You'll have to excuse my delay between post, but I've been out fishing remote locations!

I spent several days last week fishing Toddy Pond in Orland Maine. I picked up a variety of fish species by using a variety of fishing techniques. When I first arrived, I made my way through the narrows to Toddy Ponds eastern end and worked my magic on Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. I kept feeling sharp quick hits and decided to down size my jig and worm hoping to hook up with larger Bluegills.

I used a 1/4 ounce jig to hook up with small Bluegills. After pulling three or four small Gills out of the water, I headed to the ledges to see if the Bass were active on the steep drop-offs. They were.....but I couldn't hook up with any large Bass. So, I made my way back to Toddy Pond and called it a night.

In the morning, I decided to concentrate on Salmonids. My 50 foot temperature gauge ordered from Cabela's this spring, indicated the thermocline at twenty-one feet down. Although the surface temperature of the lake stayed static at 72*F during most of my trip, the first twenty-one feet of the lake went from 72*F to 62*F. Then, the temperature dropped to 50*F in about a foot.

I started targeting this area and picked up a small keeper Landlocked on a William's blue and silver lure. My down rigger was set for twenty one feet, but I had rigged the lure 100 feet behind the release. I believe I was trolling just below the thermocline at a GPS speed of 2.2 mph.

Wanting to hook up with bigger fish, I headed to Van Raymonds in Brewer, Maine. I was looking for frozen smelt, dead or picked. Van Raymonds didn't have any but told me of a bait dealer that might on Rt. 1A headed into Ellsworth.

I found the bait dealer; he is located directly across from the Howland Public Works Department. There was no one around; so I waited half hour. After that, I decided to start fishing for salmonids again, and headed back to Toddy.

Having no smelt to sew on, I made my best effort with a blue and silver DG smelt which ended up hooking a Splake after my downrigger weight crashed into a rock pile on the Eastern end of the Pond. The rock pile was adjacent to deep water and I believe the pumping action of the weight hitting the rocks enticed the fish into striking. The rock pile is located in the middle of a bay created by Long Point Peninsula. It was a favorite hang out for fish while I was there.

Another popular spot seemed to be against the sharply dropping Eastern shore. If one area was not holding fish, the other area was. I tried to attribute it to the wind direction, but there seemed to be no correlation.

August, being a slow season for Salmonids, I would occasionally break up the day with a little bass fishing. I first targeted the steep drop offs but found more action in the shallows adjacent to deep water. This seemed to be the case even in the middle of the day. Remember, the surface water temperature of this pond was 72*F. I think this is what kept the Largemouths so active in the shallows.

Toddy Pond has plenty of deep water and very few weeds. If you make your way through the narrows, the water turns shallow. Toddy Lake, at least the way it is labeled in my 2005 edition of the Maine Gazetteer, is a shallow body of water encompassing a large area which is no more than thirty feet deep.

Due to the multitude of species this body of water holds, it will hold the interest of a varied number of fisherman. When it comes to ice fishing season, I hear the place is packed.

Till next time....have fun fishing and be safe by wearing sunglasses for eye protection and life jackets for life protection!

If you're in the Ellsworth area, the Toddy Pond Ramp located off Route 3 is worth checking out. Toddy Pond / Lake is just south of Ellsworth. The ramp is fairly new and in good shape. There is parking for around ten rigs; so it may be hard to get a spot on the weekend.

Toddy Pond has Togue, Brown & Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, and White Perch. Toddy Lake seems to be a mixture of Bass and Bluegills. Ironically Toddy Pond is deeper than Toddy Lake, if you believe the labeling in The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. The two are joined by a series of two peninsulas labeled as Short and Long. I love it when things are kept simple. It enables my small brain to concentrate on more important things like where the fish are.

I arrived at the ramp around 10:00 AM, and after working on my boat, I launched around 10:30. I began a slow cruise by transversing the edges looking for shallows and troughs. After making a full circumference of Toddy Pond, I moved on the southern section.

Toddy Lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet and is covered with outcroppings of ledge and large boulders. The same is to be said of its underwater structure. Some of the boulders protrude from the water and others hide just below the surface. My soundings showed a multitude of boulders jutting up from the bottom in a manner that reminded me of a mine field. And, if you cross this lake at high speeds without knowing its structure, one of these rocks could be crippling to you and your boat.

After making my way slowly to the southern edge of the lake, a tall stand of trees gave way to a pleasantly shaded shallow to take a break in. I pulled my boat into the shade and dropped anchor. This lake exudes all the makings of a truly great Smallmouth Bass lake, and I'm putting this on my winter hit list for Smallmouth ice fishing.

I lay on the bottom of the boat looking up at the sky just as I did when I was a kid. The figurines of the sky are harder for me to see now that I am a well seasoned adult. When I was a child, there would always be an elephant or a Donald Duck dancing somewhere in the clouds. Now, it is easier for me to read the thermals than it is to have a visit with Mickey.

I enjoyed the break, and every time I got up to start fishing, the bottom of the boat lured me down for another look at the clouds. I felt just like a kid again without a trouble in the world. Maybe this is why I'm always drawn back to fishing. It evokes me to interact with the beauty of nature, a beauty that I have never tired of.

I finally broke myself of the trance the sky had lulled me into, and I began looking at the water that surrounded the boat. Throwing the electric trolling motor into gear, I made my way to the center on the channel and headed for a small island in the southern bog of the lake. The water temperature was 74* and there was adequate weed growth in three to five feet of water. But after spending thirty minutes around the island with out a strike, I headed for deeper water.

As I approached a small peninsula with sharply jutting edges, I felt a tap, then another. I switched from a Senko to a Grub, but I still could not hook up. I remembered the crawlers I bought several days earlier for trout fishing and checked to see if they were still alive, they were!

I slipped half a crawler on to a 3/8 jig head and started hooking up with fish. First a Smally, then a Largemouth, followed by other Smallmouths. The Smallmouths were hitting were water depth dropped sharply from seven to sixteen feet. The single Largemouth I hooked up with hit on the flats in seven feet of water. I also grabbed a bluegill on a fairly large hook. He was trying to cheat me out of a crawler, but I got the best of him!

Together Toddy Pond and Lake cover eight miles in length. With this in mind, I was only beginning to scratch the surface of this water. And, when it comes to boating safely, I find it more important to spend time learning the body of water you are on, before you start running from point A to Point B The added advantage to this strategy is finding the sweet spots that hold fish.

Toddy is worth another trip. And if I can afford the time, I will give it another whirl.

Have fun fishing!

I'm just back from a week and a half of camping and fishing. Boy, what a time! I stayed at Rangeley State Park for nine days. Rangeley State Park is truly a beautiful State Park. It is located in the western mountains of Maine. Its proximity to the Appalachian Trail makes it handy for hikers as well. Rangeley State Park also has a very nice marina and an abundance of in park trials. A boat slip is included with your campsite.

My focus was fishing. And fishing for Rangeley Lake Landlocked Salmo can be tough this time of year! So, I spent as little time as possible hiking the Rangeley State Park trail system. But, with all the trails so close, it's hard to resist a hike in the middle of the day.

Rangeley State Park's Marina is managed on a first come first serve basis. With ample slips, I found it relatively easy to find appropriate berthing after fishing for Rangeley Landlocked Salmon. This brings up another good point. If you have a cuddy cabin, you can even sleep on your boat if you desire. There is no water or electricity available, but the Rangeley State Park Marina is serviced by a full service out house that includes toilet paper! There are regular latrines in the camping area with flush type toilets for those of you with an aversion to out houses. But you really should try the out house if you haven't already!

The fishing on Rangeley Lake for Landlocked Salmon last week was extremely slow. I only spoke with one other party that was picking up Landlocks. And they were small.

I started out the trip by trolling sewn on dead smelt. The use of live bait is illegal on Rangeley Lake. I have been using the pickled variety of rainbow smelt this year. These pickled smelt worked great on my trip in April; they are firmer and hold their shape well. This trip, I just could not seem to hook up with the use of this bait.

I switched to trolling a small silver and blue Williams spoon and a white DG Minnow with red dots. I started hooking up with barely legal Brook Trout (10") and Landlocked Salmon (14"). Some of the fish were so small they didn't even trip my Roemer downrigger releases. Now that is small. But I was boating fish!

My lake side campsite was windy and some nights down right cold. But my half truck load of campfire wood came in handy as I built well stocked fires upon coming off the lake.

The Western Mountains are known for their variable weather conditions. While the rest of Maine may be experiencing clear skies, the Western Mountains will usually be seeing rain squalls and variable cloudiness.

For those of you with a special fondness for yellow perch, I heard of one fisherman picking up a twelve incher. This is not my type of fishing. To say the least, the fishing was slow. But I did get to catch up on some much needed reading!

If you're planning a trip to Rangeley State Park, bring warm clothing no matter what the time of year. I ran into one camping party that was complaining about the cool fall temperatures the Park was experiencing. They had on summer shorts and T-shirts. I expect they left the chamois shirts at home. One morning I wore two!

To sum it up, Rangeley Lake produces larger Landlocked Salmon when trolling dead sewn on smelt. The larger the better - five inches in length if you can find them. Troll them at the depth that you are marking the majority of bait at; do not troll faster than 1.5 mph, at times, the slower the better. Rig them with a number 8 or number 6 treble hook dangling loosely from the anal area. If trolling spoons, pick the speed up a little, 2.5 mph is not too fast!

Last week the thermo cline on Rangeley Lake was around 38 to 39 feet down. The thermo cline is where the upper warmer water is separated from the deeper cooler water. This area can be very productive. If you have a way of measuring water temperature at different depths, try targeting 51*F. This is the magic temperature for Rangeley Salmon.

Good luck fishing and be save by wearing a life jacket!

While watching Wildfire Saturday morning, I was surprised to learn that 25% of Baxter State Park is open to hunting. As an avid fisherman and occasional hunter, I feel the Baxter State Park Expansion Area(The Katahdin Lake Project) is good. It will protect the land from development and allow nature to reign as king.

Why shouldn't we leave certain areas of The Baxter State Park Expansion Area open to hunting? Shouldn't hunters be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the area? It's within the conscripts of the park's history. Or, should we close certain areas of the Baxter State Park expansion area to fishing, hiking and hunting? This would help preserve it's beauty and protect it from over usage. It would leave it for the animals.

While working for The National Park Service, at Yellowstone National Park, I conducted human impact studies of backwoods campsites and hiking trails. Due to the high number of hikers, a strong human impact became apparent in a short period of time. Often, the trail or campsite we surveyed would have to be closed or moved. This would allow nature to recover from the heavy human presence.

As Maine's natural beauty becomes explored by more people, some considerations should be put in place to protect the area from extensive human impact. Baxter State Park was created for the enjoyment of the people, and I am glad to see it expand. I want people to be able to enjoy its beauty. I also want to protect its beauty for use by future generations.

Should certain areas of Baxter be closed all visitors?

How do you feel?

My brother and sister were in town with their families last week. I was dying to get the children out for a nice fishing trip on the Saco River. Last week's hot weather prompted me to look towards the seashore for fish. So, I decided to take Nicholas and Nathan striper fishing.

When we arrived at the Marblehead ramp off of route 9 in Biddeford, the lot wasn't as full as I had anticipated. We took our time as I readied the boat; I like explaining all the components to any young passengers I take fishing. Some humor me and others listen very intently trying to learn the different techniques used to rig the boat and fishing gear.

I involve the children in the launch of the boat so they will understand how quickly things can go wrong. And just to keep things interesting, I happened to forget to release the rear tie-downs before entering the water. It was the children's job to hold on to the ropes as we launched. If you are familiar with the Marblehead ramp, the launch side of the ramp requires handling the ropes around the large pilings that hold the dock in place. Nicholas and Nathan were able to experience this twice as I pulled the boat out to release the tie-downs.

Once the boat floated, they pulled it towards the dock while I parked the rig. I love involving the children in tying off the boat and setting the bumpers. It is much more cumbersome than just doing it myself. But it is the opportunity for them to learn techniques and gain confidence in their own abilities that really motivates me to take this extra time.

While running my contracting business, I had to teach many children how to do the simplest things. Things like using a broom or climbing a ladder. It is truly a shame that our current educational system doesn't include a life skills course. Things like sweeping, shoveling and tying knots just aren't thought to children by their parents anymore. Maybe I'm just an old fart. But I like kids to learn things that they may need in the future.

Once we all boarded and got under way, I showed the children where the anchor was and a few basic controls. We started our trip by heading up river. Then I made a sharp turn into the current to release our trolling lines. We were fishing surgical tubes dressed with sand worms. Once we finally had our lines in the water, an impatient boater passed us on the starboard side. I watched as one of our poles went limp and then started to release line in a forward direction. I lifted my hands and said "there goes the rod!". I thought it would break after it's line was snagged by the passing boat's lower unit.

At the very instance that I lifted my hands in despair, the captain of the other boat glanced at us and stopped; I slowly approached him not knowing what to expect as he lifted his motor to grab the line. The line hadn't caught his prop, but was somehow tangled in the lower unit. I looked at him, and he looked at me. "Sorry about that!" he exclaimed. I smiled and said "I want to thank you for stopping, I really appreciate it!" We waved and were both on our way. Much to my surprise my rigging was still intact. The inconvenience only cost both of us several minutes because he had the courtesy to stop, and I had the courtesy to be grateful.

We made our way down river making several loops around a large pool that is usually productive. After seeing no fish boarding other boats, I asked the kids if they wanted to do a little sight seeing and we headed for the open ocean. When we arrived outside the islands, the water became too rough to handle, and we made our way back to the protection of the jetty and islands.

I looked at Nat and asked if he wanted to try his skill at the helm. To my surprise he agreed. I slowed the boat to headway speed and explained what the channel markers meant. It was hard for them to memorize "Red On Right On Return To Port". But I drilled it in and tested them several times after the trip.

Just as we approached the end of the jetty, I noticed a flock of gulls. Then a small splash appeared several hundred yards away. One of the boats anchored adjacent to the jetty was playing a striper. Then I noticed another boat anchored next to the channel landing a fish. I looked at the boys and asked "Do you want to catch a striper?". "I guess so" was the reply from Nick. That was good enough for me.

I noticed that the boat in the center of the river had landed a striper on an orange surgical tube. I quickly started to change tubes when Nathan asked "What does the color have to do with it?" I answered " I don't know Nathan. But whenever the boat next to me is catching fish, and I'm not, I switch to the color they are using and I catch fish every time!".

I slowly released twenty-five yards of line and placed the pole in Nathans hands and said "hold on to that pole!". He looked at me with a little fear in his eyes and asked "How hard do they pull?". "Well Nathan, I haven't seen one pull a fisherman out of a boat. But, there is always a first time!" Nathan held the pole and within a minute he was saying "I think I have one. I think I have one!" I looked at him and noticed he was holding on to that pole with the same concentration he uses when he picks up his violin. I knew he was going to land it. "Reel it in Nathan! I bet your going to like this one." I said with a smile.

Just at that moment, Nicks pole dipped. "I have one too! It's really pulling." I grabbed my Boga Grip on the front deck and locked it on to Nathan's fish. Flash, flash, flash. I always take three shots of the kids because I invariably get my thumb in the picture or shake too much.

As I released Nathan's fish, Nick's stiper was ready to board. I made a lunge for it and nearly fell out of the boat. Maybe I should be using a net? I use the Boga because it does not disturb the slim coat of the fish. This usually makes for a quicker recovery once the fish is released.

I grabbed at Nick's stripper again, and locked it's lower jaw into my Boga. I placed the Boga Grip in Nick's hand and told him to hold on. The fish was flaying back and forth. I felt Nick was going to drop it. Flash, flash, flash. I grabbed the Boga and released the fish. "You guy's want to catch another?" I happily asked knowing we were on top of the school. They looked at each other and replied in unison "Nooooo!"

"No? This is why we came out here!" I can't believe they wanted to call it a day after one fish. I jumped in the helm noticing the current was pushing us into a submerged part of the jetty. I gunned the engine and aimed toward the channel. Just as the boat started to plane, my LL Bean hat jumped into the water. I think it really wanted to go swimming.

Nathan looked at me "Your hat!". "I know, and it can stay there! The current is too strong; it is going to pull us in to those rocks!" I shouted. The wind was strong and the engine was whining under the strain of plowing water. I looked back at my hat and it was still floating.

"OK, here" I handed Nathan a net I use when salmon fishing. It has a special rubber netting that makes it easy on the fish but hard on the netter. "You're only going to have one chance." I positioned the boat as best as I could trying to account for the wind and current. The hat approached quickly and Nathan stuck the net into the water but the hat slipped under the boat .

I gunned the boat towards the channel again. Nathan looked back "I can see it; I can see it!" "So can I Nathan, but we're not going back for it! I kept the boat on track and headed for the center on the channel while waving to one of the fisherman that had followed the school down river as the tide went out. My boat planned easily and we headed for the landing.

I looked at the kids and asked "Did you have fun?" Nick replied "We caught fish!" Then Nathan looked at me "I would of liked to get that hat." "I know Nathan" I replied. "But safety comes first!" We made it to the dock in less than fifteen minutes; I had them help me load the boat and secure it. I took a little extra time to explain boating safety rules to them; and I showed them how to secure the boat properly. Make sure to get your children involved too!

And remember, have fun fishing, but don't chase after too many hats when your life is hanging in the balance!