Do you have a Survival Kit?  #8

How many times have you gone into the woods, whether it be for fishing or hunting, and brought the proper gear in the event of an emergency?  When you read this question, did you say, I bring everything I need including my fishing pole, rifle, shotgun, food and maybe a compass or GPS.  When I say “Survival Kit” what comes to mind? Many of us think we are going into the woods and will be returning home after the day is done. But, how many of you have been turned around while walking in the woods or have been involved in a medical emergency while hunting or fishing with someone? On the fishing side, it could be a fishhook stuck in your arm, finger or your eye. Hunting poses an even greater danger. Have you ever been lost, fell on that stump or just cut yourself with your knife?

I ask these questions, because I attended a course last week that advocated a survival kit every time you are in the woods, no matter if you are riding in your truck or walking through the woods.  The course was entitled, the Maine Hunters Safety Course. Now, I have been hunting and fishing for over 40 years but had never taken this course. It wasn’t necessary because I was grandfathered under current Maine law due to the fact that I have had a Maine hunting license consecutively for many years. Last year, my wife decided that she wanted to accompany me on my hunting trips. She spent a good deal of time just walking with me in the woods during my hunting excursions. She didn’t have a license and did not carry a gun. She just wanted to see the sights and sounds of the woods and this allowed her to do just that. Over time, she has really learned to respect and appreciate the natural world. Now, I did have a secret agenda too. If she liked it, she might get her hunting license and we could go hunting more often.  Our treks did turn out to be a lot of fun and I really did enjoy her company. See, it had all started several years ago when she began following me fishing. At first, she just sat in the boat and watched. It quickly turned into her wanting to try it for herself and now she goes with me almost every time. She has her fishing license, but getting her hunting license was another matter.  In order to do that, she had to attend and pass a hunters safety course.  So, in anticipation of hunting season, she signed up for a course in April. The course was offered by the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club and spanned over one full week. You attended a Monday night session and got your books and assignments. Then you had homework for the entire week which brought you back to the clubhouse on Saturday for a full day of review, instruction and of course a test at the end. Well, not having taken the course before, I agreed to join her for the week. What could I learn, right? Forty years of hunting experience and I knew it all. What could they teach me? WRONG, I could not believe what was covered in the week’s course.  The instructors covered topics like, hunting safety, first aid, topo maps, compass reading, landowner rights, conservation, preservation, proper gun carry, maintaining an ethical hunting image and much more.  Dave, Tom, Pete and Dick were extremely helpful and knowledgeable and were there to help each and every one of us, all for no pay I might add.  They even covered something called a survival kit that we were required to make and bring to the class on Saturday. That leads me to the point of my blog. First, what is in a survival kit? You can add anything you might want that you think could be helpful in making you feel comfortable in the event you get lost or if you have a medical issue. Your items could include an additional compass, batteries, flagging tape, twine, protein bars, first aid items, bobby pins, flashlight, whistle, pocket knife, tealight candles, space blanket, waterproof matches and bandana. This is just a short list, but there are a lot of additional items that make perfect sense.  Take all of these items and put them in a fanny pack or other pack and put them in the truck for both fishing and hunting season, and make sure that you bring them with you in the woods or in the boat. Hopefully, you will never need them, but if you do, you will be glad that you have them.

I would like to thank the instructors and the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club for donating their time to put this very worthwhile course on.  I was amazed at their knowledge and what I leaned that week.  If you have never taken one, consider it. It might very well save your life in an emergency or if you do get turned around in the woods. And, oh, by the way, we both passed the course and got our certificates.

http://www.presqueislefishandgame.org/

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You can learn a lot from an older fisherman  #7

I am fortunate to have been able to fish with a lot of different people over the years. I am also fortunate to have been able to fish so many places, some near and some far. I recall many great fishing experiences growing up, one in particular when I was young and my father took me up to Dead Brook in north western Maine. I can still remember wading in that brook with dad, and falling in, getting wet from head to toe. I recall the ride home that day, falling asleep as soon as we left the brook. That served as a teasing point for my father and Phil Dumond that they reminded me of for many years after. I still hear it occasionally. I was fortunate to have grown up in a Maine Warden family and to have had so many of them around me. There was always something to learn and I took it all in. But, that is for another day and another blog.

This blog is about a man that I have spent a fair amount of time in a canoe with. He has also taught me to tie flies over the past couple of years. Rosaire Cyr from Fort Kent is 87 years old.  For many years now, Rosaire and I would go fishing using his canoe to tackle some of the great fishing holes in northern Maine. Ponds like 4^th Pelletier, 3^rd Wallagrass Lake and many of the ponds in the Deboulie region.  I recall fishing with Rosaire many years ago when he would be there to drag the canoe into the pond and drag it out. Come on, he would say, we can’t catch fish at the truck. He always had a better way than me of doing things and was not shy about letting me know.  He always tied his own flies and if you were lucky, he would even share some with you. Over the years, Rosaire has slowed down, but he still has a very strong passion for fishing. He also has worked hard to outsmart the fishing population using as he calls it the most recent fishing technology. The best representation of that I can offer happened last year. For many years, we would drive by 1st Pelletier pond in St. Francis on our way to 4^th Pelletier or to our hunting grounds. As we passed, I would always watch his face as he looked at the pond. I waited every time for him to let me know that that pond was always a good fishing hole in his younger days and he would really like to try it again someday. That day came last year when I told him that it was about time we packed the truck up and made our way to first Pelletier to see what we could find. Now, several years ago, Rosaire started using a fish finder to locate his prey. He had that thing mastered a short time after he got it. He would tell you where to go on the pond and where not to go. It was almost like he had a sixth sense about where the fishing holes were. If I strayed away from where his fish finder told him to be, he would always let me know. Well, on this day, he topped that big time. As we were packing up, he brought out a camera. I asked him what he was doing with that thing and he proceeded to tell me that this was his new fish finder. He proceeded to tell me that it was going to tell him where the fish were. With this unit, you lower the eye into the water and watch a screen in the boat. The screen represents real time action in the water. Rosaire told me that he was going to scout first Pelletier and he was going to catch the big one. Knowing his past promises, I didn’t hold out any hope. But I wanted to make his experience a good one, so I went along with his theory.  Well, we got to the pond and I unloaded my canoe and drug it down to the water’s edge. See, Rosaire has slowed down a lot recently and cannot do any dragging. Mind you, he is still good about giving orders though. He put his gear in and I did the same. He loaded the camera and off we went paddling out into the pond. All the way out as I paddled, oh yeah, I do most of the paddling now to, he was setting up that camera. I could tell he was really anxious to get it out into the water.  Once he had it all set up, he began to give me updates on what he was seeing. He told me about logs he saw, he told me about marshy areas he saw, but never once did he tell me about a fish he saw. There was one time that he thought he saw something moving, but I told him that did not count. He kept telling me where I should paddle to because he had a feeling about where the big one was. He spent his entire time on first Pelletier pond that night playing with the underwater camera. He would from time to time pull his head up out of the viewfinder to cast his fly line, but much of the time, his pole was in the boat. The play by play went on all evening and I was really getting a chuckle out of his enthusiasm. As the sun set and the light started to change to dusk, we decided to paddle to shore and call it a night. We did not get one bite all evening and I don’t think he fished for more than 30 minutes total that day. It really didn’t matter though because for one evening, I was with an 87 year old man who had longed to once again be on 1^st Pelletier Pond, and he was there and had really enjoyed himself. That, to me was all that counted.

Over the past 15 or so years, I have learned a lot while fishing with Rosaire. I am still glad to be able to spend time with him on the water and he knows he is still very fortunate to be able to go fishing when he wants.  He is slowing down a lot now, and is not able to walk long distances in the woods without taking breaks. But he can still find his way down to the ponds, or surely tell you how it should be done, and oh yeah, he still keeps up with the current technology. It makes me wonder what he will come up with this year?

My first taste of fishing 2012 #6

Generally, I don’t start fishing until sometime in May. Mind you, not because I don’t want to. No, it’s more along the lines of the woods having not yet gotten rid of the snow and the roads are so bad and muddy that you can’t get there from here. So when Mother Nature threw us a curve ball this year and left us with brown grass and semi dry roads, that became a recipe for early fishing anyway you could get it.

So, It’s late Friday afternoon on a mid-April afternoon, the sun is out and it is pretty warm. That, means I have to find a place to wet a fly line.  It really doesn’t matter if I catch a fish or not although I must admit that would be a bonus. The closest place for me to go is the Presque Isle Stream. Now, the Presque Isle Stream flows from SquaPan Lake down through Presque Isle into the Aroostook River. It has never been known, by me at least, as a stream with lots of trout. To the contrary, I have only caught a few fish in it over the years. But it is close and it is open water. That is two very important requisites today.

This early in the year, I anticipate fast moving high water in the stream, so I dig out my 8 weight fly rod, my Pflueger reel with my floating line and as many of the flies I made over the winter as I can put in my fly vest. My fly vest is next along with my water reservoir that I fill and put in the vest. Finally, I grab my neoprene waders and off I go.

I carefully plot where I will attack the Presque Isle Stream, and drive out into East Chapman and onto the dirt road for the first time this year. The East Chapman road has long been one of my favorite hunting roads. It leads from Chapman across to where it finally intersects with route 11 at the lumber Mill just south of Ashland. For this excursion, I am only driving about 6 miles in until I come to the bridge that crosses the Presque Isle Stream. On the way in, I come across a partridge in the middle of the road. I stop the truck in an attempt to get a better look at it and of course get a photo. The bird walks slowly off the road and into the branches on the side. I get out and walk toward it but notice that it is making its way down the bank. I watch it for a short time and get a few photos until it flies away out of sight. Once at the bridge, I make my way across it and go a short distance down the road to where the stream parallels the dirt road. It is there that I park. 

The first thing I notice is that the water does not seem to be as high as I thought. It appears that it is going to be good for wading. I dawn all of the fishing equipment and make my way down over the bank into the stream. I tie on a dark Hendrickson wet fly and wade out into the middle and make my first cast. All I can hear is the rush of the water. The sun is shining down upon me and I cannot believe that I am doing this is mid-April.  I hadn’t been in the stream long when I caught a glimpse of two people walking up the side of the stream towards me. Both had all of the fishing gear and I noticed that they were using spinning rods as their means of attack. As they got to me, I asked them if they had had any luck to which they replied they had not. They asked me if I could point them in the right direction to catch a few trout. I told them to work their way up the stream and just keep plugging away at it. We parted company and I watched as they walked a short distance up the bank of the stream above me and waded into the water. They continued to make their way up the stream until I lost sight of them as they went around the bend.

I went back to the task at hand, fishing. I continue to make my assault on the Presque Isle Stream for the next hour and a half. While I am in the middle of the stream, I recall a day two years ago when I was in the very same spot. I was about ready to cast my line out when I looked up and saw three ducks on a decent to my very spot. Surely they see me and will pull up and go around for another approach, but they just keep coming. I start to get a bit concerned that they would land on me and that is exactly where they seem to be headed. So, I announce my position by clearing my throat and that alerts them to where I am. They quickly pull up and fly right over my head and land about 20 feet behind me with a big splash.

Finally, it is time to call it a day. I haven’t had a single bite but just being here has been a victory. I wade out of the stream onto the bank. Take one last look and then walk to my truck. I have no regrets about not catching anything. To the contrary, I am just so happy that I could begin my 2012 fishing season this early in the year.  And, oh yeah, there is tomorrow…

North Maine Woods- What is it?  #5

In my first four blogs, I refer from time to time to a place called, the North Maine Woods. It occurred to me that some of my readers might not know what or who that is. So, this blog is dedicated to trying to create an image of what I mean when I say there is no other place in Maine like the North Maine Woods.

The North Maine Woods, or NMW for short, is a region in northern Maine of over 3.5 million acres of commercial forest land. It is located in the north western part of Maine. The ownership, which is confusing to say the least, is made up of individual as well as corporate landholders, both big and small. Many own what is called a township or roughly 36 square mile plots. Some own more than one township and other townships have multiple owners. It is not just a wilderness or forest. There are over 3,000 miles of maintained roads and several thousand other unmaintained roads within its boundary. The access and public use management is maintained by the NMW, Inc. They have their headquarters in Ashland, ME. Many people earn their living each day in the North Maine Woods.

The NMW is not a park, and there are no hookups for your campers at the 112 campsites, 86 of which are in the Ashland Region and 26 in the Allagash Region. To get to any of the campsites, you must first pass through one of the 15 checkpoints and pay a fee. Now, the fees are very cheap for day use of this wonderful region. A day use pass will cost you $6.00 per person and an annual pass that allows you to enter the region any time during the year is $75.00. There are also fees to camp in the NMW; again the fees are very minimal. When you pay your fee, the gate attendant will ask you where you are going. Make sure that you answer them accurately. This question has helped The Maine Warden Service and the folks from the NMW find people in the event there was an emergency at home, or if you simply did not return on time.

Once you are passed the checkpoint, a whole new experience awaits you. The region has a number of lakes, ponds and streams that are well stocked with fish. It also has a number of different species of wildlife. You are almost always assured of seeing moose, roughed grouse, deer and possibly even a bear. I recall two years ago when my wife and I were on our way to Peaked Mountain Pond for one of our fishing excursions seeing a mother black bear walk out into the road and just stand there.  I knew there was a reason she did not quickly walk across the road, so we watched as four bear cubs walked out of the woods toward her, one at a time. Only when they were all in the road, did she walk to the other side of the road and disappear into the woods. All four of the cubs were following closely behind her.

There are some rules they ask you to abide by while in the NMW. They include:

·         Every visitor must log in and log out of one of their checkpoints.

·         Maintain a safe speed limit on their roads and make sure to pull over and give room to the numerous logging trucks.

·         Be careful with fires and only use fire pits with steel rings to build fires.

·         NMW is a carry in carry out area. That means what you bring in, please bring out with you.

·         Carefully dispose of cigarettes and cigars.

Making sure that you follow these very simple rules will ensure that we will all be able to continue to take advantage of what the NMW has to offer.

Finally, The NMW has a great website that will give you more information on just about any question you might have. If you don’t find what you are looking for, just contact their Executive Director, Al Cowperthwaite via the website.  Also, Al writes a column in the North Woods Sporting Journal each month which gives their readers an update about what is going on there. I find it very informative. If you don’t already get this monthly magazine, you should really check it out. It is a must for all sportsmen. The link to the magazine’s webpage is found below.

www.northmainewoods.org     

www.sportingjournal.com          

Come and take advantage of what the NMW has to offer. Once you enter for the first time, you will be back again and again.

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Opening Day 2012, fishing that is #4

For many of us, September 30, 2011 was a sad day. It was the day we had to put our fishing gear away. Yes, I know that some ponds remained open and there was still some quality fishing out there, but from my standpoint, fishing season came to a close. I recall our last fishing expedition last year when my wife and I took the drive up the Pinkham Rd and into Little Ragged Pond in Northern Piscataquis County. This pond is one of our favorites with a well-stocked trout population, beautiful views and a nice campsite to cook our lunch at, not to mention we have always done well there. I remember that fall day with a crispness in the air, very little wind and the sun shining high in the sky. As that day came to a close and we were driving out of the pond road, I recall thinking that I could not wait until the canoe was atop my truck again and my wife and I were back in the North Maine Woods casting that fly out as far as it would go.

For many of us, the fishing season does not really end in September.  Yes, it is true that the lines might not get wet, but there is maintenance that needs to be performed, such as putting the poles away, replacing the old fly lines with new fresh ones, and making sure that the lines are properly put away. But for me, the vice comes out and the fly tying material goes to work. My goal is to replenish the flies in my tackle box so that I will be ready to go in April. I find that the flies I use most include the Hornberg, Muddler, Light and Dark Hendrickson and both Cahill flies work the best. Mix in some wolf flies and of course Green Drakes and my dry fly box is good to go. When the water is warmer and the fish are down deeper, I tend to lock in my spool that has the sink tip line and drag those tiny nymphs on the bottom. I have to admit that one of my biggest fish caught was a trout on a gold beaded nymph on Horseshoe Pond. I still have the photo of that fish in my net on my wall in my office.

So, April is here and it is time to stop dreaming and get the fishing gear out, prep and register the canoes and find some open water.  Are you ready for some fishing?  Remember that the North Maine Woods has many great ponds, lakes and streams and the gate prices are remaining the same for 2012.