Mike Jones of Farmington, Maine wins Drift Boat Championship

The weather was superb and the excitement was high for the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance Two-Fly Contest and Drift Boat Championship. As the photo shows, the morning began on the foggy side but soon cleared out for a great time.

Wende Gray, spokesperson and organizer of the event, said, “Everyone had a super, duper time and I think we’ll double the number of entrants next year.”

In the Two-Fly Contest:

Winner of the Largest Fish – Tyler Gammon, fishing from the Northern Outdoors boat.

Runner Up – Mike Jones, Farmington. Mike was fishing in the Fly Rod & Reel Magazine boat.

Winner of Largest Catch – Chad Hughes, Camden. Chad represented the Fly Rod & Reel Magazine crew.

Runners Up – George Smith, Augusta. George was fishing in the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine craft.

Kevin Carleton, Norway. Kevin was fishing in the Schiavi Home Builders boat.

Teams and boat sponsors were as follows:

Fly Rod & Reel Magazine
Mike Jones, Oarsman
Joe Healy, angler
Chad Hughes, angler

Northern Outdoors
Chris Russell, Oarsman
John Williams, angler
Tyler Gammon, angler

Skinny Moose Media
Bob Dionne, Oarsman
Kevyn Fowler, angler
Steve Minich, angler

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
Bill Pierce, Oarsman
George Smith, angler
Doug Rafferty, angler

Gray Ghost Productions
Carter Davidson, Oarsman
Luke Gray, angler
Brad Jerome, angler

Kenworth
Stephanie Percival, Oarsman
Joanne Hicks, angler
J.D. Percival, angler

Schiavi Home Builders
Scott Stone, Oarsman
Mark Hiebert, angler
Kevin Carleton, angler

Results of the Drift Boat Championship:

First Place: time of 7 minutes 25 seconds Mike Jones, Farmington

2nd place : time of 7 minutes 35 seconds, Scott Stone, Bethel

3rd Place: time of 8 minutes 21 seconds, Chris Russell, The Forks

1/4 mile course from Bethel Outdoor Adventures to Davis Park, circling two buoys

Photo by Phil Savignano
Winners of the First Annual Northeast Drift Boat Championships held Sunday, September 21 on the Androscoggin River in Bethel are (left to right) Third Place, Chris Russell, The Forks, representing Northern Outdoors; First Place, Mike Jones, Farmington, representing Fly Rod & Reel Magazine; and Second Place, Scott Stone, Bethel, representing Schiavi Home Builders. The oarsmen raced for the fastest time over a 1/4 mile course from Bethel Outdoor Adventures to Davis Park navigating three buoys and carrying an angler who was required to remain standing throughout the race. The winning time was 7 minutes and 25 seconds.

Tom Remington