Fish River Lodge Journal

Journal entries from Fish River Lodge, Eagle Lake, Maine. Adventures in hunting, fishing, trapping and running a sporting camp in northern Maine.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Summer arrived - TODAY!

We woke to rain, but by midmorning the sun broke through the clouds and the temperature soared to 76 degrees; there are fire flies outside the window tonight. June brought lots of overcast skies, temps in the 60s, wind and rain. We either woke to rain, went to bed with rain, or it rained all day. At least the June breezes kept black flies at bay and the cooler temps and rain meant we were able to enjoy "spring fishing" right through the month.

Joe Decker (Point Pleasant, NJ) and Wayne got up with the sun to fish on June 1st. They caught 10 landlocked salmon for their efforts. Wayne kept one 18 incher for the smoker - there's nothing sweeter than smoked salmon for dinner! Lengths seem to be increasing on our landlocked salmon - it used to be we'd see lots of 12-14 inch fish, this season we're seeing lots of 14-18 inch fish. Vinny Grosso (No. Yarmouth, ME) and friends arrived on the 4th. That evening Wayne and I took a jaunt over to Blake Lake. We caught 12 brookies, all "keeper length" in 2 1/2 hours of fishing. We brought home 2 each for the smoker. By now you know we enjoy our fish best when smoked! Local anglers have landed several 4 - 4 1/2 pound salmon this spring, most recently a 4 1/2 pounder caught by Ross Gatcomb of Eagle Lake.

I made a quick visit "down state" to visit mom and dad, daughter Miranda, Nana Pat and Grandpa Armand in Brunswick and also to celebrate Acadia's (my grand daughter) 6th birthday on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. Visiting them makes me realize just how much I miss my family and how little time we are able to spend together. Oh, how I wish they could enjoy this lodge life with us!

Harold Hutchins returned with his fishing buddy Ernie for a week of fishing the 8th-15th. We enjoyed our first decent weather of the month on the 14th. Harold and Ernie had a surprisingly slow week of fishing until we learned they'd been trolling lots of lead-core. Next year they'll land that elusive trophy!

Congratulations Mrs. Miriam Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME) - she was drawn for a zone 5 bull moose permit. On the 15th Wayne and I began scouting zone 5 for Mim and found some promising areas we will be keeping an eye on as well as searching for additional options for her September hunt. That same day we stopped by Munsungan Hunting and Fishing Club to visit with friend and camp owner Jim Carter. Jim gave us a tour of his operation and we got to see his raised vegetable beds - I am so envious of his gardens and ability to offer his guests fresh produce. I might be able to find a spot at our place to plant a few things next spring...We brough Jim's "flooded" Ski-Doo out of the woods. He was planning on making a special trip out to Fort Kent to have it serviced after it got stuck in over-flow and then the flood back in April. Since Wayne and I were headed to Fort Kent the next day anyway we offered to take it out and deliver it to Fort Kent Ski-Doo. We told Gary Dumond to give us a call when it was fixed because we will be making other trips in to the Munsungan region in the coming weeks and would be happy to deliver it back to Jim to save him a trip out. Plus, it would be a good excuse to pay Jim another visit!

I finally got our freezer defrosted - it took all of one day to do it. With much of the moose meat eaten it was real easy to organize what was left when I put everything back. We've hosted several dinner parties this spring and always enjoy sharing our facilities with others. Our dinner guests seem to love Wayne's cooking and the unique and relaxing atmosphere of dining at the lodge.

I'm helping get an ATV club organized in Eagle Lake to facilitate identifying a trail system and obtaining land-owner permissions. A new state law requires written land-owner permission prior to riding ATVs. Since clubs obtain the written permissions, club members may legally use the trails, thus we must organize a club if we are to offer ATV riding in the area. The trails we have proposed connect with other club trails to offer riders many options.

On the 21st Linda Engelhardt and I teamed up to paddle in Fort Kent's "Riverfest" canoe race from St. Francis to Fort Kent on the St. John River. While we didn't set any speed records, I am happy to report we took first place in the "Chamber Members" class - we were the first-place team representing Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce members. A plaque etched with our names and commemorating this honor will hang in the chamber office - check it out when you're in Fort Kent!

Wayne and I scraped and repainted cabins 2 and 3. It seems the snow piled around them all winter caused the paint to peel. It was a fairly simple job but took over two weeks to complete due to wet weather. The cabins looked horrible all scraped "naked" and awaiting their new coats! We provided those new coats on the 22nd and don't they look nice!

Miranda, Acadia, and their freind Tyler Bruce arrived on the 22nd for a visit. Acadia and I started each morning with a bowl of hot oatmeal - her favorite. On the morning of the 24th Tyler and Acadia caught 4 salmon and a brook trout. Acadia surprised me by announcing she wanted to show me "something" in the refrigerator when I returned home from work. I was so tickled to learn she had caught two of the salmon herself! She exclaimed, "We're having fish for dinner!" Which we did, properly smoked, of course. We went "moose hunting" one night and got to watch a cow and her small calf for about 10 minutes before they wandered off. We picked some lupine to brighten the lodge and I also transplanted some in my flower bed and along the hill next to the lodge.

The cabins are beginning to fill for the summer. Wayne's neice Tasha and her husband Pete Hudson (Bath, ME) brought friends Jay and Bethany up for a visit on the 27th. My friend Donna Loring made the trek north from Bradley, ME with her friend Jane Peasley. I enjoyed spending time with Donna again and forging a new freindship with Jane. Donna's quiet demeanor is in stark contrast to Jane's zany humor. We shared many stories and laughs with a glass of wine or beer in hand! They are two inspiring women indeed - Donna as Penobscot Nation's representative to the legislature and author of _In the Shadow of the Eagle_ (a must-read about the Maine legislative process and Maine/Indian relations) and Jane for her work in neorology. Jane also built her own log cabin in the woods. We've planned to team up and offer a program for women next spring. We want to empower and inspire women to challenge themselves - watch for details!

Rachel and Albert Hanson (Topsham, ME) are our former neighbors. They surprised us with a visit on the 28th. Rachel drew a zone 3 moose permit and they were up scouting - moose and places to stay - I hope they will join us in October. Larry Converse (Bolton, CT) stopped by for a visit with his grand daughter and Mike brought his daughter by to meet us. They were here a month ago and are staying down in Portage this time for a weekend of fishing with their girls. Zip Kelloge (Portland, ME) was up scouting streams and lesser rivers to run in his canoe. The high water offered opportunities not normally available this time of year. He hopes to return in September with friends to do some back country paddling. The Chasses (Portsmouth, NH), and Calverts (Waterboro, ME) have returned for another stay at Fish River Lodge over the 4th of July week. One of the things we most enjoy about running the lodge is welcoming guests back for another stay. We like to say people first arrive at Fish River Lodge as strangers but they leave our friends...

Me missed many of our "spring fisher-friends" this season. I know gas prices and the economy are keeping many people at home. It has certainly affected our business. We missed you guys this spring and you missed some fantastic fishing! In fact, Wayne just came in to tell me that Bill, grandson of Stephen Bragdon (Searsmont, ME), just came in with a 19", 2 lb. salmon he caught while paddling at the mouth of the Fish River tonight. It's not too late to plan a vacation at Fish River Lodge this year!