Most sport fishermen, if they have some years on them, develop a sixth sense about how big a fish is when it is on the line, even when the fish is still fighting deep. Before fly fishing got a grip on me like a set of Vise-Grips, I used to be a trolling togue man. […]
outdoors in maine
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Outdoors in Maine: Patrolling the 'Hump' for tuna
At the T-dock, where Diane and I winter over on a houseboat in the Florida Keys, the word was spreading fast. The black fin tuna were hitting well out on the “hump.” The “hump” is a stretch of water about 15 miles offshore from where we live in Islamorada. It is the edge of the […]
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Outdoors in Maine: "The River King" well worth the read
You should know at the outset that any new book that bills itself as a “fly-fishing novel” will get my attention. “The River King,” by Robert Romano Jr, is just such a book. Romano is an old hand at writing fiction with a Maine outdoor theme. Almost as prolific as Paul Doiron, who pens Maine […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Pemmican, the nutritional trail food from the 1900s
Long-distant hikers and backpackers looking for that elusive silver bullet in selecting a highly nutritional trail food might want to take a closer look at pemmican, long known historically as the ultimate survival food. Insofar as I know, you can’t buy traditional pemmican from trail-food manufacturers, but you can make it yourself like your ancestors […]
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Outdoors in Maine: New book highlights the 'longest paddle'
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) winds from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent. Established in 2000, it is the longest mapped inland paddling route in the country: 740 miles. How would you like to paddle that? No thanks. The NFCT is the canoeist’s version of the Appalachian Trail, another intimidating outdoor challenge that […]
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Grass roots fish management not always the best route
Managing Maine’s incredible sport fishery — and its associated regulations — is complex and always subject to second guessing by arm-chair fisheries “biologists,” who may sincerely believe that they know how better to manage the fish in their favorite angling waters. Dennis Smith of Otter Creek is one of those impassioned anglers who never tires […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Hidden outcomes of dwindling outdoorsmen
When it comes to Maine’s fabled outdoor heritage, you don’t have to be a social scientist or a statistician to sense what is going on. Changing times are leaving a mark on our culture in countless ways. If you visit a few rod and gun clubs around the state, a common theme shows itself: a […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Wardens issue ice warnings after several incidents
With prolonged cold spells and bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures, the ice this year on Maine lakes and ponds is solid and safe for people and snowsleds, right? Wrong. During a 24-hour period in mid-January, no less than nine snowmobile operators and riders broke through thin ice with their sleds into icy waters. Miracles of miracles, all […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Check out the Moosehead Lake Togue Derby later this month
Cabin fever? An ice fishing derby can bring your temperature down. There are a number of popular derbies that take place annually throughout Maine. Fishing and fellowship, the hallmark of these winter events, mixed with friendly competition to snag the biggest fish — and the biggest prize — make for a fun time. One notable ice fishing […]
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Nostalgic for the ol' Ski-Doo
There was a day when Ski-Doo was simply a generic name for a snowmobile. Early on, as I recall, Ski-Doo was the only game in town. In the early 1960s you went “ski-dooing,” not snowmobiling. The machines were the invention of Canadian Joseph-Armand Bombardier. Although the inventor worked many years trying to come up with […]