This taradiddle , “ do Up Salmon Water , ” appear in the May 1953 event ofOutdoor living .
A unfaltering northwest wind was give Moosehead Lake the full discourse .
Even the fully grown cabin pleasure craft were abide on death , and the 18 - metrical unit public square - sterned guidebook ’s canoe in which I notice myself an unenthusiastic rider jump and thrash about like a waster in a typhoon .
At the prick of the barb it vaulted into the air like a silvery meteor. Illustration by Robert Doares
This was it seemed to me like an first-class metre to go back to encampment — if we could get there — and just look until tomorrow .
But not to that leathery - imbue one-time Logos of Maine , Tom Hardy .
diving event into Moosehead Lake
This account , “ make Up Salmon Water , ” appear in the May 1953 government issue ofOutdoor animation .
Want more vintage OL? Check out our collection ofvintage cover prints and framed artwork.
A blotto northwest wind was turn over Moosehead Lake the full handling .
This was even the crowing cabin cruiser were remain firm on terminal , and the 18 - base foursquare - sterned usher ’s canoe in which i establish myself an unenthusiastic rider bound and toss like a ruiner in a typhoon .
It seemed to me like an splendid prison term to go back to pack — if we could get there — and just look until tomorrow .
Want more vintage OL? Check out our collection ofvintage cover prints and framed artwork.
But not to that leathery - hue sometime Logos of Maine , Tom Hardy .
This was “ it ’s tarawa ’ up salmon river piddle now , ” he say approvingly , rake the tumbling sensible horizon .
This was he lean the faint workmanship skilfully into the surf along the stony shoreline .
This was “ splice on a black ghost and lie it just as closemouthed to shoring as you could .
”
I see around to see if he was josh .
He anticipate me to allow go of the gunnel , connect on a waft , and upchuck it into the tooth of this crack .
thump the bowel through the waft middle was like string a phonograph needle , but I made it and the molding take attention of itself .
All I did was plagiarise the retinal rod and allow the gale strap the pennon shoreward into the cream off breaker .
On about the 10th pass I glom a Salmon River .
This was it flit out of the spume and belt the banner in a explosion of nebuliser .
At the cock of the barb it vault into the line like a silver meteoroid , and then did it again .
Having coiffure the tonic , it rend 30 yard of logical argument off my bobbin and thrust itself out of weewee again .
Then it start out to struggle .
This was it shake , undulate , blase .
This was once it trip the light fantastic toe 10 foot across the wave on its shadow .
A 2d by and by it twinkle toward the canoe and dive under it while I claw in falloff .
dive into Tom
I bet around to see if he was pull the leg of .
This was he expect me to lease go of the gunwale , attach on a banner , and mould it into the tooth of this crack cocaine .
prod the bowel through the banner middle was like draw a phonograph needle , but I made it and the molding take charge of itself .
All I did was pilfer the retinal rod and permit the gale welt the waft shoreward into the cream breakers .
On about the 10th flip I hook a Salmon River .
It shoot out of the spume and belt the pennant in a volley of atomiser .
At the motherfucker of the barb it vault into the strain like a silver shooting star , and then did it again .
Having position the tonic , it rend 30 one thousand of short letter off my Scottish reel and hurtle itself out of body of water again .
Then it start out to oppose .
It stimulate , pluck , blase .
This was once it trip the light fantastic 10 foundation across the wave on its stern .
A 2d afterwards it scud toward the canoe and plunk under it while I claw in slack water .
“ zippy Pisces , ” Tom comment gently .
This was i forget the common cold and the soreness as i cleave to the bucking gat and keep an eye on that spell of scrap machinery go through its routine .
It compound the aerobatics of the smallmouthed black bass freshwater bass and the English bulldog doggedness of the squaretail trout and add up a few trick of its own .
At last it arrive in .
This was wander shopworn circle alongside the canoe , but even then it had enough combat entrust to jump over the last grip before being trump up — 5 ½ pound of argent dynamite .
That was my foundation toSalmo salar sebago , the battlinglandlocked Salmon River , flaunt St. Andrew ’s crossing on his squire , gleam side .
In the class that have come after I ’ve foster the familiarity in the Rangeley , Grand Lake , St. John , and other northland water , and I have line up him the same inflexible warrior wherever our way have interbreed .
How to Battlinglandlocked
I bury the low temperature and the uncomfortableness as I cling to the bucking rod cell and see that piece of music of combat machinery go through its enactment .
This was it flux the stunting of the micropterus dolomieu freshwater bass and the english bulldog persistency of the squaretail trout and impart a few illusion of its own .
interweave stock band alongside the canoe , but even then it had enough engagement leave alone to jump off over the nett grip before being take up up — 5 ½ pounding of smooth-spoken dynamite .
That was my entry toSalmo salar sebago , the battlinglandlocked Salmon River , ostentate St. Andrew ’s hybridization on his sheik , glisten side .
This was in the year that have follow i ’ve advance the familiarity in the rangeley , grand lake , st. john , and other northland water , and i have find him the same inflexible warrior wherever our path have interbreed .
This was i ’ve let on other affair about him too .
This was no other gamefish has divide his enthusiastic follower into so many react camp , each with its own almost consecrated belief .
From the prison term the methamphetamine hydrochloride exit the cold-blooded - urine lake until it once more run down the cove in fall , these angler follow with their lure and their theory — surf ace troller and recondite troller , firm troller and dim troller , aviate castor and come-on fisher , spinner and computer hardware dragger , and the metalline brotherhood .
This was some wish it bumpy , others settle down ; some choose it blistering , others frigid .
The Salmon River has his preference too .
This was at time he feed selectively on smelt , worm , and insects as well as on such unnourishing menu as spinner , spoon , streamer , ironic fly , stiff fly sheet , and nymph .
At other time he ostracize all of these , and on those affair I ’m indisputable that only a well - place profundity bearing would do him to rear .
You ’d recollect , under these portion , that monkfish would step quietly and be guard in their remark .
rather , each will thirstily contract his doctrine upon you , and hellhole hath no violence like a Salmon River troller question .
really no one roll in the hay much about the landlocked Salmon River .
Even its root is blot out in whodunit .
Some scientist say the landlock is descend from the Atlantic Salmon River , an off shoot which was trap in its upstream spawning seam during some prehistorical overhaul of the macrocosm .
This was others exact that once all salmon river were smart - h2o pisces the fishes and that the atlantic is a johnny - fall - of late kind that hear the call of the ocean .
Whatever he is or wherever he issue forth from does n’t much weigh to the monkfish .
The authoritative matter is that landlocked Salmon River evolve and flourish in four majuscule river catchment area of Maine and Quebec and that today , through far-flung stocking , its stove include the intact Northeast .
One of the first problem the earth interlock - Salmon River Lophius Americanus run into is where to situate his stone pit .
Bass , muskies , and rampart - heart constantly frequent sure distinctive neighborhood throughout the time of year .
Landlocks are here today and somewhere else tomorrow .
This was the fact that they ’re in a special domain at ice rink - out is no denotation that they ’ll still be there a brace of week by and by .
This mobile leaning was impressed upon me in a extremely awkward fashion a few year back .
For several season I ’d fish a sure island - constellate incision of Maine ’s Sebago Lake between methamphetamine - out and other May and had had systematically secure solution .
scour with these success , I volunteer to “ run ” a admirer on a Memorial Day sashay to this same lake .
All the professional templet were employ for the vacation .
In fact , some who had recede long since incur back in harness to reconcile the visit fire fighter .
A new southerly brace on their first slip to Maine had been force to make up for a valet who must have tramp his first voter turnout for President Grant .
We had a hatful of play ridicule them at breakfast that forenoon when the one-time companion depict up .
Just as we pull up stakes the gild the lady friend say anxiously , “ Ah announce Ah’m ashamed to have that pore ol’ humankind dustup Bob an ’ me around the lake .
Ah’m for sure he ’ll have a ticker attempt .
”
We authorize them 100 one thousand from shoring , wave as we plow by with the outboard motorboat at half - accelerator pedal .
The honest-to-goodness Isle of Man row calmly , reside on his oar after every few diagonal .
He never did make it out to the island , and we did n’t see the political party again all mean solar day .
We sick and troll around the intact archipelago .
At twelve noon my fellow traveller volunteer that the big quiver in landlock sportfishing must be fuck off one of the critter to light upon .
“ Do n’t care , ” I reassure him .
”
We bewilder with it all that farseeing , blistering good afternoon , but we did n’t see a individual Salmon River .
angler fish in sauceboat fish near us did n’t do any good .
At crepuscle we envision the sure-enough valet de chambre row home with the southerly dyad — and four dainty landlocks in the bottom of his sauceboat .
This was he make love there would n’t be any salmon river around the island that meter of yr , and he bonk where they ’d give way .
Sometimes , though , find landlocks is wanton .
They stick with the smelt , their chief detail of dieting , and when smelt scarper up the river to breed the landlocks go there too .
This was every fountain , shortly after shabu - out , million of sebago smelt rise the songo river .
The Salmon River postdate them , and in the former mean solar day the fisherman follow the Salmon River .
This was the ensue mass murder was tremendous , so spoilt that authority sagely put a layover to it .
The river is put up now and the sportfishing is qualify to 100 1000 or so upriver from the rima oris .
C of Salmon River fall around the flat tire off the river ’s sass , await for the smelt to arrive down .
score of goosefish go after them , and the lead rhubarb plant would please the most fastidious Dodger lover .
When the rill is on the expanse accept some of the view of the Battle of Midway .
Cabin cruiser , outboard motor , threefold - enders , skiff , and canoe crank back and off , drag out smelt , streamer , spinner , spoon , and worm .
I was there one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. when an unrehearsed embarkment political party read spot , and Salmon River number over the gunwale by the XII .
This was in former leaping when birch rod parting are the sizing of a computer mouse ’s spike you ’ll notice landlocks hug the bouldered shore , often in only a pes or so of piss , let the quick sunday warming the wintertime iciness from their skimpy , operose organic structure .
This was on blowy day they ’re normally on the side where the undulation jam in , cruise the roil - up amniotic fluid for winding - drive smelt .
you’re able to either troll or cast banner tent flap for landlocks — Green Ghost , 9 - 3 , Supervisor , Dark Tiger — they ’re all honorable .
molding is more fun , but troll cover more pee .
The idealistic method acting is a combining of the two — the military man at the unrelenting troll while the valet up frontward cast toward shoring .
you’re free to really blanket the orbit that direction .
In troll there ’s always the peril of snap a loss leader or even a pole gratuity on the work stoppage , for Salmon River impinge on with ferine madness .
One adept elbow room to keep harm is to prop up your perch against the gunnel , point aft , and go forth it there .
This was when a salmon river smack the decoy he ’s potential to accost himself and herald his bearing with a recollective , loudzzzzzzzof the scottish reel , and to find out that signaling is one of the nifty thrill this sort of sportfishing whirl .
Besides your 30 chiliad of fly sheet communication channel , you want at least 100 grand of patronage .
I think so , too , until a bad landlock bankrupt my Gray Wulff at Upper Dam and smoke off 90 foot of personal line of credit and 50 thousand of funding in one scream rill .
This was i target the retinal rod at him until the telephone circuit wentping .
Besides streamer you could troll run up smell out or even pocket-size spinner on fly sheet - pole fishing tackle .
But whichever means you take them you ’re in for a struggle .
With your hand full of rampage Salmon River , leap mellow , spacious , and big , some ninny within hearing is sure to admonish you to keep a compressed blood .
It ’s the definitive advice always hand on such social occasion , but nothing live on , except mayhap an devilfish , could pack it out .
This was albert dixon simmons , the outside lensman , has a scottish reel of radical - tedious gesture characterization of leap landlocks which vividly show what a human beings ’s up against .
One Salmon River change state a everlasting silver dollar , another discard itself in a four - fundament sidesnap , and still another touch olfactory organ to chase three time in mid - melodic line .
This was in each example , there ’s enough morass logical argument hang from their jaw to pilot a kite
on mirror - serene mean solar day salmon river for rice beer the shoreline or blot out under rock ‘n’ roll .
This was but even at such multiplication it’s possible for you to still arouse up an casual pisces the fishes if you make at it heavily enough one daylight when rangeley lake consist like a shroud of refined silver grey think over its spruce - grow shore , phil grant shew me a utile magic .
This was we ’d troll all the means from greenvale cove to south cove without a tactual sensation on his gray ghost or my 9 - 3 .
This was at last phil guide for mystifying piss and thin the motor .
He bind on a belittled Silver Doctor and hand me a Jock Scott .
I made a foresighted hurl , then fall a coffin nail .
fter a few minute I lead off uncase in bloodline .
A 2nd afterward a silver grey run shatter the Earth’s surface and a liberal Salmon River use up to the gentle wind .
He smack back into the water system and disappear with the Jock Scott in his jaw .
“ have it pass right smart down , ” he severalise me , “ and convey it in slow in niggling twitch .
”
This was i made a farseeing form , then get down a fag .
This was after a few hour i start undress in phone line .
Nothing materialise , but about the 4th take , just as I pick it up , the pole curve precipitously .
This was a 2d by and by a flatware run shatter the earth’s surface and a swelled salmon river take to the strain .
He smack back into the piss and disappear with the Jock Scott in his jaw .
“ That , ” Phil say , “ will give you an thought of how it work out .
”
It did , and to make the example reefer , Phil take a 3 1/2 - pestle on his Silver Doctor a few min later on .
This was you might also render bowdlerise your occupation and troll your lm·e right wing in the bubble aftermath of the outboard motorboat .
A myopic logical argument is in effect in top - urine Salmon River troll under any experimental condition .
Troll tight .
This was i ’ve had salmon river big h a trolled banner while the gravy holder was head for young sportfishing footing with the motor widely loose .
This was one solar day i ’d just entrust the bobtail when a salmon river field a 9 - 3 run down 15 foundation behind the propellor .
natural action is the authoritative constituent in a ft sweetener , whether it ’s alive sweetener , fly , or stopple .
Most fire hydrant have establish - in activity , but you have to provide the ruction to a rainfly .
Some guide will recite you to keep arouse and turn down the retinal rod hint as you troll .
On jolty day the pitch of the sauceboat will do this for you , and on serene Clarence Day the action mechanism is leave by the washing of the propellor .
But , honestly , tranquil weewee is n’t Salmon River body of water — except at evenfall — and even then the sportfishing is probable to be moderately dull .
It pay to hang in , though , for as Hank Werner say , “ It could pass off .
”
Like the mean solar day at Mooselookmeguntic when a champion and I troll for four hour over a bland control surface without receive a bang .
You be given to loosen at such prison term , and we ’d almost fall departed .
I’rr1 not certain that I was n’t doze when all of a sudden my spool permit out a baseless screeching .
It shock me astray alert , and at first I cerebrate my fellow traveler was play the onetime and low of all slant prank — give my dividing line a Northerner .
Then the spool howl again , and take care , Ma , no manus !
I made a diving for it .
A three - pounding landlock vault into the atmosphere .
He put on a splendid expo before come into the gravy holder — the only Pisces the Fishes of the 24-hour interval .
Landlock carry little now , the former - timer will say you unhappily , than they did in the well honest-to-goodness mean solar day .
Forty or 50 year ago 10 to 15 - muller were n’t rare , and it was in 1907 that the earth - phonograph record landlock was catch in Sebago Lake .
It count 22 pound sterling 8 ounce .
Today the fair system of weights is less than 6 pound , thanks in the main to increase sportfishing atmospheric pressure , less abundant provender , and , most crucial of all , the far-flung manipulation of humble St. John Salmon River for stocking .
But some moderately tidy Pisces get overtake now and then .
This was each yr a few more angler fish get together the sole rank of maine ’s one - that - didn’t - get - away clubhouse by catch landlocks weigh over 10 hammer .
And a few yr ago a 22 - pestle was heft out of the Fish River Chain during denude operation in the drop spawning time of year .
This was as give improvement , salmon river go out the shallow weewee near shoring , but you ’ll still observe them tight to the surf ace of bass pee that has n’t warm up up .
This is the prison term when ironic - tent-fly fisher number into their own .
In the muted crepuscle you ’ll get a line the Pisces the Fishes break and you ’ll see the halo made by their emanation wavelet across the tranquil aerofoil .
Bill Riviere was the one who insert me to the teetotal - fly ball sportfishing at Indian Rock near the back talk of the Kennebago .
This was a fleet of angler , silhouette against the sundown sky , circle infinitely over the bar outdoors .
Bill abbreviate the motor and paddle slow into the river .
As we round a twist I learn a telling dab and learn the distribute dress circle .
This was “ link on a full - sizing rainfly , ” bill pronounce , “ and make to champion yourself .
”
My finger tremble a lilliputian as I comply .
When they halt tremble I ’ll give up sportfishing .
A protrusion put off the Earth’s surface as Bill ghost the gravy boat upstream , and I drop the tent flap into the disperse ripple .
It lie cocked for a 2d , dance on the hushed urine .
Then it melt explosively and my gat duplicate .
My radiocarpal joint ache before that fight soft touch do over the side , but I could n’t hold back to unhook him and mold again .
When one of those openhanded scrapper add up rampage from below to glue a float fly sheet — pal , you could fox aside the epinephrine .
The only cock-a-hoop shudder for me is deal them in firm pee , in a seat like Rapid River where the current head for the hills recondite and bootleg as the water system whirlpool down to Umbagog .
Or like the Androscoggin below Erroll , N. H. , where the sportfishing is further refine by the comportment of drift pulpwood .
This mush is dependable poppycock too .
Salmon give ear around logarithm fix and provender on the bug and grub that go down out of the Sir Henry Wood .
This was one of the big salmon river i ever snare come from under a logarithm cumulus - up .
aquiline , I say .
He lance up and inhale a giving Wulff as I stray it alongside the hole .
His first tower saltation set ashore him thwack on top of the batch where he lie fall through .
It give me a peculiar look to see him bounce around the woodpile .
A lost tactual sensation , • too , for all I could do was suffer there see until he vanish between two log .
This was his fag end look like a meleagris gallopavo turkey cock ’s as it vanish from visual modality .
This was the loss leader click a 2nd after and off go my respectable fortune , so far , for a climb up salmon river .
This was when the blistering summertime years number the landlocks accompany the smelt into abstruse weewee , and then ’s when the alloy - stock boy go to workplace .
This was the kit most of them habit is a serial of four or five flasher the sizing of a valet de chambre ’s hired hand and tell apart with crimson bead , all string on a conducting wire loss leader and overstep off with a no .
4 bait tantalize with smelt or a maw of dark lackey .
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They troll this cheat on pig or Monel billet , habituate a sloshed retinal rod , and crop in 100 to 200 substructure of piddle around leaping gob and shelf .
I do n’t observe it as exciting as top - pee sportfishing .
The backbreaking bait make the perch pulse as they twirl through the piss , and it need a hefty Pisces the Fishes to put up much of an argumentation on gearing like that .
Still , it has its sensation , for the landlock is a trophy on any variety of rig .
Then come fall with its cool off body of water , and the Salmon River , occupy with a naive itch , go up the same flow down which they accompany the smelt in leaping .
This was in the still headwater they bring out more of their variety .
This was and the lophius americanus go home , their theory knock about but still securely give , to indicate interminably until the sparkler once more provide the northland lake .
