A beautiful section of Maine, the Pine Tree State

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber and Photos by Wayne G. Barber & Daughter Kimberly Barber Spink

For 11 years , 1986 thru 1997 of my full time working career I had to travel to Maine for our 13 Goodyear Service Centers for counterman teaching and suppling their auto and light truck parts and cataloging,( Computers) plus a few trips to see PC Friars and the Black Bears in Hockey East battles with a good friend Roger Quimond and another trip to see my friend, President Bush heading out to catch a few bluefish from their family residence. I fished the mighty river near Bangor for my chance at a salmon and when one climbed by me I realized very quickly from bringing my lightweight Rhode Island fly rod set-up it would surely be snapped in two. Kodak moment etched in my mind. I always had a large truck with the new parts to fill the shelves and to remove to our warehouse slower moving items and new returns and cores from rebuilt items. Time wise I always got the closest room to each store and not sight seeing on the clock.

A few years ago our daughter,( first born) Kimberly and her husband Chucky Spink moved up tp Milo, Maine and two of their children soon followed. Brother in law Freddy Spink had already called Maine his home for good a few years earlier. The trip from the Northeast Quiet Corner is a little over 300 miles and we found a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Dover-Foxcroft that Becky Seltzer had used for a earlier trip to Maine to see her sister and nephew. Freedomhousebandb.com at 1-207-564-8851 Elizabeth and Mike Loomis really make you feel like part of their family with attention to all the details of your visit to a town at the foothills of the Longfellow Range. The quaint main streets and rivers and even a old movie house with one feature or a small  retail shop for browsing or just kicking back a little. I took alot of photos and Kimberly loves to use her new style phone for photos too. We get a guided tour each time we get a chance to visit and it saves alot of time and miles with family that know what you would want to take in,

in your window of daylight. Wood is still the main economic engine here with tourism a very close second. Elaine's Bakery & Cafe is also 5 star. This bridge crosses over the Sebec River and even had a float plane waiting to take off. My eye caught the dilapidated remains of a old spool factory along the banks

Our guided truck ride took us to Guilford and the famous "Low's Covered Bridge" and  hotel across the street and a little farther up the highway we found the Guilford House, bed and breakfast on our way up to the grand daddy of them all, (Moosehead Lake" shopping, minerals, lunch and then the long ride up to Roach River and the First of seven lakes Kimberly sent us some nice photos from the Katahdin Iron Works in Monson, one of the first " or last" towns on the Appalachian Trail.

Public Meetings on Simplifying VT Fishing Regulations, Oct. 13, 14

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds us that it will be holding virtual public meetings tonight and tomorrow night (Oct. 13 and 14) about its proposal to simplify fishing regulations.

 

“We want to have fishing regulations that are easier to comprehend for new anglers and those who would like to fish in unfamiliar lakes or streams,” said Commissioner Louis Porter.  “Vermont’s fishing regulations have become increasingly complex in over the years, and we believe they can be simpler and still protect our fish populations while encouraging people to enjoy Vermont’s wealth of fishing opportunities.”

 

The department will hold the two online public informational meetings to introduce its proposed changes.   A presentation will be given at each meeting followed by a question and answer period.  The presentation and additional information will also be available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website at https://vtfishandwildlife.com/fishing-regulation-simplification for anglers to review if they are unable to attend one of the meetings.

 

Vermont Fish and Wildlife will hold its public meetings by Zoom.

• October 13 @ 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• October 14 @ 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Join a meeting by computer or smartphone at -- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87534865303 

Meeting ID: 875 3486 5303

 

Join a meeting by telephone by calling 929-436-2866

Meeting ID: 875 3486 5303

 

The department will be collecting comments on the proposal through November 18 by: 

 

1. Email: ANR.fwpubliccomment@vermont.gov

Salmon Moving into New York Rivers

 Posted by Wayne G.Barber

Salmon Moving into New York Rivers

Every fall Pacific (coho and Chinook) salmon migrate up the Salmon River to make the trip back to the hatchery where their life began, but not all these fish are hatchery fish. There’s actually a large amount of natural reproduction of Chinook salmon that takes place in the river. Wild Chinook, many of which are produced in the Salmon River, are an important component of the Lake Ontario fishery, contributing up to 70 percent of the Chinooks produced in a given year. Wild Chinook tend to spawn in the river, and most of the Chinook returning to the hatchery are of hatchery origin. The main stem of the Salmon River gets a bit warm in the summer for young salmon but Chinook hatch in May and are gone to Lake Ontario by the end of June. Successful reproduction of coho salmon (and steelhead) is largely limited to the cooler tributaries (Trout and Orwell Brooks) due to their longer river residence and requirement of year-round juvenile habitat.

The Salmon River, located in Oswego County, stretches 17 miles from the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir in Altmar to where it empties into Lake Ontario at Port Ontario. There are 12 miles of Public Fishing Rights along the river. The Salmon River offers some of the finest sportfishing in the country. Two major fish records have been set in the Salmon River: the Great Lakes record Chinook salmon (47 lbs. 13 oz.) and the world record Coho salmon (33 lbs. 4 oz.).

The recently completed Salmon River Fisheries Management Plan (PDF), which was developed with stakeholders input, provides succinct descriptions of the river's trout and salmon fisheries and lays out the framework of major objectives and the strategies which the Department intends to employ to meet the Plan's stated goal: "DEC will manage the River and its tributaries as a premier, high quality, year-round sport fishery with the opportunity to catch a diversity of trophy sized lake run trout and salmon species". The Plan calls for development of a yearly workplan (PDF) to guide actions and to share with stakeholders at annual "State of the Salmon River Fishery" meetings.

A complimentary plan titled the Lower Salmon River Restoration and Recreation Enhancement Plan (PDF) was also recently completed and provides a more detailed description of the history of the river and its fishery. The management objectives of this plan primarily cover the 1,700 acres of recently acquired state property which borders much of the river between the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir and the Village of Pulaski. The purpose of acquiring these lands was to improve and ensure protection of the natural resources, construct several restoration structures to stabilize river banks and improve aquatic habitat, and to improve public access to the rivers world class fisheries.