Fishermen not fazed by weather

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After spending seven hours in a bass boat on Sunday, Ron “Buzz” Ruhlin stood on the banks of the Penobscot River and did a fairly remarkable thing.

He smiled.

“Well, fishing’s something we all love to do, so it doesn’t matter. Rain or shine, we’ll go fishing,” Ruhlin said.

Sunday was heavy on rain, light on shine, as the predicted “scattered showers” turned out to be scattered downpours breaking up constant showers.

The temperature hovered around 45 in Medway, where members of the Bangor Bass Club conducted their final tournament of the year.

The wind blew. The fish were somewhat finicky.

And still, Ruhlin smiled.

“[We] get a good chance to test out the wet weather gear, anyhow,” said Ruhlin, whose heavy camouflage rain suit may have kept him drier than any of the other Bangor-area bass enthusiasts.

Dave Simpson, ABC-7’s head photographer and the club’s tournament director, had invited me to participate in a bass tourney, and I tagged along and fished in my first such event.

“It could make a good ‘Going Outdoors’ segment,” Simpson had told me, referring to the regular Monday feature he and I collaborate on for ABC-7.

I didn’t think twice, and readily agreed.

On Sunday, I finally realized that Simpson had (intentionally?) issued the invitation back in our dry July, when “downpour” was a foreign concept, and when “cold” meant 75 degrees.

“Bass fishermen in general are a bunch of friendly guys,” Simpson told me on Sunday, as we stood, shivering, near the tournament weigh-in site. “They like to talk fishing, go out and fish, anytime. “Call some of these guys up any time, they’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

That became particularly apparent on Sunday, as five boats pulled out from the Medway public landing on Route 157.

While some stubborn Mainers still view bass as a “trash fish,” that sentiment is increasingly rare across the state.

The proliferation of bass clubs – nearly 40 statewide, according to Simpson – proves that point.

And while some clubs are more competitive than others, the anglers of the Bangor Bass Club value the camaraderie more than the allure of the modest cash payoff each tourney offers.

“We try to keep it on a friendly level,” Simpson said. “[We] teach other members, new members, new tricks. Somebody knows one thing, somebody knows another thing. It’s fun to get together and do that kind of stuff.”

Even on days when four layers of fleece and high-tech raingear isn’t sufficient … and when what seemed like a breeze (at 4:30 in the morning, loading up a pre-warmed truck) is finally recognized as the final personal insult on a day full of them.

Truth be told, the Bangor Bass Club members did make one small concession to the miserable weather: They agreed to fish for only seven hours, instead of the eight they’d originally planned for.

And at the end of the day, there were Ruhlin and the others. Wet. Cold. And smiling.

The secret? There is none. Not really.

“I don’t have any secrets,” Ruhlin said. “You just end up fishing a lot slower. I think that helps put a few fish in the boat.”

When the weather’s not cooperating, fishing slow isn’t very difficult, he admitted.

“Of course, it helps when everything’s about frozen off,” he said. “You don’t have a choice but to slow down.”

Presque Isle breakfast on tap

In the interest of making sure I remain welcome in Aroostook County, I’ll let you know that in the weekend’s list of hunter’s breakfasts, there was a large void that needs to be filled.

Kind of like the void in a hunter’s belly on opening morning, I suppose.

On Monday I received word that hungry hunters in the Presque Isle area needn’t worry: Their traditional hunters breakfast will indeed be held on Saturday morning … for the 56th consecutive year.

The Presque Isle Fish & Game Club puts on quite a feed, I’ve been told, and this year’s breakfast promises to live up to expectations.

The menu includes bacon, sausage, beans, home fries, eggs, toast and a beverage, and the cost is $4 per person.

The breakfast will run from 4-8 a.m., and raffles will be held for a .30-06 rifle and 100 gallons of fuel oil.

If you’re a bird hunter in the Presque Isle area, the message I received also contained an update I’m sure won’t surprise you.

“After hunting for three weeks with my pointing dogs Hunter and Gunner we have found the woodcock are carrying the season because the graybeards are very scarce,” Nick Archer wrote.

Archer, who is in charge of public relations for the venerable Presque Isle club, even had some data to support his observations.

“In 2003 and 2004 I had over 30 points each year on grouse. This year we have had only 10,” he wrote.

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