You Made It Happen! #79

You know, when you sit down and put pen to paper, you generally have an idea of what you want to accomplish and how the final product should look. So, when the class of 1976 planning committee got together, our hope was that we would have enough interest from our classmates to move forward for the planning stage of our 40th class reunion. We posted on facebook or as Charette calls it, Face Tube, and learned very quickly that the gang wanted to go forward. And so the planning began under the guidance and direction of our class President, Robin Damboise. We had several meetings and the plan seemed to be coming together nicely. We made some decisions to have a get together Friday night, a canoe trip on Saturday morning and the piece de resistance was the banquet on Saturday night. We booked the Fort Kent Ski Tow for the banquet, Joel Bossie provided us with the venue for Friday night and we decided to canoe from Eagle Lake to Soldier Pond on the Fish River. Time passed and the numbers were not really growing so we decided to downsize and gave up the Ski Lodge in favor of the Lakeview Restaurant where we could have a buffet dinner and the forty or so signed up could get together comfortably. Well, the week came and the final touches were put on and then Friday night rolled around. The people started driving in and the parking lot filled up more and more. As they came in, friends met friends, hands were shaken and we had a solid group of class mates reminiscing about old times. We commented that if this was any indication of what was to come, we were going to have a good crowd the following evening. Saturday morning came, and a group of us met at Doody Michaud’s camp just where Eagle Lake meets the Fish River. Some came with motors on their canoe and some of us just used good old fashion manpower. The group shoved off and down the river we went. I can tell you that there was never a dull moment on the trip down. Some came with spirits and some without. Our band leader, Gerald Pelletier provided the orange whistle and blew it yelling "White Water" when it was approaching. I have to say the comical award went to the boat with the three comedians. Dale Charette, Tim Guimond and Claude Collins, with Claude at the helm I might add, provided the entertainment. Now just picture this, Guimond in the middle of the canoe in a chair with what he called his TEA. His wife, had given him specific and straightforward instructions that he was not to do any rowing because of his recent rotator cuff surgery, and he was a good boy for the entire trip, even though at one point I had him grab a paddle and took a photo of him with it, and sent the picture to his wife. The response was swift and to the point, all CAPITALIZED in her answer, GRR, HE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO PADDLE. Not wanting Tim to be in the doghouse, we responded that it was all a setup. 

Now as the trip progressed, I could see a change in the folks in the comedy boat. The stories began flowing like the TEA. As we came down the river, we all joined up in a catamaran type arangement and Guimond began to tell jokes. The funny part was that he could not finish them. At one point, TC yelled he needs help, so, Dale piped up and finished the joke. Me thinks to much TEA. Well we made it to Soldier Pond and had a great time. Thanks canoeists for coming, I really enjoyed it. TC asked me on the way down when the last time was that I had been down this part of the river and I thought for a minute and said it had to have been over 45 years.

So, unfortunately, the time passed quickly and Saturday night came around. Robin had set up places at the restaurant in the banquet room for eighty-eight people. Well, they came and they came and they came and as we sat down, it was clear that eighty-eight chairs were just not going to be enough. We added another table, moved some of the people at the existing tables closer so we could squeeze more in and in the end, I bet we had over ninety-five. Wow!

Well the night came to a close and I think everyone had a great time. We talked, we reminisced and we ate and danced. From my vantage point, I was amazed at the turnout. We had planned and they came in a big way. I thought to myself, you know, we never won a winter carnival but what happened this weekend showed that we did in fact have the best class and when it came time to win, we won big. From the committee, thank you so much for taking the time to come. From all of you who came from far, a big thank you. And to Barb Moore and Debbie (Daigle), thanks for enlightening me about 7^th grade and my antics. I really think that you two set me up, but as a prosecutor knows, circumstantial evidence does not prove a case. To all of you, take care, be safe and let's not wait ten years to get back together. Heck, let's do it next weekend!

One more thing:

Rester en sécurité et je vous remercie beaucoup d'être venu

And one more thing:

Linda (Morneault) thanks for calling me Timmy. Other than my dad calling me that, the last time I heard that name was from Mr. Tobin while he was hoisting me up onto a nail in the janitors closet. I can’t say that was a fond memory.

One more thing:

Kim, did you really throw Roland out that window?

Why? #78

TC and I heard some very disturbing news the other day while visiting her brother. It saddened me but also made me quite angry, which is why TC suggested that I write a blog about the problem. I would like to set the table, so to speak with how this all began.

About 23 years ago, my job was to travel throughout Aroostook County, Maine and adjust claims with our policyholders. During one of my trips, I brought back a badly damaged green john boat that had been hit by a vehicle. It landed at the office and as was custom then, the employees could place a bid to purchase it. Well, I was telling my father in law, Rosaire Cyr about it and I decided to place a bid. The process made its way and I was awarded the high bid, and in turn the john boat. I loaded the boat up on the truck and hauled its mangled frame up to Rosaires’ shop. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Rosaire owned a body shop and there really was nothing he could not fix. I remember vividly when I landed there, him taking a look at it, scratching his head and saying, this thing is really bad, but I can fix it. Several months later, I was up there visiting and Rosaire asked me to come to the shop for a minute. When I got behind the shop, there it was. Rosaire had done it. The john boat was back in line and was waterproof. He decided that he was going to park it into one of his favorite ponds, Black Pond in Saint John, so he could have a boat there to use. It stayed there for more than 21 years untouched. Each time we would go, it was left there unchained, and ready for the days fishing. I recall a time when I was going there to fish with him and his son Raymond. It wasn’t long after we got into the boat that we heard splashing. So we looked to the shore and there stood a mother moose and her two calves. We watched as the moose taught both of them to swim that day and I recall Rosaire taking it in intently. It suffices to say that there were many memories on that pond with this boat over the years.

There is an unwritten rule in the woods that professional sportsman adhere to. If you walk into a pond and a boat is chained, leave it alone. If it is not chained and you use it, take care of it and put it back exactly where you found it. Well, from time to time that does not happen, and here is why I am so upset. A while back, the boys decided to chain the john boat to a tree because it had been used and was not getting the best of care.  On a trip late last fall into Black Pond, they found the boat still chained, but someone had taken an axe to it and damaged it quite badly. The boys fixed it and made it as waterproof as they could and left it there again. Last weekend the oldest son Paul, and his wife Bonnie, walked into the pond to do a little fishing and the boat was gone. Paul looked for it but to no avail.

So my question is WHY? Why did someone feel the need to destroy someone else’s property? Why did someone steal that boat which had so much history and brought so many fond memories? I really believe that someone knows where it is and who took it. All we ask is that it be put back where it was found. Let’s continue the professionalism, courtesy and respect that many of us exhibit and live every day.

Hatch! #77

Pop Quiz, when I say “Hatch”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Well, I can tell you the the first thing that comes to a fisherman’s mind is bugs, bugs, bugs and more bugs coming into life for the first time, in great numbers and landing on the water, which make the fish go into a feeding frenzy. Remember that you don’t exactly know when a hatch is going to take place, and for most bugs, it only happens once a year, so often times you miss it. Why is a hatch so good? Well, glad you asked. It is because if you have a similar fly to the one that is on the water, you just might be able to join in the fun of lying it down on the water and that fish rises up, takes it and then you are off to the races.

That is exactly what happened to TC and I this past weekend. We decided that we would go to one of our favorite ponds and see what we could conjure up. The wind seemed to be cooperating, the clouds were abundant and we were willing. When we got there, we quickly put our rods together, loaded the canoe and out on to the pond we paddled. Now, this particular pond has one good area where we do quite well. The big ones tend to lay in the weeds until it is time to feed. My first instinct was to put on a march brown fly and give that a try. I got TC to put on a green drake over her objection that she wanted a blue dunn. As we got on the water, it become apparent that we were in the middle of a hatch. They came in swarms and landed on the water, only to see the fish rise, take them and go back into the deep. We gave our flies a try, casting them into the ring the fish were making when they broke the surface, but to no avail. They would rise right by our flies, take the bug next to ours and descend. As any good fishermen knows, your luck can be really good if you have the right fly during these times. Well, it just so happened that we had tied up a few before coming. Yes, the old blue dunn was the bug of the day and for some reason, TC had called it right, back at the truck. 

With little effort, I pulled two blue dunns out of our fly box and we quickly attached them to our tippet line. 

As a fish would rise, we would throw our line into the ring they made and on four occasions, we pulled up some very nice brook trout.  First, an 11” red bellied trout, then another 11” and then a 10” which we put back. And finally a 13” trout that was nice and fat. When TC hooked it, her face came alive, her poll bent and she sprang into action. I grabbed the net and watched as she kept control of it and made sure her line was good and tight. In short order, she had that beautiful fat fish next to the boat and I did my part by scooping it into the net and in the boat.

Soon after that, we decided that it was time to pick up anchor, paddle to shore and pack up for the two-hour journey home. It is not often that you hit it like we did this day. Hatches come and go very quickly, but it is always exciting. This was TC’s first experience with a hatch and she enjoyed herself. Our day was over, but not forgotten. We had been successful and any fishermen will tell you that is the ultimate goal.

On our way out, we saw a white bird on the side of the road pecking away at the little pebbles. We came to a stop, took a few photos and I actually got out of the truck and walked toward it as it wobbled back and forth. It didn’t seem to be bothered by me in the least. I got back in the truck and changed by iphone to video and started to take a few frames. That bird must have been photogenic because it walked right toward my truck. The more frames I took, the closer it got. We said our goodbyes and headed down the road, careful to make sure that it was not in our path as we left. I looked in my rear view mirror and it went back to picking away at the pebbles.

Now, I got a photo from a friend of mine. He too was successful and grabbed this nice salmon. Looks like that will be really good eating.

Our First Foray of 2016 is Uneventful #76

The 2016 fishing season started a bit early this year, but that really didn’t have any effect on TC and my schedule as we really did not get started until last weekend. So, we decided that we would just take a ride into the North Maine Woods and see for ourselves what was going on. We packed up the truck with our lunch, stream fishing gear, and away we went. No canoe this trip as we were not sure the ice would be out of the ponds yet. After paying for our annual pass and passing through the six mile gate, we headed to Mooselook Stream for a bit of wading action. The day had turned out very nice and the sun was warm. On our way to the stream, we saw four deer alongside the road, a good sign that they may have weathered the winter well. Two of them were together and the other two were by themselves. Now, I have seen a lot of deer, but one in particular really turned out to be different. We spotted this particular doe just standing on the side of the dirt road with its head down eating something in the roadway. As we drove quietly closer to it, TC took out the camera and started taking photos of it. We got closer and closer and it did not move. As we got to within 20 feet, it pulled its head up and slowly moved to the side of the road and just watched us. As we continued toward it, the doe moved slightly and just stood there. We stopped the truck and took more photos as we got within 5 feet of it. She just stayed on my side next to my door. We completed our photo session, said thank you to the deer for being so cooperative and photogenic and decided we should move on and let her get back to whatever she was eating. As we drove off, she came right back to the spot she had been feeding at.

We finally made it to Mooselook Stream. The water was not that high so we put our waders on and in the water we went. It was good to be back in the woods fishing as the winter had been a long one. After a time, we decided to move on to Machias Stream, so we packed up and headed to that location.

When we got there, we had a little lunch before going into the water. It just seems like lunch is always better in the woods than it is at home and this one was no exception. After eating, we got our rods out and down to the rips we went. This was really TC’s first excursion into the fast water, but she did really well. I kept a close eye on her and at one point noticed that she lost her footing and in the cold water she went. She handled it like a pro, holding onto her rod and finding her way back up. She didn’t miss a beat as she continued to cast the line out into the fast moving water. After a while, we climbed out of the cold water and up the bank we went to the truck.

Our first ride into the woods had been good. The weather had cooperated and the traffic had been light. We always think about how lucky we are to live so close to this treasure and to be able to take advantage of what it has to offer. We are already planning a few overnight trips before June ends. I expect you will get to read about them here as we continue to explore the North Maine Woods.