoyable way to hunt. I see a fair number of deer, and other animals big and small, and lots of birds.

Sitting in a nice dry ground blind in a comfortable chair from dawn till dusk only enhances it all for me. We all have fun comparing our day’s experience back at the lodge. I truly look forward to it.”

Despite being “baited” by the interesting information about baiting in other states and Canada, the IF&W Committee killed the bill.

¶

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It a buck doesn’t have big antlers, I just watch him.

“I will first dispense with the fallacy that this method makes easy hunting. My success rate proves that! In daylight, even the smaller deer are very apprehensive of making a final approach to the apples, carrots, corn, or oats. When a buck shows up, it’s typically for about two seconds as he checks the bait area for does.

“One aspect of this method that concerns me is the possibility of ‘turf

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20 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

— Special Feature —

Accessorizing a Sidearm to Provide Effective Bear Protection

by Bob Mallard After years of carrying a sidearm while afield, I stopped for reasons I am not 100% sure of. Overconfidence, laziness, inconvenience: Your guess is as good as mine.

Fifteen years passed without any situations that made me wish I was still packing. But that changed last year due to unusually high bear activity, numerous sightings and two uncomfortably close encounters in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Not wanting to become a statistic, I pulled my old handgun out of storage. The gun was dirty, the grip uncomfortable for my now-arthritic hand, the holster didn’t fit well and a holster snap was broken, and my ammo was old.

I needed to make some changes if I was going to rearm for the backcountry.

Type, Caliber and Barrel Length Revolvers are reliable: They’ll shoot wet and dirty, and are unlikely to jam. Stainless is less likely to rust than blued steel – an important consideration for a field gun.

And double-actions are nearly fool-proof: Just point, and pull the trigger.

A .44 magnum is an ideal caliber for black bear. It’s even suitable for grizzly, if you use the

Black bear. Bob Mallard photo www.MaineSportsman.com

Barsony shoulder holster, and effective bear spray. Photo by Diana Mallard

right ammo. The muzzle velocity (1,000 to 1,500 fps), energy (700 to 1,600 ft. lbs.) and bullet size (up to 340 grains) make it a great option.

While a bit heavy at 49 ounces, the weight difference between my 5.5-inch Ruger Redhawk and a model with a 2.75inch barrel, is just five ounces, or roughly 10%.

A 4.2-inch barrel is only two ounces lighter than my current model. And shorter barrels cost you velocity, increase recoil and decrease accuracy.

Although some adjustments were needed, what seemed like a good idea 30 years ago when I bought it, still seemed like one today.

“Getting a Grip on it” First, I needed to make the gun comfortable, which meant getting a new grip. With average-size hands, I needed something smaller than I had. I also wanted something easy to hold if the gun got wet – a real possibility when carrying afield.

I chose a wood grip from Altamont Company (www.altamontco.com) that mirrored my longlost factory grip, but was checkered, making it easier to hold on to. It was compact, comfortable, handsome and quite affordable at just under $40.

Holsters Due to the size and

Diamond D chest holster, and Buffalo Bore ammo. Photo by Diana Mallard

weight of my gun and the fact I am often in water, I had always used a shoulder holster. While the motion required to “clear leather” is a bit clumsy, these holsters distribute weight well and keep the gun out of your way yet still accessible.

Unfortunately, while shoulder holsters work well with vests and chestpacks and when hunting or hiking, they do not work well with fannypacks and backpacks.

The best option here is a chest holster that holds the gun high and in front where it’s easy to access.

I chose the Guide’s Choice Leather Chest Holster by Diamond D Leather (DiamondDCustomLeather.com). A favorite of Alaskan Guides, this handsome, wellmade system cost $175 and combines the traditional look and feel of leather with the modern conveniences of a molded holster and quick-release buckle.

For those who prefer a shoulder holster, consider the Leather Cross Harness Gun Shoulder Holster from Barsony Holsters & Belts (www.

BarsonyHolstersAndBelts.com). This product is available in multiple sizes and colors, both vertical and horizontal options, and retails for $72.95.

Accessories When I carried, I always had extra ammu-

nition handy. I had a speedloader on my belt and an ammo strip on my holster. I wanted to do so again but needed to replace what I had due to elastic fatigue on my strip and a long-lost speedloader case.

I chose Double D Leather’s Guide’s Choice™ Reload ammo strip which is easily attaches to their holster (www.DiamondDCustomLeather.com).

This well-made, all-leather product cost $40. I also bought a leather beltmount single speedloader case for under $20.

Bear Ammo So-called “hard cast” bullets are the best option for bear due to their superior penetration.

Hard cast ammo for .44 mags is available in 200340 grain with velocities from 1000-1500 fps, and energy from 700-1600 ft. lbs.

I chose Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Pistol and Handgun Ammo from Buffalo Bore (www.buffalobore.com). At 340 grains, it’s 100 grains heavier than what I am used to. The muzzle velocity is 1401 fps with 1481 lbs. of energy. It sells for $42 for twenty rounds.

Note that the +P+ is not recommended for all guns. In fact, the list of approved firearms is shorter than those not recommended. If your gun can’t handle it, consider their .44 Magnum

Pistol and Handgun Ammo in 305 grain. At 1331 fps and roughly 1200 lbs., it’s better than most options.

After having my gun checked out and cleaned, I went to the range. I shot three types of ammo – two hard cast and one JHP. Having not shot the gun in 15 years, and never with anything so hot, I quickly remembered how powerful – and loud – a .44 magnum is. The sound alone is likely to turn away a curious, protective or hungry bear.

It is important to note that bear spray has proven more effective in deterring bears than firearms. Reports show a success rate of over 90% for spray, but less than 50% for firearms. Spray should be your first line of defense, and a gun a backup. The leader in the industry is Counter Assault (www.CounterAssault.com). Consider their 8.1 oz. spray with optional Backpacker/ Cross Draw Neoprene Holster.

What I spent to re-outfit for bear protection was a small price to pay for the peace-of-mind it will bring me, knowing I can rely on something other than luck, my loud voice and the fact that most bears are just not that interested in you.

And in the unlikely event I become one of the unlucky few who encounter an aggressive bear, it’s nice to know I have plan.

Bob Mallard’s latest books are 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast, and 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Stonefly Press). He can be reached at info@bobmallard.com.

¶

—

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 21

ATV and SxS Trails – Melted Snowpack Makes Mud … and MORE Mud!

by Shane Brown Hey, all you ATRers – Welcome to mud season in Maine!

This is the time of year when everyone gets all ramped up to get out after the long winter and ride their ATV or Sideby-Side (SxS).

We all long for those miles of trail, but until things dry out, the need to stay off the trails is especially high this year due to a very wet and snowy winter.

Most trails are currently closed, and many clubs will be shooting for a mid-May opening.

Until surface water is absorbed, it’s very important to stay off the trails. Obey all the laws, as well as posted signs, to avoid causing problems for other riders.

Riders who take the trails despite “Trail Closed” signs are taking the risk for themselves and others that trails will be closed permanently by landowners who quickly get tired of having to fix the ruts and mess that pre-season riders make out there.

Are the Trails Open Yet? This time of year I hear a lot of people wondering aloud how they can learn whether or not

As anxious as we all are to get out onto the trails after the long winter, the melting snowpack has made the ground very muddy and susceptible to damage. a trail is closed. The most obvious way is to look.

Most trails I see feature signs at every road crossing. Trails that are still too muddy to use will have a “trail closed” sign posted, with the approximate estimated opening date also listed.

Other great sources of information on trail openings and closings are the websites that many ATV clubs have built. Social media is also extremely helpful, and those clubs that get on Facebook have discovered it’s a great way to communicate information quickly and accurately, and best of all – it’s free for the clubs!

The State of Maine will also pass on information as it’s received. Go to the website of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife to view posted updates. In addition, you can re-register your machine online (new registrations still require an in-person visit), and you can download and print off copies of the law, and

other helpful documents such as landowner access permission forms.

Great Deals This Time of Year This time of year, I see a lot of people looking at new ATVs and SxSs. The fact is, it’s a great time of year to buy.

There’s a big inventory of new models available early in the season, and manufacturers run rebate and incentive programs hoping to attract business from folks who’ve had plenty of time to think about their upcoming purchase during the seemingly-endless winter.

If dealerships around

Obeying these signs puts riders in compliance with club rules, landowner wishes and Maine state law.

the state are similar to where I work, Bangor Motorsports, this is the time of year the sales staffs work extra hard to close deals. Dealerships all over Maine – including the ones that advertise in these pages of The Maine Sportsman – are ramped up for their customers.

They have showrooms

full of machines ready for riders – and prospective riders – to check out.

Product Trends Business is positive all around. We see continued growth of interest in the Side-by-Sides, while at the same time, conventional ATVs still have a strong fan base.

For recreational users, and for Maine guides, I can understand the attraction of the Side-bySides. It’s a more social ride, and more comfort(Continued on next page)

This Kawasaki Teryx4 is typical of the modern, 4-passenger Side-by-Side, or UTE. The author encourages all riders, even when using enclosed machines like this, to wear helmets. www.MaineSportsman.com

22 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Larger families that want to travel together have some great new options, including 4-passenger and 6-passenger machines. Some folks even look at them as cost-sav-

ATV Special (Continued from page 21)

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ers, at least compared with the funds required to outfit every member of the family with his or her own individual ride.

For others, however, who want the independence of their own machine, as well as the increased maneuverability and quicker acceleration of the traditional ATV, they opt for the conventional ATV design.

But clearly the Sideby-Sides are here to stay, and in response, the clubs are recognizing and acknowledging this trend through reconstruction and modification of trails and barriers. Club crews are doing their best to widen out gates and bridges, enabling all types of machines to get out and ride. This is not entirely altruistic on the part of the club; rather, the growth of a club is dependent on the members’ ability to attract new riders and their modern, wider machines.

Much of the widening work has been done, and there should not be any issues with machine up to the 60-inch width mark along all 6,500 miles of trails in the State. In fact, most trails, bridges and gates can easily accommodate SxSs 65 inches wide.

But if you plan to do a lot of riding in less-heavily traveled areas of the state, become familiar with the trails there, and purchase a machine that is going to work for you and the barriers and terrain you will encounter.

The Helmet Controversy Questions have arisen in recent years regarding the requirement that folks under age 18 must wear helmets while driving or riding in ATVs. With the growing popularity of Side-by-Sides, many of them featuring seemingly-safe enclosed interiors and roll bars, (Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 23 (Continued from page 22)

some folks wondered whether those were considered ATVs under the law.

However, the rule, and compliance with it, is really very simple. If you register your machine as an ATV, then everyone on board must wear a helmet if they are younger than 18.

Side-by-Sides and UTVs also fall under this requirement, so even if you are in a machine with sides, a roof and a roll bar, if you are under 18 you must wear a helmet.

Maine lawmakers in this session of the Legislature considered a bill designated LD 41, titled “An Act To Exempt a Person under 18 Years of Age from the Requirement To Wear a Helmet While on an All-terrain Vehicle in Certain Circumstances.�

If passed, this bill would exempt riders under the age of 18 from the requirement to wearing a helmet while operating or while riding as a passenger on an all-terrain vehicle if the individual is wearing a seat belt and if the all-terrain vehicle is equipped with roll bars or bracing welded or attached to the frame in a permanent manner, with a roof or with a protective enclosure.

The type of ATV described above is common-

ly referred to as a Sideby-Side or UTV. Roll bars are designed to prevent crushing injuries caused when an ATV/UTV rolls over.

Safety Factor However, roll bars will not prevent an operator or passenger from striking their head against a rock, tree, another passenger or any other object that may come through the side of the ATV/UTV, as it is rolling over.

I understand why some folks are advocating to eliminate the helmet law when riding a Sideby-Side or UTV. It can be uncomfortable to wear a helmet inside some of these machines, especially on warm days.

But while most of these machines offer good rollover protection, many of them still do not have doors and side on them.

In my opinion, helmets are important to protect young people from sticks and debris. In addition, wearing a helmet while young may help folks decide to continue wearing them voluntarily into their adult years, Helmets offer many safety benefits. As Chris Cloutier, Major for the Maine Warden Service, said in his recent testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife,

“A helmet is the single most important piece of safety equipment you can have while operating an ATV. Wearing one while riding can save your life.

National statistics have shown that helmets re-

duce the risk of fatalities in ATV crashes by 42%, and have also reduced the possibility of non-fatal head injuries by 64%.�

So get out there as soon as the trails are open. Join your local

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24 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Youthful Camping Adventures in the Hippy Van While living in Michigan in the later part of the 1970s, I owned a loaded, customized Dodge Tradesman van. The bright yellow van had a bed in the back, as well as shag carpet on the floors, walls and ceiling.

When you swiveled the “captain’s chairs” around from the driver’s position or the passenger seat, the comfy chairs conveniently clicked into position at a little round table.

These vehicles were originally called “hippy vans,” or “love shacks on wheels.” However, as aging hippies realized they had to actually get jobs

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to make a living, the misguided generation morphed into what became known as “Yuppies,” and these multi-purpose, customized vans became known as “Conversion Vans.”

Each of the two sun roof windows in my old banana van (as some called it) cranked open.

Fans were installed to blow hot air out of the interior if the air conditioning didn’t keep things cool enough inside.

All of the heavily-tinted windows in the back had curtains, and the front cab had a big wall curtain to close off the rear of the van for total

security and privacy. The windows also had screens to keep the bugs out – I could pull over anywhere and sleep in complete comfort without having to take the time to set up anything.

I especially enjoyed the expansive storage space available in the van. I could swing open the two doors at the rear of the van to access the area underneath the bed, which could be used for storing any number of bulky items.

The door on the left had a spare tire mounted on it, and I used the space below the bed to keep a Coleman cook stove, a big

ice chest, a tool box, tire chains, a lift jack, and various hunting and fishing items, depending on the season.

The bed flipped up to form a big back seat for easily seating three extra-large adults. Cabinets on the walls held enough kitchen equipment to service an impressive party as the owner traveled down the highway.

Convenient Comfort I remember one memorable bird hunting trip I took with the first bird dog I ever owned – a female German Short-haired Pointer named Nellie Belle that I trained myself. I named the speedy

pointer after the Jeep on the old Roy Roger’s Show.

Nellie Belle and I drove through huge sections of excellent grouse territory from sunup until sundown and pulled over at a secluded log yard in the middle of it all. My canine buddy enjoyed sleeping on the thick shag carpet as I relaxed on the excellent mattress on the bed.

This hunting duo didn’t have to spend our evening driving around looking for a way out of the woods and then continue wasting time looking for a motel or camp to spend the night.

(Continued on next page)

—

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 25 (Continued from page 24)

After a beautiful evening surrounded by the stars, my dog and I awoke early to cook a quick breakfast on the stove. Then I would wash up, grab the shotgun and return the woods – camping right there in the same forest you plan to hunt, allows a hunter to fully maximize his time spent in the woods.

I also appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to spend the better part of the morning driving to a good hunting location – I was already there.

After hunting a few hours that morning, I watched my pointer lock up on a fine specimen of a grouse. I remember thinking, “Hey, I’d probably still be driving if I didn’t have this awesome Dodge motel-on-wheels.

Depending on the season, I could have been called a “Hunting Bum,� or a “Fishing Bum.� I even used the van during the winter on rabbit hunts, snoozing in an extra warm sleeping bag and waking occasionally during the night to turn on the van’s heater.

Fishing Season During the warmer months, the van served

as my mobile fish camp.

The sturdy chrome rack on top of the van provided the perfect place to secure my 16-foot, aluminum, Grumman canoe.

The old canoe, heavy as a fully-outfitted trolling boat, slid up on the rack with a bit of a struggle. I didn’t mind the extra struggle back then – I was young and foolish and had just recently developed a complete brain (the human brain isn’t fully developed until around 19 or 20 years of age).

I kept all my fishing gear in the van, so on a moment’s notice I could be ready to head out the door and go to northern Michigan’s fishing paradise. Aware of my own foolish and youthful proclivity, I still understood that I had it made, and I fully appreciated the time I got to spend in the woods and on the water.

I would pull up to a stream or lake, fish for the day if the fishing stayed productive, and the camp right there on the shore. If the fishing seemed slow at that spot, or if another angler butted in, I would pick up and leave for another fishing hole. While other anglers rushed through their day

Back in the 1970s, the author modified an American-made hippie van, similar to this model, to enable him to go camping in the outdoors.

of fishing and cut their experience short because of long driving times, I watched many a sunset while still casting about in the beauty of the fading sunlight.

I especially liked the fact that I could cook my catch right there on the shore if I happened to be fishing a place that warranted the taking of a few fish for a meal. Over the years of my youth, my friends and I enjoyed many a fine meal of trout, bass, perch or panfish.

Move to FWD When I got out of the service, I moved to Maine.

After one look at the Pine Tree State, I realized it was just like Northern Michigan, only better.

The woods seemed full of game and the plenti-

ful waters appeared to be filled with native fish‌ and the more sparse population suited me just fine.

When I moved to this new state, I also realized that I needed to make another move – a move to four-wheel-drive (FWD).

Although the two-wheeldrive van worked fine on Michigan’s mostly-paved back roads, Maine was a different story.

I know they make FWD vans nowadays, but back then the choices were limited, and a FWD van would have cost me a small fortune. I chose to go with a FWD, Chevrolet pickup truck.

My first vehicle in Maine performed marvelously and I never looked back, sticking to FWD

trucks up to the present.

I still camp in the trucks I own at this later time in my life, but maybe not quite as often. In my elder years, I have grown accustomed to the comforts of a well-outfitted cabin or lodge, foregoing my youthful enthusiasm for camping out in the woods.

Maybe my brain never matured the way it should have over the years, because I sure did like those days of my youth, camping at the streamside or lake shore.

I think I see a road trip involving some shoreline camping in my near future, and quickly – before I get old and foolish.

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26 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

— Special Feature — Foundation Hosts Army Vets on First Turkey Hunt – A 3-Day, 2-for-1 Experience

by Paul E. Violette, Colonel, USA (Retired) Three a.m. on May 2, 2016 came very early. It was dark outside – cold, and spitting rain – but that did not dampen our enthusiasm for the upcoming turkey hunt.

My hunting companion Dave and I, both U.S. Army Veterans, were to meet our guide Deane at 4 a.m. This was to be a first turkey hunt for both of us.

The hunt was sponsored by the House in the Woods Foundation, an organization founded by

Paul and Dee House after their soldier-son was killed in Iraq on June 23, 2007.

Their vision was to create a military retreat, using Maine’s outdoor resources as a setting to offer therapy, recreation and education for members of the armed forces and their families.

Maine’s wilderness and natural habitats, the Houses felt, would allow participants to share their experiences and challenges resulting from

their service to our country.

If you are a veteran, or if you know a veteran, you can find out more about this foundation on their website at www. houseinthewoods.org.

Setting Decoys in the Dark We trudged across an endless cornfield filled with cut-off stalks seemingly designed to trip us in the dark, and set up in two ground blinds in the woods edge bordering the

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field. The blinds provided comfortable seats, cover from the intermittent rain and some relief from the cold breeze.

Our guide placed two decoys about 25 yards in front of us. Initially, they were but dark shapes barely visible in the gloom.

I took practice aim at the decoys to ensure that I could bring my shotgun into position without snagging it on the blind.

I realized that the comfort of the blind sacrificed good shooting position, as my shoulders were squared to the front.

Any shot would be awkward.

Day #1 – Advantage Turkeys Slowly, visibility improved, and details of the field and wood edge emerged.

Our guide worked calls artfully at a cadence that – to this new turkey hunter – seemed to be awfully long between calls. The calls had an eerie tone that carried surprisingly well in the damp air.

To our left perhaps 200 yards away, two turkeys came down from their roost, fluffed their feathers and proceeded to amble away, never to return. Later, three birds meandered into the center of the field, but took no notice of our decoys or of our guide’s calls. They too wandered away, leaving two new turkey hunters with the adrenaline subsiding and a realization that turkey hunting might be more difficult than we’d been led to believe.

We moved several times that day to other locations without seeing or hearing any turkey

gobbles. The cold, damp weather and lowered atmospheric pressure left the turkeys unwilling to talk it up. Day 1 – advantage turkeys!

Uncooperative Turkeys Day two began similar to the first, except that despite visiting several different fields, we did not see or hear any birds.

At the start, it was damp and cold, and we were soon chilled to the bone. Ground fog limited our visibility.

Later that afternoon, we decided to go back to the first site, and as we moved in we saw birds out in the field. We took a circuitous route to a wood edge in a neighboring field, hoping to entice them to come visit us.

Again, they would not cooperate.

A Clean Miss I suggested that we move farther down the wood edge, placing us nearer to the roosting site where we had hunted on the first day.

We had traveled light this time, with no blinds and set up in the wood edge. Our guide again worked his turkey calls, but we were still not getting any returns from the turkeys.

While sitting there motionless, I heard occasional sounds behind me, moving from left to right, but that I could not identify the source. Squirrel?

Bird? Just the wind?

Suddenly, I was startled by a gobble right on top of us. Three jakes emerged from the woods about 30 feet away. They were but dark silhou(Continued on next page)

—

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 27 (Continued from page 26)

ettes, and looked surprisingly big close-up.

They ambled in a straight line toward the decoys, within Dave’s range. Then Dave’s shotgun boomed.

The three birds flew quickly away. A crestfallen Dave muttered, “I’m sorry guys – I missed!”

No Apology Needed We assured Dave there was no need to apologize – it has happened to all of us.

He later explained that in his excitement, he thought the birds were going to lift off and fly away, so he shot early. He decided that next time, he would allow the birds to go to the decoys, and enjoy a shot at the distracted birds.

That afternoon, Dave had to leave for another commitment, so his first hunt was ended. However, he is already looking forward to this year’s turkey hunt.

Day 2 – advantage still turkeys!

Day 3 was to be a half day, and Deane and I lo-

cated in the same area where Dave had taken his shot the day before.

I set up and aligned my seat to provide a comfortable shooting position.

Deane placed the decoys 35 yards out, and at first I could not see them in the dark.

Just before legal shooting time, we heard our first gobble from the roost. Deane started his calls, initially barely audible – quiet and haunting – and to each there was an answering gobble.

With each response, the excitement heightened. However, although there were many answering gobbles over the next two hours, no birds showed any interest in coming to our decoys.

A Double Finally, to my left, I detected movement in the wood edge and saw turkeys emerge. At first, they walked in a straight line down the field, oblivious to our decoys.

Then, after about 20 yards, they suddenly veered directly toward the decoys.

A cluster of five jakes

Quotable

by George Smith I caution the committee that attacking the rules, through a separate newly-established committee, is dangerous territory, as each rule has been established for a purpose and when changed or repealed can trigger political backlash.

David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, testifying on a bill to create a commission to simplify Maine’s fishing rules. February, 2017.

— Cats are destructive little critters.

Jason Perillo, who owns a business that includes 1,400 exotic animals, testifying against a proposal to require permits for all exotic animals and require the Warden Service and neighbors to be notified if that exotic animal gets loose. Maine Legislature, February, 2017.

came into range. They were tightly grouped. I hesitated, trying to home in on one while avoiding hitting the inflatable decoys.

The lead bird stepped out clear of the decoys and slightly ahead of the rest of the group and stretched its head up, displaying a long neck.

BOOM!!! The bird flopped down without a flutter, and Deane called out, “You got two!”

Wow, what a great finish to three days of hunting. I think Deane enjoyed my success as much as I did.

Shared Camaraderie Our guide Deane is also is a Veteran (U.S. Navy, and Maine Air National Guard).

There is a shared camaraderie that exists among Veterans. In this case, that connection was heightened by the bonds that develop during a hunt between hunter and guide.

We were together for the cold, the excitement, the disappointments and the successes. We have the memories of a great

Thanks to the House in the Woods Foundation, the author, an Army vet, had an opportunity for a rare double during his first wild turkey hunting experience.

hunt made possible by House in the Woods.

My thanks to Dee and Paul House, and to the guides and those who donated their campsites to us Veterans, enabling us to renew ties, make new friends and enjoy special

I’m shooting for a process and plan people will feel comfortable about – and not a plan that’s put on the shelf and ignored for the next 15 years.

Francis Brautigam, DIF&W’s Fisheries Division Director, at the January 6 meeting of the agency’s steering committee working to create new fish management plans.

— This is a serious public health issue. I don’t know how you are going to resolve the desire for more deer by hunters and the concerns by the public about Lyme disease.

Tom Doak, Maine Woodland Owners, at Big Game Steering Committee meeting, January, 2017 — As unpopular as it may be, deer control by lethal means remains a primary tool in what should be an integrated approach to reducing the threat. Where deer can be excluded or maintained well below 10 per square mile, little else may be needed to control deer ticks.

first turkey hunts.

Paul E. Violette, Colonel, USA (Retired) served from January 1973 to January 2003 in the U.S. Army. He resides in Wellington, Maine.

¶

Maine Woodland Owners newsletter, March, 2017 — But its lowest-antlerless-deer-per-squaremile ranking (0.2), low average temperature (41 degrees), high annual snowfall (62 in), and large yearling buck harvest (54%) mean that it is perhaps too much of a challenge for many.

WideOpenSpaces.com’s description of Maine’s deer hunting challenges, found in a list of the ten worst states to hunt deer.

Maine was ranked number five. February 28, 2017.

— Hunting should be somewhat of a challenge. It could create problems down the road with the Humane Society (of the United States) ripping these things apart. I just don’t want to see our hunting industry jeopardized.

This opens up a can of worms.

Senator Scott Cyrway, on legislation to allow deer baiting. Deirdre Fleming story, Portland Press Herald, March 9, 2017.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

28 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Fanning Turkeys – Great Technique, or Too Much Risk?

I watched in amazement as a strutting tom dropped his feathers and ran downhill nearly 150 yards to a hunter who’d crawled into an open field using only a turkey fan and his camouflage for cover.

At first I wasn’t sure the big tom was convinced the fan he saw was that of a mature rival. As the hunter crawled toward the big bird, he’d twist the fan back and forth, mimicking the moves he’d seen other birds make before.

His efforts were an obvious attempt to challenge the gobbler, who had been courting six

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The author watches a video on turkey fanning – basically, making yourself into a decoy by waving spreadout tailfeathers around pretending to be a rival tom – and decides to try it himself. First, however, he makes certain he’s the only hunter in the area. hens at the top of an open field.

Just when I thought the hunter’s efforts had proved fruitless, the tom’s body language changed.

He faced his pseudo-rival, dropped out of strut and ran at top speed right to him!

When the gobbler was within 10 yards, the hunter moved his gun into position for the shot.

By the time he had the

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gun to his shoulder, the bird was so close to the fan he held, that he could likely have killed the bird with his hands instead of the 12 gauge.

The shot was point blank and on target. I’m sure he nearly took the bird’s head off.

I had to try this new technique!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait I watched that video on YouTube nearly five years ago, and I was excited about the possibility of trying it myself.

Unfortunately, it was around Christmastime when I watched it. I’d need to wait nearly four months to feel the excitement I knew the hunter in that video had experienced.

When the season opened, I was ready.

Fortunately, I had saved a couple of turkey

fans from the previous season. The old fan on my decoy (I call him “Bob”) was faded, beat up and admittedly shot up. Bob needed a makeover.

The fans I saved were from a jake and tom I’d killed the previous season. I cleaned the meat off, rubbed plenty of Borax on the exposed areas and tacked the fans to ¼” plywood to dry.

When the fleshy areas were completely dry, I took the tacks out of the feathers, and the fans remained spread out. This is a critical step in the process. If the fan springs back from its half circle position at all, it’s not dry enough, and it’ll need to be tacked down to dry longer.

The next step in the process was fiberglassing the base of the fan. Fiberglassing results in rigidity, and also provides a spot to put a fastener for

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securing the fan on a decoy.

I followed the directions on the package and let the resin dry.

After drying, I spray-painted the bases a dull green color.

After the paint dried, I drilled a hole in the center of the base, placed a screw into it and fastened it to Bob. He was now fresh and ready for his fanning debut.

Not As Easy As It Looks I’d been watching two mature toms throughout the month of April.

They’d been roosting in the same corner of a large alfalfa field nearly every night.

After flying down each morning, they’d display for hours. Twelve hens and jennies were the objects of their desire.

My plan was to pop out shortly after the big gobblers hit the ground from the roost. I just knew they’d come running in when they saw my convincing fanning pretense. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I popped out of (Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 29 (Continued from page 28)

the tree line with Bob in front of me, the big birds saw me immediately. Instead of running in to fight their new rival, they dropped out of strut and walked away putting.

I had no idea what I could have done wrong. I blew my opportunity on two great birds.

Had I just worked them the old fashioned way like so many times before, there was no doubt I’d have killed one.

I was so discouraged, I nearly went home.

Luckily, I didn’t quit.

I continued searching for birds that morning.

By chance, while walking the edge of a huge cornfield, I came across a group of seven jakes.

We were walking toward each other from opposite sides of a knoll. As soon as I saw their heads appear, I ducked down and put Bob in front of me.

Within seconds, I saw

two red heads peaking over the knoll forty yards in front of me. Soon all seven birds were standing in the open on top of the knoll. Holding onto the stake Bob in Bob’s butt, I slowly twisted him side to side, imitating a strutting tom.

They bought it, and started running toward me. I pulled the gun to my shoulder with my right hand and got ready for the shot. When the birds were just five yards away, I dropped Bob and aimed the gun with both hands.

I was surprised when most of the jakes kept their eyes focused on the decoy. Two nearly made contact with it as it tumbled to the ground. I took aim at the largest bird and fired. My work had paid off on day one! I was pretty pumped.

Since that first attempt at fanning, I’ve become hooked on it. Last year I killed a really nice

gobbler mid-season using this technique, and unless the tactic is outlawed, I plan to use it for the rest of my life.

Dangerous?

It’s important to know that I’m alone on most of the properties when I fan.

I’ve used the technique to take birds elsewhere, but I’m more nervous when I do.

This isn’t a tactic to use in the woods. Fanning should only be done in open fields.

Is this technique controversial and potentially dangerous? Yes, but it’s also deadly and exciting.

Don’t have a real fan to use? That’s OK. Quite a few companies have started making artificial fans specifically for this use.

In my opinion, however, real turkey fans work much better than the fakes.

¶

The author poses with one of his 2016 toms bagged as the result of fanning. Fanning is a controversial tactic that -- when used properly -- is also lethal on birds.

www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Is Toughness Vanishing?

Not for Maine Hunters I read an article in Field & Stream magazine not long ago about being tough. The writer argued that toughness is endangered, and how it’s now being discouraged in today’s schools, politics, institutions and the like.

I agree, and in prior columns I’ve alluded to the idea that society today isn’t as tough in comparison to prior generations.

When I was 16 years old, I got suspended from school for three days because I did something in school I shouldn’t have.

To teach me what life would be like if I didn’t take education seriously, my father put me to work on the Portland docks shoveling fish for three straight days with little sleep.

It wasn’t a bad thing, but rather a lesson about respecting elders and knowing and doing right from wrong. He would also say, “It makes you tough.”

Today’s Pro Athletes Not As Tough?

Even today’s sports aren’t the same.

I like hockey and I follow the Bruins, but I just don’t feel the game requires the toughness it once did.

I grew up watching the likes of Stan Jonathan, John Wensink and Terry O’Reilly. Man, those guys were real tough.

Larry Bird sacrificed his body for the better of the team throughout his www.MaineSportsman.com

As a rule, all Mainers are tough. However, Maine hunters are even tougher – among the toughest folks anywhere. entire career. Irrespective of his greatness, he was also tough.

The writer of the Field & Stream article also pointed out that hunting is one of the few disciplines today where toughness is “fashionable, necessary and encouraged.”

He discussed a friend who went on a sheep hunt in Alaska where there were no sheep to be seen. His friend marched up and down mountains until blood soaked through his socks, then through his boots.

The hunter finally got his sheep and walked back to camp. Then, he could walk no more. He was tough.

He also talked about a rifle scabbard he’s had since 1977. He’s taken that scabbard on dozens of horseback hunts, put it through horrific weather and constant abuse and that scabbard could easily do it all over again. As he says, that scabbard is tough.

Maine Woods Hunters Don’t “Harvest” Reading the article made me think about hunting in Maine. I believe all residents of our state are inherently tough, but our hunters are likely even tougher.

We don’t “harvest” game like in many other states; instead, we “hunt” game in hopes getting something. To us, it’s nor-

mal; it’s who we are and how we hunt.

To non-Mainers, it can be discouraging and a waste of time.

I had a cousin from Missouri visit for a week last season. He’s a stand hunter who is accustomed to seeing 10 deer in one sitting.

He never saw a deer in Maine, and couldn’t grasp the idea of tracking or still-hunting. He’s shot many deer in his life, and he’s a great guy, but he’s not tough.

In another article written last November in WideOpenSpaces.com titled, “Here are the 10 Worst States in America for Deer Hunting,” Maine landed in the top 5. The article declared, “In 2013, Maine didn’t report the percentage of successful hunters, and we don’t blame them. Chasing whitetails in the vast woods and deep snow of the northeastern state presents a challenge that few whitetail hunters will ever experience.”

My response to that statement is this: that’s how we grew up hunting here – “chasing whitetails in the vast woods and deep snow.” It’s who we are and what we know.

That’s how we hunt, and Maine’s Native Americans did it long before us.

It’s also why we’re some of the best deer hunters in the country

and why we feel more grateful when we are successful. And it’s also why we’re tough.

Turkey Time As a bowhunter, I can’t complete a May column without the mention of turkeys. I’m always an advocate of hunting with a bow, but I push folks more this time of year for one simple reason: hunting turkeys with a bow requires the same methods as with a shotgun.

During deer season, the most common excuse I hear from people who don’t bowhunt is that they don’t have the time.

It’s a different season and many aren’t in “deer mode” yet in September or October. Further, because most of us are only allowed one deer, many understandably wait for firearms season.

But turkeys are different. In most WMDs, we’re allowed two toms, so we can go on multiple hunts. Also, getting into a proper setup with decoys requires nothing different, whether hunting with a bow or gun.

Even more important, almost all gun shots at toms are also within bow range. So the normal justifications for not bowhunting deer really don’t apply when turkey hunting.

Another point I try to make is that when bowhunting deer, shot dis-

tance and ethical placement play a large part with how bowhunters operate. So if folks haven’t sufficiently practiced or properly tuned their gear, I will generally advise a bowhunter to not hunt unless they’re 100% ready. But one beauty of bowhunting turkey is that there’s more margin of error in not injuring a bird.

When I bowhunt deer, ethical shot placement is the most important factor for a fast kill. However, although shot placement in birds is important, the chances of injuring and not recovering a bird are slim. I’ve taken many shots at toms with a bow, and in every case I’ve either fully missed or cleanly hit them and brought them home for debreasting.

Unfortunately, we sometimes hear stories of injured deer resulting from hunters making poor decisions when taking shots with bows and guns, but those stories are not common when turkey hunting. So if readers tag a bird this year with a shotgun but still want an opportunity for another bird, I suggest you dust off an old bow, sharpen a broadhead, and head afield. No equipment or strategies change, except you’ve got a bow versus gun.

Want to say you’ve shot a turkey with a bow?

Tough it out, and get it done.

¶

—

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 31

Pursuing Bluefin Tuna Off the Maine Coast wtih Rod and Reel – Part 1

by Ben Halloway It was about 10 a.m. on an early August day when the call came in. I was working as a service manager at my family’s boat yard, but things were slow – slow enough that I was able to answer a personal call from the Tuna Man. “Got time?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Can you take a day off?”

“Yes.” “Meet me at the dock at 2 o’clock this afternoon. We’ll be back by noon tomorrow.”

“10-4, Cap.” When the Tuna Man calls for a hand on deck, you always say yes.

I phoned the old man, and asked for the time off and got his consent.

I knew the opportunity was perfect. It would be my only chance that summer.

Excitement The excitement was overwhelming. I called my wife and quickly explained why I wouldn’t be home that night. No time to chat.

The butterflies in my stomach tried to get the best of me, but I had no time for them either. I went to the house quickly and packed snacks and a hoodie to sleep in, and then I was en route to the dock.

Captain texted:

“Ready when you are.”

I replied, “Ten minutes out.” I would not even have time to stop and purchase a 6-pack of my favorite IPA. Another text from Captain: “Get here quick.

Still loading up.”

Tuna Man Dan was ready when I arrived.

The big diesel of the 32foot High Test chugged at idle. She is an older lobster boat, converted for tuna hunting. Dan had removed the pulpit and tower, as rod and reel is his method.

I thanked Danny for the opportunity, exchanging a solid fist bump. We pushed off and headed across Boothbay Harbor to the freezer for ice.

Dan uses an old beer keg with the top cut off for a bait tank. We set it in an empty fish box, and packed it with ice to keep it cold.

Loading Up; Heading Out to Sea With enough fresh ice on board to bag a couple of fish, we pushed off the freezer dock and started steaming for the grounds.

Over the sound of the engine I said to Dan, “I may not be the most seasoned deckhand, but I’m a Pisces, and good luck to have me on board. My kinship with fish is something I strongly believe in.”

He laughed as we passed Fisherman’s Island, exited the harbor, and set course for a spot about 15 miles offshore.

I helped with what I could, but Dan began organizing the deck just the way he wanted it. He moved methodically and efficiently around the helm station and cockpit, as if controlled by the same autopilot that was guiding our boat out to sea.

About half way there, we stopped next to an incoming vessel, and Dan exchanges words with its captain. They had two fish on board.

Catching Herring for Bait About an hour offshore, we saw the fleet.

Boats from Gloucester, Portsmouth and the Midcoast, all anchored up atop the ledge line in about 300 feet of water.

Dan watched the sonar machines, studying the ocean floor while he picked his spot. I readied the bait rods.

Some captains fill their bait tanks before heading to the fishing grounds. Others look for bait at the fishing grounds, and that was our plan.

A cloud of pixels scrolled across the depth sounders screen. “Bait at 200 feet!” Dan hollered,

Tuna Man Dan caught “tuna fever” early in life. Here he is in the summer of 1975 at age 14 (center, in plaid shirt) when he sailed as mate on Capt. Barry Gibson’s charter boat Shark out of Boothbay Harbor. Also shown is a 770-pound tuna; singer and ex-legislator Chuck Kruger (left); and Gibson (right). The fish was caught on a hand line, and sold for $48, a sizable sum for a tuna back then.

Jean Reese-Gibson photo

and we dropped our rigs.

The favorite bait fishing rig of most fisherman is the sabiki. It consists of a pre-made line with 8 separate hooks, and it’s capable of catching multiple bait fish in one drop.

Using depth counting reels, we dropped our rigs to 200 feet, jigged and reeled in herring. With that much line out, I’m always amazed at how long it takes to bring them to (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

32 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Heading offshore at 15 knots, it takes about an hour to get to the giant tuna fishing grounds.

Halloway photo

The author takes a turn on the rod. Tuna fishermen use line that’s between 80 and 130-pound test -- tough enough to bend the stiff stick without breaking when a giant fish is hauled in.

Saltwater Special (Continued from page 31)

the surface.

Sometimes when my sabiki reached the surface, the soft-mouthed herring were gone, so I’d send the rig back down – repeating the process until we had a dozen swimmers in the tank.

Dan pointed to a boat that was bringing up its anchor by using a large buoy and ring to raise it without a hauler. He explained the process.

You attach a two-inch stainless ring to a buoy, passing the anchor line through the ring and cleating it off to the boat.

Then the boat is driven away from the buoy, and the line runs through the ring, and the flotation provided by the buoy

raises the anchor to the surface. Sure seemed easier than pulling up 40 pounds of anchor from 300 feet deep by hand, so I filed it in my brain. My own boat has no hauler.

Attention to Details Dan is very particular about how his herring is handled. He snapped at me when I touched the bait, and tossed me a rubber glove, insisting that I put it on.

Dan’s attention to small details makes him a good angler, and his lessons will make me a better deckhand.

We rigged two rods, and sent them off the stern, as well as a third line that went straight under the boat about 75

feet. We fished ’til sunset, swapping out baits and checking lines every 30 minutes.

Dan had me jig up a fresh bait fish. He immediately hooked it and sent it out, murmuring “Ooh, they’ll like this one.”

We worked hard on the incoming tide until dark, and then repositioned the boat for the next tide.

Dan fired the generator and powered up the flood lights. Every boat on the sea’s surface around us was lit up, and little skip jacks danced in the light at the surface.

The radio had chattered ever since we arrived at the fishing grounds. Boats connecting with tuna; boats losing fish; and some crews swapping supplies.

The fleet is a com-

Unless you travel all the way to the West Coast, you won’t see more stunning sunsets than those viewed from 15 miles off shore -- no land in sight. Halloway photo

munity, with members competing with each other while still working together – a type of comradery that often seems not to exist on the mainland.

“We’re on! We’re on!”

Captains have different strategies and practices, but all are working toward a common goal.

We fished ’til midnight, before Dan got out his bean bag chair. He appeared to be asleep on deck in front of the depth sounders screens, but I doubt he really slept at all.

I headed below to rest up, but as I drifted off I kept focused on the goal, counting bluefin tuna rather than sheep. I envisioned a keeper fish seeing the herring attached to our rod – how it would follow the bait, inspecting

it before it struck. How it wouldn’t see our leader, and how the hook would settle perfectly in the corner of the mouth when we set it.

I visualized all of this, as I believe in my ability as a Pisces to call them in.

I woke to a commotion, with Dan yelling, “We’re on, we’re on!” I rushed to the rail to reel in the two slack rods. Dan set the hook hard, and we both amped up for a fight.

Next month – The final installment, in which initial disappointment is followed by the opportunity for success, as the author’s boat connects with a 400-pound bluefin, and he’s in line for his first “tuna check” payday.

¶

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 33

Stripers Arrive in May Stripers usually hit the Maine coast by the 3rd week in May. They’re hungry after their trip north. Natural baits work extremely well, and top choices include sandworms and bloodworms.

Striped bass begin migrating up from the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay each spring.

The fish enter Maine inshore waters by mid-May – usually. In most years they can be caught routinely along the southwest coast by the third week of the month.

Most of these new, bright arrivals are school fish in the 12- to 24-inch range, which are looking for two things – food and warm water. They’re hungry after their trip north, and need to find some warmer water (ocean temps are often still in the 40s) that hold the forage the bass need to pack on some weight.

First-run stripers will move into waters that cover dark mud flats at the edges of rivers, inlets and estuaries as the tide fills in, as these areas warm up a few degrees during mid-day and hold goodies such as shrimp, crabs and worms. The fish will root around on

the soft, muddy bottom for the tidbits, then drop back into deeper channels as the tide recedes.

Natural baits work extremely well during this period. Sandworms or bloodworms are a top choice, either fished under a bobber, on the bottom with a sinker and tiny foam float attached near the hook to keep the bait suspended a few inches above the bottom, or slow-trolled behind a spinner-blade rig.

Bobbers ’n Blades Bobber fishing isn’t rocket science. Start with a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook at the end of your line (no leader), squeeze on a few split shot above the hook, and attach a foam or plastic bobber four or five feet above the hooks. Bait up with a fresh seaworm, and drift the rig with the current in five to ten feet of water along channel edges, and around points and islands. Bobbering may be basic, but it sure

produces stripers in early spring.

A seaworm pinned by its collar on a single or tandem hook behind a flashy spinnerbait and slow-trolled is also deadly this time of year. Remove the plastic-tail trailer on a spinner such as Cabela’s 3/8-oz. Willow-Willow Spinner Shad, and replace it with a live worm.

Troll it slowly (about easy walking speed) on 8-pound mono 60 or 70 feet behind the boat in six to 12 feet of water.

The bass will be attracted by the flash from the spinning blades. They will home in and attack the worm the instant they pick up the scent.

And although I haven’t tried one myself, I understand from a reliable source that the Berkley Gulp! Sandworm will also work if you can’t come up with the real thing.

Artificial Intelligence Artificials are also effective on spring stripers.

Early-season stripers tend to be schoolies, so no need for the heavy rods and line you’ll use on bigger bass starting in June. Barry Gibson photo

Soft-plastics are ideal, and shrimp patterns can be hot. The 3” Livetarget shrimp, the H&H TKO Shrimp, and the SavageGear 4” TPE 3D Manic Shrimp are all lifelike replicas of the real thing.

Perfect for casting with a six- to 12-pound spin outfit, they can be slow-

ly twitched and hopped along the bottom to kick up puffs of mud that will attract foraging bass.

Soft-plastic shads and paddle-tail sand eels such as the Tsunami Holographic Sand Eel (my favorite) and the Storm Wildeye Live Sardine, (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

34 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Saltwater (Continued from page 33)

Herring, and Anchovy also can be very effective in May. Again, the trick is to work them on light line, and very slowly.

The water is still cool and the stripers will be sluggish, so offer them something reasonably small that they can easily run down and eat.

Small lipped swimming plugs will also take their share of spring bass. My go-to swim plug for trolling is the 2 ž� and 3 1/2� sinking Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow in the “Silver Black� pattern.

These lures have a “tight wiggling action� (that reminds me – I knew a girl in high school who danced like that) and will

run four to six feet below the surface, ideal for working water up to eight or ten feet deep.

Spoons can be effective, too. I like to cast metal rather than troll, and have had good luck with a 3/8-oz. chrome Kastmaster dressed with a white bucktail. The 2 Ÿ� Hopkins No=Eql Shorty hammered spoon is another proven choice for schoolie stripers, and it casts well, even into a stiff spring breeze.

Topwater Tactics Topwater popping plugs such as the 3 Ÿ�

Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug (my hands-down favorite topwater striper lure) and the 3 ½� Yo-Zuri Hy-

dro Popper will certainly take first-run bass, although they tend to produce somewhat better when the water warms in June. But if you want to give topwaters a shot, work them slowly, as stripers aren’t going to waste a lot of calories chasing a meal at this time of year.

Finally, since firstrun bass tend to be schoolies, light tackle is key. Don’t break out those eight-foot rods with 20-pound line just yet, but instead drop down to an eight- to 12-pound spin outfit, or even press a freshwater combo into temporary saltwater service if need be.

It’s starting‌..!

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A seaworm drifted with the current and near the bottom is an effective way to take stripers while the water is still cool in spring. Barry Gibson photo.

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Ice-Out Trolling Floats Bill’s Boat While April 1st may be the advent of open-water fishing season, Aroostook’s limited open water surrounded by snow and mud serve only as a mediocre salve for a winter long itch.

The true balm may be applied during this month of May, as slowly but surely regional lakes shed their winter coats and spring trolling with streamers gets underway.

While this sport may not be as curative as an evening hatch along a secluded limestone, woodslined stream, ice-out trolling is a lifeline for Crown of Maine sportsmen who’ve spent the winter drowning in snow.

A Grand Idea Up here in far Northern Maine, we are a good month behind the central and southern counties before Mother Nature and Jack Frost release their icy grips.

Generally, after an average winter, larger lakes such as the popular Fish River chain of six sister waters become fishable around the week of Mother’s Day. This year that’s mid-May, and then there are a couple of weeks of top-notch trolling, sometimes more if the weather remains cool and there’s a bit of rain here and there.

Being a bit impatient and anxious to float my boat after the many weeks of incessant snow and cold, I opt to travel south! Well, actually not that far south, but enough miles to just barely remain in Aroostook County and take advantage of one or two lakes that are perhaps partly – often completely – fishable at least a week prior to local lakes. Situated partially in Aroostook with a larger portion extending into Washington County, East Grand Lake is actually an international border water, with the New Brunswick boundary line bisecting the waterway from north to south.

Although the entire lake may be accessed and fished from any of the many boat launch sites on the American shoreline, check the Maine regulations regarding boundary waters and fish limits.

Renowned for its summer smallmouth bass fishing, bragging-size

landlocked salmon and the occasional brook trout are the main May trolling quarries. Thanks to the immense size of East Grand and the vast number of coves, nooks, and loughs, crowding is seldom a problem, and spring streamer action dependable.

Meetinghouse and Thoroughfare covers as well as Norway Point are proven spring salmon hot spots. Little River Cove and Birch Point have always been favorites of mine for steady strikes on tandem streamers by salmon and trout.

A few veteran anglers swear by drifting smelt to entice the largest salmon, but it’s too lethargic a tactic for me. I prefer to pull a dual streamer rig, a regular leader with a dropper, offering one bright attractor pattern and a bait fish imitation. Favorite and dependable tandem attractors include a Red and White bucktail, Ouananiche Sunset, or a little

Brian Fields of Caribou shows why Aroostook anglers wait all winter for ice-out spring trolling to arrive. Just one trophy like this beauty makes the an angler’s entire season.

brook trout, while a Gray Ghost, Colonel Bates and black nosed dace continue to fool fish as imitators. Check Delorme’s Atlas, Map 53, E4 and Map 45, A-4 & B-5 for an overview of this Grand Lake.

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A Pleasant Option Another southern Aroostook early ice out option would be Pleasant Lake in Island Falls; Map 52, B 4 & 5. Just (Continued on next page)

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36 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The County (Continued from page 35)

drive I-95 north or south and exit onto Route 2 and then the Pond Road right to the shoreline.

Local folks call it Pleasant Pond.

There’s Birch Point Lodge, with a lunch counter and bowling alleys, also offering a large campground and RV park as well as cozy cabins to rent right on the water for sportsmen seeking to spend a week or weekend.

Best of all, the folks at the lodge know how the fishing is, where the hot spots are and what they’re taking!

This is another super summer bass lake that boasts excellent ice-out trolling this month for salmon. Although I favor my streamers, especially a Miss Sharon or Herb Johnson special, boat bud-

dies dragging lures catch their fair share of brookies and landlocks. Medium-size copper/silver Sutton spoons, pounded copper Mooselook Wobblers and size 7 floating Rapalas in orange, perch and red/white do the job.

The public ramp at Dinsmore Cover and the Birch Point launch will handle anything from canoes to pontoon boats.

There’s a long gravel bar in about 16 to 20 feet of water in Birch Point cove that’s worth a few passes. Then try a loop around Dinsmore Cove. I recommend trolling Sand Cove and then moving to the north shoreline and working toward Outlet Mountain.

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twice that size boated each spring. Trout average 12 to 16 inches, but there are some two-pounders finning about as well.

At Long Last At some point this month after what seems an interminable wait, my favorite spring salmon lake will shed its winter coat and I’ll once again visit Long Lake. I enjoy trolling all the liquid cobalt gems of the Fish River lakes, but each time I launch from Sinclair Cover, there’s the feeling that a trophy chrome-sided fish awaits my fly.

Two- and three-pound silver leapers abound, but it’s the five-pound plus fish that have made Long famous for decades.

My current best was a 7 lb. 13 oz. brute, and I just feel there’s a larger one waiting for me – or perhaps for you.

Visiting anglers may avail themselves of four boat launch sites that will handle 20-foot deep-V rigs and even pontoon boats. Select the one closest to your desired

Spring trolling with streamer flies often produces the largest fish of the season, sometimes of a lifetime. Here, the author poses with a Long Lake silver leaper weighing just under 8 pounds.

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western shoreline clear up to St. Agatha. The Sullivan Road off 161 will deliver fishermen to myriad woods roads leading to Van Buren Cove launch and the entire, more remote eastern shoreline.

Thanks to its immense acreage, Long can handle a lot of boats with little chance of overcrowding, but it’s best to have two or three locations in mind. Van Buren and Sinclair Coves are certainly worth a few trolling runs, and don’t pass up the area out from Golf Course Brook inlet in about 12 to 20 feet of water.

Cyr Cove certainly deserves some time, as well as the eastern side of Pelletier Island. Possible streamer selections include a Rainbow Ghost, Barnes Special, Supervisor or a Blue Devil.

A few at a time, Aroostook lakes will free of ice as the month progresses. Plan well and you can take advantage of some of the year’s fastest and finest action on a fly rod. Hopscotch from one favorite waterway to another as they open.

The rewards will be exciting. See you out there!

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 37

Allagash River – Not “Once-in-a-Lifetime” Many outdoors people say that canoeing the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is the trip of a lifetime. I have always been curious about that assertion.

If a person has paddled this river once, it is a mystery to me how they could be satisfied for the rest of their life without doing it again. It would be a heartbreaking journey if you undertook the trip with the pre-determined decision that you would not be coming back.

I hope that on my very last Allagash trip, whenever that might be, I will be making plans for my next one.

May Starts the Season The Commander (Kevin Regan) and I will be on the river again this month. It has become an annual ritual for us. And we reminded ourselves recently that we first did the trip in 1994. We may have skipped a season or two during that 23-year period, but to make up for those transgressions, in some years we’ve done the trip more than once.

Although we have paddled at different times of the year, our ultimate

The rhythm of a canoe trip down the Allagash River is intoxicating -- breaking camp, loading boats, canoeing downstream along pristine shores teeming with wildlife, unloading, setting up camp and repeating those same steps the following day. goal is to hit the sweet spot between ice-out and full-on black fly season.

Nearly a quarter-century ago, this meant the week before Memorial Day. But as the climate warms and the bugs arrive earlier and earlier, we have gradually determined that mid-May is the ideal time.

Of course, any Allagash trip in May might mean extreme temperatures – from the 20s all the way to the 80s – or both.

Two years ago, we guided a father-and-son pair of paddlers, and awoke one morning to find an inch of snow covering our gear.

A few years before that during the same week of the year, we actually swam in the river to cool off from the oppressive heat.

A Manufactured Wilderness For thousands of years, Webster Lake, at the northwest corner of

Baxter State Park (see page 50 of DeLorme’s Atlas), was nothing more than a quiet headwater pond in the drainage that fed what we now know as the East Branch of the Penobscot River. A few small brooks and underground springs were its only contributories. Its outlet stream ran east toward Matagamon Lake and eventually into the Penobscot.

This quiet existence all changed in 1841, when lumbermen dammed and flooded neighboring Telos and Chamberlain Lakes, raising their level more than ten feet, to the point that they overflowed into a canal that was dug between Telos and Webster Lake.

With the water came hundreds of thousands of logs cut from the virgin shores of Chamberlain, Telos, Eagle and Churchill lakes. These logs were bound for the many

sawmills that lined the banks of the Penobscot River in Bangor and other towns.

Along with the several dams and the canal, the Allagash headwaters in those days also boasted a railroad, a log tramway, steamships, steam-powered log haulers, huge logging camps and a large farm to supply food and silage to the camps.

This is the stuff wilderness was made of.

Lakes and Rivers The headwater lakes are quiet places again these days. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, established 50 years ago, designated the lakes and river as a 92-mile-long, skinny, wilderness area.

The dam at Telos Lake (Map 50) is the southern terminus of the waterway. But few people begin their trip here.

Instead, Chamberlain Bridge (Map 56, F-1) is the put-in spot for many

Allagash canoeists. Others choose to launch at spots farther downriver, making for shorter trips.

Purists decry this slow slide toward buffet-style snippets of wilderness snacking. They argue that the full-meal experience is necessary to entirely appreciate the meaning of a wilderness river.

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway was envisioned, in its purest form, as a 100 mile cross-section of Maine’s most remote lands. It would have one permitted entry point and one exit. In between, there would be no bridges, no motors and no signs of human habitation or industry.

This vision is still promoted by some groups – in the ongoing political machinations that inevitably accompany any wilderness designation.

The futility of that kind of extreme view is evident in a land where long-ago loggers, who did not care for God’s hydrologic choices, simply changed the direction of an entire watershed to meet their needs. The (Continued on next page)

s

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A beautiful view northward down the Allagash River.

The Allagash is a “compromise wilderness,” in which sportsmen travel through thousands of acres of working forest. www.MaineSportsman.com

38 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Self-Propelled (Continued from page 37)

modern-day ancestors of those loggers from the 1800s – and their corporate assignee landowners – have limited patience with extreme wilderness advocacy. And for local folks, the river is a part of their backyard playground, suitable and appropriate for day trips or weekend excursions.

Perfect Trip for Month of May The perfect May trip starts at Umsaskis Bridge (Map 61, E-5).

The bridge at Umsaskis

Smilin’

Thoroughfare is not an imposing structure.

Viewed from an approaching pickup traveling on the American Realty Road, it could be any one of a dozen bridges drivers cross on the long trip from Ashland or Allagash Village But for wise canoeists, this unassuming bridge marks the ideal beginning for their early-spring Allagash adventure. At one time, the quintessential Allagash wilderness trip began in

faraway Greenville at the southern tip of Moosehead Lake. Modern trippers have less time, and arguably less tolerance, for extended periods of time away from modern conveniences.

With a few exceptions, the waterway from here to Allagash Village is a true river experience.

The May current keeps the river rapids interesting. The wildlife sightings are spectacular.

In addition, the canoeist can see the gradual tilt of the landscape toward the St. John River Valley. The horizon line, described by the tops of

the tall spruces that line the river bank, slowly falls away ahead of you under a vast northern sky.

Four or five days of unhurried paddling will carry you all the way to Allagash village. The stretch between Round Pond and Allagash Village (Map 62) lends itself to contemplation about our next trip down the river. It’s a big waterway here, wide and gradually curving in huge sweeping turns across miles of northern forest.

At this point, you should already be thinking about the big ques-

tion – how long before you can return to the now-familiar routine of breaking camp, loading the boats, then canoeing downstream along pristine shores, then unloading, setting up camp and repeating the next day?

The rhythm is intoxicating.

The single-time Allagash traveler could never understand that the river is a different place on every trip. It’s never the same river twice. And those who travel it by canoe are never the same persons afterward.

¶

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

A husband stayed home from work one day, and his wife spent the morning doing errands. When she returned, the husband said: “We must have a phone number that’s close to the number for the lighthouse.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“Well,” he responded, “All morning the phone’s been ringing. I pick up the receiver, and guys ask, “Is the coast clear?”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• At the annual town meeting, the head selectman rose to recognize the retiring road commissioner, with whom the town government had butted heads for decades.

“We think of him as our favorite son,” said the selectman, and the assembled crowd cheered mightily.

“Wait,” instructed the selectman, “let me finish the sentence!”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Did you hear the one about the Freeport entrepreneur who was accused of mail order fraud?

He advertised “Maps of the Desert of Maine” for sale. When the out-of-staters sent in their money, he sent them sheets of sandpaper.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Zeke was trying out a brand-new, experimental bass plug. He was pulling in and releasing fish like crazy.

However, his fishing partner, Luke, couldn’t help but notice that before Zeke put each fish back in the water, he poured a small amount of beer into the fish’s mouth.

“What are you doing that for?” Luke asked Zeke.

“Well,” replied Zeke, “each fish I’m releasing will go back and talk to the other fish, and it will describe this new lure to them. If the secret gets out, the fish won’t hit my lure any more. However, when the other fish get up close to the fish I’m releasing and smell the beer on its breath, they won’t believe anything it’s saying.”

www.MaineSportsman.com

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 39

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Migrating Trout and Perennial Pools

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All trout have that old “travelin’ bone.” By that I mean trout take every opportunity to leave wherever they may be in search of some place where they might feel more comfortable.

For instance, trout in a stream may find everything suitable, including water temperature, food availability and water depth. But the minute a sudden shower inundates the brook or stream, trout will migrate either upstream or downstream.

And perhaps after some time they will return to their previous haunts.

The same applies during periods of low water. Trout won’t just sit idle, finning in some tiny pool, if they have access to better, colder and deeper water.

This is also true of trout in lakes and ponds, particularly if those lakes or ponds are controlled by a dam. During periods of high water, trout take the opportunity to move downstream from the lake or, for those trout that are already in the stream below, they may migrate from the stream up over the dam and to the lake.

Knowing all this, it behooves trout hunters to track down places where trout may have escaped a pond and ventured downstream, only to be consigned to the one pool in the stream with decent water and oxygen. And there they will stay until either high water permits their escape, or a savvy angler catches them.

Perennial Pockets Some of these pools or, as I call them, “perennial pockets,” see an

annual influx of escapee trout from an upstream pond or lake. The beauty of such places is that they may be counted upon each spring to hold one or more trout.

In order to reap the bounty, an angler must be the first to hit the pool in spring. Sometimes the early bird does catch the worm.

One such place, on a small, rocky stream, has everything a trout could ask for. A small flume empties into the pool, adding oxygen to the water as evidenced by streams of air bubbles on either side of where it pours into the deeper water. Here, trout that left the pond upstream spend the winter and feel no compulsion to leave, at least until a major influx of water stimulates the urge to migrate.

This pool and brook normally contain only brook trout, some native and some stocked fish that travel upstream from their stocking point miles downstream. But in early May, like clockwork, I always manage to take a holdover brown trout. This happens year after year.

Another similar pool sees the best of both worlds. Brown trout from a fall-stocked pond upstream wind up here every year. And better yet, every once in a while brown trout that kept on going during their downstream trip leave the stream entirely to spend the winter in the estuarine area. The following spring, they migrate up the stream, only to take up residence in the same pool.

Places such as this

are worth a mint to trout lovers. For this reason, it pays to take a day and go on a road trip, seeking and trying every possible perennial pocket where trout from downstream or upstream may linger.

Once located, these spots can give action on an annual basis.

Keep in mind that a good pool will almost always hold trout if trout are otherwise present in the stream, but in this instance we are addressing trout that migrated here.

This may be in the form of brown trout holding in a pool on a stream that typically only holds brook trout. The opposite is also true.

Finally, some of these temporary trout refuges exist on streams where otherwise there are no trout. In other words, trout can escape from a pond and travel down a stream that normally does not hold trout.

These places are particularly valuable because, since everyone knows the stream should not hold trout, no one else will fish there. And if others hold you up to ridicule for fishing where there are no trout, just smile and shrug your shoulders.

So go for it. Diligence will almost certainly pay off. And after collecting enough of these special pools for at least a halfday’s fishing, I would suggest not telling anyone about them. After all, some things are best kept to ourselves.

Jump Factor Salmon are leapers.

In fact that’s what “salar” in “Salmo salar” means.

Brook trout do not jump,

This pool on a marginal brook trout stream holds brown trout that drop down from an upstream pond. During early May, the pool will yield one or two browns.

but on occasion will cartwheel on the surface.

Anadromous (searun) brook trout come close to clearing the water, but don’t quite make it. Brown trout jump, but only when water temperatures fall within a certain range.

Let’s now concentrate upon brown trout and their aerial habits – or lack thereof.

Early in the season, when water temperatures are as cold as they ever get, brown trout fight well but do not even attempt to venture near the surface. And as spring progresses and water gradually warms, brown trout begin to jump, perhaps once or twice during the process of being landed.

And then, on some warm day in May, something amazing happens.

It is then that brown trout imitate salmon in that they spend nearly as much time out of the water as in it during the course of the battle. This magical window in time lasts only a short while, so once it begins it behooves anglers to get out and go brown trout fishing.

And when brown trout are “on the jump,” the difference between a

brown trout fight and a salmon fight is negligible. And this special time occurs mostly in May. It would seem logical that the same would occur in early fall as temperatures cool. But if that is so, I haven’t witnessed it.

So no matter your preference, be it brown trout in lakes and ponds or brown trout in streams, the month of May offers us the best of the best regarding the remarkable fighting opportunities of brown trout.

Little Streams The period from midMay through month’s end is prime time for taking brook trout from brooks and small streams. Once warming water temperatures spur their metabolism, our native brookies throw all caution to the winds and bite like mad on almost anything. It is at this time that the best and most productive days of the season occur.

This is when many of us cut our teeth on trout fishing. And so if the opportunity presents itself, why not go out and have a nostalgic trip to some long-forgotten trout stream?

After all, May comes only once a year.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

40 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Counterbalanced Oars – Bill’s Latest Project While taking part in a Tom Ames fishing seminar nearly a decade ago, I cajoled Bob Mallard into letting me row his drift boat. His Hyde drift boat floated effortlessly down the mighty Kennebec that day as I took a turn at playing captain.

With a stroke here and a push there, I quickly caught on to keeping the boat pointed at fishy looking water. It took little physical exertion to maintain control and rule the river. Visions of stroking my own boat filled my

Using modern Computer-Aided Design technology and a CNC router, the author constructed two drift boat oars with lead birdshot encased in the handles. Now the handles of the long oars can be pushed down easily, lifting the blades free of the water and allowing an oarsman to row all day without undue exertion. thoughts.

After wearing out my welcome in Mallard’s boat (okay, so maybe things didn’t go as smooth as I thought), I climbed into William Clunie’s Aire raft that sported a row-

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ing frame outfitted with seats. I pushed down on the oars to make my first stroke and noticed something radically different.

Before we took off from that shady spot along the bank, I told William to try Mallard’s rig and see what he thought.

Sure enough, William quickly realized how easy Mallard’s oars pushed down compared to his.

So we consulted with Mallard, the master of all fly-fishing related gear.

Mallard, being a “gear-head” when it

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comes to anything fishing, quickly explained how his oars were “counterbalanced,” meaning they had lead weight added to the handles. The extra weight in the handles, while making the overall oar much heavier, utilizes that weight to help the oarsman when pushing down on the oars to raise the outboard end of the oars out of the water. It makes a huge difference after a day of rowing.

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sic wood construction. Clunie had vinyl coated aluminum oars by Carlisle.

Fortunately NRS sells a set of weights that clamp around the NRS shaft up next to the handles. The cast iron weight adds an amazing eight pounds to each oar.

After weighing the difference between standard issue oars and a set of “counterbalanced” oars, Clunie ordered a set of weights for his Aire fishing raft. I’m thankful he did, because some years later I purchased the raft and oars from my good friend.

Armed with the knowledge that weight located inboard of the oarlocks would help keep me on the river longer, I set out to build myself a set of counterbalanced oars for my recently completed wooden drift boat, affectionately called the East Coast Drifter.

Many oar makers use spruce, keeping the oars light. Because my master plan included adding a bunch of lead inside the oars anyway, I chose ash, partially for atheistic reasons but mainly due to strength. Ash, ac(Continued on next page)

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cording to the Wood Bible, has good strength, a high hardness rating and excellent durability. Sign me up.

Modern Techniques Most oars require a long wood lathe to get the shaft shaped. Here’s where I deviated from tradition. I routed the oars in two halves on my CNC router. At just nine feet long, they fit perfectly on the 10-foot bed of the computer controlled router. This machine allows for three dimensional profiling which we drew up in a CAD (computer-aided design) program.

Essentially, it took about 40 minutes to cut out each side. Putting the two sides together gave me a completed oar. The beauty of the plan to profile the oars in two halves came next.

By flipping the oars over to the flat side I was able to rout a half round into the upper part of the oar, from about where the oarlock would meet to the tip of the handle. Each oar received six pounds of lead bird shot.

After filling the plowed groove with lead, I poured West System Epoxy over the lead shot to solidify it a bit before gluing the two halves together. A few Monday morning quarterbacks questioned why I didn’t pour hot lead into the groove. Honestly, I was afraid molten led would burn the ash. I would however, use a finer shot than the number 6 shot were I to do it again.

Next came accumulating a lot of clamps to glue the two halves together. Once again, I utilized West System Epoxy, but this time with a strip of carbon fiber cloth sandwiched between the two halves. This added insane strength, a nice black pin strip along the edge, and virtually no additional weight.

After patiently waiting for the epoxy to dry

This photo shows the two halves of the oar, now filled with six-pounds of lead and epoxy in the handle end of the shaft, before laminating the two sides together. Bill Sheldon photo

overnight, I completed the final sanding. Here’s where the beauty of the ash really starts to surface. The accuracy of the CNC made the sanding time fairly minimal.

Rope Wrapping The decision to wrap the oars in rope where they slide through the oarlocks required me doing a bit of surfing the net to unlock the secret to doing a nice job. The rope offers the wood shaft part of the oar protection from the oar locks, along with the option to replace the

It took 80 feet of rope to successfully rope-wrap each oar. Note the oarright to the left of the oar. Steady pressure and an extra set of hands facilitated this process. Bill Sheldon photo

rope as needed.

Some rowers prefer using leather sleeves, while others like the corrugated feeling of the rope. It boils down to personal preference.

Professional oar makers spool the rope on while the oar spins in a lathe. Lacking a ninefoot lathe, I borrowed two lathe steady rests and applied the rope while spinning the oar by hand. It took an amazing 80-foot of 3/16” rope to cover 18 inches of shaft.

After multiple coats

The finished oars before applying the oar-rights. Bill Sheldon photo

of spar urethane, the oars needed just one last accessory – oar rights. Oar rights keep the power face of the oar perpendicular to the water and also serve as the stop – regulating how far outboard the oar can slide. Some oarsmen prefer just an oar stop so they can utilize a technique called feathering.

I prefer my oars stay perpendicular all the time and if I need to feather I just pull the oar in from the oarlock so I can turn the blade parallel to the

water.

For dimensions, I copied a set of nine-foot oars, non-counterbalanced, that I had purchased used, at a great price, to get me on the water until I had time to make the counterbalanced set.

Later this month I hope to introduce these two new oars to various sections of the Penobscot River, and I’m banking on a little extra lead keeping me on the water from sun-up to sun-down.

¶

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42 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Use Big Game Hunting Techniques to Catch More Fish I felt sorry for the fly fishing client in the front of my 13-foot Aire Raft. Virginia angler Ron Apter came up to fish on the Androscoggin River for smallmouth bass every year, but this year proved to be different.

I gently rowed the inflatable craft down the lazy river that morning.

An hour passed without a single strike.

A retired doctor, Apter had become used to catching trophy-sized smallmouth bass from this section of the big river year after year. For some unknown reason, this time the big bass failed to show themselves, but Apter persist-

The author equates fishing with hunting – in both pursuits, the sportsman or sportswomen should dress in colors of their surroundings, be as quiet as possible, and not disturb the habitat while sneaking up on their prey. In other words, learn to stalk fish with the stealth of a Ninja. ed.

At one point, I noticed that my client stopped to take a break in his determined casting so I said, “I’m sorry about the lack of hits today Ron. I don’t know what has happened to the fish.”

His reply took me by surprise.

He said, “What? Oh – I’m not worried about the lack of fish. I’m just having a wonderful time fish-

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ing for them. To me, it’s all about the hunt – looking for just the right spot to lay my fly down. I love it! I’m a hunter when I’m not fishing, but it’s really the same thing.”

Up until that time, I had never thought of fishing and hunting as being similar pursuits. The retired doctor taught me plenty, and this “hunting for fish” principle of his has helped me immensely over the years.

Stalking Fish Deer hunters can relate to this “hunting for fish” idea, even if they’ve

It’s Great

never been fly fishing before. Someone who has hunted spooky whitetails knows all about limiting noise by walking softly, and moving slowly to avoid visual disturbance.

White-tailed deer hunting takes the ultimate stealth, requiring a huge helping of patience and persistence.

I’ve attempted to perfect my deer stalking in the woods, and have tried to do the same in the water. Over the years I’ve become pretty sneaky and quiet, sometimes getting close to both deer and trophy fish while

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they remained unaware of my presence.

Some fish, like members of the bass family, have a strong predatory instinct that drives them to attack noises on the water’s surface. The hungry fish probably think the noise is another easy meal like a frog or mouse struggling in the water.

Big brown trout and rainbow trout will occasionally attack frog and mouse imitations that cause a commotion on the water’s surface. However, the majority of salmonids spook from this kind of disruption in the water.

Most fish species will spook and run from any splashing on the surface, especially when it’s made by a large dude in waders. Trout and salmon will often strike at a teeny fly that disrupts the (Continued on next page)

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â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Maine Sportsman â&#x20AC;˘ May 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 43 (Continued from page 42)

surface, such as when an angler moves a fly to imitate some kind of insect struggling in the meniscus. The surface tension, or meniscus, creates a kind of trap that temporarily catches bugs that try to leave the water and fly.

Fish Sense When I put the stalk on fish, from a boat or while wading, I sneak along just like I might be approaching a trophy white-tailed deer. I keep things as silent as possible, slowly moving in the water to minimize any disruption of the water.

A fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acute vision catches many anglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movements, causing them to swim away in alarm. Such movement could mean that an eagles or an osprey is swooping down, and either experience or instinct tell the fish they could be prey for these big fish-eating birds.

Most fish also have a sensitive lateral line on their body that helps them â&#x20AC;&#x153;feelâ&#x20AC;? movement in the water. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if fish biologists completely understand this concept â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I certainly donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it might explain why some game fish seem to shut down, or quit feeding, during times of excessive disturbance in the water.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve often watched a group of feeding fish stop eating at the disturbance created by me hooking one of their buddies. Try as I might to keep it quiet, the feeding fish still know something is amiss,

and they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take another fly until things settle down.

I consider this lateral line theory to be the way a fish â&#x20AC;&#x153;hearsâ&#x20AC;? things in the water. This might be the reason they spook so easily when oblivious anglers bang things around in aluminum boats, or disrupt the surface of the water by flailing around with excessive false casting.

Helpful Equipment Too much gear can be a hindrance to stealthy stalking, making the angler top-heavy and clumsy. Cut down on as much unneeded gear as possible, carrying only the most necessary items.

This seems like an easy thing to do, but can be the most difficult part of learning to stealthily stalk game fish, Ninja-like.

That being said, some gear helps an angler move through a stream or the shallows of a pond more efficiently and with much less noise and movement.

I like to use a wading staff, not just for the safety it provides by keeping me upright, but for the balance assistance it gives me to help maintain a stealthy approach to areas where fish might be hanging out. Losing your balance and flopping in the water is not only unsafe and embarrassing, but it also scares the heck out of most fish.

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Virginia angler Dr. Ron Apter shows off a hefty smallmouth bass he pulled from the Androscoggin River. Photo by William Clunie

gler avoid tripping over big rocks, stepping into deep holes, or getting caught up in submerged debris.

I also try to wear muted clothing that matches the colors of the woods around me. I know some anglers go for the fashionable, brightly-decorated clothing advertised

in fishing catalogs, but I prefer to go with the less stylish, opting instead for clothing that fits in better with my surroundings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same way a deer hunter tries to blend in with the woods.

I also limit my false casting and stay as low as possible to avoid having a wary fish catch a view of

my rotund profile. Other anglers will know they have found this author on their water when they see a camo-clad fellow creeping around a likely-looking fishing holeâ&#x20AC;Śitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only me, the Freshwater Fly Fisher, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I release 99-percent of my catch anyway.

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May Brings Sizzling Action on Togue, Salmon and Brookies Moosehead Lake offers great fishing this time of year. The author reveals that salmon and togue congregate where Moose River enters the big lake.

If trolling action slows, try jigging deep for cusk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tom says the fillets taste like fresh flounder.

Moose River flows into Moosehead Lake at Rockwood and there, just off the river mouth, salmon and togue congregate in May. And while anglers can find productive fishing at most any time of day, daybreak marks the very best time to hit this famed hotspot.

Driving past and looking out into the lake, visitors are met with a curious sight â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dozens of

boats going around and around in this one small bay. But by noontime, most of these early-morning adventurers have packed up, gone home and gotten on with their dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business. And that leaves late-arriving folks with lots of water to fish in, and not a lot of competition.

Moosehead Tips Real hot fishing ac-

tion begins just after iceout and lasts through May and well into June.

That means that early on, topwater trolling with streamer flies takes salmon. Even so, a sinking fly line is a necessity, since floating lines allow the streamer to ride on the surface. This is especially so during times when winds churn the water to a froth and whitecaps fan out to the horizon.

Trollers who favor streamers might want to begin with tandem, rather than single-hook flies, since streamers represent smelt, and smelt now are all full-sized adults.

Old-time favorites such as Colonel Bates, Supervisor, Nine-Three, Black Ghost and Gray Ghost all take fish now.

After the passage of two or three weeks of open water, fish begin going a bit deeper (although during a salmon chop, fish still take streamer flies near the surface), and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when lead-core line and downriggers come into their own. Even so, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not usually necessary

to go terribly deep â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just a bit deeper than a sinking fly line can reach.

A fish locator can prove invaluable in finding just the right depth.

Otherwise, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a kind of poke-and-hope situation, trying to recall just how much line was out when that last fish struck.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how we all did it in the pre-fish locator days but now, with these inexpensive electronic devices, we can save much time and effort, time that can better be spent trolling directly in the strike zone.

Cusk Bonanza Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun and pro(Continued on next page)

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ductive way to spend time on the water at Moosehead during midday when fishing for salmonids ebbs – try cusk fishing. According to Bob Lawrence of Lawrence’s Lakeside Camps in Rockwood, a group of anglers from Canada make an annual trek to Moosehead for the sole purpose of catching as many cusk as they can.

While trollers probably won’t take cusk, those who bounce bottom with bait and jigs do well.

Cusk, like all the other fish in the lake, congregate off of river mouths just after ice out, and for those who favor these freshwater members of the cod family, Rockwood offers the best possible fishing anywhere at any time.

The accepted way to fish for cusk, according to the folks at Lawrence’s, is to use medium-weight

baitcasting tackle. This means a reel with a sturdy star drag and at least 8-pound test or heavier line. Cusk aren’t line-sensitive, and the possibility of latching on to a lunker always exists. Also, togue sometimes bite on cusk jigs.

So to get in on the fun, rig your outfit with a medium-size Swedish Pimple jig and tip one of the hook points with a bit of smelt or shiner. Then let the jig down to bottom and slowly work it up and down. If cusk are present, they should bite almost immediately. Also, I’ve heard tales of huge togue taking these baited jigs

and running off with all the line. This may sound somewhat fanciful, but I believe it.

Anyway, if you are equipped for cusk, it’s easy to make the transition from trolling for salmon and togue and get right on with cusk fishing once action on the more glamorous species slows down. And for those who love eating fish, cusk have sweet, white flesh, reminiscent (at least in my mind) of fresh flounder. It would be hard to buy fish of this quality, but for those fishing Moosehead Lake in May, it just naturally comes (Continued on page 47)

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Trappings Best Management Practices – Part 2 As discussed in last months “The Silent Places,” trapping’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) reflect scientific research and professional experience based on currently-available traps and trapping technology.

The BMPs identify both techniques and traps, focusing on the welfare of trapped animals. The practices are designed to improve chances for the animals’ efficient, selective, safe and practical capture.

Further, those practices will continually evolve as future traps and trapping methods are developed.

Unfortunately, most members of the general public are not knowledgeable about what a foothold trap is or how they actually work, and the same is true for other types of traps.

Activist Animal Rights Groups Some animal rights organizations want to discredit the use of any trap. Those groups want the public to think trapping is very inhumane.

(They also want the world to view fishing as inhumane, as well as raising animals for food.)

Certain activists have staged inhumane trapping events/scenarios to benefit their causes.

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In the highly-regulated world of trapping, biologists and trappers are on a constant search for equipment and methods that maximize selectivity, practicality and safety.

Excessive Regulations to Pacify Loud Minority?

At the same time, due to various other special interest groups worldwide, trapping has become highly regulated.

Many of these regulations and restrictions are unnecessary; they are designed primarily to quell the voices of a loud minority.

Over the years, trapping equipment has improved, benefiting both the trapper and the species taken. At the same time, capture techniques have also developed, aiding researchers of the natural world, which has the impact of benefiting us all.

Trapping is undoubtedly the most highly regulated of the out-of-door activities. Anyone who traps must follow very strict rules established and enforced by state fish and wildlife agencies.

State regulations are then over-layered by the federal government and its additional restrictions and regulations.

So Many Restrictions Restrictions on what animal may be harvested, harvest seasons, trap sizes and types, trapping methods, and what geographical areas are open to trapping are but a few examples of the guidelines and regulations

that the various regulatory agencies review, implement, and enforce.

No two states have the same regulations and restrictions; even within an individual state, different areas are subject to different rules.

As we have previously addressed, the wildlife professionals, trappers and trapper associations have worked hard to improve trapping. Most of the advancements used today have come from the efforts of the trappers themselves.

Wildlife agencies have a long history of regulating trapping to ensure that the traps and trapping systems being used are the best available. State agencies continue to take a leading role by establishing practical and effective plans for the improvement of trapping systems in order to maintain trapping as a valuable wildlife management practice. The Best Management Practices framework provides a structure and criteria for identifying and documenting trapping methods and equipment that will continue to improve trapping.

Establishing Best Practices The trapping BMPs have served to complement and enhance trapper education programs

across North America.

Today it is recommended that all trappers participate in a trapper education course. Such courses are required for new trappers and for those who have not trapped for a specified number of years.

The BMPs provide additional technical and practical information to help trappers and managers identify and select the best traps available for a given species, and provide an overview of methods for proper use.

While developing the trapping BMPs, thresholds were established by the Furbearer Conservation Technical Work Group for trap performance criteria. These thresholds were derived from reference standards annexed to the 1997 understanding reached between the United States and the European Community, with input from wildlife biologists and wildlife veterinarians involved in the effort.

These thresholds will help countries adopt the most humane traps and trapping methods.

Evaluating Animal Trauma In developing the thresholds, researchers assessed animal injuries.

In last month’s article, we discussed animal welfare and the evaluation

of any injuries based on trauma scale criteria in accordance with guidelines presented in the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Document 10990-5.

As part of the BMP development process, the following criteria also must be addressed for evaluating the traps, starting with the efficiency of traps.

A trap must meet the BMP criteria to be able to capture and hold at least 60% of the primary species of interest that have either activated (sprung) a foothold trap or caused the cable loop to close on a cable device.

The number of primary species captured multiplied by the number of activations by primary species, equals “efficiency.”

Selectivity and Practicality Next, to be addressed is the selectivity of the traps.

Ideally, traps would be set and used in a fashion that limits the risk of capturing non-furbearers, including domestic animals, while increasing the chances of capturing the desired species.

Data concerning selectivity is collected in field studies and used to identify those traps that have features that influence selectivity. These features are located in the BMP’s “Mechanical Description and Attributes” section for each designated trap.

(Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 47 (Continued from page 46)

Next, we have the traps practicality. Traps should be practical for use in the field under actual conditions.

After the traps test, participants are asked to provide information regarding it practicality.

In addition, a panel of experienced trappers and wildlife biologists evaluate each trap and considered the following factors:

• Cost of initial purchase and maintenance • Replacement of parts, ease in setting and resetting • Ease of transport and storage • Weight and dimensions • Reliability • Versatility • Expected usable life span • Need for specialized training prior to use

Moosehead (Continued from page 45)

with the territory.

Look for the mouth of Moose River coming into Moosehead Lake on the DeLorme Atlas, Map 40, A-5.

River Fishing Those who favor flowing water over flat water have lots of choices in the Moosehead region in May. The East Outlet of the Kennebec River, one of the more popular spots, sees lots of visitors on any day in May. Salmon are the prime attraction here, while brook trout rank a close second.

A spacious parking area along Route 15 easily accommodates all visitors. Bear in mind that East Outlet is regulated under a flies-only law, and the daily bag limit on salmon, trout and togue is one fish, with a

Any special considerations are located in the BMP’s Mechanical Description and Attributes Section each designated trap.

Final Factor: Safety Finally yet importantly, we have any safety issues that may be associated with the trap’s use.

Traps should not present a significant risk to the user, and if necessary, should have appropriate

14-inch minimum length limit on all three species.

Next, The West Outlet of the Kennebec, a few miles up the road from East Outlet, has a dedicated following, not necessarily of fly-fishers, but rather the general angling public. Here, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) stocks catchable-size brook trout throughout the season. This makes a perfect spot to try for those without a lot of time, since it’s only a short walk from the parking area down to the river.

In addition to brook trout, DIF&W releases landlocked salmon in West Outlet.

Last year’s stocking of 500, 8-inch salmon was typical regarding size and numbers.

This relatively young program has paid off, too, with people taking 16- to 17-inch salmon with some degree of regularity.

While the limit on brook trout at West

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ Smallmouth Bass The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a freshwater member of the sunfish family. The smallmouth differs from the largemouth bass in that its upper jaw of does not extend beyond the back of the eye.

Smallmouth go by many other names, including smallie, bronzeback, brownie, black bass, brown bass, and bareback bass.

Originally native to the Mississippi River, Saint Lawrence River, Great Lakes, and Hudson Bay, smallmouth can now be found inhabiting lakes, streams and rivers across Canada and the United States as the result of stocking.

Smallmouth bass commonly live 5-7 years, with a few specimens reaching nearly 20 years of age. Older adult smallmouth

safety features, safety tools, or a combination of the two that can be used while on the trap line.

Each trapper testing traps for the BMP project is asked to judge whether tested traps posed an unreasonable risk to the user or others who might be exposed to the trap.

A panel of experienced trappers and wildlife biologists then evaluated each trap. Any safe-

ty issues found are also listed in the “Mechanical Description and Attributes” section for each BMP- designated trap.

As you can see there has been a lot of effort put into “modern trapping” to make it more humane for the animals captured and to establish guidelines for equipment the trapper should use to meet this end.

¶

Outlet is two fish per day, all salmon caught must be immediately released alive. General law regulations apply here, so lures, flies and natural baits are all legal for use.

When fishing West Outlet, I use artificial lures exclusively, since trout bite so well on them. My favorites include Trout Magnets and the various kinds of spinners.

Try Mepps spinners if the water is a bit high, since these are fairly heavy and sink well. Some people take fish here on casting spoons and the old, familiar red-and-white Dardevle continues to produce. Also bring a few Al’s Goldfish, since these take trout under most all conditions.

Look for East Outlet and West Outlet on Map 41, B-1. And may you have a fish-filled time in the Moosehead Lake region this May.

¶

by Steve Vose

bass can reach lengths up to 27 inches and weigh 10 pounds, but in Maine, only a few smallmouths ever exceed 5 pounds. Full-size male smallies weigh around two pounds, while females tend to be larger, reaching three or four pounds.

The Maine state record smallmouth bass weighed 8 pounds. It was caught in Thompson Lake by George Dyer in 1970. The current world record for a smallmouth bass is 11 lbs., 15 oz.

When water temperatures warm to the mid-50s, smallmouths begin move into the shallow flats to spawn. Spawning occurs in water 3-15 feet deep, in small diameter gravel nests that border underwater stumps, boulders and vegetation. The female can lay up to 20,000 eggs, which are guarded by the

Questions 1. What is the difference between a smallmouth and largemouth bass?

2. What was the original native range of the smallmouth bass?

3. How long does a smallmouth bass typically live?

4. How big was the largest smallmouth bass caught in Maine?

5.

6.

7.

8.

male until they hatch.

Voracious eaters, smallmouth bass prey upon almost anything they can fit in their mouths. They’ve even been observed eating frogs, mice and birds. Their tenacity makes smallmouth bass one of the most popular game species, regarded for its size by many anglers as, “the gamest fish that swims. “

¶

What is the weight of the world record smallmouth bass?

When do smallmouth bass spawn?

How many eggs can a female smallmouth bass lay?

What large prey species have smallmouth bass been seen feeding upon?

Answers on Page 57 www.MaineSportsman.com

48 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Fish Stocking Planes Catch Bill’s Eye This past fall, while bird hunting just south of the hamlet of Jackman, my eyes and ears caught the steady drone of small aircraft taking off and landing just north of one of my favorite bird covers.

The rhythmic beat off in the distance seemed odd. I’m somewhat familiar with small planes, and they always seem to catch my attention. On this day, my curiosity got the best of me, so come lunchtime I headed into town looking for a sandwich and some answers.

My interest in small planes goes back to the days when I invested in flying lessons for my son

Matt. Matt, only 14 at the time, managed to get his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license.

I laugh now thinking about all those days I had to drive him to the airport for lessons and then watch him take off in a Cessna 170.

Mystery Solved After picking up a sandwich in town, I zeroed in on the steady plane action coming from the Moose River. Pulling into the Jackman Landing Campground, all the activity quickly made sense – the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) had five stocking trucks full

of brook trout, and three float planes giving them a lift to the various remote ponds throughout the region.

Each plane had a tank over each float that the pilot simply activated when he was ready to dump his load of live fish.

With a tank full of water and live fish over each float adding to the weight of the plane, the pilots flew solo to stay under the maximum poundage allowed for safe flight.

To say the least, it was a well-oiled operation. A stocking truck backed up to the river, and DIF&W personnel put the traveling fish in buckets and loaded up

A truck load of brook trout getting a lift to the various remote waters that define the Jackman Region fishery.

It’s a long journey from hatchery to pristine waters. Bill Sheldon photo

the specially-mounted tanks located over each float. The pilot gave the all clear, motored out the Moose River and took off from Big Wood Pond. The three planes worked in unison throughout the

morning and well into the afternoon.

Most anglers in the Jackman Region pay close attention to local stocking, and the DIF&W (www.maine.gov/ifw) (Continued on next page)

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now has up-to-date information on the where and when of those activities.

Of course, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the spring stocking that gathers all the limelight. After witnessing the magnitude of the fall stocking, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m double-pumped to wet a line in the Switzerland of Maine.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to overlook the fact that the DIF&W works year-round to balance the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishery.

And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; holdover fish put a little extra bend in the rod, a good thing on any water.

By the middle of this month, serious anglers chase both native and stocked fish across the region. Some of the early insect hatches attract the attention of fly fishermen convinced the only way to

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(Continued on next page)

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FISHING & HUNTING

an indicator. If one fly starts putting a bend in my rod I simply drop the unproductive fly and get to work.

Many guides I know now often set their clients up with two flies.

Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the rig I described earlier; other times itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a streamer with a dropper nymph trailing behind. They feel it â&#x20AC;&#x153;dou-

I simply pulled all my dry flies out of my fishing vest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; forcing me to use only nymphs. A couple of seasons â&#x20AC;&#x153;down underâ&#x20AC;? dramatically improved my nymph fishing skills.

These days Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken a liking to tying on a dry fly followed by 18â&#x20AC;? of tippet dragging a nymph along. It works well as a searching pattern, and the dry fly also serves as

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50 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Young Maine Sportswoman with Alyssa Sansoucy

183 State Street Suite 101 Augusta, ME 04330

Early Morning is the Best Time Home Away to Get from Your Home Turkey Our young sportswoman takes her readers through the steps that make for a successful opening day of spring wild turkey season – prepare your equipment, roost the birds the night before, and get in place well before the sun rises.

Spring turkey hunting is the first major hunting season of the year.

Lots of hunters find the spring hunt easier than the fall hunt, because the birds are more vocal and will come to a call.

Personally, I like either season, because you get to go out in the woods and enjoy the sport of the hunt and the outdoors.

Take These Steps to Prepare A couple of weeks before opening day, all turkey lovers are getting their shotguns ready and sighted in.

A week or so before, some people like to go scouting around and figure out where some turkeys are and figure out their patterns of where

they like to roost.

The night before opening day is especially important in roosting turkeys so you have a general idea of where you can go in the morning.

If you get the chance you can even set your blind up beforehand so the birds aren’t spooked the morning of the hunt.

That morning you need to be very quiet and get out there well before sunrise.

Using Decoys and Calls About 30 minutes before the sun makes an appearance, the turkeys wake up and start making noise. Toms are the only ones who gobble – the hens make small chirps.

Once the turkeys are on the ground, if they are

Jackman Region (Continued from page 49)

bles” their sports chances of getting on the bite.

Trout Waters The Jackman Region has plenty of hidden “honey holes” nestled among the mountains. For those staying in town, a quick trip north to Crocker Pond (DeLorme Atlas MAP 39, A-3) puts anglers on remote water solidly stocked with brook trout.

It’s an easy run three miles north on Route 201 and then west on the Demo Road for about four miles. A place to park and a serviceable gravel boat ramp make Crocker Pond ideal for small manually-powered fishing craft. The “car topper” crowd fits in well here.

The pond has a gravel bottom with ledge www.MaineSportsman.com

not in sight it may be hard to tell exactly where they are. But if you planned ahead and roosted them the night before, they should fly down within sight and may be even in shooting range.

Decoys can help attract the birds to the hunter. Calls are also effective.

There are many types of different calls, including the box call, slate call, electronic call and diaphragm call.

I like using a box and electronic call over the others, because I find that those work best.

The Hunt, and the Payoff An early morning hunt is the best time to get the turkeys to vocalize as well as find where they are. Once the day

Alyssa’s successful Youth Day 2016

gets warmer and the sun starts to come out, turkeys tend to stay in the woods rather than in the fields.

My favorite part about turkey hunting is interacting with the birds and listening to the different sounds they all make.

Depending on the number of turkeys, it is sometimes very hard to tell how many there are until they are on the ground. They are so loud and call so quickly,

along much of the shoreline. I’ve had my best luck fishing the northern shoreline.

A small tributary feeds Crocker near the center of the northern shoreline, and brook trout congregate there. This pristine pond has a dependable evening hatch every dryfly angler should experience.

Another remote gem, 192-acre Demo Pond (Map 40, B-3), offers fly anglers a perfect small pond speckled with the subtle rings of rising square tails. The brook trout, while small, provide anglers with a perfect place to practice casting to brookies sipping bugs off the surface.

Often, if the trout tend to roll, as opposed to kissing the surface, a wet fly fished just below the waterline offers anglers a better chance at the elusive hook-up.

My dear friend Bernie Derjue, now in his mid-eighties, always preached the merits of fishing wet flies. Of course, more than

Our young Maine sportswoman’s careful preparation also paid off with a second bird on Opening Day 2016.

it sometimes sounds like more than what is there.

You can’t do much besides quietly sit there and call until they fly down, but when they do, you better be ready, because it can happen very fast. Or it could take hours if they go the wrong direction or if you have to stalk them.

Once the adrenaline kicks in, minutes can feel like hours watching turkeys. But if you are patient, your hard work will pay off.

¶

Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife personnel load brook trout into float planes for a trip to one of the many Jackman Region remote ponds. Bill Sheldon photo

once, I’ve fished a dry fly “wet,” although not always on purpose.

While I plead guilty to paying attention to which way stocking trucks travel, I can now add following stocking planes to my resume.

¶

—

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 51

Fins and Feathers Dominate Penobscot Bay Scene in May An exhilarating prospect that awaits sports during the month of May is the spring-turkey hunt. My recollections of last year’s hunt may clarify why I and thousands of Maine hunters feel the elation associated with hunting these crafty birds.

My nephew, Mark Lemieux of Hollis and I stopped intermittently along the dirt-covered road. We were hoping for a response to Mark’s turkey call. On our third stop, Mark got a reply from two jakes and a tom.

The birds wouldn’t come any closer than 50 yards from my concealed position. Just a little too far, I thought, even for my Remington 870 pump loaded with a 3 ½- inch shotgun shell. We quietly moved in a little closer to the birds.

Once in place, I adjusted my camouflage and sat quietly looking into a thick hardwood ridge. Mark positioned himself about 10 yards behind me in some dense evergreen growth.

He clucked and purred several times before the turkeys answered. The three birds continued to strut and gobble back as they moved closer to my concealed position.

Finally, I discerned the distinctive red, white and blue iridescent head of a jake about 40 yards in front of me. Slowly, I raised my 870 Remington pump and waited patiently for the three birds to come into shooting range.

To my disbelief, two birds veered quickly off to my left and darted back into the woods.

Mark gave a few more high-pitched, excited

clucks and the lone gobbler responded. The turkey came strutting about 30 yards to my left and fanned out in plain view.

One shot of 2 3/8-ounce turkey load knocked the bird over; however, he quickly righted himself and flew across an opening to my right. One more shot from my Remington 12-gauge put the 18 1/2-pound gobbler down for keeps.

My first bird in Southern Maine was exciting; however, my second turkey in Orland was equally as thrilling.

Jim’s Second Turkey My friend and fellow Maine Master Guide, Joe Rego of Prospect, asked me if I would like to hunt with him on Saturday. I met Joe at his home in Prospect at 4:00 a.m. Soon after I loaded my hunting gear into his truck, he mentioned that he had scouted several areas in Bucksport that contained several trophy-sized turkeys.

Shortly after passing through the town of Orland, Joe pulled his truck onto a dirt road.

Within seconds of Joe’s first call, several turkeys responded.

We quickly pulled on our remaining camouflage clothing, grabbed a turkey decoy, shotgun shells and our Remington 870, 12 ga. shotguns and headed toward the birds.

The birds continued to gobble excitedly and quickly strutted the 150 yards that separated us.

Joe was sitting behind me when I saw him point downhill, signifying that the birds were headed my way.

I had taken a concealed position approx-

imately 20 yards from the crest of the blueberry field. From this vantage point I began to make out an image of a red head bobbing up the hill. When the bird came into full view, I carefully aimed my 870 Remington and squeezed the trigger.

The pellets from the 3 ½ inch shell dropped the 20.5-pound tom instantly.

For the second year in a row, Joe’s superior turkey-calling prowess helped me add another story to my hunting journal.

A very conservative estimate of Maine’s turkey population, according to Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W), shows that there are between 50,000 and 60,000 birds scattered over the state.

Hancock County offers prime turkey habitat from the coastal waters from Stonington to Bangor. Turkeys can be hunted from May 1 through June 3, 2017. Top-notch hunting areas to pursue a turkey lie within the boundaries of Wildlife Management District (WMD) 26, especially along Route 15, between Blue Hill and Orrington.

Biologist’s Prediction Many lakes and ponds in the Greater Penobscot Bay Area produce notable salmonid fishing each May. By checking DeLorme’s Atlas, area fishers find that Map 16 contains some of the most productive brook-trout fisheries in Hancock County. Excellent choices to catch a few trout or salmon this month are found among the amply-stocked waters on Mount Desert Island.

According to Region C biologist, Greg Burr,

Jim is looking to score on this trophy Downeast turkey in May.

“With this winter’s poor ice conditions on waters along the coast, there will again be more trout and salmon held over to the spring fishery. Waters such as Eagle Lake in Bar Harbor and Bubble Pond in Acadia National Park will have excess salmon and brook trout that will provide good fishing in April, May and June.”

A good place to start is 436-acre Eagle Lake in Bar Harbor, Map 16, B-3. Brook-trout anglers are often successful by fishing along the west shoreline. Other trout enthusiasts have good luck by trolling streamers or fishing smelts off the inlet streams running into the southeastern end of the lake.

A fall of stocking of 400 13-inch brook trout, 3,375 7-inch brook trout, 400 14-inch brook trout, 50 16-inch and 60 18inch brook trout should supplement an already healthy population of fish.

Brookies in the 12to 14-inch class are frequently caught by anglers; however, a few trophies exceeding 20 inches in length should excite anglers this spring.

Access is gained by parking vehicles at the boat landing off Route 233.

Check Maine’s Open-water Fishing Regulations before fishing this water.

More Brookies A second brook-trout water that should thrill anglers this month is Bubble Pond, Map 16, B-4. According to Biologist, Greg Burr, “Spring anglers should catch brookies from 9 to 15 inches in length.”

This 32-acre water was stocked last spring with 175 10-inch brook trout. The addition of 600 8-inch brook trout and 50 14-inch brookies released last fall plus fish stocked here this spring should provide plenty of action this month.

The maximum depth is 39 feet down the center of the pond; however, most spring anglers avoid fishing in the deep water because better success for brookies is often found within a few feet of the shoreline.

A canoe or kayak is an ideal choice to fish this pond.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

52 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Glorious May – A Time for Trolling Trolling for trout and salmon in Alford Lake; casting for crappies in Unity Pond’s Sandy Stream; and bringing home some wild, edible wintercress – it doesn’t get much better than this!

What a glorious month for anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts. May sees trout biting like mad in streams and rivers, and salmon and trout on the prowl in lakes and ponds.

While April allows me to finally get my fill of fishing, this mostly happens in the form of brook and stream fishing. By May, the burning desire to get out in the boat and do some trolling supersedes even my great love of brook fishing.

Trolling excites me for several reasons. First, not knowing when a strike will occur serves to kindle tension. And then when a fish strikes, the thrill is almost electric. After that, the first glimpse of a silvery salmon or flash of sunlight on the side of a golden brown trout further heightens the excitement. To my mind, you just can’t buy this kind of angling plea-

sure.

Alford Lake This year, in addition to hitting my favorite trout and salmon lakes, I have an invitation to fish Alford Lake with a veteran angler who knows that water inside and out. My reasons for not including Alford on my list of top Midcoast trout waters is that the trip from my Waldo home to Alford Lake in Hope is mostly downhill. It’s the trip back that always bothered me. Some of the hills and small mountains are exceedingly steep and I never wanted to put my vehicle to such a test. But now I lease a car and the car dealer tells me to go for it. And so I shall.

The second reason for not hitting Alford is that while use of the public boat launch site is free, parking isn’t. And there is no way around that.

But thinking about it

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clearly, it’s penny-wise and pound-foolish to begrudge a slight parking fee. Compared to the cost of keeping, maintaining and registering a boat, motor and trailer, parking fees are totally insignificant. Besides that, it’s comforting to know that my vehicle and trailer are under the watchful eye of the parking attendant.

My fishing buddy Alan Gallant tells me that the water in Alford Lake is so clear that in many areas, it is possible to see the deep bottom as clearly as if it were just a few feet away. But it is the fish that really draw my attention. Alford Lake contains brown trout, brook trout and landlocked salmon. Rarely do these three occur in the same water.

Alford Lake has a maximum depth of 78 feet and a total acreage of 542 acres. Small lakes such as this allow an angler to easily cover all the fishable water in one day.

All in all, Alford Lake has everything to recommend it. And hopefully, after this spring’s fishing, I’ll have lots more to report about Alford, as well as some photos of trout and maybe even salmon. See Alford Lake on the DeLorme Atlas, Map 14, C-2 and D-2.

Crappie Time While crappies are showing up in a number of new Midcoast waters, it takes time, patience

The author at Unity Pond with average-size crappie.

and not a little luck to find them. Which explains why my best luck on crappies comes at Unity Pond. Having fished Unity for many years, I’m perfectly familiar with most crappie hangouts and have a good knowledge of when to fish for them.

Depending upon whether or not spring arrives on schedule and water warms at a predictable rate, much of the best crappie fishing happens between midMay and mid-June. Some of the earliest fishing at Unity Pond does not occur in the pond itself, but in Sandy Stream, which exits the pond at its southwest end and is easily reachable by boat from the pond.

Here, the deep, slow-moving stream is lined with aquatic vegetation and overhanging brush. Crappies leave the

pond and file down into the stream in their annual spawning runs. The ticket to success here is to cast a panfish jig or bait to within an inch or two of this overhanging brush.

Fishing in the deeper water in the middle of the stream is a waste of time.

Fishing the stream has an added benefit.

When wind whips up on the pond, as it usually does by midmorning, the stream usually remains fishable. And even when a steady breeze makes it difficult to remain in one place for long, it’s easy enough to drop an anchor and continue fishing. I like to anchor somewhere near the stream’s center and cast to both sides.

While Unity Pond holds plenty of 10- to 12-inch crappies and some even larger, it also contains countless 6- to 8-inch individuals. And (Continued on page 54)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 53

Author Switches to Wire Trolling Line: “Lead is Dead” Compared to lead-core line, wire line cuts more easily, getting down deep with less line out. You’ll have to learn some new knot-tying techniques and perhaps purchase some new equipment, but Steve Vose’s success on togue has him saying he may never go back to lead core.

Last season, I started trolling togue with wire trolling line. Wire lining might not be the sportiest way to catch togue, but it is highly effective.

Given my extremely high degree of success with this product, I may never again return to using lead core line.

Tolling with wire line, such as AFW’s Monel trolling wire, allows anglers to get down deeper and faster, and without having to let out as much line compared to using fishing lead core. This is because wire line has a higher mass and lower diameter than lead core line.

This property of wire line allows it to sink more rapidly than lead core and to reach deeper trolling depths without the use of additional sinkers or down-rigging.

As a comparison, running 100 yards of

30 pound test Monel, at trolling speeds of less than 2 mph permits the angler to fish depths of almost 70 feet. The same length of lead core trolled at the same speed will sink only to a depth of about 50 feet.

Wire line also displaces a smaller volume of water than lead core, thereby creating less felt drag. This translates to less felt rod vibration, leading to decreased angler fatigue after a long day of trolling.

New Techniques; New Equipment Wire line does require anglers to learn a few new knots, and some fishermen may even need to purchase a new rod and reel. I prefer a medium fast rod that has the backbone to handle the heavy load of line, weight, spoons and lure but also still has some degree of

action at the tip for playing out caught fish.

Those who fish a lot will likely place a lot of stress on their equipment and wire line. To help combat these issues, be sure to check out the “Twili-tip.” This invention utilizes a small spring to guide the wire line through the rod tip, saving rod eye wear and reducing line kinking which can ultimately weaken the line.

I run my wire line through a mooching reel, but other choices are equally good as long as the spool isn’t made of plastic. Wire will eventually cut into plastic spools, rendering the reel useless.

Mooching reels work well, because an angler can slowly pay out line by cranking the reel handle.

Using a standard trolling (Continued on next page)

The author displays two large togue he caught on West Grand Lake using wire line.

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Washington County (Continued from page 53)

reel, an angler must slowly thumb the wire of the spool; otherwise it “bird nests.” Wire line is unforgiving, and hurrying it off your reel will have you cutting out the snags with pliers. Ultimately, however, even with these few challenges, the positives of using wire line are well worth the initial investment of time and money.

By carefully watching the depth finder and

spooling line in and out carefully and deliberately, anglers can hug the bottom and find where the lunkers hide. Don’t be afraid to snag bottom from time to time; just make sure the drag on your reel is set lightly. Wire doesn’t stretch, so catching bottom can quickly become problematic.

However, staying close to the bottom pays off. Last spring while

Midcoast Report

trolling for togue on Whitney cove on West Grand Lake (DeLorme’s Atlas Map 35, B-3, B-4), our largest togue were hooked seconds after our deep water trolling rigs bounced off bottom. It’s my guess that the disturbance of the substrate elicits togue to bite.

Big Bait; Big Fish When targeting big togue with deep wire lines, I prefer to use big bait. If you’re trolling you don’t need live bait. My favorite baits include sea run smelts, large golden shiners and suckers. S e a

run smelts caught during the winter while jigging out of the smelt fishing shacks on the Kennebec river can be bagged, frozen whole and used effectively as bait all summer long; same with large golden shiners left unused after ice fishing season.

Those looking for additional togue bait should consider checking out 42-acre Orie Lake in Talmage (Map 45, E-3); it’s a great spot to catch white suckers.

Catching suckers isn’t much different than

of a fish, it’s very easy to pop the fillets off as if they were low-hanging fruit. See Unity Pond on Map 22, D-1.

(Continued from page 52)

since eating crappies pleases me almost as much as catching them, I’m not above keeping enough of the smaller variety for a meal.

In fact, if everyone kept the small ones, the average size of remaining crappies in the pond would increase.

Also, while many people dislike cleaning small fish, I find it much easier to clean an 8-inch crappie than, say, a 12-inch or larger fish. With the smaller ones, my fillet knife easily lifts a slab from each side without too much wrangling. Larger fish often require re-setting the knife in order to get a perfectly shaped fillet.

I suggest that next time out you keep some small crappies and fillet them. You’ll see that as long as the length of the knife blade exceeds the depth (from top to bottom)

Wild Treats Besides being a bang-up month for fishing, May brings with it some tasty wild treats. Wintercress, Barbarea vulgaris, blooms sometime between mid- and late May. The shiny leaves, having no stem of their own, attach directly to the plant stem.

These have a tangy, cress-like flavor and add a nice highlight to salads. But the unopened flower buds are my favorite part of the plant.

Wintercress buds appear in clusters, and when they are picked before they open, they can be treated like broccoli. Just boil in a small amount of water until tender, drain and serve with butter, salt and pepper.

Wintercress grows along streams and in moist or wet ground. And even after the

catching smaller baitfish like minnows. The only difference is that the hole in the bait trap needs to be slightly enlarged, and white bread is used as the primary bait. Successful sucker fishermen know to target the mouths of inlets and outlets to maximize catches.

Also, since white suckers in Maine spawn – often in great numbers – in the shallow water of streams throughout April and May, they can sometimes be caught easily with a net.

¶

flower buds open, the sight of a brilliant-yellow stand of wintercress adds visual appeal to any fishing trip.

So if you would give this special plant a try, bring a canvas bag – or better yet, an ice-filled cooler – in order to keep the plant as fresh as possible.

It pleases me no end to come home with a trout or two and a bunch of fresh wintercress.

I rarely go afield for the express purpose of picking wintercress, but often enjoy adding it to whatever I might catch. It’s nice to become acquainted with the edible wild plants that live all around us. Learning about these plants adds immensely to our time in the outdoors. And in May, we have the best of everything. And that’s about all anyone could ask for.

¶

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 55

Skowhegan Turkey Population on the Rise The month of May signals the start of the spring wild turkey season, and eager hunters will be heading afield.

This exciting activity remains extremely popular in the Mid-Kennebec Valley Region (MKVR), and with good reason, as this area offers some of the densest turkey numbers found anywhere in Maine.

Monmouth (Delorme Atlas, Map 12, D-2) consistently ranks in the top five municipalities statewide for turkey harvest each year, while other local towns such as Vassalboro (Map 13, A-2), Sidney (Map 13, B-1) and several other area towns found on Delorme’s Maps 12 and 13 regularly crack the top 20.

Skowhegan (Map 21, C-2) has typically lagged behind many other MKVR towns in turkey numbers, but in recent years, this municipality has quietly climbed the ranks of turkey producers.

In fact, in 2015 (the most recent year for which harvest statistics are currently available), hunters registered more turkeys than in any other MKVR town, the only such time that’s happened in the last 10 years at least, and perhaps ever.

The 45 turkeys harvested there ranked Skowhegan in the top 10 statewide, another first.

Skowhegan boasts plenty of farmlands, including numerous active dairy operations, so it’s little wonder that

Forty-five wild turkeys were harvested in Skowhegan in the most recent season for which records are available, placing the municipality in the Top 10 statewide. the turkeys are thriving there. Better yet for turkey-hunting enthusiasts, the birds often make a nuisance of themselves in farm operations, so farmers typically welcome hunters with open arms.

And the most appreciative farm operators even supply hunters with up-to-date intelligence about the current habits of their local birds, a wealth of information that can often cut hours off scouting time for dedicated hunters (which is important when trying to take advantage of all else May has to offer!).

Routes 2, 104 and 201 all roll past excellent turkey-hunting locations, and the side roads off those major ways boast even better hunting.

The banks of the Kennebec River also attract a surprising number of turkeys, which is true up and down this large flowage. Look for the turkeys to feed on leftover acorns from last fall’s strong crop, although turkeys congregate along the river banks even in years with low acorn production.

As hunting pressure increase the turkeys’ wariness, wooded areas such as these river banks prove especially productive. Pressured toms often avoid open areas or stubbornly remain in the middle of large fields, away from edges where

hunters hide. But in the security of wooded areas, these same birds often prove much more at ease and susceptible to hunters who are calling.

Messalonskee Stream Messalonskee Stream starts as the outlet of Messalonskee Lake in Oakland (Map 21, E-1) and flows 10 miles through Oakland, Fairfield and Waterville, where it enters the Kennebec River.

Few anglers would list the stream on any “Top 10” list of where to go in the MKVR, but a strong brook trout stocking program in recent years has turned the flowage into a

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Historically, Messalonskee Stream produced a few trout or salmon each spring, either escapees from Messalonskee Lake or, closer to the Kennebec River, fish that ascended the stream from the river as water temperatures rose to desirable levels.

At some point, the state began stocking a few brookies directly into the stream each spring, to the delight of regular anglers.

In recent years, stocking has been expanded to where the stream receives some 2,000 to 2,200 8- to 10-

inch brookies spread over several different stocking sites. In 2016, for example, the stream received five separate stockings between Waterville and Oakland sites for a total of 2,050 trout during the spring months.

High water temperatures and low flows in the summer months severely limit trout survival, so the spring stocking is intended as a put-and-take fishery. For that reason, anglers need not feel (Continued on page 57)

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Foolhardiness and Courage on Brassua Lake’s Thin Ice I went through the ice so suddenly that I didn’t even see it. One second I was looking at Brassua’s far shore, and at the end of that second I was in the underwater universe.

The kayak I was pulling behind me became a lifeline that guided me back up; the thin paddling wetsuit kept me from going into immediate shock from the cold water.

Wayne, spread-eagled in the slush, poked the nose of his kayak out to me and pulled me up onto stronger ice. It was too cold to sit around and talk about it, so we trudged on across the lake.

Days of warm sun had loosened up the ice and turned the lake into a mottled plain of slush sprinkled with ever-widening holes of open wa-

Daylight was fading as we rounded the peninsula and saw the distant lights of Brassua dam. We both knew we wouldn’t make it. We were wet and cold, and we could not risk crossing Big Brassua’s melting ice in the dark. ter. Those same days loosened up winter’s grip on the spirits of everyone who lived along Moosehead’s shore. The winter of 1978 had been a tough one, and everyone was glad to feel the warm sun again.

“Quick Walk Along the Shore” Wayne had decided that morning that we needed to kayak down the Moose River to see if we could run commercial raft trips on it. Being young – which is to say, feeling immortal – we did not see anything untoward in just throwing

a couple of boats into the back of the truck, driving up to the Demo Pond Road, and putting in.

It was only a few miles down the river to Brassua, then a quick walk along the shore to the Jackman road where Brad would pick us up at around three o’clock.

It seems incredulous now, but we didn’t see the need for extra clothes, matches, compass or a map. What we didn’t know is that 1) Brassua is really two lakes – a big one, and really big one, divided by a peninsula; 2) the Jackman road is a

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long, uphill hike through three or four feet of soft spring snow; and 3) dying from the cold is just as easy to do at 35 degrees as it is at 20 below – it just depends on how well clothed and prepared you are.

No Hope of Getting to the Road The Moose River, from Demo down to Brassua, has a strong and clear current, but no real rapids. We came out onto the lake early in the afternoon and tried to get our bearings. There was no nearby road, the dam facility was not on the far shore and the ice was far worse then it looked that morning when we drove up.

It took us an hour to figure out that we were looking at a peninsula that divided the lake, not its east shore, and that we had no hope of hiking up to the Jackman road.

Our best chance, we decided, was to cross this section of the lake, round the peninsula, and then strike for the south-east shore and an old set of sporting camps. There were only a few hours of daylight left, and we were so poorly-prepared that we had to get off the ice by nightfall. A l t h o u g h I had gone through the ice shortly after we began the crossing, it was fairly

easy to pick a path. The open spots were small but obvious and loosely connected, and the weaker ice was darker and covered with deeper water and slush.

We tied our kayaks together end-to-end and used them as a belaying rope – if one of us went through, the other could anchor the boats while the swimmer pulled himself back onto strong ice.

Needing to Find Shelter It is near three miles across Little Brassua, and it took us most of the afternoon. We had to constantly backtrack or swerve to the left or right to avoid the more dangerous-looking ice.

Worse than that, the cold was draining us.

Quarter-inch wetsuits are designed to stave off hypothermia in water, not keep you warm on a cold spring day. The wetsuit boots were beginning to stick to the ice, and we had no gloves to keep our hands warm as we clutched the kayak ropes.

By the time the sun was setting over Long Pond Mountain, we had rounded the peninsula and could see the lights on Brassua dam in the distance, but we both knew we wouldn’t make it. We were not even half way to the dam, light was failing and we could not risk crossing Big Brassua’s ice in the dark.

We hoped to find an ice fishing shack or camp on the shore, so we continued down the ice look(Continued on next page)

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 57 (Continued from page 56)

ing for one.

The snow drifts and dry-ki made it impossible to walk along the shore, and the small brooks feeding into the lake created large openings of water that kept forcing us back out on the deep ice. The temperature had gone below freezing, and the wind was blowing even stronger now that we were out on the bigger lake.

Both of us were shivering so hard that it was a struggle to talk. We de-

cided to go into the shore, dig a hole in the snow, and huddle up with each other. If it didn’t get too cold, we would make it through the night, but it was going to be a long one.

Rescued, and Lessons Learned Brassua was loud in the wind that night.

New ice making and old ice shifting generates a lot more sound then you would think.

But underneath it all, softly counterpointing the lake’s rumbling and

Mid-Kennebec (Continued from page 55)

guilty about keeping some of their catch for a meal.

Several dams lie along Messalonskee’s course and provide the fast currents and riffle areas preferred by trout, so anglers concentrate their fishing in the quarter- to half-mile stretches below those dams.

The stream also offers fair bass angling, although low water levels during maintenance work on the dams expose the fish to high levels of predation, so the flowage doesn’t produce many large bass.

The one exception to this lies in the stretch below the last dam, which sits just upriver from the Abenaki Road in Waterville. As water temperatures rise in May, a variety of fish enter this section of the stream from the Kennebec River, including surprisingly large specimens.

Smallmouth bass in the 2- to 3-pound range, and both brown trout and salmon in the 14- to 18-inch class, occasionally larger, are possible on any trip to this section.

General law methods and limits govern fishing on Messalonskee Stream. For the brookies, worms account for most of the catches, although as hatches begin in ear-

crunching, was the sound of a snowmobile slowly working its way along the shore ice. Brad Scott, the guide who was to pick us up on the Jackman road, had guessed the trouble we were in, gone home to get his snowmobile and a couple of hand-held search lights, and went out on Brassua’s spring ice to find us.

Today I sometimes marvel at how stupid young people can be, until I remember how foolish I was as a young man.

We all have to learn the hard way how important

it is to pay attention in life.

What can’t be learned is courage when the night is dark and the ice is thin.

Courage when you’re all alone, with no one to cheer you on and no one to tell the story. Courage to quietly put it all on the line when you know it matters.

It’s been near forty years since Brad Scott rescued me and Wayne off Brassua. I have learned a bunch in those years and seen some remarkable things, but nothing like the mountain of courage

nest, fly casters can enjoy some good dry-fly action.

Fiddleheads!

May in the MKVR brings fiddlehead-picking time, and a large number of folks partake of this traditional harvest. A few industrious souls even turn a nice buck selling their harvest to area stores or directly to the public.

Fiddlehead proceeds paid for a nice chunk of this writer’s teenage car expenses in a couple of years, although the few hundred pounds we harvested and sold paled in comparison to the thousands of pounds that fiddleheading “legends” from the area processed.

The flood plains of this region’s many streams and rivers hold lots of fiddleheads this month, but the banks of the Sandy River in New Sharon (Map 20, D-2) and nearby Mercer and Starks may rank as the most productive this area has to offer. Hit certain areas here just right, and the fiddleheads will be so dense and large that they look like a lush green lawn. The numerous islands in this stretch offer the best picking, although prove more challenging to access.

Two words of caution, however. First, please remember that fiddleheads in most locations lie on private land, so as with

that you sometimes find inside the people around you. Brad could have just called the warden service and left it at that. He did not have to go out on that lake, and no one would have second-guessed or blamed him if he had chosen not to risk his own life to find us.

Witnessing that kind of courage gives me hope.

Alan Haley guided deer, bear and moose hunters for Wayne Hockmeyer from 1976 to 1987.

¶

Skowhegan-area farmland and the banks of the Kennebec River hold many big birds, as the wild turkey season begins in May.

all outdoor pursuits, please maintain good landowner relations by asking permission before harvesting. Landowners who find their favorite spot completely picked over often respond by posting their land, causing us all to lose.

And second, the Sandy River’s second main crop next to fiddleheads is poison ivy, and the two grow side by side. This writer learned the hard way as a teenager that immature poison ivy sprouts are as potent as their adult form.

¶

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ ANSWERS from page 47

1. The smallmouth bass differs from the largemouth bass in that its upper jaw does not extend beyond the back of the eye.

2. The smallmouth bass was originally a native to the Mississippi River, Saint Lawrence River, Great Lakes, and Hudson Bay. 3. Smallmouth bass commonly live 5-7 years.

4. The Maine state record smallmouth bass stands at 8 pounds. It was caught in Thompson Lake by George Dyer in 1970.

5. The current world record for a smallmouth bass is 11 lbs., 15 oz.

6. Smallmouth bass begin move into the shallow flats to spawn, when water temperatures warm to the mid-50s.

7. Female smallmouth bass can lay up to 20,000 eggs.

8. Smallmouth bass have been observed eating frogs, mice and birds.

www.MaineSportsman.com

58 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Rifle and Pistol Pairing – An Appealing Option Rifles and pistols that fire the exact same ammunition are known as “companion pieces.” While most historic rifle/pistol caliber combinations (.44-40, .32-20 and 38-40) are no longer in common use, modern cartridges such as the .44 Mag and .22 Mag offer similar flexibility.

From the beginning of European settlement in North America, carrying a long gun in combination with a handgun attracted many shooters.

For those with means, acquiring something to back up their primary firearm seemed a prudent decision.

During King Philip’s War, which raged from June 20, 1675 to the end of 1678, mounted infantrymen called dragoons rode to the defense of white settlements from the Connecticut River Valley to Narragansett Bay, and north to York,

Cumberland and Sagadahoc counties in Maine.

Under commanders including Captain Benjamin Church and the ruthless Major Richard Waldron, these rapid-reaction horsemen often carried a short dog-lock or wheel-lock musket, as well as one or two pistols of the same caliber.

Eighteenth century soldiers of the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War augmented their muskets, bayonets and hatchets whenever they could with a large-bore pistol or two.

Choosing a .69 caliber

pistol to pair with a .69 caliber musket simplified reloading in the heat of battle and resupply after any fighting subsided.

The practice took off with the advent of metallic cartridges in the mid1870s. Farmers, ranchers, lawmen and hunters embraced rifles by Winchester and Marlin paired with Colt, Remington or other pistols that fired the same cartridges.

Winchester started the trend with the development of the .44-40 cartridge and the Model 1873 lever-action rifle.

In .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, the Ruger Model 77/22 and Single-Six revolver make a great pair. Allard photo

Colt came out with its Single Action Army pistol in .44-40 just a short time later.

Popularity spread when manufacturers included the .32-20 and .38-40 cartridges to the lineup. Popular and successful in both rifles and pistols, the .32-20, .3840, and .44-40 cartridges

carried on through the Winchester Model 1892, Marlin Models 1888 and 1894, as well as in single-shot rifles by Savage, Remington and others.

And all three cartridges made a successful jump from black powder to smokeless propellant sometime between 1895 (Continued on next page)

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â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Maine Sportsman â&#x20AC;˘ May 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 59 (Continued from page 58)

and 1905. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Companion Piecesâ&#x20AC;?

A recent email exchange with Maine Sportsman editor Will Lund reminded me that rifle and pistol combinations in the same caliber were once referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;companion pieces.â&#x20AC;? This stems from a time, as Will recounted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;[w]hen you were likely to be far from home and far from a gunsmithâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a time when â&#x20AC;&#x153;it was nice to have only one type of ammunition to keep track of.â&#x20AC;?

Companion pieces remained extremely popular well into the first quarter of the twentieth century. But after 1920, their popularity waned except on Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movie screens and with fiction writers such as Zane Grey and Louis Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Amour.

In the 1920s, powerful bolt-action hunting rifles came into their own.

Also, the transition to smokeless powder altered all aspects of ballistics development.

At that time, shooters embraced the .2503000 Savage, .300 Savage, .30-30 Winchester, .30-â&#x20AC;&#x2122;06 Springfield, and the brand new .270 Winchester. The less capable, round-nose cartridges of the .32-20, .38-40 and .4440 faded from the scene.

Increasing federal, state and local restrictions and regulations governing the safety and carrying of handguns swept the remainder of the once popular â&#x20AC;&#x153;companion piecesâ&#x20AC;? out of the field.

In the decades since World War II, only a couple of cartridges seem to suit a shooterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire for a rifle/pistol combination.

One of these survivors is the powerful .44 Remington Magnum. Developed as a large-game handgun round, the .44 Magnum proved equally useful in revolvers and light, handy carbine-type rifles, such as the Ruger semi-automatic, as well as in modern lever-actions by Marlin and Win-

chester.

A second up-to-date cartridge suitable for a rifle/pistol combination is the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire. According to the 14th edition of Cartridges of the World, now edited by W. Todd Woodard, the .22 WMR is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most potent rimfire cartridge currently available.â&#x20AC;? And it offers a wide range of applications for shooters throughout Maine.

Pair Up In Cartridges of the World, Woodard further declares that the .22 WMRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;ballistics in a sixinch pistol barrel exceed any other rimfire fired from a rifle; thus, it is a very effective 125-yard varmint or small-game cartridge.â&#x20AC;? As the chosen round in a rifle-and-pistol combination, it makes a superb game-getter for game ranging from small squirrels all the way up to larger bobcat and coyotes.

Around since 1959, the .22 WMR most often carries a jacketed 40-grain bullet that zips along at 1,900 feet per second. However, it is also factory loaded with heavier 50-grain bullets, as well as with lighter 30-grain and 33-grain ballistic-tipped projectiles.

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One excellent combination of a top-quality rifle and a partner .22 WMR revolver for hunters here in Maine pairs the Sturm, Ruger Model 77/22 with Rugerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous Single-Six handgun. The 6½-pound, walnut-stocked rifle carries like a dream, as does the well balanced walnut-gripped, six-shot pistol.

The Single-Six revolver mimics an Old West six-shooter, loading rounds one at a time through a right-side loading gate. The rifle, however, utilizes a detachable nine-round rotary magazine. This pistol has fixed sights, and rifles may or may not come with factory iron sights.

Mine had no sights, but now mounts a Leupold 2X7 variable power Rimfire scope.

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squirrels, but the rifle gives all of the range needed to reach the critters high in the trees.

It also has the reach for woodchucks in the back forty.

The pistol is an outstanding remedy for the many porcupines that show up here. Carried together, the pistol and rifle can do both jobs in one day.

I found the rifle newin-the-box several years ago at the Lewiston gun show. The pistolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former owner is my friend, Lt. Col. Jim Thyng. He used it to provide camp meat during Colorado elk and

mule deer hunting trips.

Together, these two fine specimens offer far more shooting excitement than either would by itself.

Admittedly, the world of cowboy action shooting may be the last real bastion of rifle and pistol combinations paired up by using the same cartridge. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not ready to say those days are behind us.

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire is just too good a cartridge not to enjoy it both ways.

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60 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Box Mill Trout in the River, and Tom Turkeys Gobbling in the Timber Well before cardboard and plastic containers were available, goods were shipped or stored in wooden boxes. Maine, with its timber-rich environment, was a major manufacturer of wood boxes – shipping them around the world. Towns like Acton, Shapleigh and Newfield supplied oak, beech and pine to water-powered box mills along southern Maine rivers.

Pine was used in less expensive boxes, while hardwood boards were used to construct larger creates. My ancestors lived near – and worked at – the box mill on the Mousam River near the Sanford/Shapleigh town line (see DeLorme ‘s Atlas Map 2, or follow Route 109 north from Sanford; box mill is at the town line marker). Today the moss-covered stone works are all that remains.

The river that runs through the ruins, however, holds trout.

caught from this stretch of water was a 5-pound brook trout, taken from the outlet of the Emery Mills Dam. I ‘ve also caught many 2-pound class browns.

But don ‘t expect to catch these lunkers frequently – average trout run about 8 to 12 inches.

The whoppers hang out deep in the shadows; they are lure-shy and nocturnal feeders.

Average yearly stockings are around 350 brook trout, and 320 browns, in this 1/2-mile section of the river; some are 13 inches in length and are placed in fall months.

However, the majority were stocked in May, ensuring good fishing opportunities this month.

Yes, I do cover the upper Mousam frequently in this column. My goal is to place readers on water that will produce action.

This section is my home waters – I live on the river and have fished it over fifty years.

Fat Browns and Brookies It’s the deep pool downstream that flows between the high rock cliffs that anglers will be interested in. This overlooked section of the river is a great place to hook a fat brown trout and a possible brook trout.

This month, water levels lower and temperatures rise, aquatic insects begin to hatch, and trout become active, providing fly fishermen perfect conditions. Mousam River from Emery Mills Dam to Sanford has been stocked with trout for years and is a good starting point for anglers.

Historically, rivers with long-term stocking programs harbor large trout. My largest trout

Littlefield Pond This crystal-clear pond is located in Sanford (Atlas, Map 2, C-3).

Follow the Littlefield Road to Emmons Road, a gravel road that leads to the pond.

The water is 19 acres, with a maximum depth of 17 feet. Access is at the end of Emmons Road, and is hand carry crafts only; there is no ramp. Parking is along the road.

Littlefield has a gravel-laced bottom with small stones, but its many large boulders make the water interesting. Typically, the pond has weeds along some shorelines, wherever sunlight can reach bottom depths.

Smallmouth bass, some in the 2-pound range, can be caught near

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large, submerged boulders in the pond.

Littlefield is generally stocked annually with around 800 brook trout. Brookies cruise shorelines searching for bait fish in the evening.

During daylight hours, they hide in deep, cooler water. On overcast days when a hatch occurs, the fishing can remain excellent all day long.

Anglers stripping a streamer or bushy nymph deep or running a shiny lure near bottom, do well. Bait, fished on bottom, works as well.

Trolling streamers, lures and even a worm along shore at dawn and dusk will also generally take trout and bass.

On days when aquatic insects hatch and emerge, fly fishing top water flies like Caddis and Mayfly patterns take aggressive trout. Trout hammer emerge patterns as they reach the surface.

Go Deep for Turkey North of I-95 lie agricultural farms with open fields and hardwood forests with oaks and beech trees. This is prime habitat that supports large flocks of birds. Agricultural areas offer perfect habitat for turkeys, and many corn and hay fields keep the birds fat and happy.

Towns like North and South Berwick, Sanford, Acton, Alfred and Waterboro all have hilly terrain with many apple orchards and fields laced with hardwoods. Dayton, Hollis and Lyman are other areas that offer good habitat for turkey.

Northern sections of the region include Shapleigh, Acton, Newfield, Limerick, Limington and Parsonsfield. These towns are generally

“Buy one; get one free” tom turkeys -- The author took this photo two days before opening day last spring. However, he never got close enough for a shot at them during the season. Photo by Val Marquez

mountainous, with hardwood forests and fields.

These are the areas I prefer to bowhunt, for a few reasons. First, I live there and know this area well. Second, I prefer this area because of the larger tracts of land and fewer hunters.

Turkeys are difficult to locate here – they are not as visible as in the more rural areas to the south. Deep woods turkeys are constantly on the move, and the terrain can be steep and difficult to access. There are large areas of countryside available to hunt though.

I love to hunt large forested areas.

Food Is Key Wild turkeys have one concern, and that is food – their whole world revolves around it. So how turkeys use the land and its food sources is key to locating birds and determining where and how to hunt them.

Many hunters are concerned with calling, decoys and camo patterns, but they lack familiarity with turkey lifestyles.

Combining good equipment and techniques with learning to think like a turkey, will

make you a successful hunter.

As an example, during rainy or misty days, turkeys gather in fields to feed on earthworms that come to the surface because of the moisture. Hunting field edges is the way to go.

Last year ‘s acorn crop is still available – their shells have popped open, exposing the red-nut core inside. Birds love them in the spring and will gobble them up. Hunting hardwoods is the right choice under these conditions.

Meet the Birds on Their Own Terms This year I plan to backpack deep into the forest and live a few days with turkeys. I can still get up at 4 in the morning and hike in the darkness deep into the woods.

I ‘m in good condition for my age, but why should I hike into the wood early when I can simply be there already to greet the big birds?

I enjoy camping and I love bowhunting, so why not combine the two?

Hunt hard and hunt safe this season.

¶

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Maine Sportsman • May 2017 • 61

Making the Best of Home Away Black from Home Invasive Crappie Our young Maine sportsman describes invasive crappie as looking like “what you’d get if you crossed a sunfish with a bass” – but boy are they ever tasty, filleted and fried up in a pan!

Black crappie are a new species in Maine that inhabit lots of lakes all over the state. They are now found in 300plus ponds and lakes, thanks mostly to “bucket biologists” who have illegally spread this fish far and wide in Maine.

These fish are native to an expanse of the country stretching from the Great Lakes all the way to Mexico. They are a popular sport fish, which is likely the reason they were stocked.

These fish are invasive, and as soon as they are introduced, they start competing with the native species for food.

Their main food is small baitfish.

They thrive in places with lots of structure, and they breed in the spring in thick cover when the water temperature reaches 60 degrees. F e m a l e s lay 20,000 to 60,000 eggs, so crappie populations pop up all over the place in no time.

A crappie looks like what you would get if you crossed a sunfish with a bass.

There’s Here, So Now What?

Well they are here and in big numbers, so I had to see for myself if they made good table

fare.

Catching them is not too difficult – worms, small plastic grubs, red devils – they all work, but the key is to find the fish.

They travel in big schools and are by no means solitary.

An effective way find them is trolling at the edge of a weed line. Once you do find the school, you just haul in one after another.

Ice fishing is very productive also – in about ten feet of water using jigs or tip ups with little baitfish.

They grow to a consistent length of about 8 to 12 inches. I consider

A good catch of crappies, ready for cleaning. The author says these fish have a “flaky, delicate filet that can be used in almost any white meat fillet recipe.”

Giampetruzzi photo

a one-pound fish to me a big one.

The state record is over 3 pounds.

So what’s the big deal about these fish? They are easy to catch; they are very easy to clean; and best of all, I think they are the best eating fish around. They have a white flaky delicate filet

The Smilin' Sportsman Adults may try to tell you that money doesn’t buy you happiness.

But here’s a secret: Money can buy you a jet-ski. It is impossible to be sad when you’re riding on a jet-ski.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Q: What do you call a bear that’s lost all its teeth?

A: A gummy bear!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A Greenville farmer purchased his first computer. His granddaughter helped him set up an account and log in.

The next day, he turned it on. Suddenly he jumped up, went outside, and walked down the long driveway. Later, he returned, muttering to himself. This happened three or four times.

“What’s going on, Harold?” asked his wife.

“I think this computer’s broke,” the farmer replied. “It keeps saying, ‘You’ve got mail!’”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Q: Where does a fisherman go to get his hair cut?

A: The bobber shop.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Kid: “Mom, you keep telling me I’m not supposed to eat at night.”

Mom: “That’s right.”

Kid: “If what you say is true, then why did they put a light in the refrigerator?”

¶

that can be used in almost any white meat fillet recipe.

I am not too happy they are here in our lakes and ponds. Other than tasting good, they don’t seem to have many good qualities. However, as long as they’re here, I will be fishing for them.

¶

Youth Edition

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

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62 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Tom Targets Trout This Month I had just motored under the bridge that goes over the connection of Middle Range and Upper Range Pond (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, A-3). Shortly after letting out my fly line, trolling a Thomas buoyant lure, I had a hit.

Despite the cold water, the fish put up a good, spirited fight. As it neared the boat, I could tell it was a trout.

After a bit of give-andtake, I released a nice 13inch rainbow trout at the side of the boat.

This is May fishing on the Range Pond Chain in Poland.

May is trout month, and old-time anglers say that the best fishing is when the alder leaves

The Range Pond chain, Coffee Pond and Trickey Pond are among the spots recommended by the author for anglers seeking rainbow trout, brookies and browns. are the size of a mouse’s ear. Turkey hunters will argue that May is their month and some of us try to get in both, a castand-blast day of turkeys in the morning and trout later in the day.

Either way you slice it, May is a great month to be a sportsman.

Range Pond Chain The Range Pond chain, consisting of Upper, Middle and Lower Range Ponds, is one of my top destinations for May trout trolling action.

Heavily stocked with all

Gene Bahr MASTER FISH CARVER

three Maine hatchery trout species – brookies, rainbows and browns – this chain of ponds is popular with ice-anglers and open-water fishermen.

On the aforementioned day last spring the wind was strong, and I got blown off of Middle Range, so I motored back under the bridge and tried Upper Range Pond.

No sooner had I got under the bridge and started trolling when a fish struck my trolling fly rod set up. It felt like a biggie!

To my surprise, I had foul-hooked a nice brook trout that gave a better fight than had it been mouth-hooked. As luck would have it that day,

the wind pushed me off the pond, but the Range Pond chain is a regular haunt.

Anglers trolling the three Range Ponds in May target Middle and Upper, where huge numbers of trout are stocked, and there is no outboard motor horsepower restriction.

Trolling small spoons is this angler’s favorite technique. Spoons such as the buoyant, Al’s Goldfish and Mooselook wobblers do the trick.

Streamers work great, too and I prefer the Barnes’ Special and Gray Ghost on Range.

Most anglers put in at the launch on Skellinger Road.

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Coffee Time To the south, Coffee Pond (Map 5, B-2) in Casco is a May must-visit. Heavily stocked with fast-growing splake, this picturesque gem is ideal for trolling for these hybrid fish. The launch is very shallow, so I bring a square-stern canoe when headed to Coffee. Parking is also limited to only one or two vehicles, reducing the pressure on the pond.

Coffee Pond was chemically reclaimed in the 1960s, and beautiful Sunapee trout were introduced. A healthy smelt run fed the trout, but the last documented fish caught was in 1981.

I still expect to latch into one, but this is probably a pipe dream.

Trolling Smorgasbord Just down the road, Trickey Pond in Naples (Map 4, B-5) is another splake hot-spot. Splake, brook trout stocking and salmon stocking make this a great spring trolling spot. Spring-fed, Trickey has cool, clear water, and local residents do all they can to protect this natural resource.

Trolling spoons, flies and sewn-on smelt are techniques that can produce a smorgasbord of fish. There is a small boat launch on Lake House Road.

Another one of my favorite May waters in this region is Little Sebago Lake (Map 5, C-3) in Windham. Busy with activity in the summer, Little Sebago is quiet this month. However, thanks to liberal rainbow and brown trout stocking ef(Continued on next page)

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forts, the lake produces well for the trolling angler.

The bottom structure in this lake rises and falls like the stock market, so hook-ups with the rocky bottom are inevitable. I use the same lures and flies as other May haunts, with similar success. Trolling the shoreline will keep you in 6 to 20 feet of water â&#x20AC;&#x201C; good depths for spring trout.

A nice launch just off of Anglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road handles boats of any size, and provides plenty of parking.

To the north, Brettunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pond in Livermore (Map 11, B-4) just alongside Route 4 is a heavily-stocked trout pond that always produces in the early spring. With good shoreline development, a nice launch and a healthy dose of brook and brown trout from the stocking truck, Brettunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is a great spot to hit this month.

I troll the shoreline with small spoons and streamers, and always catch a good number of decent-sized trout.

Turkey Time May is also prime turkey time, and nobody knows that better than the Hamilton brothers.

Greg from Gorham and Ricker from Falmouth chase gobblers all over the southern Maine woods and fields, and last year they had a first.

On May 7th, the two bagged a pair of gobblers on the same day at the same time. That type of coordination only comes from spending years together in the woods!

Older brother Ricker is well on his way to the Turkey Grand Slam, having tagged almost all of the requisite birds. This spring, he and brother Greg head to Kansas for a crack at the Rio Grande turkey. Good luck, fellas!

Whether you are trolling for trout or chasing gobblers, May is a prime

time for outdoor activity before the heat of summer slows things down.

Tight lines, and happy hunting.

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Brothers Greg (left) and Ricker Hamilton were justifiably pleased after doubling up on turkeys last May. The pair head to Kansas in pursuit of Rio Grande turkey this spring.

Greg Hamilton photo

Cameron Sinclair, age 9, shows off his first partridge with dad, Michael (left) and uncle, Matt while on their October 2016 hunting trip in northern Maine.

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64 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Black Flies and Brookies Peak This Month in Western Maine Mountains As I quietly approached the thick tangle of alders surrounding the little brook, I looked for a break in the jungle of brush – just enough of a hole to get a good cast in to allow me to lay the line down without spooking the fish.

I found only one spot to cast into the deep hole that held the best chance of holding any fishing in this shallow brook, but the only way to cast to it would be awkward and very unconventional.

I had to attempt a roll cast perpendicular to the brook that would take my line across the downstream side of the hole, let it drag my line further downstream, and then let the drag of the current load my rod and fling my fly upstream into the deep part of the hole.

The first time I tried it I got the nymphing rig so tangled that I just clipped it all off at the tag end of my line and started over with a new arrangement. The second time I worked the rig into the deep pocket of water the white, fluffy indicator violently sank after a brief drift. I lifted my rod to set the hook and felt the tug of a big trout at the other

May is here, and the fishin’ is easy – just ask the author, who tells readers exactly how and where to access such prime locations as Speck Pond, Tumbledown Pond, Clearwater Pond, Songo Pond, and Ellis and Bear Rivers. end of the line.

Trying to avoid tangling my rod tip and line in the crosshatch of alder surrounding the stream, I wrestled the fish near the bank and into my net, rewarded with a nice, fat brook trout. If I remember correctly that fish went around 15 inches – quite a trophy for such a small brook.

Winged Terror Black flies start their brief-but-voracious feeding frenzy around the end of this month. The bugs don’t bother me too much when fishing from a boat, but certainly do when I get in the woods, feasting on any exposed skin and even crawling under clothing to take a bite.

Savvy anglers in this region head for higher elevations during early black fly season. When the bugs initially start biting down in the valley, the highest ponds in the mountains still remain bug-free for a week or

The author finally landed this frisky, spring landlocked salmon after a dizzying aerial battle. William Clunie photo www.MaineSportsman.com

so. For me, early-season glacial mountain pond fishing ranks right up there as one of my favorite things to do – as long as the black flies remain absent.

Speck Pond (DeLorme Atlas, Map 18, E-1), off Route 26 near Grafton Notch State Park, sits near the top of Old Speck Mountain. The 4,100-foot peak strikes fear into the non-hiking crowd, leaving the gorgeous pond and its colorful brook trout for those willing to endure the extra effort of a five-mile, uphill climb.

Tumbledown Pond (Map 19, C-1) also offers similar brook fishing, but after a shorter, threemile ascent.

Several trails lead hikers to this breathtaking pond, described as a “jewel among peaks,” and each of them starts on the Number Six Road.

I find the Brook Trail to be the easiest climb.

Some folks don’t like the

steep incline of the Brook Trail and choose the Parker Ridge Trail, despite the extra mile or so it takes to get to the summit.

The peaks that surround the Western Maine Mountain (WMM) Region offer anglers plenty of opportunity to get away from the crowds and the bugs. Most folks don’t like the tough climb, or don’t have the backpacking gear to stay overnight. It doesn’t take much gear, and anyone in good health can hike mountainous trails; it just takes some of us longer to get there.

Open Water Even though Maine’s spring turkey season fills this month, May also begins the open-water fishing season for most anglers in regions in higher elevations. By this month, most lakes and ponds have ended winter’s icy hold, and anglers jump right in with both

Western Maine Mountain region brookies fight hard when they come out of cold spring water. William Clunie photo

oars flailing.

The best fishing around here starts Memorial Weekend, the same time that the woods fill with black flies, mosquitoes and tourists.

Usually by mid-May, lakes and ponds become completely free of ice, and waters warm to a temperature that promotes heavy feeding by most all fish.

Clearwater Pond (Map 20, C-1 and C-2) provides anglers with fast fishing action as soon as the ice goes out. Salmon can be found throughout the lake as they chase schools of baitfish, while brook trout congregate near the shoreline.

Lake trout usually feed in deep water, but this writer caught two near the shoreline a few years back – in about two feet of water.

Access for this pond can be found at the launch in Allen’s Mills (Map 20, C-2). Anglers can park in the lot across from the old Mangy Moose General Store, on Route 43. I believe the store has closed, but the lot remains.

Songo Pond (Map 10, B-3), another fine early-season water, attracts anglers anxious to boat big salmonid. Route 5/35 skirts the shoreline, below the town of Bethel.

Anglers can access the pond just off the pavement of this rural route, on the west shoreline of the big pond.

Fishing can be good right out from the launch, but for some reason (probably good fish numbers), most anglers congregate near the south end of the lake. The wind really kicks up quickly on this lake, so be ready to beat a (Continued on page 67)

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May Fishing Explodes in the Rangeley Region Nothing drives my outdoor passion more than heading out the door to fish in the Rangeley Region. I can hardly sleep the night before, waking several times to check the alarm clock to make sure it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t failed me.

I used to do the same as a kid â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get all of my gear packed up and ready to go, and then try my hardest to fall asleep fast so I would be rested for the exciting day ahead.

It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work then, and

it still doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t today. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a kid at heart when it comes to fishing.

I feel richly blessed with the ability to pack a lunch and stay out the whole day if I want. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand fishing when I know I have to return at a certain hour. Who knows what might happenâ&#x20AC;Śmaybe the fishing will turn on fifteen minutes before the prescribed time, and then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be stuck having to run home. I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it!

I like to take a comfortable seat for the canoe and a pair of waders; that way, if the pond fishing turns out to be slow, I can always head for a river or brook. Having options like these increases the waters I can fish and the time I can spend in this excellent region.

One thing I never forget when I head out on a fishing excursion is my camera. I struggled with the switch from SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cam-

eras to the digital version, but now I enjoy the direction it has taken me.

I can shoot to my heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content without worrying about wasted film, storage, or the time and cost it might take to develop images.

Big Search The large number of excellent fishing locations in this region sometimes has searching anglers overwhelmed with all the wonderful choices.

A good way to avoid fish-

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Finding just a few places to fish on the expansive Mooselookmeguntic Lake (See DeLorme Atlas, Map 28, E-3), challenges even the most nautically-minded angler. Over the years, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve (Continued on next page)

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noticed that most of the anglers keep their trolling to the shoreline at the north end of the lake, just out from Haines Landing.

Boating anglers can reach this part of the lake by launching at Haines Landing at the terminus of Route 4 in Oquossoc, on the northeastern shore of the lake.

Another excellent fishing location can be accessed from the same launch. Cupsuptic Lake (Map 28, D-2 and D-3, and E-2 and E-3) lies to the immediate north of Mooselook Lake like an extension of the bigger lake, separated by a channel between Eagle Point and Indian Rock.

Several tributaries enter the north end of the lake, providing anglers with a focal point for fishing the big water. Smelt congregate at these tributaries just like they do on most big bodies of water, offering an abundance of nutrition for the hungry salmonid.

Smaller Ponds Rangeley’s smaller ponds offer anglers with smaller craft a place to fish without worrying about turbulent waters.

The ponds’ relatively smaller size makes it easier to exit in a hurry if an unexpected storm appears, and winds don’t cause the waves to rise as high or as choppy as the bigger lakes.

Round Pond (Map 28 E-4), a 166-acre angler’s playground, holds both salmon and brookies. Although the depths run up to 50 feet in places, May fishing works best if you

keep it shallow to take advantage of the warmer water near the surface from thermal shifts that occur at this time of the year.

Access the pond from Dodge Pond Road, off Route 4/16, just east of Oquossoc.

A general fishing plan would be to fish for brook trout close to shore and farther out for salmon. Focus on incoming sources of water, such as streams, brooks and springs. Use binoculars to find areas of feeding fish by looking for telltale rises.

Dodge Pond (Map 28, E-4), another little salmonid gem, contains 230 heavenly acres of brook trout water. The maximum depth here is also about 50 feet, with great fish being taken by the same methods mentioned above.

Both of these ponds receive protective cover from high winds by the ridge of mountains to the northwest. A couple of anglers in a canoe or Rangeley boat, slowly fishing across either of these two ponds, epitomize the traditional Rangeley fishing scene from days past. The mountains in the background and the flat water in the foreground present a picture-postcard view of the way it used to be – and still is, for folks willing to grab a paddle and run down to the nearest pond.

Camping and Fishing The Rangeley Region draws folks from near and far, and this time of year fishing and camping sits at the top of the rec-

Western Maine (Continued from page 64)

hasty retreat back to the launch at the first sign of a storm.

Fluid Waters If stripping a line through moving water sounds good, anglers can find plenty of places to wet a line in the WMM. Generally speaking, any of the tributaries to the Androscoggin River in this region hold rainbows, brook trout and brown trout.

The Ellis River meanders from Andover (Map 18, D-4) all the way to its confluence

reation list. Anglers who come to ply the waters in this area will do well to stay at any of the local campgrounds – their shoreline locations offer easy access to excellent fishing and awesome views.

Rangeley Lakes State Park (Map 28, E-4), one of many great camping and fishing locations in this region, offers anglers an ideal place to pitch a tent or park the RV. The 869-acre campground, located on the south shore of Rangeley Lake, gives camping anglers a choice of 50 campsites. A nice beach provides great swimming, and a large dock and paved launch easily handles both small and big boats.

Rangeley Lake always attracts early-season anglers. Typically, sewn smelt or streamers trolled behind a slow-moving boat catch fish just after ice-out.

Trolling anglers should follow other boats that circle Maneskootuk Island, just west of the state park. The slowly moving fishing boats congregate in that area for one good reason – big fish.

Working the south shoreline also produces big fish, as do the waters around the boat launch at the outlet of the Rangeley River in Oquossoc. Make sure to stop in to local shops while fishing this region – the folks who run these establishments usually have a handle on current fishing conditions and good guides to recommend.

¶

The Rapid River in Rangeley is one of those special places that keep me awake at night. William Clunie photo

In May, streams and brooks are a prime location for brook trout and landlocked salmon, as well as beautiful flowers. William Clunie photo

with the main body of the Androscoggin River near Rumford Point (Map 18, E-4). Each year, biologists from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) stock this river with hundreds of brook trout and brown trout.

Anglers can access this river anywhere Route 5 comes close to the water on the west side of the river. Smaller access roads get close in places on the east side of the river, too. In most locations along this river, homes and farms line the banks, so asking for access permission becomes necessary.

The Bear River pours from the moun-

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

Fishers can access this river from Route 26, near the eastern bank. The pavement comes close to the river in several places, offering easy access. Cool mountain water fills this Androscoggin River tributary, providing a quality environment for salmonid in this region.

¶

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68 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Kilkennys: The Best Mountain Range You’ve Never Heard Of The magnificent Kilkenny Mountains provide some of the best hiking and fishing opportunities found in the state; and their relative obscurity means you can enjoy the mountain range without dealing with the crowds that are attracted to the Presidentials.

Geography: Located in the middle of Coos County, New Hampshire, the Kilkenny Mountain Range (also known officially on maps as the Pilot Range) is vast and untamed, and has something to offer almost every kind of outdoorsman.

The range is shaped roughly like a “Y,” with two northern branches and a curly southern tail.

Bordered in the north

by Route 110, the east by Route 16, the south by US Route 2 and the west

by US Route 3, the range offers about 100 square miles of nearly-unaltered forested terrain.

Hiking: The Kilkennys are situated in the shadows of the Presidential Mountains, both literally and metaphorically.

When there is a nonstop train of people climbing Mount Madison, ten miles away, the trail for Mt. Starr King seems uninhabited.

The Kilkennys give about as much solitude in New Hampshire as you are going to find—and still offer as good, if not better, views as anywhere else in the state.

Mount Cabot is the tallest mountain in the range, at 4,167 feet. It is the only trail that sees any notable activity, as it is coveted by those looking to bag all forty-eight (almost four times as many as Maine) of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers.

Cabot’s summit can be bagged in a day hike, being just under four miles each way, if using the Bunnell Notch trail from the southwest.

The best views are found on the southeast side of the mountaintop, where there is a large ledge overlooking the rest of the pristine landscape.

Also on the mountaintop are the remains of an old firetower base. (There are actually a few firetowers

still in place in northern NH.) Between the ledge and the summit is a White Mountains National Forest hut: Cabot Cabin, which can fit a very cramped eight people.

The cabin doesn’t have a renting fee and is firstcome, first-served.

The Horn, and Unknown Pond The Horn is a steep pinnacle of the ridgeline about a mile northeast of Mount Cabot. At 3,904 feet, it just misses the coveted 4,000 foot mark—this is the only place it comes up short, though. The enormous rock outcropping at its peak provides some of the most wonderful views around—and it’s hard to get any more remote than this in northern New Hampshire.

Less than a mile north of The Horn is Unknown Pond. A fairly good-sized waterbody for its elevation, the pond

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This small bear took refuge in one of the old-growth trees found in the beautiful mature hardwoods of the pristine Kilkenny Mountains. E. Emerson photo

is picturesque. There is a remarkably well-kept (probably because of its low usage) tenting area just a couple of hundred yards from the pond.

There are seven or eight level, dirt tent platforms, an outhouse (building materials flown in by helicopter), and a community fire pit with log benches.

The easiest and shortest way to access Unknown Pond is from Mill Brook logging road in the northwest, where you can gain much of the elevation by vehicle.

Dangle Your Feet Over Roger’s Ledge Continuing over two miles northeast, past the swampy Kilback Pond, Roger’s Ledge is a mustsee, must-dangle-feet location. This is a strenuous hike, as much elevation is lost, just to have

to be regained in a very short distance at the end.

The rock outcropping hangs over about a 200foot angular drop. One of the best sensations this writer has ever had is letting the cool evening breeze sweep between his sweaty bare toes as he dangled his feet over this ledge for the first time, while watching the most gorgeous sunset sky over Mount Washington.

There are designated tent sites about sixtenths of a mile from the summit down the steepest section of the climb, but this writer prefers to sleep on the ledge itself in the warm July nights.

(There is plenty of room inside the treeline of the ledge for a few tents, as well; just don’t tell anyone….)

The ledge gets its (Continued on next page)

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name from the legendary Robert Rogers of the Queen’s Rangers, who traversed the area during the French and Indian War. According to one campfire story, Rogers has raided treasures that he hid in the remote forest of the area, perhaps at or under the ledge itself. Of course, whoever comes searching for it, gets mysteriously swept off the ledge to their death (insert evil laugh here).

The Kilkennys offer several great options for one- to three-night treks.

Given five main trailhead locations, several through-hike options are available. One can also make a couple different loop hikes, given the interconnecting trails.

Fishing: The Upper Ammonoosuc River finds its headwaters in these remote mountains. Its clean waters hold brook trout, rainbow trout and even brown trout.

The upper reaches

of the river are secluded and wild. There are few roadside access points, but there are several hiking trails within the White Mountain National Forest property that offer picturesque fly casting opportunities. These locations can be accessed via the Bog Dam Loop road, which also has free “dispersed” roadside campsites.

Much of the river is shallow and rapidly moving, but it is surprising how many trout are hiding behind the current-blocking boulders.

Pond of Safety; Jericho Pond of Safety is a designated remote trout pond in the southeast portion of the Kilkenny/ Pilot Mountains. Located between Pliny Mountain and Crescent Mountain, it can be accessed by the Pond of Safety logging road, north of Route 2 in Jefferson. Car-top boat access is available; however, boats need to be carried/dragged about 100 yards to the launch.

The pond is beautiful-

ly serene, surrounded by uninterrupted forest, and there is a decent chance that you might catch a moose standing in it.

This is a fly-fisherman’s paradise.

Jericho Lake is known more frequently for its campground with access to hundreds of miles of ATV trails; however, there is some good fishing to be had here, too. Jericho is located at the northeast side of the mountains, with spectacular wilderness views of their peaks.

The lake, though small and shallow, has a few interesting, non-traditional (for a mountain lake) species: northern pike, largemouth bass, black crappie and hornpout. The waterbody does have a ramp where you can launch a small motorboat.

Hiking and fishing are only two of the endless opportunities that the magnificent Kilkenny Mountains provide.

Camping, wildlife viewing, and, of course, hunting, all bound in the re-

The writer and his friend, Leif Becker (pictured), bushwacked several miles to this jaw-dropping cliff in the western Kilkenny Mountains. E. Emerson photo

gion. At the very least, make it a side trip from your planned visit just down the road to Presi-

dentials. It is worth the half hour (or less) drive.

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CLASSIFIED RATES

Subscribers may place one free 20-word classified ad per month, limited to three months. Items for sale must include a price. Real estate ads must include an address or location.

The regular rates are $15 for up to 20 words and 60¢ for each additional word. Include a black and white photo for an additional $10. Check, money order, MasterCard, VISA (Credit or Debit) and AMEX are accepted.

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

THE DEADLINE FOR THE JUNE ISSUE IS MAY 3RD. ALL LINE CLASSIFIED ADS MUST BE PREPAID.

CABINS/ CAMPS FOR RENT CAMBRIDGE, MAINE WMD 17 Secluded cabin with all amenities included. Sleeps 4-5. Available Now through Muzzleloading season. $450/wk or $80/night. 207-277-4565

CAMP ON SMALL POND IN SHIRLEY For rent $500/wk. Great hunting, fishing and ATV trails nearby. Also, local hunting club 1/4 mile away is actively looking for five new members.

207-636-3689 EAST GRAND LAKEDANFORTH, ME 24x32 Camp- Greenland Cove, Sleeps 6-10. Deck, small dock/beach. Hunt-

ing, Fishing, Boating, ATV, $500/wk. 207-8311447 LAKEFRONT CABIN on the Little Narrows Basin of Upper Cold Stream Ponds in Lincoln, 4-season cabin w/cable, internet, kayaks, canoe, access to ATV & snowmobile trails. Depending on season, can be rented nightly, weekly or month-

ly. More info & pictures on Craigslist under Vacation Rentals/Lincoln. Call Tate 207-794-4208 PARKMAN, MEBUCKS CROSSING WMD 17 Rental cabins. Turkey, deer, moose, upland game.

All amenities included. Great ratesnightly, weekly, monthly. $75/night for two people.

207-277-3183

ROCKWOOD, MAINE ON MOOSE RIVER Two well equipped, 2 bdrm camps with access to ATV & snowmobile trails, and boating into Moosehead Lake depending on the season. Please check us out on TripAdvisor or call Rose or Dave 207-534-0222

(Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

70 â&#x20AC;˘ May 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ The Maine Sportsman â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

FISH RIVER LAKE CAMPS IN T14-R8 Remote camps with miles of shorefront and few neighbors. Great fishing, hunting and lots of privacy! Moose, bear, deer & birds. Camps are fully furnished-bring your toothbrush and move in!

Water, showers, toilets, gas lights & generator, sleeps 8-10 easily. Possible financing. Call FMI & pics. $164,000 Ben Brown

(Continued from page 69)

CAMPS FOR SALE Remote - Relaxing Hunting, Fishing, Vacationing for the Outdoorsman & Family

PORTER POINT CAMPS

Housekeeping Cabins Burlington, ME 04417 â&#x20AC;˘ 207-944-1463 Open Year Round www.porterpointcamps.com Canoes, Boats & Motors Available

Grantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kennebago Camps.

RARE FIND! Famous sporting camp with main lodge, commercial kitchen and dining room overlooking docks and Kennebago Lake. Several well kept cabins, boats, motor & most furnishings LQFOXGHG &RQVLGHUHG WR EH D UDUH FROG ZDWHU ÂżVKHU\ $1,950,000 Very successful and wellestablished Bear Hunting business with lodge and 6 cabins. 140 leased bait sites, tree stands, buckets, barrels, etc. included! Best bear huntLQJ LQ 0DLQH $FFHVVLEOH E\ ODQG RU Ă&#x20AC;\ LQ RQ 3RUWDJH Lake. $289,900

CAMP ON GREAT POND RD-AURORA, ME 322 Acres on Beaver Pond. Well, septic, generator, sleeps 8,fully furnished, full bathroom & kitchen. Trout & Wild Game. $250,000 FMI 207-584-2004

MONSON: Abutting Appalachian Trail 15 miles south of Moosehead Lake, start of 100 miles Wilderness. 40 acre lots, 35 mile panoramic views of lakes and mountains.

Gated gravel road 5 miles to village. Just 3/8 mile on local snowmobile trails to Lake HeIYVU MVY NYLH[ PJL Ă&#x201E;ZOPUN TPSLZ I` [YHPSZ [V the Village, 1 mile to ITS 85. Starting at $1250 WLY HJYL ^P[O V^ULY Ă&#x201E;UHUJPUN KV^U

FMI Call 207-343-2797 or Visit Greyledgelodge.com LEXINGTON

NEW PORTLAND

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS MASIELLO GROUP

gloriahewey@masiello.com www.gloriahewey.masiello.com Cell 207-399-8553 â&#x20AC;˘ Direct Line 207-795-9671

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE HUNTING/FISHING LODGE FOR SALE Active commercial hunting and fishing lodge with 7 cabins, 10 acres, 50 leased bait sites. $250,000. 802-738-3877 GUIDE SERVICE IN BROWNVILLE, ME $239,000. Main lodge and one cabin. Sleeps 18 total. Two utility buildings, one with a walk-in-cooler. 45 leased bait sites for bear. 1 1/2 townships in one area. 40 stands.

2 acres with another 20 acres for $25,000. Fully equipped and ready to go.

Great operation for bear. deer, moose, small game and fishing. FMI Retiring. 207-965-8875. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

GLORIA A. HEWEY, REALTOR COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATES

207-745-0191

Classic log cabin in the pines! Standing metal seam roof, gas heat, spacious rooms. Well cared for. The garage is close to the snowmobile trails so you can head out on the trails right from there! Vast amounts of Maine wilderness to explore right out your door. $68,900

This house has lots of charm with large rooms and a 3 season porch. Use this sunny location for a year round home or as a vacation home. The area is a great location for all year round recreational activities. $83,900

LEXINGTON...BACK ROAD Lovely wooded lot with 400 foot road frontage. Extra outbuildings. Great 4 season recreational area. Sandy Stream is just a short walk away. $115,000

More Camps and Land Available. Call Janet Peruffo at

CSM REAL ESTATE

207-265-4000 â&#x20AC;˘ e-mail janet@csmrealestate.com 259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME â&#x20AC;˘ www.csmrealestate.com

HOUSE FOR SALE 3 BEDROOM HOUSE, ROCKWOOD, ME WATERFRONT Deer backyard, Fishing frontyard, Moose backyard, Boating frontyard, Bear backyard, Airplane frontyard. Price $229,000. Call Del 908797-8202 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

MOXIE GORE. Fantastic custom built 24X40 recreational home on 22 acres with approx.

1130 feet water frontage on Black Brook Pond.

10 acres of this parcel is a state deer wintering \DUG 6QRZPRELOH Ă&#x20AC;VK KXQW ND\DN RU MXVW plain relax. Many walking trails that lead to and follow the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge. Privys, lean-to and sheds are situated around the parcel. Home IHDWXUHV FDWKHGUDO FHLOLQJV WZLQ ORIWV IRU VOHHSLQJ DQG Ă&#x20AC;UVW Ă RRU EHGURRPV 2SHQ Ă RRU SODQ IRU kitchen, dining and living room with custom pine mill work. $124,900 KINGSBURY PLANTATION. Cozy camp on the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge! 75â&#x20AC;&#x2122; of sandy waterfront on Kingsbury Pond. Camp offers 1 bedroom, loft with 2 beds, wood stove, beautiful water views, gas and solar lights, gas stove & fridge. Sheds for storage, dock, and furnishings included. Call today for more info or to arrange a private showing. $84,900.

ATHENS 6SRUWVPDQ¡V 3DUDGLVH (QMR\ WKLV SULYDWH DFUH ORW ZLWK IHHW RI IURQWDJH RQ D gated road with 2200 feet on the East Branch of Wesserunsett Stream. Great spot to build your FDPS IRU KXQWLQJ Ă&#x20AC;VKLQJ RU MXVW UHOD[LQJ *UHDW DFFHVV WR PLOHV RI $79 WUDLOV DQG VQRZPRELOH trail bisects the property. $59,000.

MOSCOW :RRGHG DFUH ORW LQ .HQQHEHF (VWDWHV VXEGLYLVLRQ 7KLV ORW KDV D KLJKHVW HOHYDWLRQ LQ WKH VXEGLYLVLRQ DQG KDV VSHFWDFXODU YLHZV FRYHULQJ PRUH WKDQ GHJUHHV 7R WKH West is Pleasant Ridge and with distant mountains visible. Wyman Dam is visible to the South and the lake narrows toward Caratunk to the north. $24,900.

EAST MADISON /RYHO\ FRXQWU\ ORFDWLRQ FRQVLVWLQJ RI DFUHV RI ODQG RQ D FRUQHU ORW 2QH URDG LV SDYHG WKH RWKHU LV JUDYHO 7KH (DVW 0DGLVRQ ERDW ODQGLQJ DQG SXEOLF EHDFK DUHD DUH MXVW down the road. $22,900.

BINGHAM *UHDW ORFDWLRQ WR HQMR\ DOO \RXU RXWGRRU SXUVXLWV (QMR\ HDV\ DFFHVV WR WKH .HQQHEHF 5LYHU $79 WUDLOV DQG VQRZPRELOH WUDLOV 8QQDPHG EURRN ELVHFWV WKLV DFUH ZRRGHG SDUFHO ZLWK PXOWLSOH EHDYHU SRQGV &RPH EXLOG \RXU GUHDP FDPS DQG HQMR\ WKH 0DLQH RXWGRRUV $40,000.

SOLON $SSUR[LPDWHO\ DFUHV RI ODQG ZLWK DERXW IHHW IURQWDJH RQ 8 6 5RXWH DQG about 1,100 feet frontage on the West Road. Build a camp or get-away cabin. Good hunting area.

(DV\ LQ HDV\ RXW ORFDWLRQ &XUUHQWO\ LQ WUHH JURZWK IRU WD[ SXUSRVHV +E $42,200.

CORNVILLE/CANAAN/SKOWHEGAN $SSUR[LPDWHO\ DFUHV ZLWK ORDGV RI IURQWDJH RQ very nice West Branch Black Stream. Fair interior road and about 1200 feet to power. Currently in tree growth for tax purposes (Sa022) $109,900.

PITTSFIELD $SSUR[LPDWHO\ DFUHV MXVW RII WKH 3RZHUV 5RDG LQ 3LWWVĂ&#x20AC;HOG &XUUHQWO\ LQ WUHH growth for tax purposes. (Hb011) $25,000.

www.MaineSportsman.com

DOGS ENGLISH COCKERS Field Bred. Best for Upland, Home and Plantation. Spring 2017. $800 to $1,000 856-305-5179 or 609-805-7993 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

GUIDE SERVICES ALLAGASH BEAR HUNTS Self-Guided, $995. 500 sq. mi. exclusive area.

Also, earliest deer-tracking snow in the east. Dan Wagner - 207-398-3330 MaineTrophyOutfitters.com (Continued on next page)

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Maine Sportsman â&#x20AC;˘ May 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 71 (Continued from page 70)

TOP-WATER SMALLIES Remote waters, day trips and overnights. Shore lunches. Fly, Spin, Bait.

May-Oct. Eastern Maine.

207-796-2342

& moose shed antlers/ racks or antlered skulls.

All grades bought by the pound. 802-875-3206

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

WANTED

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WANTED DEER/ MOOSE ANTLERS BUYING any size deer

Be Sure to LIKE The Maine Sportsman on Facebook!

DREAM HOME in Salmon Country with access to Miramichi River Dream home in the Blackville area, 2 miles below the Cains River.

Ideal salmon country with access to 0LUDPLFKL 5LYHU Ă&#x20AC;VKLQJ ULJKWV Possible to run a recreational EXVLQHVV IRU ELJ JDPH PRRVH GHHU EHDU JURXVH DQG ZRRGFRFN $ beautiful place to relax year round with the whole family. Furniture and appliances included!

Private apartment with separate entrance may be rented out to SD\ WKH PRUWJDJH Comfortably accommodates 10 people. Very private lot with RXWGRRU Ă&#x20AC;VK SRQG ZRUN VKRS FRPSOHWH ZLWK WRROV DQG LQFOXGHV \HDU V ZRUWK RI Ă&#x20AC;UHZRRG &RWWDJH DSSUR[LPDWHO\ \HDUV ROG QHZ URRI LQ 2013. All for just $90,000 A MUST SEE! Please call: 506-843-6299; 506-843-7795 or 506-625-4817

Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker

207-233-8275 caryn@citycoverealty.com www.realestateinrangeley.com

- 4-season 2 bedroom cottage run by solar/battery system backed up by generator, septic, large bunkhouse, well-manicured frontage, sited on 3.63 acres, 490â&#x20AC;&#x2122; along Eskutassis Lake. $75,000

Springfield- 10.6 acre lot sitting on a hill top, great outdoor recreation area, mature trees, electricity available, year round access, 299â&#x20AC;&#x2122; frontage on Moores Road. $12,500

T3R1- Private 1.9 acre lot, driveway, seasonal road, ATV and snowmobile trail access, other lakes close by, convenient to /LQFROQ¡V DPHQLWLHV RZQHU Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ ¡ frontage on Bill Green Pond. $24,500

Macwahoc 5HDG\ WR XVH RSHQ Ă RRU SODQ camp with loft, generator included, sited QH[W WR OLWWOH SRQG Ă&#x20AC;VK RU KXQW 0ROXQNXV Stream, easily accessible, low taxes, 4.2+/- acres on Smith Road. $32,500

Lincoln- Private 4+ acre lots, driveways installed, snowmobile and ATV trails, owner Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ QLFH IURQWDJH DORQJ WKH TXLHW shores of Upper Pond. $39,900 each

Grand Falls- Year round accessible open concept camp in outstanding area to Ă&#x20AC;VK KXQW ERDW DQG ZKHHO 6PDOO ERDW launch just beyond the camp and frontage along Passadumkeag River. $25,000

Lincoln- 3.5 acres, driveway all in, close to Big and Little Narrows, year round paved access, electric available, 200â&#x20AC;&#x2122; frontage on Transalpine Road. $15,000 Lakeville 0DWXUH WUHHV SURYLGLQJ VKDGH nice 4 acre lot, low taxes, private area, RZQHU Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ JHQWOH VORSH WR WKH 200â&#x20AC;&#x2122; of frontage along Horseshoe Lake. $39,900

#7171 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OQUOSSOC VILLAGE: Super campy camp is ready for your immediate enjoyment! This cozy 2 bedroom camp is handy to sled trails, public boat ramps, village amenities. Being sold fully furnished. Plus detached garage for your toys. $89,900 #7173 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; RANGELEY PLT: Meticulously maintained log sided 3 bedroom chalet with elevated lake and mountain views. Detached 1-car garage, plus ATV/snowmobile storage shed. Easy trail access from your door, walk to the Phillips Preserve. Sold furnished. $227,000

Noyes Real Estate Agency 2388 Main Street â&#x20AC;˘ Rangeley, ME 207-864-9000 â&#x20AC;˘ info@noyesrealty.com www.noyesrealty.com

Prentiss- Low taxed area perfect for getaway cabin with easy access, 44.4 acre parcel, great recreational area, owner Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ ¡ RI IURQWDJH RQ Bluegrass Road. $20,000 Lincoln- Located minutes from downtown and I-95 along an undeveloped comPHUFLDO FRUULGRU DFUH ORW RSHQ area, driveway, electricity available, 500â&#x20AC;&#x2122; frontage on River Road. $160,000

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Real Estate Source for the Rangeley Regionâ&#x20AC;? #1146 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DODGE POND: Traditional 3 bedroom log cabin brimming with Rangeley charm is just steps from 700â&#x20AC;&#x2122; shared waterfront, dock, storage barn.

Relax to the sound of Round Pond Stream, explore miles of back roads from your door. $219,000

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; RANGELEY AREA â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

R E A L

E S T A T E

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

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

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tateâ&#x20AC;? Aylward ................ 794-2460 Peter Phinney.................. 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie...................... 290-1554

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

#512 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Affordable 2 bedroom cozy year round camp, near marina and Rangeley Lake, easy maintenance, low taxes. Fish, hunt and more. $59,500

#429 - Waterfront home on Sturtevant Pond, good fishing, dock, 3 bedrooms, close to the water. Access the Magalloway River. $200,000

#560 - North side of Flagstaff Lake. large camp for all recreation. Twelve acres, off grid, TV-SAT, cell reception. $105,500 #433 - Cabin and 200 acres with 2000 feet of waterfront on the Magalloway River, Lincoln PLT. $199,000

WATERFRONT LAND #907 - Sandy River Ponds 200 ft. of frontage â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 ponds! $69,000 #923 - Affordable building lot on Rangeley Lake, on Hunter Cove. Wildlife abounds. $99,000 #965 - Richardson Lake frontage at Middle Dam-225feet, and 5.7 acres. Fish the lake or the Rapid River and Pond in the River. Access by car or boat. $399,000 # 914 - Large 6.15 acre waterfront parcel on 240 feet of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Private drive, building permit and septic. $375,000 #967- Beaver Mountain Lake lot, 292 feet on the water, brook frontage with 2.28 acres. Driveway, open views and boat house. $185,000

Looking for waterfront land on Aziscohos Lake or Cupsuptic Lake? Interested in a camp at Kennebago? GIVE US A CALL! We have the best selection of large acreage parces in the region.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.NOYESREALTY.COM TODAY! www.MaineSportsman.com

72 • May 2017 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————————————

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Trusted gear. Legendary service. Expert advice.

All at our Hunting & Fishing Store in Freeport.

Come in and check out our extensive selection of new and used long guns firsthand—available from over two dozen manufacturers. We can also special order firearms, ammunition, optics and more. Contact our firearms experts at usedguns@llbean.com or call 207.552.7728.

Find store directions, upcoming events & more at

LLBEAN.COM/FREEPORT www.MaineSportsman.com