As a working guide, someone who has appreciated wildlife all of his life and bought hunting and fishing licenses since he was old enough. I am troubled by two debates that are about to happen. Both of them surround licenses for hunting and fishing. One is a fee increase for hunting and fishing licenses (article in the Portland Press Herald) and the second is requiring a license to fish in salt water.
The leaves are mostly gone in Northern Maine and the woods have taken on that russet color of late fall. Yesterday the frost did not melt off until nearly noon and I saw some ice in a puddle that was still there in the shade at two in the afternoon. I spent last week at Libby Camps guiding grouse hunters. The week was a load of fun with some great folks, good dog work and of course interesting wildlife sightings.
I’ve been fishing Seven Tree, Round and White Oak ponds quite a bit this season. A pike was taken through the ice last winter and the regional biologists reported a couple in North Pond a little further down river last fall. Consequently I have been watching pretty closely to see if any more would show up this summer. Every pickerel was getting a careful look over to be sure it was not a pike. I guess that I did not need to watch so closely. This afternoon a pike of seven pounds and twenty nine inches was caught on light spinning gear by one of my clients.
