Spectacular Brown Trout

Historically Speaking 
 Resilient and possessing an innate ability to survive in adverse conditions, the Brown Trout thrives in “marginal” waters that would likely kill other trout species. Because of this, Brown Trout will likely become the future of sport fishing in Central Maine. Since 2003, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has been studying three different strains of Brown Trout brood stock, in an effort to determine which is best to use to stock Maine waters. The study, set to conclude in 2020, will ultimately determine which of the three Brown Trout will be most successful in competing for survival in waters currently home to many aggressive fish species.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, “Brown Trout Management Plan” states that, “Brown trout are a well-accepted part of Maine’s fisheries management program. Their attractiveness as a sport fish and their ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats has made them invaluable in providing a sport fishery in many lakes, ponds and streams which otherwise would have none.” Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has obviously put a lot of effort into determining how the Brown Trout best fits into the Maine biome and should be commended. Brown Trout aren’t native to Maine, but they are still a challenging fish worthy of catching.

Kill Coyotes in Central Maine

Kill More Coyotes

            Regularly killing coyotes is something I equate to an art form. These wily predators are incredibly gifted in knowing and effectively avoiding danger. To consistently out smart these canines, hunters must be flexible and not afraid to try new techniques and tactics.

Baiting and Calling Coyotes

            For many years, I hunted coyotes over bait sites. While extremely effective, the hassle of securing landowner permission, setting up a shack, finding fresh bait and hunting the bait almost every night (who wants to feed coyotes!) finally all had me reaching a point where baiting was no longer fun, it was just work. I knew that there had to be a simpler way to hunt coyotes that was easier but also continued to remain extremely effective.

            Hunters who practice the art of calling coyotes not only free themselves from the burden of managing bait sites but also expose them to a whole new world of coyote hunting that bait hunters don’t get to experience. This isn’t to say anything negative about bait hunting, as I still believe this is an extremely effective way of killing coyotes and helping manage their population. Similar to the sportsman, who prefers to stand hunt rather than still hunt for deer or vice versa, running, calling and gunning for coyotes differs greatly from baiting and is a fun challenge all sportsmen should try.

Critical Ice Fishing Updates

My old Jiffy ice auger coughed, wheezed and finally sputtered to life like an asthmatic struggling for a last strained breath at a dust mite convention. Loaded with last year’s “un-stabilized” ethanol fuel and operating in an ambient temperatures just above freezing, the poor old girl’s carburetor strained to maintain a healthy purr. Despite her initial complaints, the beast to tore four impressive ten inch holes through the ice and in the process, just about rattle every filling out of my skull. Then suddenly and quite unexpectedly something inside the machine made a loud “clank”, the motor whined, bucked and then died. A quiet calm settled onto the lake, as the last echoes of the augers final belches of exhaust spewed out of its muffler. This incident marked for me the end of an era, a final goodbye salute to an old friend. It also proved to be the last time I ever picked up a gasoline powered ice auger.

ION Ice Auger ROCKS!

Years ago, I would have scoffed at the prospects of an “electric” powered ice auger but the Ion Electric Ice Auger is an amazing piece of equipment. Powerful, fast and QUIET, the 8 inch ION will drill up to 40 holes through 2 feet of ice on a single charge. At just 22 pounds, the ION is just shy of half the weight of my old gas powered ice auger and boasts special blades that create smooth breakthroughs and no jarring stops. Add the ION’s ability to reverse its blade and flush slush down the hole and it’s blatantly obvious that this auger should be on every anglers most wanted list. I purchased my ION about 4 years ago and since that time, the company has continued to make numerous updates and changes to the original ION to make it even more effective in cutting ice.