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Date: October 10, 2021 Body of Water: Sebago Lake, Maine Moon Phase: New Moon plus four days; Waxing crescent moon Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Togue (Lake Trout) Time: 9:15 AM - 2:00 PM Conditions: Generally overcast; about 55-60 degrees F; insignificant wind; water temperatures about 64 +/- After 25 months, Numenon finally splashed again! The primary goals of the day were simple; get to the lake and have the boat run without any problems; and secondarily, catch a freshwater fish! I chose to use the protected launch at Sebago State Park, just in case I ran into any issues with the boat. I was surprised to find out that the park (and launch) is gated until 9 AM; but that just gave me some time to finish rigging. By 9:15 or, I had cleared the protected channel and entered the lake itself; Numenon was floating in the mountains! ![]() I chose to go west, to the vicinity of Outer Island and the Muddy River outlet. There seemed to be some interesting contours in the area, but more importantly, I'd have the wind at my back for a return to port if I encountered any issues. I was surprised the water was as warm as I registered; 64 degrees. The thermocline was clearly still in place, and I figured the lakers were pinned deep. I focused on a depth range of 80 - 120 feet of water, to start, because riggers and spoons work effectively at these depths. I'd barely set both lines when the deeper rod (plain silver spoon, perhaps an old Northport Nailer?) sprang. Fish on! It was no giant, but I was still pleased to encounter my first freshwater fish as a Maine resident. Target species and fit, too; I was off to a good start. Perhaps this rogue was part red herring, because my fast start turned into a grind as I focused on what I perceived as the "productive" depth range. Despite some interesting structure/contours, this was the only fish I caught I my 90 minutes in this area. (I did have a couple of mysterious releases from the riggers that may have been drive-bye, but they could have been due to my rustiness with the gear, too.) Convinced all was okay with the boat, I ran across the lakes' basin to near the southern tip of Frye Island to set up a northbound troll. I caught another, similar trout on the bottom rigger/silver spoon, but because it was a short-term dragger, I don't really know if it came from the shallow or deep end of my targeted range. And, while I maintained this "winning" combo near bottom throughout, I varied my presentation with the second rod, all the way from near-surface to just above the other rigger. I alternated five colors of lead, too, and tried a variety of spoons in different sizes and colors. Nothing ever happened with this rod, and I can't say that I marked any viable targets all day (other than occasional fuzzy bottom). The day was too short; but I had family to meet, a pizza to eat, and a Red Sox playoff baseball game to watch. What do I have to say about this? I achieved my stated primary goals, and with pleasant conditions, even! I am super pleased to have Numenon back in the water. Upon returning to the ramp, a guide mentioned he'd done quite well in the "skinny water" surrounding the island area to the east of the ramp. He'd caught mostly lakers, but also a bonus 37-inch pike that caught my attention. He too was trolling spoons, but off lead core, I about 35 - 40 feet of water. He said this particular area held a lot of bait and would only get better as water temperatures cooled. Good to know and time will tell. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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