Champion fly casters will test Moosehead Lake

If you’re one of those annoying individuals who can pick up a fly rod – any fly rod – and easily cast to fish rising on the other side of the river, you may want to consider laying out a line in the Moosehead Lake Fly Casting Championship on May 27. The event that is part of the month-long “Moose Mainea” celebration sponsored by the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce is divided into two contests: distance and accuracy. In that way, devotees of both the double haul and precision presentation will have opportunities to land first, second, third prizes in each contest. Appropriately, the prizes will be fashioned, in part, from moose antlers.

The competitions will be held on the Greenville shore of the lake, across from Jamieson’s Market, beginning at 1 p.m. If you haven’t already hooked onto a registration form at the Chamber of Commerce or Dan Legere’s Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville, you can register at the Fly Shop until noon on May 27. Registration fee is $5, contest rules and regulations are included with the entry form.

Bonnie Holding, a registered Maine guide who owns and operates The Edge of Maine Fly Fishing School in Stratton, will judge the fly-casting contests. In addition to teaching her students the surprisingly simple art of casting a fly, Bonnie also instructs and guides at the renowned Megantic Club and many other sporting camps throughout the state, not to mention L.L. Bean.

Chances are that, although you may not win a prize in the Moosehead Lake Fly Fishing Championship, you might snag a tip or two from Bonnie Holding that would make you a better caster. You know, one of those simple somethings like, maybe the butt section of your leader isn’t big enough to transfer the energy of the fly line smoothly or perhaps you’re unconsciously stopping your forward cast a tad too soon for the line to shoot easily. Either way, she’d spot the problem, for sure.

For further information phone the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, 695-2702, or the Maine Guide Fly Shop, 695-2266. In the meantime, pray the wind runs out of breath at about noon on May 27.

Now, considering that fly rods and canoes are as compatible as moose and clear cuts, you might want to enter the Moose River Canoe Race on May 20. Also a part of the Moose Mainea celebration, the race will be held in memory of the late Fred Reckards of Rockwood, a canoe builder who carried on the tradition of the famed Templeton canoes built when this century was young. And if you’ve left tracks in Maine’s north country, surely you’re familiar with the flowing, functional lines of the canoes that were, in every sense, an art form.

It’s no secret that tradition is a tyrant in this neck of the woods, and for good reason – it is the soul of Maine. And fortunately for those of us who realize the value and importance of this state’s natural resources and traditional outdoors recreations, Fred Reckards was a Mainer from stem to stern.

A talented craftsman whose trade was custom carpentry, Fred learned the art of building the sleek 20- and 15-foot Templeton canoes from his father-in-law, Merton Comstock, who was an apprentice to Fred Templeton. In 1941, Comstock bought the business, including the molds for the distinctive canoes. In turn, he sold the business to Fred Reckards in May of 1974 and, until his death last year, he continued building the beautiful canoes in his shop overlooking the Moose River. Perhaps you’ve heard his canoes fondly referred to as “Moose River Taxis.”

Without question, the craftsmanship that is the signature of a Fred Reckards canoe is a compliment to the Templeton design. Constructed from quality cedar and spruce covered with Fiberglas, the flawless fittings and finish of a Reckards canoe brings tears to the eyes of anyone who enjoys getting from here to there by means of paddle or pole. You may know, however, that the stability of the canoes allows the use of outboards on brackets, which is more than evident nowadays on rivers such as the West Branch of the Penobscot.

Aside from his remarkable craftsmanship, it’s obvious that Fred Reckards had an innate understanding and appreciation of two words: “quality” and “tradition.” Both, of course, are symbolic of this land whose cathedral-like forests are spired with spruce and pine and jeweled with lakes, ponds and streams.

It’s fitting, then, that the 7-mile Moose River Canoe Race will be held in memory of Fred Reckards, whose Moose River Taxis are so much a part of the Moosehead Lake region, and are so treasured by those fortunate enough to own them.

Information about the race can be obtained by contacting the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. Phone: 695-2702.