September 2010 Almanac
C&R Reigns This Month
September offers Maine salmonid anglers a flurry of superb fishing action, and the exact time depends on latitude, elevation and certainly cool weather, the latter leading to plummeting water temperatures. This fast fishing often lasts seven to 10 days, but no one would be foolish enough to carve this rule in granite. It might be three days or 30.
In northern Aroostook County, fast fishing can kick off near the end of the month’s first week, and in Central Maine, it often starts around Sept. 20. Before or after the fish put on the feedbag, anglers are often say, “Fall fishing can be feast or famine,” because they’re going through a famine. When it’s feast time, they’re too busy to talk.
An interesting Maine statistic involves The One That Didn’t Get Away Club, which has an inordinate amount of trophies entered that folks caught in the first three to four weeks after ice-out and again in the first two weeks of January. Fish from September are conspicuously absent in this coveted club.
Here’s an easily arguable theory, explaining this discrepancy. Fall anglers lean toward catch and release – serious fly rodders who would rather let a big one go than keep it just before spawning time. Naturally, most of them return big salmonids (and small) anytime of year. In short, serious anglers get out in September while casual ones prepare for the coming hunts.
Bass anglers who work coves at dawn and dusk and deep structure through the day catch slab-sided females now. Serious bassers release them, too.
Folks after a fish-fry and into warm-water species such as pickerel, white perch, sunfish, yellow perch and hornpout go forth now to catch a mess of fish to go with freshly made tartar sauce with finely chopped onion. Garden vegetables make these fish-fries extra special.
Striped-bass excitement hits high gear in September, and bluefish and mackerel might be hanging around the Maine coast, too. Blue-shark fishing peaks this month, but these large animals stay in the ocean where the depths reach at least 400 feet. Often, that requires a 25-mile ride from shore-side docks straight beyond the horizon.
Serious deer hunters scout hard now, and bowhunters living near the expanded archery zone just get out and hunt. A tiny few of these people shoot 10 or more deer a year, but they work at it to achieve this feat.
Shotgun shooting to smooth the mount and swing, rifle practice to perfect the trigger squeeze and bow-and-arrow twanging to polish 1) the exact same anchor point again and again, 2) release and 3) steady hold of the bow arm keep hunters occupied now.
Gardens produce the staples – potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, winter squash, drying beans and more. Wild-foods attract foragers this month as they pick mushrooms, potherbs and roots. The veggies make up a big part of the equation because hunters and anglers are also gardeners.
Scenic shots require good composition and proper light readings because the golden light and mature golden browns of fields and rich green of foliage make taking photos a snap, especially with all the fall wildflowers, including goldenrod, black-eyed Susan, chicory, Queen Anne’s lace, asters and more.
