Saturday I was in Bethel to fish in the Upper Androscoggin 2 Fly Tournament. I fished in a boat sponsored by the Maine Tourism Association (am on the board of Directors). Our oarsman was Mike Gawtry from LL Bean and the second angler was Commissioner Woodcock of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The tournament is a fund raiser for the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance a group dedicated to improving the fisheries in that part of the river.
The weather was perfect, near frost in the early morning warm and sunny all day with a high in the 60s. Mike, Chandler and I were in agreement that our goal was not to win the event but rather to enjoy the day, the beauty of the place and each other’s company. Any fish that happened to get caught were a bonus, although we did agree to make an effort for the chub trophy (a sort of booby prize, but we agreed that the handmade trophy was a beauty).
We were on the water by 7 AM had several fish on but none to the boat before we stopped for breakfast and a rest. We saw a cow 
moose eating grass in the river who was not even slightly interested in our boat. I might mention that fishing out of a driftboat rowed by an expert oarsman like Mike is great fun, you are always in position to make the next cast.
No we did not win the biggest fish or the most fish, Chandler was awarded the chub trophy for the smallest chub. We should have been given a trophy for having the most fun though as I am sure no 
one else came close. Argy came along and spent her day judging the chowder and apple pie contests at the Harvest Fest on Bethel Common. You can read her account of her day here.
The thing that I enjoyed the most was seeing the connection between fishing and tourism recognized as important and at the same time supporting an effort to improve the environment. One of those moments when everything comes together.
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