Don Kleiner's blog

Last week I guided my neighbor Keith Bodine the winemaker at Sweetgrass Farm and Winery on a nature exploration trip as a birthday present from his family. One of the requirements of the trip was that Keith not paddle due to a recent injury.

I had the good fortune to fish on Megunticook Lake in Camden Sunday with a couple from the Washington DC area. I arrived about an hour early to do a little research on the perch fishing for some upcoming family fishing trips but was quickly distracted by bass in the shallows feeding on the surface. For about 20 minutes I had fish at times fighting over my surface popper.

One of the animals that lives in our area but you rarely see is a fisher. Fisher are members of the weasel family and like their relatives the weasels and mink are great hunters. Because they are fairly secretive and not all that common it is more likely that you will see their tracks in the snow than the actual critter.

Last Saturday was the 11th Mike Sabins Hooked on Fishing Event put on by my neighbors Scot and Mary. The event was held at Ayer Park in Union on Seven Tree Pond. We had almost perfect fishing weather with lots of fish caught and a good number of families in attendance. Kids caught a variety of kinds of fish; large and smallmouth bass, white and yellow perch along with sunfish. The alewives were in the pond in numbers along the shore letting everyone at least see a few fish. Hope to see you there next year!

This morning marked my first mackerel fishing trip of the summer. Well no that is actually wrong it was the first wildlife watching trip where we caught a few mackerel. It was grey and chilly on the way down the Saint George River with only a slight breeze out of the east. With calm seas and cloudy skies the visibility was excellent and there was a lot to see.

One of the most pleasant aspects of my early summer routine is visiting the various bed and Breakfasts and Inns in the mid coast. We always have a positive discussion of the coming season and how the winter treated us. Over time I have come to admire all of the innkeepers for their pleasant attitudes and positive personalities.

I consider being able to customize various fishing and nature trips one of the real advantages that Maine Outdoors has to offer. Every trip is tailored to the interests and desires of the folks that are on it.

One of the projects I have been working on this winter as part of my being Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association is the formation of a coalition of outdoor sporting groups. Not an easy task to be sure but one that is clearly needed to protect our natural resources going forward, especially given the dire condition of our state budget over the next few years. We had one large meeting in April and a small steering comittee meeting in May with lots of positive energy for making the effort work.

Yesterday morning when I got up there was a strong smell of smoke in the air, when I went out to give the dogs their morning exercise it was stronger. We spent the day driving our youngest son to the University of Rhode Island to start his summer job and you could smell it to well south of Portland.

This morning it is thick in the air limiting visibility and you can certainly smell it. Where could it be coming from? At first I assumed that it was a neighbor burning brush but after I realized the area covered I knew it had to be something much bigger.

After hearing very encouraging reports from southern Maine I was looking forward to the the coming striper season. A trip down onto the saltwater section of the Saint George River has me encouraged. First water clarity has not been this good for several springs now. There was good clean green seawater well above the Route 1 bridge in Thomaston. Water temperature was in the 60’s another very positive sign.