July 2007 Almanac

This Month: Fishing Is Hot, But Deer Flies Invade the Woods

July reigns as Maine’s hottest month, but in the north country, June and July tie December for the most inclement weather, so brookie ponds can produce well through July, particularly during predictable evening hatches.

In the north country, these rains keep brooks flowing well and brook anglers after trout do well. As July wanes and water may become low and warm, brookies concentrate over springs and in deep holes.

Rain swells rivers, too, bringing brookies and salmon up from lakes. These rivers often attract angler crowds in June but offer far more solitude now.

Lake trout concentrate in predictable deep holes, easy targets for folks who know the bottom as they do their living room.

Stripers are everywhere along the coast, as are mackerel.

With luck, bluefish will be marauding the coast now, too.

Blue sharks start feeding in July.

Party boats after cod and haddock do well in July as this business flourishes because of all the summer tourists.

Cunner, pollock and other salty panfish attract a small group now who likes to catch these cooperative species in harbors and along breakwaters.

Black bass hang around drop-offs near the areas where they spawned last month, suckers for a well-worked deep jig.

Pickerel, white perch, yellow perch, sunfish and hornpout excite an equally small crowd of anglers, usually children.

Farmers hay now and expose those distant brown dots — the ubiquitous woodchuck.

Bear hunters are baiting now.

Bird hunters, bowhunters and riflemen shoot a lot to perfect their shooting for the fast approaching hunting seasons.

Car camping, canoe tripping and backpacking hit full swing this month.

Hiking trails draw huge crowds this month.

Wild-food gatherers live for July. Strawberries may be done but blueberries and raspberries ripen, as do potherbs and tender new roots.

Gardeners love this time of year now that summer squash, leaf veggies and root crops like radishes ripen.

Next month, the real goodies begin.

During the first week of July, wood anemones have passed for another year, but Indian pipes show up in woods openings, a plant that looks like an upside down white pipe.

By the second week, deer flies begin biting chunks out of the heads of hikers, and bats flit through the sky in full force at dusk.

Loons take one or two chicks for rides on their backs or in tow behind them.

As the third week arrives, meadow crickets call, a common sound that keeps folks awake at night should one get into the house.

The night chorus of insects hits high gear, too.

Garter snakes forage near stone walls and foundations, looking for frogs, salamanders and earthworms.

By the fourth week, gray tree frogs call with their characteristic trill often coming from close to the ground. This frog breeds late when air temperatures reach a solid 68 degrees for a somewhat extended time.

From shallow coves with lily pads come the unmistakable calls of bullfrogs that sounds for all the world like jug-o’-rum from a man with laryngitis.

Thunderstorms in late afternoon are more common and the threat lasts through August.

Next Month: August is Fine for Camping, But be Prepared for Thunderstorms

August is so much like July, just more humid as heat haze partially shrouds the distant horizon and cicadas pierce the afternoon heat with that constant, annoying buzz that sounds like a circular saw cutting plywood.

Saltwater fishing for stripers, blues and mackerel off the coast shines now, but tidal rivers slow as water temperatures rise.

Blue sharks are extremely cooperative this month as folks chum them to the boat to cast at them — sight fishing at its finest.

Party boats do a brisk business, fishing for cod and the ever increasing haddock population.

In northern brooks, brookies congregate over deep holes and springs, concentrated targets.

Northern Maine brook-trout ponds still have predictable evening hatches except during hot spells.

An August line storm, not unheard of, raises northern rivers, and salmon and brookies ascend the currents. Fishing can be as good as June, minus other anglers.

Lake trout stack up in deep holes, and folks who know how to work the bottom do well on these big char.

Salmon can be anywhere from 20 to 60 feet down, but skilled trollers can find them and work lures by their noses.

Bassers who know how to work jigs deeply find bass down 20 feet or so and do gangbusters. Drop-offs near shallows produce.

Pickerel, white perch, yellow perch and panfish cooperate well in the heat of summer in late evening and particularly after dawn before the sun rises fairly up.

Hornpout fishing after dark produces hot action, and an eel can be an added bonus or nightmare, depending on how you view this species.

Browns and salmon in the bottom third of the state prowl shallows at dawn.

Blue-winged olives offer fly rodders sport all month — tiny flies on light tippets — the essence of fly fishing.

Woodchuck shooting picks up now as folks begin thinking hunting and shooting as fall nears.

The second half of the split crow season runs from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30.

The first day of bear season always kicks off the last Monday of August — the 27th this year. Folks can hunt over bait and use fair-chase methods (still-hunting, stalking or sitting over natural baits and game trails), but the use of dogs is not legal until Sept. 10.

Shooting clay targets, archery butts and rifle targets picks up as fall nears.

Vehicle camping, canoe tripping and backpacking are going gangbusters this month.

Hiking marked trails is really popular in the two main summer months.

Wild foods such as blueberries and raspberries draw out the most casual Gibbons disciples. Pot herbs and young roots are ripe as are hazelnuts by month’s end.

Gardens start producing corn, winter squash, potatoes and more staples before August turns into September.

Softening greens of foliage, golden browns of fields and soft, hazy light create great moods for scenic photos this month.