Fishing Season is in Full Swing  #15

Since Memorial Day, and with one exception, TC and I have been in the North Maine Woods every Saturday. We have been visiting the same pond where our luck has been quite good. As a matter of fact, we have been using the same fly all the time, and have been having such great luck, that we have never found a need to change it. I found the pattern for this fly on the internet one day this winter and had made a few of them to try. I cannot believe how good it has been. So good, that I have tied several more over the past two weeks.

Each Saturday when we drive to this pond, the sun is out and the views on the roads in the North Maine Woods are spectacular. It never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I drive over these roads, what I see for the first time. The sparkling clear brooks and majestic mountains that rise above the tree line are just a few of the things that stand out. Many of those mountains are tucked in by the ponds we fish and their reflections show like a mirror in the water. Simply put, it is breathtaking.

As we get to the pond, there is a small campsite with a parking area and a short canoe carry will get you to the water’s edge. As we have driven into the site the last two weeks, we have found a car in the lot and folks already on the pond fishing.  Yesterday was no different as we noticed a truck parked in the lot. Getting out of the vehicle, we could hear the people talking on the pond. We unloaded the canoe and started to take our gear down to the landing area. As I started to walk back to the truck for another load, I could hear another vehicle driving in. When I got back, a vehicle from New Hampshire came into the lot. In the vehicle were a man and women. They rolled the window down and asked if we minded them fishing on the pond as they could see that there was already one group there. TC and I both told them they were more than welcome to join us, which they did. I think they might have been from Bradford Camps, which is a really nice sporting camp not far from the pond, because they used one of Igor’s canoes that was tied up by the landing.

Over the past three visits to this pond, TC and I have done very well indeed. Now remember, TC has just started to learn how to fly fish. She really began late last year.  However, she has been catching the biggest fish each of the last three visits. She is really beginning to make it look easy. It’s great to watch her land the fish she catches, particularly the big ones she has caught. She really has come a long way in a very short time. Yesterday, she worked on throwing her line out farther and did a great job. She has learned to spot a rise and try to place her fly in the rise which ends up with her usually seeing some action.

As far as the New Hampshire folks, I had to feel for them because I watched the gentleman change his fly at least 10 times without catching a fish. It must have been pretty painful for him to watch us with the luck we had.

Early in the evening last night while we were on the pond, we heard a branch crack in the trees just a short distance from where we were. Shortly after hearing that, we saw a momma moose come to the edge of the pond and look out at us. She put her front hoofs in the water and looked back over her shoulder. That was a hint to both TC and I that there was more to come. All of a sudden, she walked into the water and behind her came a baby moose still light brown in color. Momma walked into the water feeding on plants under the water with the baby following her. It was amazing to see both of them and we remarked that we could not believe how long she could keep her head under water. All along the baby had her ears up and they were both keeping a watchful eye on us. After about 15 minutes or so, they had traveled almost horizontally across the pond and they both walked onto the shore and as fast as they came, were gone.  The worst part of the whole time was that I had not brought my camera with me on the pond. Generally, that is the case when these things happen. It reminds me of the time when I was fishing with my father in law and brother in law and we saw a mother moose teaching her two babies how to swim and I didn’t have my camera then either.

As we left the pond last night, I remarked to TC that it was probably time to move on to other ponds we have not yet visited this year. Plans are to try another old favorite next week. I just hope that we have the same luck there.

I leave you this week with a few photos we took yesterday. They show the beauty of our area, and really drive home the reason we spend so much time in the North Maine Woods.

FROM THE INBOX

I heard from a reader on the blog last week about the secret fisherman. The reader tells me that he employs the Hunt method when talking to others about his travels. That is, “you hunt for it.”

www.bradfordcamps.com