Outdoor Report

Last weekend I fished West Grand Lake, which offers a variety of fish sure to satisfy everyone. West Grand is known for its togue. It holds a good supply, with some lunkers that come with stories large enough that we fisherman need not spice them up. It’s amazing how a fish grows on the trip home from the lake, not to mention between Saturday night and Monday morning at work. I have a relative who has experienced this rapid fish growth many times. I sometimes wonder if the fish are feeding off leftovers in his refrigerator.

Back to West Grand: if togue or salmon ares your preference, breakout the downriggers and aim your bow for Whitney Cove. If you’re coming via Grand Lake Stream, don’t overlook Kitchen Cove. Although warm weather pushes salmon deep this time of year, be patient. Action will pick up with cooler nights just around the corner. West Grand also offers plenty of bass just waiting to keep you casting for more. I picked up about a half-dozen smallmouths, off the shore of Hardwood Island.

Kurt Cressey at the Pine Tree Store in Grand Lake Stream told me something quite unusual has been happening. Due to concern over alewives possibly moving into West Grand Lake from Grand Lake Stream, screens have been placed in front of the fishway by the dam. This has prevented salmon from leaving the stream. Fishermen who have been coming here for 20 years say they have never seen this many fish in the stream. During the day fishermen are having good luck using sinking-tip lines and streamers. After 6:30 p.m. brace your feet, the fishing is red hot, with most people switching over to floating lines and dry flies. The latest hatchs have been cinnamon caddis, but yellow belly grass hoppers, Adams, orange belly Humpys, and royal coachman have been productive.

Sharon McPhee at Macannamac Lodge reported that the fishing in the small, fly fishing-only ponds in the Haymock Lake area has been really good, especially after the light rains last week.

At the Big Eddy on the West Branch of the Penobscot River, Peter Pray said the water levels have been up slightly at 3,200 cubic feet per second over the 2,800 cfs normally and water temperature has been 61 degrees. Caddis hatches have been good and fishermen report pretty good action early morning and late evening using tan and olive caddis immitations. Some aggressive strikes from landlocked salmon have left a few fishermen looking at broken leaders. As for the weather, Pray said, it’s been pretty good except for a couple of storms toward the end of last week.

Brad Viles took a break from his normal mountain goat routine to do some volunteer work on the trails at the Maine Audubon Nature Center at Field’s Pond in Orrington with members of the Penobscot Area Trekkers and Hikers. Lester Kenway of Bangor led the trail-building crew. Kenway is well known for his prowess in trail stabilization work, design and construction in Baxter State Park as well as the Appalachian Trail.

Over the course of two days last weekend the crews built 75 feet of raised trail on the Lake Shore Trail. The next phase of work is planned for Aug. 5-6. Call the Nature Center at 989-2591 for information or if you’d like to help out.

Answer to last week’s question: What is the only coldwater sport fish in Maine that spawns in the spring? Rainbow Trout.

Question: True or false: Alantic salmon are usually hooked as a result of anger not hunger?

— NEWS staffer Terry Farren