Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 by Maine Sportsman
Apparently a number of Maine Sportsman columnists agree with me that June is the best month of the year to fish for brook trout, because that’s just what they wrote about for this issue.
There are multiple reasons why over 90 percent of our readers list brook trout as their favorite fish to catch, everything from their brilliant coloration to their delicate flavor fresh from a fry pan. And when it comes to truly wild brook trout that have never seen the inside of a hatchery, no other state in the USA can match the number of waters Maine has where these beauties are found.
Of course, that’s only one aspect of the many topics covered in this issue. For example, in my Rambling column, I talk about how often new Maine freshwater fish records are falling these days — including a new record for yellow perch — and I provide a list of all the state’s records.
Bill Clunie has written an excellent article on remote ATVing — including how to prepare and what to bring along on an ATV camping trip. More and more miles of excellent ATV trails are established in Maine each year, creating more opportunities for extended rides.
This is our annual Salt Water Fishing Issue and Capt. Barry Gibson has provided a highly informative article about the improving near shore fishing for cod, haddock and pollock that can be reached by boats only 20 feet or so long.
There’s plenty more, including the possibility of a giant togue from Moosehead, small trout ponds in the Rangeleys, smallmouth bass Down East and even brook trout fishing hotspots in the Sebago Region.
Rounding it all out are extra features like Tom Seymour’s popular Maine Wildlife Column and a wildlife quiz where you can test your knowledge about garter snakes.
Check it all out and see if it inspires you to head outdoors for a for some of the best fishing of the year too.
Tags: June 2010 Issue • Categories: General
Posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 by Maine Sportsman
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.
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Tags: May 2010 Issue • Categories: Almanac, General
Posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 by Maine Sportsman
The contents of this May’s issue of The Maine Sportsman really demonstrates this dilemma as our regional writers have gone all out to tell you where to find the gobblers and the trout.
Of course, it is possible to do both in the same morning as the cover photo of this month’s issue also demonstrates. The picture is of Mike Guarino who shot that handsome trophy gobbler while filming an episode of Harry Vanderweide’s Northeast Journal. Not only did they two manage to locate the gobbler while sitting in a boat, but they followed it up by successfully catching a nice bunch of smallmouth bass, all before 9 a.m.
There are hundreds of waters in Maine — everything from meandering brooks to huge lakes — where it’s possible to float along at daybreak calling turkeys and then later fish for trout, salmon, bass, pike, or whatever species you prefer. Of course, there are no guarantees in either hunting or fishing, but even if you don’t score, you’ll get to spend the morning outdoors in Maine during the month of May … and what is better than that?
The May issue of The Maine Sportsman is jam-packed with all sorts of useful outdoor information, ranging from shooting a moose with a longbow to how dancing naked in the woods can help you avoid catching Lyme disease. Check it out!
Tags: May 2010 Issue • Categories: General
Posted on Monday, March 29th, 2010 by Maine Sportsman
Man, oh man! Are the writers for The Maine Sportsman ever excited about the upcoming open water-fishing season! They’ve named names too, telling you all the best spots for ice-out angling, plus the techniques that take fish from water that is running high and cold. Maybe the relatively mild winter got them so fired up, but they all seem more than ready to get out there and fish!
Of course, regional columns that give you the best where-to and how-to information are only the beginning of any issue, including April’s. We’ve got thought-provoking essays, a stack of letters to the editor, wicked good information about turkey hunting and an outstanding article on what look for if a new ATV is in your plans this year.
Did I mention the trophy photos? Well, we’ve got plenty of those tin the April issue. You may have heard deer numbers are down in Maine, but you certainly can’t tell that by the number of big buck photos we have received.
We have the entire fish-stocking list printed in this issue? Well … gotta’ go now. I want to check out the fish-stocking list myself ‘cause I’ve fishing fever bad too!
Tags: April 2010 Issue • Categories: General
Posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 by Maine Sportsman
~ THIS MONTH ~
Spring Springs This Month, But Snow Just Kills Us
Spring kicks off this month, March 20 to be exact, but the third month starts with plenty of snow and ice, looking like more of winter.
In the bottom third of the state, though, astute observers can see, smell, hear and feel spring coming every day unless a late storm beats the new season back.
• Snow melts in sunny, open spots, the wind carries a spring-like, fresh odor.
• Amorous skunks foul the night air.
• Newly returning birds add new notes to spring’s morning sounds.
• The thermometer rises as days become equal length to dark.
Observers who not only look but see note all the changes.
A new trend amazes folks who think about it. Winter and early spring fishing get more and more popular, and it’s not bait anglers who do participate, but rather, fly rodders. Go figure.
Crowds actually form on rivers such as the St. George where folks flock to hotspots such as the outlet below Sennebec Pond or Payson Park in Warren. Lifelong friendships begin in this snow-filled setting.
Smelters get out now on tidal rivers and streams and catch big smelts through the ice. A tiny segment of the population also fishes for tommycod now in coastal flowing waters. This sport proved bigger in the last half of the 1800s.
As the month wanes, inland smelters hit tributaries and outlets of rivers and ponds to catch the tiny, silvery baitfish, an old Maine tradition. Unfortunately, part of the tradition involves some folks drinking heavily, making the sport rowdy at times.
Calling coyotes at dawn and dusk excites predator hunters now because they have much milder temperatures than they did two months ago. Baiting these canines sweetens the attraction. Night hunters also take advantage of the warmer weather, but hey, it’s still plenty cold after the sun sets.
Fox season closes Feb. 28, so coyote hunters must watch the little red bandits now without shooting. From a management standpoint, it would not hurt the fox population to leave the season open through March. Predator hunting for wild canines draws a small number of hunters, explaining the reasoning behind that proposal.
As fields clear of snow, woodchuck hunters get out now and hunt those distant brown spots. This same crowd might take a pop at a crow, too, but serious crow hunters use smoothbores, camouflage clothing, calls and decoys.
Wildlife photographers really begin rambling this month as they shoot images of waterfowl, songbirds and eagles, a busy time for the naturalists among us.
White-water canoeing had a big spurt in popularity in the 1970s, but that has slowed in recent years. It’s a great sport, though, and it gets folks out early when spring melting and rain swells waters, making normally rocky rivers and streams a thrill now. Kayakers may outnumber canoeists these days.
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Tags: March 2010 Issue • Categories: General
