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ON THE WATER
By Rick Lundstedt
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Rick cradles small mouth bass. |
Docks are out, boats are out, leaves are
falling….all signs that the ’04 warm weather is behind us. Not really
looking forward to what’s coming, so first a look back to the past
season. Early trout activity has become a
mainstay with some Tripp anglers, thanks to continual stocking. Spinners
worked well until the trout switched to sipping flies and nymphs, the
variety of which I could not ascertain. Bass fishing was typical with
good spring catches followed by a decent summer, ending with a sporadic
fall. Interestingly, there were two rock piles that have consistently
held bass for years that were basically vacant all year. Luckily I
found some new, deep-weed patches to take their place. From the fisher’s
point of view, the cooler, less sunny summer was actually positive since
the water never warmed enough to stress the fish. Higher than average
water levels also helped. John Laskey reported in late summer that
dissolved oxygen below 25 feet was near zero. Since the water temp
stayed manageable, the fish could suspend to find proper oxygen. At the
same time, fish were “seen” below 25 feet via a depth finder, so we
could conclude that they were near oxygen-producing springs. I’ll try to
find out more about this and report my findings. |
| Did a little exploring this
summer but not as much as planned. A co-worker had fished the
Androscoggin River in Dixfield with a buddy of his from Mechanic Falls.
He told me about the trip and I was there the next weekend ! Pete and I
drifted the 6-mile run and caught more quality smallmouths than we
thought was possible. It wasn’t automatic and there were brief periods
of inactivity but to do so well on new water was a thrill ! I repeated
the trip three more times with other partners and everyone was impressed
in the health, size and quantity of the bass. They hit spinners and soft
plastics but the most fun was taking them on deer-hair poppers with the
flyrod. Also made a couple of drifts further upriver in Shelburne NH /
Bethel ME area. Fishing was only OK but managed a 20” Rainbow on a
“Bunny Leach” to cap the last trip of the season. |
| Got out to Casco Bay again this
year…this time with Mike (“is it time for lunch yet ?)” Shapiro and
Richard (“are we having fun yet ?”) Smith. The weather was great, tides
were favorable, water temperature good…but we only managed 2 small
stripers. Late August striper fishing is pretty spotty so we should move
next year’s outing to July.
Anna’s knee operation slowed her down more than
anticipated so she couldn’t swim, canoe or kayak this year. Next year
will be different…and better !! Enjoy the winter as much as
possible…think spring !!
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Rick's Rainbow Trout: A beauty! |
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