NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
It turns out that one of A's favorite things to do is just explore a new area for the day and share a good meal along the way. With a beautiful day on our hands, we recently tackled the Moosehead Lake Region (or at least a portion of it). This is about three hours from our home, and was new to both of us. My interest was largely in getting oriented to the available fishing for world-class brook trout and landlocked salmon, while A's was a bit broader and healthier to include scenery, camping, accommodations, etc. We drove straight to Greenville at the base of the lake. It was sleepy and slow before noon on a Sunday. We scoped out a potential lunch spot right on the lake, poked around the waterfront, and picked up some literature for Reel Moosehead Guide Service. I'd told A that I wanted to see a seven-pound brook trout ... and there might be one on the cover of their literature. Per their website reelmoosehead.com , a day of guided ice fishing for brook trout sounds like a good deal and certainly could happen in the future. We went up the lake's eastern shore to Lily Bay State Park. Here we found a couple of nice boat ramps and quiet tent-camping sites. It wasn't very busy, either, although we were probably in the hours between check-out and check-in. Still, it appeared to be spacious and rustic compared to other state's camping opportunities. I suspect we'll be back! From here it was about a 10 mile drive north to the Roach River and First Roach Pond. I've seen some beautiful pictures from this area, and the river seems to be about the "right" size for me. With restricted methods and seasons, as well as a big spawning push of Moosehead Lake fish in the fall, I definitely have some interest in returning here. Plus, I confirmed the First Pond boat ramp is functional, at least for amybaby22! I was a bit confused by access to the river; the lone, obvious public access point leads to a deep hole and appears to be unwadeable. But I think there might be a road/path behind the main "store" in Kokadjo on the north side of the river. We'll find out! This stretch also offered side trips to other bodies of water with some potential, including Sawyer Pond, Upper and Lower Wilson Ponds, and Prong Pond. Prong reportedly has brook trout, white perch and smallmouth bass, while Sawyer is shallow and stocked with brookies. I'm still looking for information on the Wilson chain of lakes. Maybe I'll have to rely on my own efforts to figure that out. I need to verify GPS coordinates to make sure my info is referring to this same Wilson Pond, but I found a blurb regarding the outlet, which reportedly features my style of fly fishing; swinging streamers. The source of the Kennebeck River from Moosehead's East Outlet has a mammoth reputation. The river here is broad and shallow, but with many rocks and rapids a few hundred yards downstream, moving around might be tougher than it looks. Still, this section reportedly offers room to move about and find one's own water during normal flow levels. Here, I also noted Wilson's on Moosehead Lake. Their website ( wilsonsonmooseheadlake.com ) provides a nice summary of lodging, fishing and accommodations. I've also picked up more than a few hints that the fishing in Indian Pond (downstream and fed by both the East and West Outlets) can be special, including for trophy smallmouth bass and fall-back trout. It looks like there are a couple of boat ramps on this long lake, too, that I will have to check out. West Outlet presented itself as deeper, and the braided channels form a pond not too far downstream from the access. The hole at the base of the dam is "famous" and while I'm not scaring up a lot of specific information for this access point, this area does generate a lot of attention. We proceeded north to the Rockwood boat launch facility and the view of Kineo Rock. This looked like an appealing trolling area to me! Our last stop was at the lower Moose River, near where it floes into Moosehead Lake. This was clearly boating water, but the area further upstream is a good tailwater fishery, and the trout and salmon here are described as "meat eaters". Again, that's my style; and if this stretch is wadeable, I'll have to give it a shot. In one short day, I discovered a lifetime of potential fishing. I'm sure I overlooked many opportunities, too. With the skiff, the Lund, some waders or a hired guide, I could spend any amount of time (a day or a week or more) trying to find a worthy brookie, salmon or togue. With A by my side keeping me grounded, the search will be more rewarding than any particular result. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
June 2024
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