Aroostook County has experienced some rather unusual weather this October. Potato farmers were pleased with a long stretch of dry conditions and few delays due to rain or heavy frost. On the other hand, it was warm and dusty during harvest with the dirt so dry it was tough to keep enough on the machines to prevent bruising. However, all in all it was a quick season and a good crop.
Regional bird and moose hunters also had to contend with the odd results of the peculiar conditions. The warm weather did little to keep moose moving and feeding, but sportsmen were fairly successful nonetheless. A bit more haste was needed to dress and transport the animals to the cooler or meat cutter as heat and flies wreak havoc on exposed meat. Partridge hunters spotted and potted plenty of birds the first week despite the sun and heat, but action has slowed a bit the last week or so.
Like most area outdoorsmen, I took full advantage of the variety of open seasons. During the second full week in October, I got out grouse hunting twice, woodcock hunting once, jump shot on a pond and floated a stream for ducks and field hunted Canada geese over decoys twice. One of the goose hunts took place in the afternoon and our trio of shooters actually wore just light camo shirts or T-shirts it was so warm. Insects were bothersome, sunglasses a necessity and the honkers didn’t fly until an hour before sundown, but we got birds and a story for the future about hunting during a fall heat wave.
Oh, I enjoyed one other unusual outing that week. On a record-setting day when the temperature reached 74 degrees, I went fishing! While most other local sportsmen were swinging a shotgun for birds I was wielding a spinning rod for smallmouth bass. It’s a rare autumn afternoon when you have to slather on sunscreen and keep wiping the sweat out of your eyes. It was also the most action-packed bass trip I’ve enjoyed all season.
My 20-foot Lund Alaskan boat for all seasons was hooked to the truck and all the rods, tackle boxes, electric motor and batteries loaded by 11:30 a.m., I picked up Clair Sylvester, one of my regular bass boat buddies, 20 minutes later in Mars Hill and we pulled into the Medway boat ramp on the Penobscot River just before 2 p.m. Dave Ash of Ashland was waiting for us near the wharf and we were afloat and fishing within 10 minutes. The first bronzeback, a 15-inch, 1-1/2 lb. specimen of splash and flash, was hoisted over the gunnel by Clair when we were only a few yards from the dock.
Once the first fish was released there wasn’t a five-minute period when one of us didn’t have a strike, hook a fish that fought free, or landed a bass in the boat. Between 2 and 6 p.m., Dave, Clair and I caught and released 51 bass and three pickerel. Also during that four-hour period, we conservatively missed hook-ups on strikes or had a bait pull free during the tug of war at least 25 times. There were smallmouth everywhere along the shoreline and they were hungry and aggressive.
At least a dozen of our bronzebacks weighed in between three and four pounds, and that’s a handful of acrobatic, aerobatic finned fury on the end of six-pound monofilament and a lightweight spinning rod. Many of our fish fell victim to realistically shaped and colored, five-inch Senko plastic worms. At least half a dozen times during the afternoon, two of us were fighting a fish at the same time, and that’s when a wide, stable boat really matters.
Rod Brewer, another devout bass caster from Presque Isle, got into making his own top water smallmouth plugs a few years ago. I bought one over a year ago but had yet to give the colorful dual propeller chugging bug a try. The high point of my day was the six or seven smallies that literally exploded under and devoured this new bait. Two were wild, strong bass pushing the four-pound weight, and I’ve got the photos to commemorate the event.
The low point of my day occurred an hour into the trip. I’d had trouble with a particular reel several times during another bass foray a couple of weeks previous. Birds’ nests and repairs cost me precious fishing time as I made repairs. I ran into the same problem this trip and when a pile of knotted monofilament as big as a grapefruit occurred for the third time in roughly half an hour, I did my best to throw the entire outfit across the river.
While I’m a bit embarrassed to relate this instance of lost temper, at the time it felt great. I do miss the rod a bit, but as for the reel, the only reason I’d like it back is to see if I could throw it farther and perhaps bounce it off a large rock. My boat mates were at first in disbelief, a bit shocked, and finally somewhat amused. I took a bit of ribbing but my fishing day improved immensely.
I’m pretty sure there won’t be another 70-degree day this month, but bass season remains open through November and I plan to take advantage of the first semi-warm day to bass cast at least one more time. There are plenty of days left to hunt, but fishing days and opportunities dwindle quickly this time of year. Plan one more fishing trip this season — the bass are willing and waiting and the river won’t be crowded.
