August 19, 2008 Maine Outdoors Newsletter

donkleiner — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:46:50 -0400

All of the signs of the impending change in season are here. The air has cleared and the humidity seems to be gone. Union Fair is underway and the traffic is at the annual peak in town. On the river the cardinal flowers have nearly gone by and the arrowhead is in full bloom. Over the last week the numbers of painted turtles sunning on almost every rock and log along the river has been nothing short of amazing as they take full advantage of the warm sunny weather. Here and there a maple has already given up the season and is now turning a brilliant red.

August 8 2008 Newsletter

donkleiner — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:37:02 -0400

This has been a very busy summer but before I know it the goldenrod will be in full bloom and the first red maple leaf will show up on the shore of one of the ponds. I noticed cardinal flowers on the shore of Seven Tree Pond this week that tells me we are near the end of the summer and the transition to fall has started.

Warm and Humid July Weather

donkleiner — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:31:25 -0400

The middle of July has been humid and this week is marked by showers and thunderstorms. Fortunately we have not had the extreme heat that everyone else on on the Atlantic seaboard seems to be having and I have not had to cancel even one trip so far. An afternoon striper trip on Saturday ended just as the skies opened and Monday's early morning trip started as the showers ended. We had blue skies and warm temperatures by the time we left the water.

Early July 08 Newsletter

donkleiner — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:34:38 -0400

The first week of July offered us great summer weather, foggy mornings, sunny breezy afternoons and warm summer temperatures. I have run a lot of trips in the last ten days with a good variety. Family fishing trips, several striper trips and an afternoon nature exploration canoe trip thrown in for good measure.

Mid June 08 Newsletter

donkleiner — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:24:31 -0400

The last few days have been cold, overcast and foggy with the occasional rain shower or stretch of drizzle. I have come home from my morning striper trip and started a fire in the woodstove to feel warm. In fact on my afternoon trip one afternoon I wore an insulated underwear top and was glad to have it on as the evening wore on. After a warm and dry month of May this is pretty hard to take, I'm sure that summer is here and the warm sunny days are not far off.

Striper Report!

Newsletter Early June 08

donkleiner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:43:26 -0400

Today our youngest son graduates from high school. This week has been filled with attending graduation events. Baccalaureate was on Sunday and our Project Graduation event will be all night following graduation. We have family visiting for the big event and it is certainly a busy time.

May 08 Newsletter

donkleiner — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:47:50 -0400

My season has been off to a great start. One of the best things about guiding is the great folks that I get to spend time with over the years. Often a trip is as much a chance to catch up with a friend as anything. I am truly fortunate for the great folks that I have as clients. Now to the fishing.

Time sure flies!

donkleiner — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:43:50 -0400

Here we are already four months through 2008; it seems like we just started the year. After an impressively snowy winter our spring has been warm and dry for almost three weeks. Yesterday was our first rainstorm in a while and it made up for the nice weather. We had a heavy rain with strong winds and every brook and stream was out of its banks. I am hoping to do some fly fishing for brown trout as soon as the water level falls back to normal again, but that will be a while.

Spring Arrives in the Maine Outdoors

donkleiner — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:22:23 -0400

Winter is definitely over now. I heard bluebirds singing this morning and yesterday I heard flickers for the first time since last summer. Our barred owls are back in the woodlot behind the house and calling "who, who, who cooks for you" in the evenings and early mornings. The weather has changed as well, there is still frost at night but the days are warm and sunny. The snow is almost completely melted and I noticed on Monday morning that the ice is almost completely out on Seven Tree and Round Ponds.

Spring Comes Slowly!

donkleiner — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:53:33 -0400

Slowly the snow is starting to recede, first the edges of the fields show through and then gradually I can see the areas of brown grow. Hopefully this slow melting trend continues with all of the snow here and further north the last thing we need is a rapid melt, the resulting flooding would be a big problem. The days are moderating and a sunny day is a real treat. The cold has really lost its bite even though many mornings are still below freezing.