Bangor angler strikes Penobscot’s bass bonanza

Anglers who pitch plugs and popping bugs to Maine’s hard-hitting bass populations will tell you the Penobscot River is a big league smallmouth fishery. But to dispel any notions that such high rating may be a false cast, I offer excerpts from a letter written by a Bangor bass-fishing addict named Jack Nelson. A week or so ago, Jack went to his “Home Pool,” so to speak, and waded into a morning of fishing the likes of which a lot of people would pay dearly to land.

“I arrived on the river at 5:15 a.m. and rigged my spinning rod with a Rapala lure, floating type,” Jack recounted. “On the second cast I caught a bass, approximately 2 pounds, which I thought was a nice way to start the day. Over the next hour, I caught seven more bass, ranging from 1-2 pounds. I was fishing from the shore, by the way, and thought that this was a good morning’s fishing by any standard.”

After reaching an area where shore configurations made fishing difficult, Jack reeled in and set a course for another smallmouth stronghold a few miles downriver. “It was about 7:30 when I started fishing at this spot,” he wrote. “Believe it when I tell you I have had some very good bass fishing in past years on the Penobscot. But I have never caught so many fish in such a short span of time as I did that morning.”

Let’s face it, that kind of piscatorial pleasure isn’t landed on every trip to the fishing grounds. To the contrary, being in the right place at the right time requires a lot of casting around and a guide named Lady Luck. So it was that by the time most people were taking their morning coffee breaks, Jack had caught and released 38 bass, not counting those that continued pumping the Penobscot through their gills via involuntary releases.

Now, read ’em and weep: “The biggest bass I caught was about 4 1/2 pounds, and at least a half dozen were surely in the 4-pound range.” Suffice it to say, when it comes to river smallmouths that kind of poundage is prodigious.

The concluding lines of Jack Nelson’s letter, however, were as impressive as the fast fishing he enjoyed that morning: “Overall, I could not have ordered a better day. It makes me thankful that I live here in Bangor, not more than minutes away from some of the best bass fishing in the state.” Let’s make that in the country.

It’s safe to say the new Atlantic salmon-fishing rules regarding seasons, tailers, landing nets, and releasing salmon are now common knowledge. However, the rules that became effective, statewide, July 2 also included closures of Penobscot River areas to salmon fishing. To eliminate confusion regarding the closures, the rules are presented here as promulgated by the Atlantic Salmon Authority: “The following areas are closed to fishing for Atlantic salmon at all times (Effective July 2, 1997): Penobscot River Watershed: Great Works Stream: from the downstream side of the Route 178 bridge in Bradley to the Penobscot River, and the Penobscot River within 500 feet of a red painted marker situated on the downriver side of the mouth of Great Works Stream.

“Penobscot River Watershed: Blackman Stream: from the downstream side of the Route 178 bridge in Bradley to the Penobscot River, and the Penobscot River within 500 feet of a red painted marker situated on the downriver side of the mouth of Blackman Stream.”

Here, read as carefully as you’d read a stretch of salmon water: “In a related action, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has closed the areas delineated above to fishing for ALL SPECIES from July 1-Sept. 30 annually (Effective July 8, 1997).”

While salmon are the subject, as of Wednesday the trap count at the Veazie Dam was 1,063. On Maine’s other salmon rivers, however, returns, if any, are dismally low. Likewise, salmon runs on Canadian rivers aren’t up to snuff. Now that summer is in full bloom, the oft-heard excuse for slow fishing, “Everything’s late this year,” holds about as much water as a landing net.

Come July 24, you’ll have a chance to let your reel run in regard to fishing at Upper Lead Mountain Pond in Twp. 28 MD. Be informed that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife proposes to replace the pond’s stockings of landlocked salmon with stockings of brown trout. During a 7 p.m. meeting at the Airline Snack Bar, Region C fisheries biologists will present the reasons for the proposal and respond to questions and comments cast from anglers in attendance. Otherwise, direct questions and comments to: Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 68 Water St., Machias 04654. Phone: 255-3772. Pending public comment, the stocking of brown trout may begin this fall.

If you happen to be fishing on the Union River come the evening of July 25 and find the stripers are anti-social, you may change your luck by setting a course for Ellsworth and the Union River Gallery on 92 Main Street. There, a show of “fresh run” sporting paintings, limited edition prints and drawings signed by yours truly will open with a 5-7 p.m. reception. You can rest assured, however, the reception is no black tie affair. Accordingly, you’ll be comfortable in your fishing clothes and I’ll be forever grateful if you drop by and get me off the hook of art-related discussion. Talking about rods, reels, guns, dogs, decoys and such makes a lot more sense to me.

Tom Hennessey’s column can be accessed on the BDN internet page at: http://www.bangornews.com.