This is article number two of a two part article. Look for part number one for rigging tips. This article will focus on reacting to change. Read all my articles and see video fish reports at http://www.jimhirt.com
Reacting to time of year.

Time of year is also to be considered when trying to catch moody fish. As the seasons change, so do the temperatures of the water. Fish are cold blooded and their metabolism changes as their body temp changes. Most anglers know there are cold and warm water species of fish. Which means all fish, if given a choice, will find their preferred temperature range. In fact too high or too low beyond their limits will cause stress and eventual death. In large fresh water lakes, the time of day isn’t nearly as critical at locating the depth of the preferred temperature level for the fish species you’re seeking.

Thermocline Explained

Lakes layer into three separate layers of water in the spring and stay that way until cold weather. The middle layer, where there is a larger concentration of dissolved oxygen, baitfish and therefore predator fish, is called the thermocline. It can usually be found anywhere from ten feet to the bottom. This is a temperature layer, as well as an oxygen-saturated layer, and fish will relate to it as both a comfort zone and one where their body metabolism functions the most efficiently. These fish will be suspended and feeding on alewives, smelt or other forage fish.

Temperature by species

The peak feeding and optimum temperature for Coho and Chinook is 52°, with an active range from 44° to 58°. For Lake Trout the peak feeding and optimum temperature is 51°, with activity from 43° to 53°. Fish will rarely venture out of these zones, once stratification has taken place, except to catch a meal and then will quickly return to it. The only exception is when fish are spawning. One thing to remember when fishing the thermocline is that its depth can change from day to day because of wind and wave action. It may be several feet deeper or shallower from one day to the next, so you’ll have to relocate it each time you go out.

Having said all that, when fishing in water temperatures near the bottom of your target species preferred temp, adjust to small spoons like the regular size Vulcan Spoon exclusively sold at Badger Tackle in a slow presentation. At their optimum temp go aggressive with large baits in quick presentations. Most anglers under estimate the speed of their quarry.

Keep good records

I cannot stress record keeping too much. Your ability to document good and bad days will be your magic rabbit in the hat. This info will shorten your learning curve and should be reviewed before every fishing outing. Record the date, location, weather, lures or bait, presentation, for each type of fish you catch.

Good Luck! Let’s go fishing!

Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com

Copyright© 2011 James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

As part of National River Cleanup, members of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and students from the Telstar Challenge Course at Telstar High School in Bethel, Maine will clean up a section of the Androscoggin River from Newt’s Landing in West Bethel to Davis Park in Bethel on Thursday, May 19. Students, ages 16-18, will float down the river in rafts armed with garbage bags and towing garbage scow rafts to collect debris along the riverbanks. The clean-up flotilla will launch at 9 am from Newt’s Landing and take out at Davis Park. Community members are welcome to help clean-up this and other stretches of the river. The town of Bethel will provide trash collection at Davis Park and deliver to the town’s solid waste facility.

Northern Waters Outfitters of Errol, NH will provide rafts and garbage scows. Immediately following the clean-up, Bethel’s Best Pizza Grille & Dairy Bar will host a pizza party at Davis Park for all participants,.

Rivers and watersheds have been used as dumps for old appliances, shopping carts and other refuse. Litter, such as foam cups, plastic bottles and food wrappers float into waterways, build up along the shoreline and stay there for years. With landfill space at a premium, recycling efforts stymied by a lack of plant capacity and toxic waste expensive to control, a grassroots effort can help maintain a constituency for preserving and protecting waterways. In 2010, 2 million pounds of trash and debris were collected and 6,000 miles of rivers and streams cleaned across the nation. In years’ past the Upper Andro yielded over a ton of debris including bed springs, tires and tire rims, a boat motor and a 1950’s record player.

The Upper Andro Anglers Alliance sponsors the local clean up. Says Clean-up Co-ordinator and UAAA director Bruce Pierce, “There’s been a long-standing effort to improve the Androscoggin’s water quality and fishery-now we need to improve the shore land zone along this wonderful river.”

National River Cleanup was founded in 1992 by America Outdoors, the largest association of America’s outfitters and guides, to assist local groups in keeping waterways clean. In 2007 American Rivers assumed administration of the river clean up. American Rivers, founded in 1973, is the nation’s leading river advocacy organization. NRC Information is published on line at www.nationalrivercleanup.org.

Local Maine guides and members of the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited will teach the workshops. Instruction will include both spin casting and fly casting for older youth and parents. Maine’s Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program will supply complimentary rods and reels for use at the festival.

Families can practice newly learned casting skills in the one acre pond and are welcome to take home their catch. The pond will be stocked with trout courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Each young angler will receive a mini-tackle box complete with bobber, sinkers and hook courtesy of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance.

Kids can learn how to tie flies with materials provided by local outfitters and fly shops. Children will be able to take home their hand-tied flies.

Families participating in the event will be eligible for door prizes from local outfitters and businesses as well as L.L. Bean and Kittery Trading Post. The Bethel Fire Dept. will host a barbecue of hotdogs and hamburgers, chips, and drinks and families are welcome to bring a pack lunch.

The weekend of June 4 and 5 is a free fishing weekend in Maine. Resident and Non-resident freshwater fishing licenses are waived each day.

The Family Fishing Festival is one of many nationwide events that provide families with an opportunity to have fun on the water. The events are promoted by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (www.rbff.org). For those families wishing to stay overnight and fish or canoe the Androscoggin River on Sunday, special family packages are available for the weekend at local lodging establishments.

For information on the Family Fishing Festival, contact the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance at 207-824-3694, fish@upperandro.com or www.upperandro.com.

As with all sports and activities, basics and fundamentals are the foundation from which a sound, well-played game is achieved. The name of this article could have been the twenty five R’s of fishing because many small details will make or break your day on the water. However, I decided to focus on only three of the fundamentals; rigging, reacting, and record keeping. Read all my articles and see video fish reports at http://www.jimhirt.com

Rigging

This is a vast subject with a different definition to most anglers. To me it means assembling the correct components in the best way to meet the current conditions. Let’s get into specifics. The rod, reel, line and terminal tackle are the foundation to success. In my earlier days of fishing, the selection of a fishing rod was confusing. The more people you talked to the worse it got. My experience over the years has lead me to a simple conclusion, heavy weight rods for big fish with high test line. Light weight rods for small fish on light test line. Following the recommended line weight marked on the rod will put more fish in the cooler. A rod that is too stiff will not bend with light line. The result will be lost fish from failure to maintain a tight line to the target. You will also be able to use smaller snaps and terminal tackle on light line with a light action rod. This will enhance the lure action with improved presentation.

Reacting

Reacting to changes will improve your success. The speed of your bait whether it is a spoon, jig, or crankbait is important. The right lure at the wrong speed will be less productive. The correct speed is dictated by many variables.

Variables

Always consider the mood of fish and the environment they are in and adjust to the conditions. This will help you find the best speed. Mood is defined by weather and the time of year. High and low barometric pressure are a part of the weather question. They both have a significant impact on the mood of all fish. Activity level in fish will change with the movement or lack of barometer movement. You must know what the weather has been preceding your fishing trip. This information will set the stage giving you the information you can use to your advantage. A clear blue high sky after a low pressure front is every anglers nightmare. Fish get spooky, neutral or negative in these conditions. For these types of days a slow spot on the spot presentation is key. Work your favorite location with precise boat and lure control. Inactivity is normal, when this happens pick your favorite locations on any body of water and look for your target species in the next break to deeper water.

Baits, speed and location

Work smaller spoons, lures or baits in a slow systematic presentation. If motor trolling is your method of fishing, use small spoons. Present them at slow speeds and fish them near the bottom. On the other hand, steady barometric pressure for an extended period of time with overcast sky conditions is time to grab your pole and to head for the water. Don’t miss these ideal days. The fish will be up on the shallow flats, near shore and active. Pound these fish with big baits and fast erratic actions. Work hard, work fast and cover a lot of water. This sets up a great opportunity for trolling big water. The correct lure color for overcast will put more fish in the boat. Silver or gold has long been the standard until recent years. Cutting edge anglers are now going to glow in the dark lures. The visibility of glow spoons far exceeds the old standards. Badger Tackle has great line up of glow spoons. For the anglers that run a boat speed from 1.5 to 3.5 MPH I would recommend the Vulcan magnum. This is a tough heavy weight spoon with a slim profile that fits well with most freshwater and saltwater forage base sizes. The other one I like is the Reaper. Run the regular size on clear calm days and magnum at first light, overcast or whenever you are down deep or in a low light presentation. The Reaper is a wide spoon with a crippled baitfish action for trolling at speeds of 1.0 to 2.5. The Striper and Salmon fishermen say it is a perfect match to the Shad and Alewife forage. Both are exclusively sold at http://www.badgertackle.com/ You won’t be disappointed.

Good Luck and let’s go fishing!

Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com

Copyright© 2011 James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

The definition of hydrology is “A science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on the surface of the land, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere.”

So in essence, the hydrology of our land is in reality a life form of it own such as is our own bodily blood system. The disruption of the waters distribution naturally occurring within its environment must surely result in consequences of various levels.

Therefore, one must consider the impact of the currently planned blasting of the deep bed rock on mountain tops across hundreds of miles in Maine for the installation of the thousands of huge commercial wind turbines. It can very well impact and alter the high mountain seeps and springs. Damage to these sources of clean cold water could possibly cumulatively impact even our major aquifers that we depend on for potable water. Consideration must also be given to the possibility of increased levels of naturally occurring hazardous substances being released into the waters by the disruption of the bedrock during blasting. This could result in the possible release of excessive amounts of naturally occurring minerals in the form of sulfides or sulfates, and in some locals where present, substances such as arsenic.

Another concern to be considered is the impact to our wildlife. The cold mountain seeps join each other resulting ever enlarging streams feeding into our brooks and eventually into our rivers and larger bodies of water. The disruption of these sources may result in lesser amounts of runoff and or increased silting, in turn causing increased water temperatures and maybe even result in the very loss of some of our cold water fisheries. At the least, one can envision the loss of some of these waters that are the spawning areas for our world class brook trout and other cold water fish. Hundreds of these small mountain streams are the source of naturally occurring trout which move down into the larger brooks, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes that we fish in. No matter how you look at the possible effects, the results are a loss of a natural resource that Maine currently is a champion of – Brook Trout. Most all other traditional areas of native brook trout within the Continental United States already have been loss as the result of pollutants and destruction of the water source.

The value of clean water to mankind is currently critical in many areas of the world. It must be remembered that Maine is currently one of a few places in the eastern states where one can still kneel down, cup ones hand, and drink pure clean water in thousands of locations. All one has to do is ensure that there are no beaver or dead animals in the upstream side of one’s source of this water. Most any seep or spring on a hill or mountain side is a sure place to acquire a drink of ice cold clean water. The bottled water industry in Maine is here because of our many unpolluted aquifers. As the world sources of potable waters shrink, the value of our resource will escalate.

We have in Maine a very precious resource. If you can’t visualize the true value of our clean waters, you need only to talk to those who have traveled around the world. Just ask some of our military personnel, they are most aware of the value of clean water worldwide. In many locations around the world people are killing each other and even whole communities have perished fighting over potable water sources. In the near future the value of drinkable water will be astronomical compared to other things we value. Just consider the current cost of plain bottled water at your local store when compared to an equal amount of gasoline.

The major issues and controversy about the development of large scale commercial wind power is currently centered on health issues related to low frequency sound and shadow flicker, decreased property values, loss of habitat, death of large numbers of birds and bats, and impact to threatened or endangered species. Just maybe, the largest long term detrimental impact of large scale mountain top wind development is out of sight right under our feet – CLEAN WATER.

Dave Miller
Lexington TWP, ME

Dave Miller is a Maine resident, an outdoor writer and a member of the Carrabassett Valley Trappers Association.

Salvelinus fontinalis – brook trout, actually a char, but close enough for those anglers who enjoy playing tag with this native of North America. The squaretail or spotted trout, as some old-timers still call it, is now nearly extinct in most states, except for a few strains living secret lives in the shadows of smaller creeks and brooks, waters so small and insignificant most anglers pass them by to fish the bigger put-and-take rivers stocked with dim-witted, hatchery-bred fish. Those brookies that do remain are, on average, no bigger than a finger with a large fish growing to no more than six inches.

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy casting my flies to these spunky survivors, spending the better part of the fishing season prowling the smaller streams that drop down through the western portion of my state; but sitting here by the wood stove, watching a hard December sky spitting wet snow across our lawn, I’m thinking back to the summer when the weather turns hot and humid and most freestone streams begin to dry up.

That’s when its time to give the trout of my home State a breather. Time to pack up my fly rod and head north. No, not toward the Catskills or the Pocono’s, but past the Green, and even the White Mountains. I’m talking really north, as far north as you can travel up the east coast without the need for your passport.

Western Maine, specifically the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine, is teeming with wild brook trout native to the area, some as long as your arm. No really! The brook trout of the Rangeley Lakes Region are about as big as you’ll find south of Labrador. Oh, and just for fun, the place is chuck full of landlocked salmon that will leave you speechless as they tail-dance across a pool, spitting out your favorite fly just before they leap back under the surface.

In nineteen eighty-seven, my wife and I purchased a cabin on Aziscohos Lake, a long and narrow body of water formed in the late nineteenth century when the Magalloway River was first dammed to carry logs across its surface. The lake is situated along the westerly border of this wild section of Maine where the moose still outnumber the human residents.

Over the last twenty-plus years, I’ve kept a log of every fish caught from our cabin. To be counted, fish over sixteen inches must be measured before released, because as every angler knows, (but rarely admits) once measured, a fish estimated at sixteen inches magically shrinks to fifteen, sometimes fourteen inches depending upon the imagination of the one telling the tale and the gullibility of his or her audience.

Following Route 16 from Wilson’s Mills east to Rangeley, a little town sometimes mentioned in the New York Times travel section, you will cross at least five major lakes fed by countless streams, brooks, rivers and rills, their tannin-stained water tumbling down through balsam-and-spruce hills, with larger, fast flowing rivers falling out of the lakes, all working their way toward the mighty Androscoggin River.

Logging and fly fishing have gone hand in hand throughout western Maine for more than two hundred years. No longer dependent upon river and lake, fast moving trucks now carry timber to the mills, dirt and dust rising off the many logging roads that spread through the forest like a river spider’s web. Located a few miles west of Rangeley, in the quaint town of Oquossoc, a recently completed Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum is worth the visit to learn more about the history of this region.

At Haine’s Landing you can stand where legendary guide, artist and all around Renaissance man, Herbert Welch, plied his trade. A short boat ride will take you to Upper Dam on Mooselookmeguntic Lake, hallowed ground to some. A place where Wallace Stevens once guided sports while his spouse, Carrie, originated many streamers still used today, such as the Gray Ghost. On the Rapid River you can walk the same carry road used by the writer, Louise Dickinson Rich, and her woodsman husband, Ralph; stay at their house, perhaps hear the call of their dog, Kyak, as the midnight moon sweeps over Middle Dam. Look hard enough and you may find a Rangeley boat in use, perhaps one built by Herb Ellis, himself.

[/caption]Last summer, casting a #18 black ant below Camp Ten Bridge on the Magalloway River, I released an eighteen-inch landlocked salmon and a sixteen-inch brook trout on successive casts while a local fisherman failed to give me a second look. During the last week of that August, fishing a tannin-stained riffle called Cleveland Eddy, I released more than twenty brookies, most measuring six inches or less, with a few nine and ten inchers to make it interesting when a brook trout measured in pounds rather than inches struck my wet fly.

This year, with the sun high in the summer sky and a southwest breeze spraying water in my face, I waded out into the Magalloway below Route 16. This is big water, a kayaker’s dream, all rapids and riffles, with a few huge pools, dark and foreboding, pools that you just know hold trout as big as you can dream. Casting a brace of flies, one wet, the other a nymph, I fished for three hours, releasing six salmon and three brookies, each trout measuring a true nine to ten inches with one of the salmon, the one that leaped across the surface three times before coming to the net, measuring twelve inches. No big fish, but a fun day.

A few days later, on a dank and drizzly morning, I pulled on my poncho and hippers and worked my way down a tributary of Rangeley Lake called South Bog Brook. My log confirms the release of twenty-nine brook trout over a period of only three hours. With the exception of a few ten-inch surprises, each measured no more than six inches.

There is so much water to fish.

If you’re looking for hogs, troll the big lakes, especially in early spring, just after ice out (Some years the ice does not start groaning until the middle of May.) or in September, before the season closes, but only if the rains come. It’s not unusual to spot a moose grazing in the shallows while overhead, an eagle might be seen gliding on a thermal current. Then again, there are always a pair or more of loons to entertain you with their eerie calls.

Two tail waters fall out of these lakes – the Magalloway, and her big sister, the Rapid, both running clean and cool throughout the summer. Anglers can also fish below Upper Dam where cold water is discharged throughout the summer. All three contain big brawling rapids cascading over humped-back boulders surrounded by what Henry Thoreau described as “howling wilderness.”

Many prefer nymphs to imitate the large stoneflies that inhabit the classic pocket water found in these rivers while others stick to streamers, which are always reliable, still some choose to tie a Stimulator to their tippet, especially as August draws to a close, knowing that the big stones are in the air at that time of year.

Traveling over logging roads, you can also fish above the lakes, wading up headwaters such as the Big and Little Magalloway Rivers, the Cupsuptic or the Little and Big Kennebago Rivers, as well as tributaries too numerous to name. For a short time each spring, big trout and salmon enter the smaller streams to follow smelt, the local bait fish, on their spawning run, returning in September, themselves to spawn. But even after the big fish have left, there are plenty of smaller trout to chase your fly, even in high summer.

Some of my fondest memories are of wading these wild stretches in the heat of summer, stopping to dip my neckerchief in the cool water, spreading it across my face before moving on. While raising brook trout on most every cast, I have found mink along the water’s edge, watched a family of otters frolicking around a boulder, stumbled across beaver dams, once watched a red squirrel swim from one bank to another, always the smell balsam permeating the air.

The fishing here is by no means technical. Nor is it necessarily easy. Find where the fish are holding and you are two thirds of the way there. Don’t spook them and you’re in for a fun afternoon. Brook trout up north, like their cousins in other States, are not selective; although when the rare hatch is in progress they can be fussy. I stick to a few wet flies and nymphs, (A Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear pattern tied as a wet fly or nymph is my go-to fly during the summer months.) caddis flies, (Elk hair caddis and those with a cdc wing will bring fish to the surface from late afternoon until dark) switching to a Royal Wulff dry on the smaller streams and those large Stimulators to match the huge stoneflies that fly above the larger rivers in late August into early September. Classic streamers, such as the Gray Ghost or a Mickey Finn, are also a good bet, a well-known guide in the area once telling me, “Meat and potatoes bud, that’s what these fish want!”

There are a number of fishing lodges that cater to anglers and their families, each with guides eager to impart their wisdom to any sport willing to listen. Situated across from our camp, at the head of Aziscohos Lake, is Bosebuck Mountain Camps. The owners, Mike and Wendy Yates, have a reputation as gracious hosts, the food served in their lodge enjoyed by not only their guests, but also by local residents, who boat or drive up the lake to eat their fill. Tourists have been known to rent a seaplane in Rangeley to get a bird’s eye view of the mountains, lakes and streams before landing at the Camp’s dock.

Those staying at Bosebuck can motor one of the Camp’s boats up the Big or Little Magalloway Rivers. Bosebuck also provides access to the Magalloway above Parmachenee Lake, which lies behind locked gates. It’s here that some of the largest brook trout can be found.

Grant’s Camps, found on Big Kennebago Lake, provides access to the entire Kennebago River, much of which is also behind locked gates, insuring premium fishing to its sports, especially in spring and fall.
Situated beside Middle Dam, Lakewood Camps provides access to the Rapid River. Presently owned and operated by Whit and Maureen Carter, Lakewood is a classic Maine sporting camp in operation since the nineteen twenties.

Information about lodging, guiding services and more, can be obtained by going to the individual websites of these sporting camps or the website for the Rangeley Lakes Region’s Chamber of Commerce: rangeleylakesregion.com

Oh, and if you decide to cast your flies up north this summer, don’t forget to stop by our cabin and say hello.

Note: All photos in this article belong to Patricia Romano. To view enlarged copies, please click on the image.

Bob Romano has written two books about western Maine: Shadows in the Stream, which contains a series of essays, each concentrating on a different lake, stream or pond in the Rangeley lakes Region and North of Easie, a novel set in the same area. To find out more about Bob’s books and the Rangeley Lakes Region go to his website: forgottentrout.com.

Bob will be attending the Marlboro, Mass. Fishing Show and you can find him at the Angler’s Book Store where he will meet and greet and sign copies of his books.

Fishing spoons for spring, fishing spoons for summer, fishing spoons for fall and winter. Spoons are never the wrong bait. The variety of spoons is the reason they produce. The universal popularity of the spoon worldwide has caused it to evolve to an all-species, all-season favorite. I would need to write a large book to go into all the types of spoons and their applications to different species. When I was done, the subject would only be scratched on the surface.

The best approach for me would be to cover all-season fishing with spoons for salmon, trout and freshwater game fish. Fortunately I have had an opportunity over the past 25 years to try my luck on a wide assortment of species. The three most important factors to consider in lure selection are the action, color and size. I will break this down by season and type of fish.

Temperature will define the spoon

The preferred water temperature of your target easily defines spoon action. In the times of the year when the fish you are after cannot find the temperature of the water they like, you must adjust to meet conditions. For instance, you are looking to hook up with Brown Trout and the water temperature is 40 degrees, twenty degrees below their preferred range of 58 to 66 degrees. A slower lure action is required for this cold water. This can be achieved by a slower retrieve rate when casting or a slower boat speed for trolling. The problem with a slow speed is many spoons lose their fish attracting action.

A spoon that solves this problem is the Nestor Wobbler made by http://www.badgertackle.com The crankbait action of this spoon is deadly in slow presentations. This spoon also has multiple holes in the lip that will allow you to change from a wobbly baitfish action to a vibrating high-speed action. I recommend the Nestor Wobbler for most salmon, trout, bass and pike. It has been a consistent producer for me. Any time your target is in cooler water than they like, slow down to improve your catch rate.

Spoon color by light

Color is very important to your success. Light is the number one consideration in your lure color. This is a good time to talk about color as it relates to the amount of light. You may or may not remember learning the colors of the rainbow in school. The colors are remembered by this acronym “ROY G BIV”. These letters mean red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

There are exceptions to every rule. Most of the time I run lure colors of red, orange, or yellow when that lure is presented in the portion of the water column with the most light. The other end of the rainbow, blue, indigo and violet, are used in darker or low light situations.

You may ask what about silver and white? I consider these as neutral or they will work in any type of light. All the other colors fall into either bright or dark. Bright lures are used in bright light conditions dark lures in low light.

A relatively new and much improved addition to spoon colors is the glow-in-dark colors. After charging up the glow paint on the spoons with a bright light, they will take fish in the dark or stained water. You will find several manufactures with this product. I have found the glow on Badger Tackle spoons will last longer than most of the spoons being sold.

Match up the bait

Size is as important to productive fishing as any of the other variables. The rules are simple: match lure size to the forage of your target and if fishing is slow or dead go to smaller size spoons. For example the first light bite was fantastic; you were on your way to a limit catch. Then the sun comes up bright in a clear blue sky and all the action stops. I believe the reason for this is too much flash produced by large lures turns off fish. This is the time to scale down to smaller lures. This approach can be applied any time you find yourself in bright conditions.

Consider all three – action, color and size – to become more productive. Fish come in a wide variety of sizes and attitudes and one thing is common to all. You must get their attention if you expect to catch them. Adjust to meet conditions and you will become a better angler.

Good Luck! Let’s go fishing!

Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com

Copyright© 2007, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Elowe, a 22-year employee of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, has accepted a position as Assistant Regional Director of Science Applications at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Region 5 headquarters, based in Hadley, Mass.

“Today, I have accepted Ken’s resignation with regrets,” Commissioner Martin said. “Ken has served this Department and the citizens of Maine with distinction, by creating and implementing several programs that now are nationally recognized, including Beginning with Habitat, and by being an outstanding spokesman for the agency. He truly is a talented individual and will be missed by all of us.”

In his new role, Elowe will be responsible for providing leadership and direction in the development and execution of high-priority regional science activities, including those involving climate change, adaptive resources management, and landscape conservation, particularly Strategic Habitat Conservation.

Elowe was named Director of Resource Management in 1998, which serves as the lead fish and wildlife biologist for Maine, after 10 years in the Department. Previous positions included Director of the Wildlife Division, leader of the Mammals Research and Management Group, and project leader for the Bear and Furbearer Group. As bureau director, he manages 120 employees, a $14 million budget, and all projects and initiatives related to wildlife and freshwater fish management.

For more than 11 years, Elowe has served as the Department’s senior liaison, building solid relationships with fish and wildlife agencies in other states and on the federal level, as well as conservation and sporting groups, and businesses.

“Ken has been instrumental in working with a variety of Maine conservation and sporting organizations in an effort to secure permanently protected funding for MDIF&W for the future,” said Peter Bourque, Director of Fisheries Program Development. “By ensuring proper funding, the Department can continue its efforts to preserve Maine’s outdoor resources for future generations.”

During his tenure, Elowe has monitored the status of fish and wildlife resources throughout Maine; directed the development of effective management programs for all species; lead the strategy for conservation land acquisition; and worked with private landowners and timber companies to develop strategies to manage lands while maintaining wildlife habitat. Currently, MDIF&W and 11 companies have wildlife habitat management agreements regarding more than 500,000 acres of forested habitat.

In Maine, Elowe was one of the originators of the Beginning with Habitat program, which seeks to integrate the principles of landscape conservation into municipal comprehensive planning. Beginning with Habitat also serves as one of the two pillars for Maine’s Wildlife Action Plan.

“Ken has been, and continues to be, an enthusiastic advocate for Beginning with Habitat and landscape conservation, using every opportunity that arises in Maine and the northeastern states, within the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to support and advance sound landscape conservation application,” said Mark Stadler, MDIF&W Director of Wildlife. “His goal? That 50 years from now, our grandchildren will also be able to enjoy abundant and healthy wildlife management populations and habitats.”

Throughout his career, Elowe has sought to advance the concepts contained in Beginning with Habitat as well as worked extensively on endangered species policy and conservation initiatives at state and national levels.

Last year, Elowe helped celebrate the delisting of the Bald Eagle from Maine’s Endangered and Threatened Species List, after a 30-year effort by MDIF&W biologists and other natural resource groups to restore the populations in Maine.

Elowe is a member or a leader in the following groups: Atlantic Flyway Council, Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategic Habitat Conservation Committees, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; and North American Waterfowl Management Plan Revision Steering Committee; also a federal-state joint task force on federal aid policy.

From time to time we all can use a little help. These changes in thinking or additions to your fishing arsenal will improve your success. The speed of your bait whether it is a spoon, jig, or crankbait is important. The right lure at the wrong speed will be less productive.

The correct speed is dictated by many variables.

Always consider the mood of fish and the environment they are in. This will help you find the best speed. Mood is defined by weather and the time of year. High and low barometric pressure are a part of the weather question. They both have a significant impact on the mood of all fish. Activity level in fish will change with the movement or lack of barometer movement. You must know what the weather has been preceding your fishing trip. This information will set the stage giving you the information you can use to your advantage. A clear blue high sky after a low pressure front is every anglers nightmare. Fish get spooky, neutral or negative in these conditions.

A slow spot on the spot presentation is key.

Inactivity is normal, pick your favorite locations on any body of water and look for your target species in the next break to deeper water. Work smaller spoons, lures or baits in a slow presentation. If motor trolling is your method of fishing, use small spoons. Present them at slow speeds and fish them near the bottom. On the other hand steady barometric pressure for an extended period of time with overcast sky conditions is time to grab your pole and to head for the water. Don’t miss these ideal days. The fish will be up on the shallow flats, near shore and active. Pound these fish with big baits and fast erratic actions.

Work hard, work fast and cover a lot of water.

This sets up a great opportunity for trolling big water. The correct lure color for overcast will put more fish in the boat. Silver or gold has long been the standard until resent years. Cutting edge anglers are now going to glow in the dark lures. The visibility of glow spoons far exceeds the old standards. Badger Tackle has a great line up of glow spoons.

For the anglers that run a boat speed from 2.0 to 3.5 MPH, I would recommend the Vulcan magnum. This is a tough heavy weight spoon with a slim profile that fits well with most freshwater and saltwater forage base sizes. The other one I like is the Reaper. Run the regular size on clear calm days and magnum at first light, overcast or whenever you are down deep or in a low light presentation. The Reaper is a wide spoon with a crippled baitfish action for trolling at speeds of 1.0 to 2.5. The Striper and Salmon fishermen say it is a perfect match to the Shad and Alewife forage. Both are exclusively sold at http://www.badgertackle.com/. You won’t be disappointed.

Time of year is also to be considered.

Time of year is also to be considered when trying to catch moody fish. As the seasons change so do the temperatures of the water. Fish are cold blooded and their metabolism changes as their body temp changes. Most anglers know there are cold and warm water species of fish. Which means all fish, if given a choice, will find their preferred temperature range. In fact, too high or too low beyond their limits will cause stress and eventual death. In large fresh water lakes, the time of day isn’t nearly as critical as locating the depth of the preferred temperature level for the fish species you’re seeking.

Lakes layer into three separate layers of water in the spring and stay that way until cold weather. The middle layer, where there is a larger concentration of dissolved oxygen, baitfish and therefore predator fish, is called the thermocline. It can usually be found any where from ten feet to the bottom. This is a temperature layer as well as an oxygen-saturated layer and fish will relate to it as both a comfort zone and one where their body metabolism functions the most efficiently. These fish will be suspended and feeding on alewives, smelt or other forage fish.

The peak feeding and optimum temperatures

The peak feeding and optimum temperature for Coho and Chinook is 52° with an active range from 44° to 58°. For lake trout, the peak feeding and optimum temperature is 51° with activity from 43° to 53°. Fish will rarely venture out of these zones, once stratification has taken place, except to catch a meal and then will quickly return to it. One thing to remember when fishing the thermocline is that its depth can change from day to day because of wind and wave action. It may be several feet deeper or shallower from one day to the next so you’ll have to relocate it each time you go out.

Having said all that, when fishing in water temperatures near the bottom of your target species preferred temp, adjust to small spoons in a slow presentation. At their optimum temp go aggressive with large baits in quick presentations. Most anglers under estimate the speed of their quarry.

Good Luck! Let’s go fishing!

Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.