This has been a great spring for bear watching and waterfall viewing. Bears are being seen throughout the region with one female and her cubs on display regularly on the Rockwood Road (Route 15) near the intersection with the Burnham Pond Road. I usually see four or five bear each year but this year my count stands at seven with most of the summer remaining. Visitors often ask why they do not see more bears since Maine has so many. The reason is that the Moosehead region has over 5 million acres of working forest which provides lots of hiding spots for our bears. In an earlier blog entry I predicted that waterfall viewing would be very good in May and June and it was. Several of our waterfalls including all four at Gulf Hagas, Moxie Falls and Upper Little Wilson Falls continue to have sufficient water to be impressive. If you are in to hiking this is the time of the year to do Gulf Hagas. No bugs and the water is warm enough to enjoy a brief dip. The Gulf is a great destination on overcast days since most of the views are below the horizon and the soft lighting is ideal for photography.
My wife and I visited Maine for the first time in October 1999 and three months later we owned a home in the Moosehead area. The decision to move from Jekyll Island, Georgia to Moosehead was an easy one for me because I like to hike, kayak, and fish in peace and this area provides exceptional outdoor activities without the large crowds usually associated with most popular destinations. Every spring for the past ten years my brother comes up and we take off a week to fly fish (we do the same thing every September). This year the fishing was fantastic! Sibling rivalry requires us to keep track of the fish we catch each day and the totals were the best to date with just over 300 fish caught and released in seven days between the two of us (please note that we are not getting better with practice, we are still the same unexceptional fishermen we have always been). Now that’s fishing! This year we timed it just right and almost everywhere we fished was productive. We started off at the mouth of the Moose River where it enters Brassua Lake, fished the Moose below the Brassua Dam, fished the Moose above and below Demo Bridge, fished East Outlet from top to bottom, fished some of the upper pools and the mouth of the Roach River, and First Roach Pond. The majority of fish we caught were Brook Trout with my brother taking 10 brookies in 10 casts from one position on the Moose River, I had five brookies in five casts three times during the week. We caught a good number of Land-Locked Salmon with the larger ones coming from the Moose River below the dam and some from the upper pools on East Outlet. I am not a fly fishing purist but usually I do try to use a fly that mimics the insects, fish and other animals eaten by trout and salmon. Not this time, when it became apparent that the fish were grabbing everything I started going through my fly boxes and tying on every fly I had and guess what they all worked, some better than others but everyone of them took fish. During the seven days of fishing we saw a total of 14 other fishermen within 100 yards of where we were fishing. From June through mid-September I often do not see another angler during a day of fishing; this year my brother’s visit was over the Memorial Day weekend and we had expected to be surrounded by anglers. Not so. One thing my brother learned was the value of a wader belt. While wading the Moose River he stepped into faster moving water and quickly ended up floating down stream several hundred feet. He did get water in his waders but the wader belt kept most of the water out and allowed him to float until he could get his footing. Since he might read this I should mention that the same thing happened to me but I already knew the value of a tight wader belt.
A lot of people pass up fishing because they think they need a boat to access the better spots. We used a canoe for two of the days but the other five days we waded and the fact is that most of the fish and all of the larger trout and salmon came while wading. A good wading stick and a tight wader belt is all it takes to make wading a great way to catch fish. Another misconception about fly fishing is that the equipment is too expensive. In fact $40-$75 will buy the basic equipment you need to get started catching fish and if you decide you need a pair of waders they are available starting around $50. I learned to fly fish reading books and practicing but today Netflix and other movie rental companies have great instructional DVDs on fly fishing and fly casting. If you need advice on fishing of any sort contact the Visitor’s Center where you will be vacationing, we all have staff members able and willing to help you have a memorable experience.
Regards,
Bob Hamer
Executive Director
Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
There is more to Bangor than what meets the eye!
Bangor is a fun city! Bangor is a safe city! And once you get here you will know it is also a historic hamlet of statues, monuments and various landmarks. And yes, we have museums, too. But this post is to call your attention to 3 very cool landmarks (or visits to landmarks) that are FREE or near free to visit and interesting to visitors of all ages. Have you heard of Stephen King? Stephen King (http://www.stephenking.com/) to the world is a famous author. To us in Bangor, he is a wonderful citizen and philanthropist. I make it a practice to buy several copies of his books for Christmas gifts to give to family members throughout the year. Local guy, does great things to support our Region! The Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau (http://www.VisitBangorMaine.com) also boasts of a "Tommy Knockers and More" Tour ($20/fee) http://bangorcvb.org/content/4012/Stephen__Tabitha_King/ that includes many landmarks that are in Stephen King's books.
For those of you that are looking for a "slice of Americana" Bangor has a large statue of Paul Bunyan right at the gateway to downtown http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10327 - there is plenty of parking there too! Hard to drive by there without somebody taking a "photo-op" - and it has recently been restored so the statue is in its glory.
We also have this thing called a "standpipe." Most people that come here notice it towering on a high hill above the city, but they don't know what it is. The Thomas Hill Standpipe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hill_Standpipe is essentially is a large structure that holds a bunch of water. And when it was built back in 1897 for firefighting as well as for water storage. There are tours a few times a year (unfortunately it is not handicap accessible). Even if you are not visiting during a time when a tour is scheduled, it is worth the ride up to the highest point in the city for a look. There is lots of green space around there for a picnic too!
When you come visit our city, we have these and many other landmarks available for you and your family to see!
For those of you that are looking for a "slice of Americana" Bangor has a large statue of Paul Bunyan right at the gateway to downtown http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10327 - there is plenty of parking there too! Hard to drive by there without somebody taking a "photo-op" - and it has recently been restored so the statue is in its glory.
We also have this thing called a "standpipe." Most people that come here notice it towering on a high hill above the city, but they don't know what it is. The Thomas Hill Standpipe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hill_Standpipe is essentially is a large structure that holds a bunch of water. And when it was built back in 1897 for firefighting as well as for water storage. There are tours a few times a year (unfortunately it is not handicap accessible). Even if you are not visiting during a time when a tour is scheduled, it is worth the ride up to the highest point in the city for a look. There is lots of green space around there for a picnic too!
When you come visit our city, we have these and many other landmarks available for you and your family to see!
Friday, April 30, 2010
"Ice Out" - Moosehead Lake
For all of you eagerly awaiting Moosehead’s ice out news; on April 15th at 10:33 we had the second earliest ice out since we started recording them in 1848. The earliest recorded was April 14, 1945. The interesting thing this year was that the weekend of April 10-11 high winds were predicted which would have opened the lake up very quickly. But the high winds never materialized and instead we just had snow. Yes snow. Well early ice out means that everything is a few weeks ahead of normal. Moose have started coming out to the roads, loons and other water birds are showing up in large numbers, and fishing is already very good. This past winter we received very little snow so by the middle of April most of our snow had disappeared. Now at the end of April most of our dirt logging roads are dry and drivable. Mud season has just about ended which means that May is going to be a great month to get out and drive the back roads looking for our many boreal bird species and visiting our hundred plus waterfalls. We have had numerous visitors in already raving about the amount of water at Moxie Falls. This is also a great time of the year to hike with most of the trails seeing few hikers or bugs until June. The deciduous trees and shrubs are just staring to bud so visibility is excellent in the woods and on the trails. This is also a great time for photography with some crystal clear days for landscape and other long range photos. Come warmer weather haze will be present on occasion. I try to get up in one of our local float planes for aerial photos as early in May and June as possible to get crisp clean photographs.
Moose Mainea starts in a few weeks and runs through our Crafts Fair on June 12th. This is the best time of the year to see moose along the paved roads. All the road salt we used this past winter ended up in the ditches and the moose come out to get the salt and fresh shoots along the roads. Early morning and evening are the best times of the day but the lure of salt is so strong to moose who have spent the past five months in the woods that they can be seen throughout the day during May. The other great thing about moose in May is that the cows start having their young towards the end of the month. Moose mothers do not hide their young so as soon as the baby moose can walk he is expected to trail behind mom where ever she goes. Over the years we have seen week old moose walking through the parking lot of the Visitor’s Center! Every year a fair number of twins are born and believe it or not once in a while triplets. This is also a great time to walk the woods looking for moose antlers. Male moose lose their antlers every winter and start regrowing them in the spring. Rodents and people spend the spring combing the woods for these cast off antlers; the rodents for the salt and minerals in the antler. Many stores locally sell these cast offs; with large racks selling for hundreds of dollars. I have collected many antlers over the years but in all that time I have only found one set, usually you find one side but not both.
Fishing is very good as I mentioned and is about to become excellent. May is our traditional trolling month with action starting around two weeks after ice out and continuing until the lake warms up. May trolling requires no special equipment just a canoe or kayak and your fishing gear. This is not deep down rigger trolling but near shore trolling a few inches to a few feet below the surface. Wild brook trout, land locked salmon and lake trout all can be taken in shallow water at this time of the year. Most experts recommend a trolling speed around five miles per hour or just above walking speed. This type of trolling was so much a part of early spring fishing in Maine that a special ‘tandem fly” was developed in numerous patterns to help the angler with short striking fish. I know a lot of people who are not comfortable fly fishing so they will tie a Gray Ghost or other tandem fly on their spinning line to catch fish. Fly fisherman will be watching for our first important insect hatches which should start soon. Once the hatches start we will have about six weeks of concentrated hatches in cool trout friendly waters before the rivers warm up and the fish look for cool holes. I know I will be floating a few dry flies every evening I can for awhile. See you on the river.
Bob Hamer
Executive Director for the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce
Moose Mainea starts in a few weeks and runs through our Crafts Fair on June 12th. This is the best time of the year to see moose along the paved roads. All the road salt we used this past winter ended up in the ditches and the moose come out to get the salt and fresh shoots along the roads. Early morning and evening are the best times of the day but the lure of salt is so strong to moose who have spent the past five months in the woods that they can be seen throughout the day during May. The other great thing about moose in May is that the cows start having their young towards the end of the month. Moose mothers do not hide their young so as soon as the baby moose can walk he is expected to trail behind mom where ever she goes. Over the years we have seen week old moose walking through the parking lot of the Visitor’s Center! Every year a fair number of twins are born and believe it or not once in a while triplets. This is also a great time to walk the woods looking for moose antlers. Male moose lose their antlers every winter and start regrowing them in the spring. Rodents and people spend the spring combing the woods for these cast off antlers; the rodents for the salt and minerals in the antler. Many stores locally sell these cast offs; with large racks selling for hundreds of dollars. I have collected many antlers over the years but in all that time I have only found one set, usually you find one side but not both.
Fishing is very good as I mentioned and is about to become excellent. May is our traditional trolling month with action starting around two weeks after ice out and continuing until the lake warms up. May trolling requires no special equipment just a canoe or kayak and your fishing gear. This is not deep down rigger trolling but near shore trolling a few inches to a few feet below the surface. Wild brook trout, land locked salmon and lake trout all can be taken in shallow water at this time of the year. Most experts recommend a trolling speed around five miles per hour or just above walking speed. This type of trolling was so much a part of early spring fishing in Maine that a special ‘tandem fly” was developed in numerous patterns to help the angler with short striking fish. I know a lot of people who are not comfortable fly fishing so they will tie a Gray Ghost or other tandem fly on their spinning line to catch fish. Fly fisherman will be watching for our first important insect hatches which should start soon. Once the hatches start we will have about six weeks of concentrated hatches in cool trout friendly waters before the rivers warm up and the fish look for cool holes. I know I will be floating a few dry flies every evening I can for awhile. See you on the river.
Bob Hamer
Executive Director for the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Ask me I live here....
A bunch (10) of professional women from the Bangor Area were sitting down to a informal networking lunch. This lunch has become a weekly event, we go for sushi. Didn’t know Bangor had sushi? Well, it has a wide variety of restaurants- Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Indian, Irish as well as our favorite local spots.
But this post isn’t about the great restaurants, it was about the conversation around the table. One woman said, “Of all the places I have lived, I have NEVER had better FRIENDS than I have had since I moved here."
At that point I asked of the 10, “How many of you would consider yourself a Bangor area native?” Only 3 people said they were. Then the conversation ensued about how open, safe, welcoming and supportive the community is to new people (or people “from away” as we call them.) How easy it is to get to know people and how friendly the atmosphere is.
One woman said, “I am originally from metro New Jersey and at first I found myself thinking it strange that all these people were reaching out to my husband and me, then I realized I was the one that was strange! Now I find myself LOOKING out for people downtown that need directions and talking to complete strangers helping them find their way around here!”
We all got a good laugh and shared our own stories, each one though unique, was similar in tone. Our region is friendly, safe and a great place to be. Whether you are looking to vacation, spend a weekend or move here. We have great arts and museums as well as great shopping. We also have walking trails the list goes on. If you are ever looking for things to do, you may check out this calendar; Bangor CVB Event Calendar when planning your stay. And when you start seeing the signs in the windows “ASK ME I LIVE HERE” we truly mean it and we hope to see you soon!
But this post isn’t about the great restaurants, it was about the conversation around the table. One woman said, “Of all the places I have lived, I have NEVER had better FRIENDS than I have had since I moved here."
At that point I asked of the 10, “How many of you would consider yourself a Bangor area native?” Only 3 people said they were. Then the conversation ensued about how open, safe, welcoming and supportive the community is to new people (or people “from away” as we call them.) How easy it is to get to know people and how friendly the atmosphere is.
One woman said, “I am originally from metro New Jersey and at first I found myself thinking it strange that all these people were reaching out to my husband and me, then I realized I was the one that was strange! Now I find myself LOOKING out for people downtown that need directions and talking to complete strangers helping them find their way around here!”
We all got a good laugh and shared our own stories, each one though unique, was similar in tone. Our region is friendly, safe and a great place to be. Whether you are looking to vacation, spend a weekend or move here. We have great arts and museums as well as great shopping. We also have walking trails the list goes on. If you are ever looking for things to do, you may check out this calendar; Bangor CVB Event Calendar when planning your stay. And when you start seeing the signs in the windows “ASK ME I LIVE HERE” we truly mean it and we hope to see you soon!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The United States Cross Country Snowmobile Association is Coming to the East Coast!!!
The United States Cross Country Snowmobile Association is coming to the east coast! After years of races in the mid-west the USCC will hold their first ever race in Maine on Saturday, March 20th. The USCC looked all over Maine to find the best location for the race and chose Moosehead Lake. The event will include Pro, Semi-Pro & Amateur races. Victory Motor Sports of Abbott and Indian Hill Trading Post are the two main underwriters of the races along with support from another 30 local and national businesses. One of the most anticipated races is the Indian Hill Trading Post Maine Amateur 100 which will see amateurs from all over the state competing for the bragging rights of being the USCC’s Maine Amateur winner. The event promises lots of action and a chance to see some of the top Pros and their sleds. Check out www.maine100.com for more info.
The Rockwood Ice Fishing Derby just finished this past weekend and the winners this year were:
Charlie Mcennis of Rockwood, ME 18 pound 6 ½ oz 37 inch Togue
Joe Hardison of Rockwood, ME 2 pound 6 oz 19 ¾ inch Land-Locked Salmon
Hunter Willams of Bryant, ME 1 pound 5 oz 17 inch Brook Trout
Ian Boniakowski of Greenbush, NJ 8 pound 11 ½ oz 32 inch Cusk
Bob Garner of Topsham, ME was second place in the togue division with a 12 pound 10 ½ oz, 32 ½ inch long togue. But the real story is that Bob was using 6 lb test leader and asked a nearby angler to help get the fish through the nine inch hole. After grabbing the fish and getting it on the ice both men noticed that Bob had actually hooked a 14 inch salmon and the togue had grabbed the salmon for a quick snack and was unable to get free!
While the Derby was going on, I was down in Suffern, NY manning The Maine Highlands booth at the World Fishing and Outdoor Exposition, the largest outdoor show in the northeast. The turnout was great and we had the opportunity to talk with several thousand show attendees about The Maine Highlands. It always amazes me how many people I meet at the shows who have not heard of Mt Katahdin, Moosehead Lake or Gulf Hagas, three of the natural wonders of Maine.
That’s why we do the shows, to get the message out to outdoor enthusiasts that our region is hard to beat. Our booth has photos of white water rafting, ATVing, hiking, canoeing, fishing and other activities available in the area. One look usually brings people over to ask questions and gives us the opportunity to brag about our beautiful region. We spent a considerable amount of time discussing fishing since we have so many “Fly-Fishing Only” waters all of which offer excellent and in some cases “World Class” fishing. While many other areas of the United States have equally great fishing few can offer the peaceful and uncrowded experience available on our streams, rivers & ponds. Most of the crowd we talked with planned on visiting Maine this summer and hopefully many of them will check out the Maine Highlands. The one negative note was everyone’s fear that fuel prices might go back to $4.00 a gallon. Let’s hope not.
Roger Currier of Curriers Flying Service is running a Moosehead Lake Ice Out contest on his Curriers Flying Service Facebook page. Roger is offering a flight for two in one of his float planes to the lucky winner of the contest. This year if I was guessing I would think ice out would be around April 15th. Remember that the earliest ice out date since we began keeping records in 1848 was April 14, 1945. For more info on this subject check out my earlier blog of January 6, 2010, on Global Warming.
Bob Hamer, Executive Director for the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce
The Rockwood Ice Fishing Derby just finished this past weekend and the winners this year were:
Charlie Mcennis of Rockwood, ME 18 pound 6 ½ oz 37 inch Togue
Joe Hardison of Rockwood, ME 2 pound 6 oz 19 ¾ inch Land-Locked Salmon
Hunter Willams of Bryant, ME 1 pound 5 oz 17 inch Brook Trout
Ian Boniakowski of Greenbush, NJ 8 pound 11 ½ oz 32 inch Cusk
Bob Garner of Topsham, ME was second place in the togue division with a 12 pound 10 ½ oz, 32 ½ inch long togue. But the real story is that Bob was using 6 lb test leader and asked a nearby angler to help get the fish through the nine inch hole. After grabbing the fish and getting it on the ice both men noticed that Bob had actually hooked a 14 inch salmon and the togue had grabbed the salmon for a quick snack and was unable to get free!
While the Derby was going on, I was down in Suffern, NY manning The Maine Highlands booth at the World Fishing and Outdoor Exposition, the largest outdoor show in the northeast. The turnout was great and we had the opportunity to talk with several thousand show attendees about The Maine Highlands. It always amazes me how many people I meet at the shows who have not heard of Mt Katahdin, Moosehead Lake or Gulf Hagas, three of the natural wonders of Maine.
That’s why we do the shows, to get the message out to outdoor enthusiasts that our region is hard to beat. Our booth has photos of white water rafting, ATVing, hiking, canoeing, fishing and other activities available in the area. One look usually brings people over to ask questions and gives us the opportunity to brag about our beautiful region. We spent a considerable amount of time discussing fishing since we have so many “Fly-Fishing Only” waters all of which offer excellent and in some cases “World Class” fishing. While many other areas of the United States have equally great fishing few can offer the peaceful and uncrowded experience available on our streams, rivers & ponds. Most of the crowd we talked with planned on visiting Maine this summer and hopefully many of them will check out the Maine Highlands. The one negative note was everyone’s fear that fuel prices might go back to $4.00 a gallon. Let’s hope not.
Roger Currier of Curriers Flying Service is running a Moosehead Lake Ice Out contest on his Curriers Flying Service Facebook page. Roger is offering a flight for two in one of his float planes to the lucky winner of the contest. This year if I was guessing I would think ice out would be around April 15th. Remember that the earliest ice out date since we began keeping records in 1848 was April 14, 1945. For more info on this subject check out my earlier blog of January 6, 2010, on Global Warming.
Bob Hamer, Executive Director for the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Feeling Bored??
This time of year it is easy to just want to stay inside and peek out the window. But then, you realize when you get back to work, lots of people did cool things and you missed out on them! Spring is well on its way and getting some fresh air will do us all good. But what to do, what to do?
Here is a link to a online calendar (http://www.maineevents.com/search/distance:25/location:04401/daterange:365) that truly shows the diverse activities you can find within 25 miles of Bangor. For a small city there is much more to do than a movie. Movies are great and we have a big multiplex out by the mall, but just this week you could go to a show at Penobscot Theatre, train to be a volunteer at Spruce Run, check out the Maine Discovery childrens’ museum, or take a chance on winning a car at Hollywood Slots, these and many more are all listed on this Maine Events (http://www.maineevents.com) site.
Here is a link to a online calendar (http://www.maineevents.com/search/distance:25/location:04401/daterange:365) that truly shows the diverse activities you can find within 25 miles of Bangor. For a small city there is much more to do than a movie. Movies are great and we have a big multiplex out by the mall, but just this week you could go to a show at Penobscot Theatre, train to be a volunteer at Spruce Run, check out the Maine Discovery childrens’ museum, or take a chance on winning a car at Hollywood Slots, these and many more are all listed on this Maine Events (http://www.maineevents.com) site.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Come Visit Us!
In or around Boston this weekend? Well...come visit us! We will be at the Boston Globe Travel Show in the Maine Pavilion all weekend long!!
The show is located at the World Trade Center and here are the hours:
Tickets are $10 each and children under 18 are free! Don't miss this event!!
FMI: www.BostonGlobeTravelShow.com
The show is located at the World Trade Center and here are the hours:
- FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19Trade Only | 3:30P - 5:30P
Open to All | 5:30P - 9P - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 | 10A - 6P
- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21 | 10A - 4P
Tickets are $10 each and children under 18 are free! Don't miss this event!!
FMI: www.BostonGlobeTravelShow.com
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