|
Date: April 23, 2022 Body of Water: Mousam Lake - Shapleigh, Maine Moon Phase: Third Quarter Moon; waning Boat: amybaby22 With: A Target: Trout Time: 7:45 AM - 12:45 PM Conditions: Mixed sun and clouds; about 35 - 55 degrees F; northerly wind to about 10 mph; water temperatures 46 - 49 +/-; the water was pretty clear (5 feet) and stained brown with tannins The word on the street was that our last trip north/down-east was simply too early in the season. Given a couple of weeks, lakes such as Megunticook and Trickey should warm and start producing. A also wanted to see some "new" Maine instead of plying the same old roads and so we looked at our gazetteer, cross-referenced available boat ramps and fishing reports, and chose Mousam Lake for the day's trip. All went well. After an easy drive and a more-than-functional launch (with two slips and a dock!), we were on the water by 7:45. I simply picked up a shoreline edge and set the initial spread, which included a Grey Ghost trolling streamer for A, the S7 gold/black Rapala back 85 feet for me, and a new, but locally favored lure, a DB Smelt spoon in gold/purple/pink presented off a color or two of lead line. My initial approach was simply to keep the boat and lures out of trouble (rocks, weeds or unknown shallows) while maintaining speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph. Conditions felt right! Water temperatures were the highest I've encountered this season to date, and local lawns and bushes were starting to green and bud. In fact, spring conditions felt advanced even compared to our home in Yarmouth, never mind the stark difference compared to points further north and east. Still, our first 15 minutes went by without a touch. After crossing a weed bed in about 8 feet of water, I decided to check the S7. It came back clean, but just at the end of resetting it, I felt a distinct "thunk" and some weight. Success! Success??? It turned out to be a small pickerel. Still, this was better than a skunk, and we still had the day before us. We continued our circumnavigation of the portion of Mousam Lake south of the Route 109 culvert. This area in itself was big enough to be interesting and had enough depth to host any holdover trout. But without another hit, halfway through our second lap, I turned for the first time into the channel that would lead us into Mousam Lake, proper. This channel looked pretty good to me, and we continued our troll. On the edge of the deepest water available (and not too far from a small, unmarked reef that would claim a good chunk of somebody's prop a little later in the day), the DB Smelt (now out 1.5 colors) got engulfed. After a quick fight, a beautiful but smallish brown trout came aboard. Now, I could claim some actual success! After another couple of uneventful passes, we proceeded under the culvert and into Mousam Lake, proper. The north wind ran the length of this narrow lake, and we decided to run north and then fish our way back. This lake has some navigation hazards! We didn't have any problems, but we encountered several reefs extending well into the lake basin. These were only generally mapped and not marked at all. Local knowledge could be at a premium on this lake! Regardless, as we approached the north end, I stopped short to set lines and troll the edge of one such reef. We turned the corner into a more protected cove, and finally, the S7 awoke. Another decent shoreline brown had eaten this classic bait. Circling around for another pass, the DB enticed another, similar brown from some shoreline rocks. While I was fighting this fish, our fourth line, an F9 Rapala in chartreuse got smacked. I landed my brown at about the same time A landed a one-pound smallmouth bass. A very pleasant trip was now becoming a productive trip, to boot! We continued working our way north, and the DB plucked another feisty brown. At this point, I was sold on the DB Smelt's effectiveness, and I knew my collection would grow from two to ... ??? Oh well, I might not need any more lures, but I wasn't going to ignore local lore, either, especially if it was backed up with personal experience. Anyway, I was having having fun, and I convinced myself that the hits were becoming more violent as the day progressed and the water temperatures creeped up. We turned into a multi-cove bay and continued our troll. At this point, the wind was lessening (or the fetch was nil), and we noticed some surface activity. I turned the boat away from the shoreline edge and into 30 feet of water or so. This was a good move, as we went 3 for 4 over the next hour. The browns we landed were among the largest of the day, to about 15 inches. The one fish I lost seemed heavy, too. The DB continued its dominance for the day, collecting 3 of these hits; the gold S7, back 85 feet, caught one of these browns. All were beautiful, and I have to admit, I get a kick out of having my mini-core setup (just a couple of colors on a small trolling reel mounted on a bass crank baiting rod) jump, even if the trout are smallish compared to my Great Lakes expectations and experience. This end-of-day fishing was also super comfortable and relaxing, and both A and I left Mousam knowing that we had just enjoyed a really fine day. All were beautiful, and I have to admit, I get a kick out of having my mini-core setup (just a couple of colors on a small trolling reel mounted on a bass crank baiting rod) jump, even if the trout are smallish compared to my Great Lakes expectations and experience. This end-of-day fishing was also super comfortable and relaxing, and both A and I left Mousam knowing that we had just enjoyed a really fine day. What do I have to say about this? One of the reviews for this public launch claimed it to be the best such facility in Maine. I hope that's not the case, but it is certainly adequate for off-season duty, and there's plenty of parking for ice-fishing access, too. I'll be back, regardless, just probably not between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when I suspect that this lake gets a little crowded. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
0 Comments
Date: April 18, 2022 Body of Water: Upper Range Pond - Poland, Maine Moon Phase: Full Moon plus two days; waning gibbous moon Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 8:00 AM - 1:15 PM Conditions: Post front and crystal clear; 35 - 55 degrees F; light wind from mixed directions; water was clear, stained brown, with over 5 feet of visibility and temperatures from 44 rising to 48 degrees F I decided to return to Upper Range Pond to enjoy a peaceful Patriots Day. "Rang" had treated me decently well on my previous visit last fall. Plus, I knew that a variety of trout species (rainbows, brooks and browns) were catchable, and Upper's small fetch would make it fishable regardless of weather conditions. This is a popular lake, and there were already several rigs on the water when I launched uneventfully at about 8 AM. I started with a gold/black S7 Rapala and the Green Wonder fly. Using my Garmin GPS mapping, I tried to trace the 10-foot contour, sometimes finding myself in 25 or more feet of water, and occasionally scrubbing shallows in four or five feet. Some struggling green Potomogeton cabbage fringed the six-to-nine-foot depths, and there are many scattered boulders and rock piles in this lake! Almost immediately, something grabbed the Rapala. It let go before I could respond, and my initial thought was "fish", as the take had been sudden as opposed to gradual, and the lure came back in clean... but still, I was left to wonder. Had it really been a fish? In retrospect, I think so. This same, classic S7 caught all of the day's three fish, and got whacked at least one other time without a hookup. Meanwhile, all other lures (other Rapalas, flies and spoons off short lead-cores) were silent, and I was pretty good at diagnosing weeds, too! Sometimes, there is something about a particular lure on a particular day. And quite often, that applies to the S7 in either gold/black or blue/silver when I am trolling for trout. This seemed to be one of those days for this old, gold S7. The three fish (approximate 16-inch brook trout, a smaller rainbow, and an approximate 14-inch smallmouth bass) all ate in about 8 - 10 feet of water and were either by weeds or prominent boulders. Anything shallower or deeper went untouched, all day. While the brook trout was a stocker and really nothing to get too excited about by Maine standards, I cannot honestly claim to have ever caught a larger one. And, it was pretty colorful, too. Such a fish is welcomed by me at any time. At about 11 AM, I was seduced by the prospect of near-surface trout over the lake's deeper basin. Gnats/midges were flying about, and I had seen swallows diving over the lake earlier in the morning. With the sun and the increasing water temperatures, this move made some sense, but it produced no bites. When I tried to regain my early-morning form along the break, I struggled to find my groove. Weeds and snags were, somehow, now more of a problem. Nothing happened here, either. Returning to the one-lane ramp, I observed one rig struggling to launch and another awaiting retrieval. Instead of just waiting, I explored through the culvert connecting Upper to Middle Range Pond. There was plenty of water to navigate at this time of the year. So, at least I know that I can expand my search for fish into Middle Range, too. I've heard some good things about it, especially for rainbows, and I probably will do just that. What do I have to say about this? I feel as if I finally earned my Maine residency status this trip. The snow-capped White Mountains were beautiful to behold in the distance as I approached the lake. I was celebrating Patriots Day, a state holiday recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine. And, perhaps most importantly, I captured my first brook trout since moving here. It was an uplifting trip! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 16, 2022 Body of Water: Megunticook Lake - Camden, Maine Moon Phase: Full Moon Boat: amybaby22 With: A Target: Trout Time: 9 AM - 12 PM Conditions: Generally overcast with showers starting at the end; about 45 - 55 degrees F; southerly wind > 10 mph; water temperatures 44 - 45 A joined me for an adventure as we went further up the coast in search of some fish. We chose to visit Megunticook Lake based on its reputation as a quality two-story lake. It was new to both of us. While we searched for trout, we'd be thinking about future bass opportunities. I set a couple of lines immediately after passing the rock guarding the entrance to the small bay with the public access. A would animate a tandem fly while I would rely upon a trusted S7 Rapala. I tried to keep the boat in about 10 feet of water as we sway trolled a new shoreline. A quickly had her fly line tugged from new hand; a promising start! I added a gold/black F7 Rapala to our spread. And nothing happened! I was surprised, I had expected to find some active trout. In one small woody bay, I declared that it looked like brookie habitat, and A's fly got hit again. Another swing and miss; oh well. We enjoyed the quiet lake, sharing it with only two pairs of loons. When the increasing wind brought a brief but cold shower, we pulled the boat, had a quick picnic in the truck while overlooking Penobscot Bay, and headed home. What do I have to stay about this? I hate getting skunked, but at least we saw some new water. It's a pretty lake with a decent ramp, and I know it produces quality smallmouth bass. I don't know for sure about the trout population, but I am sure we'll be back. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Part 1 Date: April 9, 2022 Body of Water: Crystal Lake - Gray, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing quarter moon Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM Conditions: 40 - 45 degrees F, lifting fog, gray skies with sprinkles and intermittent rain; inconsequential wind. Water temperatures 40- 42 degrees F; water clarity about 5 feet with a tannic stain. A week or so after ice-out, I finally hit the water in search of some trout. This was my first trip to this lake. I just knew it had a ramp, was stocked with a variety of trout, and was popular at ice-out. There were already four or five boats out trolling. In a matter of minutes, I was trolling a pair of S7 Rapalas along the 10-foot breakline. I marked a fair number of fish, and I was optimistic! After 15 minutes, based on the tannic-stained water, I changed my silver S7 out with an orange-brown Scatter Rap. An hour in, I dragged my baits across a shallow, rocky point, and finally, this rod jumped. My first open-water fish of the season came aboard; this was just a stocker brown trout, but I'd accomplished my primary goal for the day. I'd avoided the skunk, and I was, after all, fishing for trout! I continued my trolling efforts, now hedging my bets shallower as opposed to deeper. I mixed in floating Rapalas, and when they didn't produce, I tried a traditional Maine trolling technique. I presented a Green Wonder tandem trolling streamer with a sinking-tipped fly line. I imparted action to the pulsing fly by stripping line and letting the fly fall back. It looked good to me, and this soon got hit over a shallow point! Unfortunately, I flubbed this fish (which felt a bit more substantial than the earlier brown) as I tried to get this fish on the reel. (Note to self; keep the motor engaged and the boat moving forward until I am tight to the fish when trolling flies!) The strike was encouraging, but after another hour of trolling without another hit, I decided to invest my time and effort elsewhere. The day was still young, and there are a lot of local lakes to learn. I pulled the skiff and headed to Trickey Pond. Part 2 Date: April 9, 2022 Body of Water: Trickey Pond - Naples, Maine Moon Phase: Waxing quarter moon Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout (Splake?) or Landlocked Salmon Time: 1 PM - 3 PM Conditions: 45 degrees F, gray skies with sprinkles and intermittent (but sometimes heavy) rain; inconsequential wind. Water temperatures 40- 41 degrees F; water clarity in excess of 10 feet. While the catching here turned out to be nil, this lake offers a potentially higher quality experience. With lots of undeveloped shoreline, no jet skies, a good ramp and plenty of bassy-looking cover, I look forward to unlocking this two-story lake. Unfortunately, I did not on this day. I used all seven rigged rods in my time here, concentrating on the shoreline shallows and also the structure- and boulder-filled north end. I spent some time in the deeper main basin, too, but my variety of Rapalas, spoons, and tandem trolling fly all went untouched. The sole other boat on the lake stayed in the main basin depths. While I covered the top 10 or 12 feet of water, perhaps they focused on the depths with their downriggers. What do I have to say about this? While I hope for more from my fishing, I enjoyed both of these new-to-my-boating-experience lakes. Trickey is more aesthetically pleasing, but Crystal is more convenient (and, at least on this day, fishier!). Both featured loons and other waterfowl, and the howling wolves of the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray added a cool, unique touch to Crystal. I encountered only a couple of minor boating gremlins on this year's native voyage, and with each of these quickly identified and resolved, it was a good first day on the water. Now, I am looking forward to the next (long) weekend. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|
Proudly powered by Weebly