May 2010 Almanac
THIS MONTH
May’s Endless Winds Dry Land
May days quickly develop a pattern. The sun rises at least 20 out of 30 days and spreads warm light across the land, but by 10 a.m., the resulting heat starts thermal currents rising that in turn cause inevitable winds. Folks can bet on that outcome with a certainty of winning the pot.
Wind screws up fishing, canoeing and flower photography, but it does have a benefit that less observant types miss. Stiff breezes quickly dry the land so it’s no longer squishy, and that helps so many hobbies, particularly gardening, ATVing or playing baseball.
In York and Cumberland counties, May reigns as the rainiest month, shocking many people who think April or November has the worst weather. In the North Country, June, July and December tie for the most inclement weather. May in Southern Maine and June, July and December in Northern Maine being the rainiest (or snowiest) surprise folks all right, but it’s true.
In the South Country, hatches start in early May, making rivers, streams and shallow coves in lakes and ponds veritable hotspots for the fly-rodding crowd after salmonids.
Brooks and small streams rock now as bait dunkers hit these flowing waters just as black flies swarm. Fishing can be fast in flowing waters, and many such brooks may have just one anglers hitting them all season – you! …Talk about solitude.
Black-bass fishing starts slowly in May except for those folks who know how to work a jig over deep structure. By month’s end, though, bass have moved to spawning beds and living can be darned easy for the bassin’ boys.
Early May in the North Country often has a little snow, but by month’s end in northern latitudes, spring surely arrives in a hurry. Whoever first wrote “spring springs” was thinking of northern latitudes where long days of sunlight make the new season arrive in a hurry.
Canoe tripping excites plenty of folks in May. Campgrounds along rivers look so clean – bursting with freshness. Fast currents sail over rocks and offer good passage for folks experienced with white water. May guarantees solitude, too.
Stripers arrive along the Maine coast in May, and at times, it can be a swarming invasion. Not everyone can depend on salty action now, though, but those with hotspots of where stripers show up first can have action aplenty.
Fiddleheaders find these juvenile ferns early in May, and often, they accompany this dish with brook trout sautéed in butter. Fiddleheads kick off the wild-food season for gatherers, and next month, wild strawberries draw crowds of enthusiasts after the sweetest, tastiest berries around.
