A look back at the 2013 fishing season #51

 As I look back upon the things TC and I did in 2013 and the places we visited, it truly was a great year for us.  I also had a couple of real memorable trips with friends that added to the enjoyment. I sat down and made a mental list of all the places we went and the things we did and here is a review of those times.

2013 started out with a trip to fourth Musquacook Lake and a couple of days with my friends Mark, Crandy and Kevin. We stayed with Jason and Sherri at their camp on the lake. Although the rain and cold temps hampered our fishing, we did catch some nice trout and just catching up with the group was enough for me.

Then while on a trip to Pennsylvania, I was fortunate enough to have won a brand new R. L Winston fly rod. When I finally got it, it was like a dream come true. The feel and responsiveness was amazing. Each time I went out, I made sure to bring it with me and when I hooked a fish, it was fun to watch the rods reaction.

Then there was the annual trip to the camp on the Pinkham Rd with a group of friends. Once again this year, Matt from Minnesota joined us and we spent a couple of days fishing different ponds. This year, Jeff joined us from Pennsylvania. Now Jeff has fished all over the United States. He mainly fishes in streams and had not really experienced any pond fishing. He caught on pretty fast with the only exception being that while paddling back to shore, he forgot to watch his rod, an R L Winston, and it got caught in the trees and the tip was snapped off.

TC and I made many a trip to the North Maine Woods during the fishing season. We made our way to Ragged Mountain Pond a couple of times and each time, we did very well. During one of those times, we were fortunate enough to share the pond with a couple of moose that, due to the hot weather seemed to find comfort in the cool water. It was really a nice site to see.  We also spent some time at Peaked Mountain Pond. For those of you who have not been there, it is a really nice place. The campsites are well maintained by the North Maine Woods staff and there is just something about the view of the pond late in the evening, and in the early morning.  The next pond we tried was Upper McNally Pond. We had never fished there but it will go down as one of the most memorable places we fished. That is because of the black flies that chased us around all the time we were there. I even remember putting the canoe back on the truck and looking around to see where TC was, only to find her already in the truck with the doors and windows closed. Then TC and I made a trip to the Deboulie Park region. That is located west of St Francis, Maine. The park is owned by the State of Maine and the number of fishing ponds within the park boundaries is unbelievable. There are also a number of excellent campsites right next to each pond, and many people spend time there not only fishing but just recreating. I had been there fishing a number of times, but TC had never fished there. So, I decided that we would try Upper Pond that day. Although we did not catch any large fish, we did have fun catching the smaller ones. TC tells me that she wants to go back and not only do some fishing, but also camp out. Looks like it is on the calendar for 2014. Then there was our favorite pond that we ventured to a number of times. Little Pleasant was by far our most visited place in 2013. During our fishing trips there, we were very fortunate to come out with some nice trout. Although the limit is one fish each, we didn’t mind. The fun that we had far outweighed the time it took to travel to the pond. It was also nice, from time to time, to hear the rumble of a float plane coming across the tree line and setting down on the water to drop off some sports from either Bradford Camps or Libby Camps, then turning into the wind and taking off again. But one of the things that stands out the most during one of our last trips to Little Pleasant, was that we made two new friends. Now, picture this. It was an absolutely dead calm day on the water with not a drop of wind. The pond was just like a mirror. All of a sudden, and I saw them coming out of the corner of my eye, were two big loons. As they swam toward us, the calm water showed the wake they were making. One of the loons was pretty vocal, continuing to make noises as it got closer. They stayed around us for most of the time we were there with the vocal one eventually swimming off to parts unknown. At one point the other loon was within 6 feet of our boat keeping a watchful eye on us as we fished. I have been told tales of fisherman hooking a fish and the loon diving down and taking their fish off the line, so I was as watchful of the loon as the loon was of me. Thankfully, we came to an understanding that if he behaved, I would as well and we could co-exist together, which we did.

Yes, 2013 was a really good year for fishing. I reflected on a couple of years back when TC decided to join me on my trips and she would just bring a book or magazine and sit in the bow of the boat as I fished. Fast forward to today when she is telling me that we need to go fishing and her enjoying each strike that she gets on her pole. One such time will always stick out for me. During the last trip to Little Pleasant, I had already caught my trout and was content to just watch the calm water for fish breaking up through. I noticed that there was one spot where this fish kept jumping. I quickly paddled TC over to that area and made sure that we kept our distance from the place where the fish was rising. TC whipped that line but just could not seem to reach the spot where the fish was. I remember her saying get me in there closer, and I telling her I didn’t want to get much closer for fear of spooking the fish. Then that fish made a grand jump and we could see that it was a nice one. All of a sudden, TC reared back and let the line fly and it landed dead center in the wake of where that fish jumped. In an instant, the fish took that fly and the look on TC’s face was priceless. It was one of those moments where you need a camera, but don’t have one handy.  She fought it and finally got it to the boat where we pulled it in. Yes, it was bigger than the fish I had caught, and yes, I did hear about it.

As 2014 begins, I find myself in my little area of the basement tying the flies that were so successful for us in 2013. I plan to have an ample supply and be prepared for when the ice goes out and TC says, let’s go. Oh by the way, TC also got a nice R. L Winston rod for Christmas. She tells me she can hardly wait for spring.