Big salmon catch is no fish story

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In a few short paragraphs, I’m certain that you’ll be convinced that today’s column is an April Fools’ joke, one day late.

Rest assured, it is not. And though the story that follows is about fish, it should in no way be confused with a Fish Story.

This is the truth. I swear.

And despite that, I realize that you still won’t believe it.

I don’t blame you. If I hadn’t been at Grand Lake Stream for Friday’s opening day of open-water fishing, I wouldn’t believe it, either.

Let me introduce you to Joe Glowa. He’s a friendly, low-key guy from Glenburn with a passion for the outdoors. He’s also a Registered Maine Guide. (After you hear about his day, you may want to pay extra attention to that last fact.)

And on a perfect Friday of fishing at one of Maine’s most storied fishing spots, Glowa enjoyed a day so successful that his fellow anglers were cheering him on … and counting his fish for him.

Guys like Dave McLaughlin, who landed and released 19 landlocked salmon of his own after leaving Old Town in the middle of the night just to get a prime opening-day spot in the famous Dam Pool.

And guys like me, who left a bit later, caught nothing but had a great time nonetheless.

Enough teasing, you say. Tell us about Joe Glowa.

OK. But remember: You won’t believe it.

In a single day of fishing, Glowa caught and released more landlocked salmon than most of us will catch all year. He landed more salmon than many casual anglers have caught in their lives.

Are you ready? Glowa caught 50 fish.

Don’t believe it? Ask anybody who was there. Ask the fishermen who watched him reel in numbers 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50 over a frantic 15-minute span shortly after noon.

Yes. Noon. Glowa began fishing at 4:30 a.m. and called it quits shortly before 1 p.m. Not a bad effort for a half-day’s work.

Go ahead. Ask those anglers if they believe. They didn’t see Glowa catch all of his fish … none of us did. But each of us saw enough to know the truth … and his fellow anglers teamed up to keep track, even if Glowa seemed too busy catching fish to count at times.

There are some purists who will turn up their noses at the fact that Glowa even knows the number of fish he caught. Trust me: If he’d been left to count them all himself, he probably wouldn’t have had a clue. As it turned out, that wasn’t necessary.

Every time Glowa hooked up, someone in the crowded Dam Pool knew the number. “That’s 38,” a fisherman would yell. “That’s 44,” another would chime, not too long after that.

“It’s been a real good day,” a somewhat sheepish Glowa said during a mid-morning break to thaw out his feet.

“My best day, by far, fly-fishing for salmon, anywhere in the state.”

McLaughlin also had a great day, on a day he’s been awaiting since autumn’s frosts signaled an end to the 2004 season.

“Gee whiz, it’s a long winter,” McLaughlin said. “I hate to see the fly-fishing season close in the fall, so I’m looking forward to it in the springtime. As soon as opening day comes, I’m ready to fish.”

So, apparently, is Glowa.

On Friday morning, he rose early and set course for Grand Lake Stream. He heads Down East each opening day because he knows the fish are likely to be receptive to his offerings.

But even before his best fishing day ever was truly under way, Glowa was excited.

“I get goose bumps from the time I get in my car in the morning until I get here,” Glowa said. “And I’m shaking until I’ve got my fly in the water. It takes that first fish to break the ice. I just can’t get enough of it. That’s why I’m still here.”

In the water on Friday, Glowa was the model of consistency. He roll-casted into a prime spot time after time, and the fish responded … time after time.

And while fishing low and slow, and using the proper flies were keys to his success, his success – or a suspicion that he would be successful – was not the reason he headed to Grand Lake Stream.

Not really.

To many anglers, Glowa included, Grand Lake Stream is a special place for special fishing trips. The fact that it’s just two hours from Bangor doesn’t change that. It just makes it our special place. Especially on opening day, before most of the traveling sports arrive for their early-summer excursions.

“This is the place to be,” he said. “The fish are there. Just put some time into it. I was up at 2 o’clock this morning to get up here and fish for these salmon. This place is famous.”

Years ago, it was. To many, it still is.

And if people like Joe Glowa keep having days like he had on Friday, Grand Lake Stream will remain one of Maine’s most special places … a place where dreams really do come true.

Not so lucky after all

A week or so ago, I told you that the winner of our drift boat trip, Mike Ayer, was apparently very lucky. Ayer, you may remember, entered our contest just once, and his name was drawn from nearly 700 other entrants.

Alas, Ayer wasn’t quite as lucky as it seemed. The Holden man and I have spoken on the phone several times, and due to some family plans, won’t be able to accompany me on our drift boat trip with guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop.

After efforts to arrange an alternate date failed (Ayer will be fishing, of all things, on the dates Legere had available), we dug back into the box of entrants and drew another name.

This time, the winner was Doug Saunders of Rockland.

While Ayer and I are nearly neighbors who live on the same road in Holden, it turns out that Saunders and I aren’t exactly strangers, either.

I met Saunders’ daughter – a college journalist at UMaine – while covering last year’s NCAA hockey Frozen Four, and she said that her dad always looked forward to the drift boat drawing and hoped he’d win one of these years.

Saunders himself stopped by our booth at the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show and we chatted for a few minutes, and his entry blank was among the six we randomly drew from our box of entrants.

We choose six in order to make the drawing more random; The fact is, since some entries are in envelopes, others are on newsprint, and still others are on tiny slips of paper available at the Sportsmen’s Show, it would be possible for the person doing the drawing (me) to choose what kind of entry blank ended up winning.

Instead, we randomly selected two mailed-in entries, two that are cut out of the paper, and two from the Sportsmen’s Show.

When Ayer disqualified himself, we returned to the box and the five remaining potential winners that we had set aside, redrew, and Saunders won the trip.

Moose lottery set for Rumford

Prospective moose hunters who figure they’ll increase their odds by attending the annual lottery will head to Rumford for this year’s drawing.

The drawing is set for June 16 – a Thursday – at Mountain Valley High School, and will begin at 6 p.m.

Since 1999, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has rotated the lottery throughout the state. Before 1999, the lottery was held in Augusta each year.

Previous lotteries have been held in Presque Isle, Old Town, Scarborough, Bucksport, Wiscasset, and Millinocket.

This year 2,895 hunters will be selected from a pool of more than 70,000 applicants for their hunt of a lifetime.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.