I was driving back from Bunganut Lake on Tuesday with my Aunt Theresa, when a gobbler jumped in front of my truck. My aunt yelped and I smiled! What is a grown man to do?

I had been dreaming of purchasing a fresh organic turkey for the holiday. Not so fresh that it would slap me if I made a rude remark, but fresh enough to have never seen long-term storage at 33.3F. And now, the great Turkey god was answering my dream. There, in front of my truck, which was traveling at fifty miles an hour, was the freshest, biggest, organic turkey I ever laid eyes on. A Wild Turkey straight from the woods of Maine! It must be organic if it lives in the Maine Woods! Or is it? Hmmmm?

To think of it, to be certified organic the turkey must contain no artificial growth hormones, be fed food free of pesticides, commercial fertilizer and human waste products. Well….I don’t believe that there a ferries running around the Maine Woods injecting every wild turkey with a special concoction of steroids and growth enhancers. So, we are pretty safe on that one.

Butt, and I doo mean Butt, the human waste products could be a problem. Hunting season is here and hunters are trampling through, sitting of stumps and traversing the woods in every way imaginable. And I assume that like most people, those hunters get called to duty occasionally. And if you are in the woods with no porta-potty, I imagine a little human fertilizer is left on the wood’s floor. What if a turkey stumbles by one of those strains of grass growing next to where the hunter found his calling???…..Well…..this could be trouble! I may have to ponder this one.

I come back to my senses and grab the wheel of my truck firmly. The turkey turns, it looks me straight in the eye. My aunt is seeing feathers; I am seeing dinner. I jerk the wheel swiftly to the left, the tires squeal as I try to avoid my dinner, and my seventy-four year old aunt is pressed firmly against the passenger door.

I hear the shrill of a new born baby’s cry; I see my life pass before my eyes; I see the lone Turkey Dinner fly right into an adjacent field; My Turkey, My Love, fades into just another dream.

Happy Thanksgiving Yaall! Thanks for reading my postings; hopefully, some of these chuckles make your day a little brighter. God Bless You All!

I really love fishing. I'm a real FishHead. I love fishing and am rarely at a loss for words when talking about fishing. But there are so many pertinent questions to ask.

For instance, do Bass fisherman ever fish for anything else but Bass?

And what about those Salmon fisherman, most consider Bass a junk fish. I guess if you can’t eat it, it ain’t worth anything. It must have something to do with those darn mercury levels!

Let's not forget trout fisherman; they are the most prized possession in the State of Maine. You’d think they were gods or something. They get all the good spots - fly fishing only - you knooow! It was a sad day when LL Bean started selling lures and spinning rods.

And Pike fisherman, what’s up with those guys anyways? Known as Pikers, they’re fishing for an illegally introduced species that is at the top of the food chain. You'd think they could catch something bigger than thirty pounds!

You can catch a big laker in this great State of Maine, and I don't mean the type from Los Angles but the type from Lewiston / Auburn. But look at the effect Lakers have had on salmon populations. And this species was introduced legally. Each species effects another. And, every generation of Fish Heads believe they have the definitive answer.

I was reading an article about the restoration of Alewive runs. The dam removal process has enabled the historic runs to take place again. In one instance, a beaver dam got in the way of the process, people mobilized to rip it down. Are beavers really all that bad? Give nature some time to heal itself before interjecting more trouble. The beaver dam will be ripped away by high water. No one has any patience anymore.

What to do? So, many species, so much information, so little time! You have to be a Fish Head to love it.

I’m a multi-species fisherman. Most of us fish different species, but we're not always ready to admit it. People also love labels. And labeling fisherman by species has become the norm. Bass fishermen , Pike fishermen, Salmon fishermen and the like.

It reminds me of a time when I was hitch-hiking in Ireland. A local pappy stopped to give me a ride and asked what nationality I was. I looked at him a little puzzled, backpack in my hand, and answered American! He looked back at me and said "funny....your the first American to answer that way. Most of you say French, Irish, German or something other than American".

That's the way I look at fisherman. You might say your a Bass fisherman, a Trout fisherman or something else. But when you come right down to it, you're a fisherman who wants to catch fish.

When you think you have the definitive answer, ask yourself this: Do I know more than mother nature? Do I have the patience to let nature heal itself? Am I really all knowing? I think you get the drift.

As soon as this weather stops, I'll give the lakes a try. Maybe I have the definitive answers to all that ails the world of fishing. I doubt it. But agencies like SAM, BASS and Trout Unlimited at least give it a try. And I take my hat of to them.

Be safe and have fun fishing!

Are you planning on fishing Sunday? It is the first day of open water fishing season in Maine. If you are, send your photographs to yofishead@gmail.com. If I receive enough photographs, I will post an article detailing the days events.

Have fun fishing and remember fisherman don't lie, they embellish.

Sometimes....I like to dream. I may pretend to be the wind or imagine I can be anything I want. One day, I may dream of being a seagull like the great Livingston. Another day, I may find myself dreaming of being a squirrel, like Rocky, as I rummage through the collection of articles stashed away for future use.

Yesterday, I wished to be a fish. A fish? I'm a fisherman for God sake. Why would I wish to be a fish?

Once, while fishing Cook Inlet in Alaska, I heard a very peculiar statement. "He thinks like a fish you know..." the Captain's girlfriend explained. "He really does!" she exclaimed again, looking at me with a broad smile and reassuring me that he would put us on fish. The memory is burned in my mind like a branding that won't wash off.

We had been stalking large Halibut that day, but the ledge we were fishing was infested with sea lice. As the captain looked out over the water, I noticed he had a nervous twitch. It really wasn't a twitch, it was more of a movement. As he pondered the water, his mouth would open and close. It would quickly open and slowly close. The motion kept repeating itself as his thoughts wandered deeper into the underwater world.

I looked at him and thought "My, that looks familiar." Again, his mouth opened quickly and slowly closed, opened and closed, opened and closed. I thought "I've got it! He looks like a fish!" As he pondered his next move, he became engrossed with figuring out where the fish would be. The more engrossed he became, the more the action persisted.

We moved positions shortly there after, and we were on fish. Not the large Halibut we had originally set out for, but the adequate 20-30 pounders that were available that day. I have always remembered that captain for his ability to consider the current dilemma, regroup, and put us on fish. And, I have always remembered that captain for his uncanny resemblance to a fish. A fish opening and closing its mouth.

Could it be? Could it just possibly be that the Captain had been a fish in his previous life? Hey, wait I second! I was raised as a good Catholic boy. Reincarnation? I don't know?!!!

I do know one thing. That Captain put us on fish. And maybe...just maybe...he did so because he thought like a fish. And what better way to think like a fish than to be one?

I wish to be a fish!

As I sit here waiting for my family to begin opening presents, I thought I'd give thanks for all the fun I had writing this blog. At times, I had to push myself to write, at other times, the words flowed like a spring of fresh cool water bubbling from a mountain side. So here's to you!

I started writing the blog as if I were a reporter digging through facts to uncover the hidden mystery. As I was reading the 2005 fishing regulations for Sebago Lake, I came across an area open to fly fishing named "Sebago Lake Station"; it could not be found on any map. That is how In Search of Sebago Lake Station" was born.

I searched the shores of Sebago Lake stopping at various areas asking the proverbial question "Where in the heck is Sebago Lake Station?" I found the answer.

The next issue that I wanted to tackle was the difference between and an ice fishing "trap" and a "tip up". This took some heavy investigative work. But after buying over twenty traps, or should I say tips ups, the mystery of the ice fishing trap / tip up conundrum was solved. This is how the categoryGearing Up to Ice Fish was born. I tore the traps apart and solved the age old question of exactly how an ice fishing trap works. I also fell in love with some of the traps and normally had to keep a few!

Some of the time I just got bored, and I found myself yipping it up for other fisherman. Check out the following photographs!

Noella Mouzas shows off a fine Maine landlocked salmon she pulled out of Rangeley Lake.

Don Janelle keeps his fingers away from a nice northern pike pulled out of Sabatus Pond.

Jeffrey Thibeau knows what the word lunker means!

Ryan Dixon is proud of this nice bass pulled out of Sokokis Pond in Limerick, Maine.

James Turgeon holds a nice trout that he caught out of Kennebunk pond.

What I'm trying to say is take time to smell the roses no matter how busy you are. Well, what I mean is, make sure you smell a few fish every now and then. And, Thanks! Thanks for sticking around and listening to my antics. I hope they provide you with some form of relaxation as we pass through this hectic place we live in.

Peace be with you!

Now that the fishing season is extended well into the fall, fisherman should be aware that duck hunters are prowling the waters too. You may stumble into there line of fire without ever knowing it. Be on the look out! The outdoors is for all sportsman and the extended fishing season can put us directly at odds with one another.

The far end of Sabattus Pond, in Sabattus Maine, is full of duck hunters. It is an easy place to stumble over each other. Keep your eyes open for hunters in blinds hugging the shore and around the graveyard. And, with all the camouflage they have on, they can be hard to spot. But if you are aware, they will show up for you.

While passing the launch on the Saco River the other day, the same situation was evident. I could see several people fishing while hearing the explosions of shot guns firing from further up river. If you haven't stumbled onto any duck hunters while fishing this season, you will!

Look for duck hunters adjacent to still water areas like swamps, tidal basins and areas of low water flow with plenty of brush growth. Hunters will build blinds that are adjacent to shoreline brush, cat nine tails and burble. Most waters will have hunters present this time of year. Only highly developed shore lines will be free of them. The more cover, the better, for hunters. Hunters will also camouflage there boats. I've seen some real battleships out there. I'm glad I don't have wings!

You have to remember that duck hunters wait all season for the beginning of the migration to take place; they are as excited as you to be out on the water. So, when it comes to fall fishing, keep your eyes open for those camouflaged monsters that inhabit the shores this time of year, and we'll all have a good day out on the water!

Be safe and have fun hunting and fishing!

Today was a beautiful day! And after getting a few chores done, I just couldn't keep myself from hooking the boat up to the truck. After checking the regs, I headed up to Sabatus Pond, just outside of Lewiston, for a little Bass / Pike fishing. It's only an hour from my home and it always affords itself to some sort of fishing action.

When I arrived, I noticed a family walking towards the ramp taking in a little sun. I asked them if they had brought thier float rig and they looked at me a little puzzled. {Maybe they should subscribe to this blog.}

After giving them a chance to walk down to the dock, I brought my boat up to the landing in preperation to launch. I do a "walk around" to check the boat and ramp before launching. The sun was bright and I was chipper as I walked down to the dock.

As I approched the dock, I noticed the water had been lowered in the pond for fall clean up. This is a normal practice for some ponds. The water level is lowered several feet to allow property owners to take in docks and do what ever needs to be done.

To my surprize, this was not good for me. The ramp was apparently damaged by ice the previous year and was not passable at this water level. A 2 foot by 8 long piece of concrete layed right in the middle of one side of the ramp. On the other side was a large pot hole. I hadn't noticed this when the water was several feet higher.

It was around 2:00 PM when I noticed this and thought it too late to try another location. Disappointed, I headed back home in seach of my float rig.

----What is it used for? The answer is A. A float rig is used to fish live bait.----

I decided to start the process of putting my boat away when I got home and going through my gear. It's a good time of year to get your gear in order.

If I could only find that float rig!