Living on the edge
In Maine, Greenville has the answer for call of the wild
GREENVILLE, Maine -- There was nothing guilty or secretive about their looks, though perhaps there should have been.
After all, blowing off Mother's Day weekend for a fishing trip with buddies takes extraordinary dedication -- to fishing, that is. But May in Greenville finds all sorts of dedicated souls returning to the call of wild brook trout and landlocked salmon, in a place many regard as the freshwater fishing mecca of the Northeast and gateway to the rivers and lakes of Maine's north woods.
Greenville, on the south shore of Moosehead Lake, gives its 2,600 year-round residents a sense of living on the edge of the wilderness. Floatplanes around the town docks, freshly cleaned for a new season, are ready to fly sportsmen to the vast remote North Country, above the lake. This month, more and more vehicles appear on Lake Road bearing canoes and kayaks, and lodging begins to get tight.
The three fishing buddies -- State Representative Judd Thompson, John Williams, and Brad Swanson -- peruse flies at the Maine Guide Fly Shop and discuss the prospects. Fly hatches are just starting, they determine, so most fishing will be below the surface. Smelt patterns, bead heads, and sinking line are key to getting to the fish this time of year, but the three can't resist the bins of mayflies, grey ghosts, and Hornbergs, and they load up the gear with the promise that accompanies most fishing trips.
``Well, this is our annual trip," said Swanson, who lives down on the coast, in Harpswell, fully acknowledging that said trip this year coincides with Mother's Day. ``But this is important for our mental health and spiritual survival. Our wives know that, and besides, I left the dog home with her."
The three men have been meeting for the annual trip for 16 years, bunking at a sporting camp Thompson's father built some 30 years ago. ``It's a lot easier to get our wives to cooperate than the fish," Thompson observed.
These friends typify the kinds of outdoor lovers who, living farther south in Maine, regard Greenville and its environs as more like the Canadian wilderness (Montreal is due east) than the lower cities and suburbs such as Bangor, Augusta, and Portland. The Moosehead region, easier to reach now than when they were young, was foreign and exotic, not for the way it was developed, but for its simplicity and stark beauty.
``I've spent only a few dozen days of my life up here," said Sandy Trillo, who comes from Rhode Island every spring, ``but it always feels like you're coming back home, like you either belong here or would like to stay. It just feels right to be at Moosehead in spring."
Increasingly, the saltwater fishing Trillo gets into later in the spring at home has lost much of its appeal after his forays to the Moosehead region. ``Standing rocking on a boat just doesn't do much for me anymore," he added. ``Not after this stuff."
At least, in part, ``this stuff" is the huge variety of fishing options in this North Country. From flatwater lake fishing, chartered trips on Moosehead, to stream and river fishing for wild brookies and salmon, the region has something for everyone. And despite its place as an angling epicenter, the Moosehead region has plenty of flat and stream fishing for novices.
Many anglers start their trip at one of the first businesses they come to in Greenville, the Maine Guide Fly Shop, owned by Penny and Jay Legere, who grew up here. Since the logging companies provide less and less work, Penny said, it's tougher for natives to make a living in town, which is why they consider the outdoors trade so important.
``It's extremely hard to make a living up here, so we're pretty lucky to be able to stick it out," she said. ``But you really have to work at it."
The Legeres, like many who run local businesses, have long-term relationships with the outdoor lovers. Like Thompson, Williams, and Swanson, who have been stocking up at the fly shop for years, regular clientele is the key to survival.
``It's not like it once was when I was a girl and the sporting camps were really booming," Penny said. ``It's not like that anymore, but still in May and June, it gets pretty busy around here."
Anglers new to Moosehead can begin their fishing in Greenville, the southern extreme, where there are two launching ramps and some productive waters around Moose Island. Moving up along the east shore to Lily Bay is another public launch site, and there are two more launch sites at Spencer Bay.
The western shore is just as accommodating, with Rockwood and Barrow's Cove good starting places. Between Rockwood and Mount Kineo is a deep trench that is usually teeming with smelt, and thus, salmon. Also along this shore (before reaching Rockwood) is the East Outlet of the Kennebec River, which offers superb wading opportunities. Again, salmon chase the spawning smelt and course from the east end up into Indian Pond.
And if salmon are plentiful in spring, come back in September (the season closes on the 30th) when, after feeding all summer, they attain their nickname ``footballs."
The Roach Ponds near Kokadjo, east of Moosehead on Lily Bay Road, is a series of seven ponds at the headwater of the Roach River -- another legend in North Country. The best salmon fishing is in First Roach Pond, which is deepest, though the salmon are also plentiful in Second and Third ponds. In First Roach Pond, though, every spot is potentially hot. The best approach is at the mouth of Intervale Brook , where smelt run.
From Kokadjo on the west shore of First Roach Pond, the Roach River runs from Moosehead, and for fly anglers (especially those who enjoy wading), this is a superb stream, again full of salmon foraging on smelt.
Most anglers who prefer the moving water of river fishing almost always end up trying another legendary waterway, the east and west branches of the Penobscot. Old-timers in these parts claim the fishing was much better before the logging drives were outlawed some 30 years ago, but the current condition of the river is far from shabby.
The 18-mile stretch of the East Branch from Matagamon Lake to Seboeis River is good fishing and the river has several accessible campgrounds along the bank. The scenery and fishing are nothing short of superb.
The West Branch is wider and faster moving, and is the seasonal focus of the rafting business, which some anglers seeking solitude find disconcerting, especially when wading out in the river when a raft comes along. The West Branch is easy to reach from the Golden Road (a hard, gravel-packed logging road). Below the spectacular Ripogenus Dam, the river runs for a couple of miles before pooling up in a section called the Big Eddy. Here, anglers fish from canoes or wade close to shore. Again, salmon in the 5-pound range may be a rarity these days, but they do exist here.
This river is so accessible from the Golden Road that anglers sometimes overthink the fishing. In fact, it's possible just to pull off the shoulder (don't leave your car where a logging truck could run afoul of it, especially on a corner) and walk a short distance to the stream. Other well-known hot spots in the river are Abol Deadwater and Pockwockamus Deadwater, and there are dozens more.
The Penobscot River, which runs to the coast through Bangor and into the Penobscot Bay down east, has multiple personalities and is quite an amazing water. For most, getting to know it is a delightful, lifelong project.
Well to the north of Moosehead Lake are myriad lakes and rivers, including the 100-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway, well-traveled yearly by hundreds of canoeists and kayakers. Two lakes -- Lobster and Chesuncook -- connected by the Lobster and Penobscot rivers, make some of the best remote camp fishing in the Northeast. Lobster Lake is approachable by logging road, but Chesuncook, the much larger lake, is remote to all but floatplane, hikers, and wilderness skiers.
For those exploring this region for the first time, a few caveats. First, those who can afford a guide will be much more comfortable and not overwhelmed by the sheer proportion of the wilderness in the North Maine Woods. A guide can take anglers to the fish, and take the hit-or-miss out of a first trip.
Second, the logging roads may be in good shape -- especially the Golden Road, a gravel-packed highway built for logging trucks. Not only are these vehicles bigger than most trucks, they like to use the middle of the road to stay level on the crown. In short, there is one rule to observe regarding the logging trucks: The roads belong to them and they always have the right of way. Thus, it is incumbent on sportsmen to give way, and pull well off the road when encountering one. It is attention-getting to see how fast they rumble over these roads.
The other serious caution regards moose. Last week on a foggy morning, in the 15-minute ride from Greenville to Rockwood, I encountered three young moose, one of which came bounding into the road. These youngsters are very active in the spring and have no more sense about roads than squirrels. Drivers simply have to be on the lookout.
The last caveat is, of course, the blackflies that hatch right about the time of the mayfly hatches in spring. They are an issue to contend with. Various repellents and clothing work to a degree, and most local people simply know how to coexist with them.
For sportsmen contemplating a trek to this country, they should become familiar with such publications as the Northwoods Sporting Journal (info@sportingjournal.com) and contact the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in Augusta (ifw.webmaster@maine.gov) or call 207-287-8000. There is also a regional office in Greenville. 