The month of May is a busy time each year for many Aroostook residents. Farmers are heavily into planting and praying the rain holds off, while homeowners are into their own version of planting and yard care. At some point during the first couple of weeks, local ponds and lakes shed their ice and regional anglers enjoy some of the year’s best fishing. There will be enjoyable and successful outings throughout the summer, but after a long winter, the first open water casting and trolling junkets seem particularly rejuvenating.
Sociologists would likely refer to Aroostook sportsmen by the age-old label “hunter-gatherers,” as most of us certainly enjoy fresh game meat, be it fish, fowl or big game. From mid-May to mid-June, our gathering instincts really kick into gear as fiddleheads and dandelion greens spring into peak harvesting growth for a fairly short but fruitful season. While it’s possible to can or freeze these delicate, tasty ferns for later meals, there’s no comparison to a batch of freshly picked and cooked fiddleheads.
Now I make no bones that fishing is a priority when I head afield this month, but more often than not I’ll wander the river bank or pond edges to fill my hat with readily available fresh greens. The sight or sound of trout rising may quickly put an end to my picking efforts since I’m quite fickle when it comes to foraging over fishing. Nonetheless, few spring meals can overshadow the firm, pink meat of perfectly dredged and fried brook trout with a side dish of properly steamed and lightly seasoned fiddlehead greens!
River trolling with lures and streamers should really be rewarding over the next couple of weeks as long as no prolonged rain arrives. A few warm days may even encourage random hatches, especially toward evening. And some really exciting dry fly action can be enjoyed. Many stretches remain too high for wading, so a stable canoe or a 14- to 16-foot Jon boat or V-hull will allow easy access to plenty of pools with few if any other anglers.
Fiddleheads remain plentiful, sprouting in large patches from the moist, rich shoreline soil all along the river. Easy to reach spots near roads may have been picked over, but fishermen have the luxury of access to more remote locations. Especially productive are the many islands that can only be reached by boat, it’s possible to snap off a couple of quarts of these tasty green furled heads in 10 minutes or so.
The Prestile Stream is another local waterway flowing from headwaters in Easton for a dozen miles before entering New Brunswick at the Bridgewater border crossing. Brook trout are beginning to take wet flies and streamers along wadeable stretches and a mess of fiddleheads often can be picked between the river and where your vehicle is parked. The same can be said for the main branch of the Meduxnekeag between Littleton and Houlton, but on this river hooking a hefty brown trout is an added bonus.
Fishermen and fiddleheading folks near Fort Kent, Eagle Lake and Soldier Pond need only visit Fish River for fish and fiddleheads. At many locations, both activities may be accomplished from shore with no need for watercraft as casting bait and lures for trout and salmon works well. It’s a fact, however, that a boat allows access to more fishing pools and fiddlehead gardens that bank-bound sportsmen can’t reach.
The several sister lakes of the Fish River chain are currently offering constant trolling action, as are many of the more remote waters back into the North Maine woods. Local sportsmen with only an hour or so to fish before or after work needn’t despair as a number of ponds and small lakes near area towns and villages are also producing well.
Folks around Fort Kent might want to visit Black Lake, Blake Lake, and Soldier Pond for casting lures or trolling flies. Limestone offers Trafton and Durepo Lakes, two well-stocked, easy to reach and simple to fish brook trout waters. Folks tossing worms from shore have enjoyed great luck lately. Near Presque Isle are Hanson and Echo Lakes, currently producing trout to trolling fishermen and those casting bait and lures from shore.
Don’t overlook Number Nine Lake near Bridgewater, and both Conroy and Cary near Littleton are great options. Despite how close all these lakes and ponds are to good roads and small towns, they are seldom overfished or overcrowded. Spring planting keeps a lot of anglers working from dawn to dusk on the local farms. There are brooks and streams flowing in and out of all these local waterways and these are perfect locales to search out and pick some fiddleheads before or after some casting and catching.
There’s just a short window of about three weeks when top rate spring fishing combines with fiddleheads springing from the ground to replace the ones just picked seemingly overnight. Find time to make trip to a nearby waterway that provides both attractions. Your taste buds will thank you.
