Mention the Roach River to some fly fishermen and they’ll slyly tell you that you shouldn’t bother to go … it’s too busy … too far away … the fishing’s bad. Truth is, the stretch of the Roach from First Roach Pond to Moosehead Lake is one of the state’s best known fly-fishing spots for landlocked salmon. But in August, a stretch of the river upstream from the part that is fished most heavily was dewatered when a dam construction project was completed. For 10 days, that part of the river had no flow, and two year-classes of fish were devastated. Earlier this week, I wrote about the incident, how it happened, and what’s planned for the future. Not good news for the Roach River, to be sure. Fortunately, it seems that the Appalachian Mountain Club, which commissioned the dam work on its property, is taking all the right steps to make things right.
— John Holyoke
Mountain lions in Maine often a case of mistaken identity
There are mountain lions in Maine, many of the state’s residents swear.
Wildlife biologist Mark McCollough, who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Orono, doesn’t debate the fact.
Not really.
But as the person who helped draft the federal status review on the eastern cougar, published in 2011, he will say there’s not an existing population of breeding cats here in Maine.
Portion of Roach River dried out in dam mishap
A prime wild salmon and brook trout habitat was accidentally destroyed in August when dam construction on land owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club left about a mile stretch of the Roach River without water for a 10-day period.
The dewatering of the river, as this situation is known, triggered a notice of violation against the club by Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission, a copy of which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
Blog log
Act Out with Aislinn: 1-minute hike: Haystack Mountain in Liberty
For this week’s hike, Aislinn took a trip to the midcoast. Check out Haystack Mountain … it might be just the hike for you and your pals.
Out There: North Woods Law wants you … to share your moose hunt
On Tuesday, Engel Entertainment, which produces the show for Animal Planet, announced that they’re looking for just the right people to feature in an episode of the show.
“Mainers who have won moose permits in this year’s lottery — listen up!” the post on the NWL Facebook page begins. “Animal Planet’s hit TV series ‘North Woods Law’ wants to join your hunt. We’re going to send our cameras on a Maine moose hunt this fall, and we want to know if you’re the one we’re looking for.”
On the horizon
Over the coming weekend, John will head into the woods on what has become a regular tradition. He and some pals will gather at Brassua Lake, northwest of Greenville. Once there, they’ll proceed to eat far too much, drive way too many miles on woods roads, and (if they’re lucky) find a few ruffed grouse. They’ll also be on the lookout for moose … as will plenty of other parties of moose hunters, who’ll be scouting in advance of Monday’s second session of moose hunting. John says he’ll come back with a tale or two to tell, and considering the guys he hangs out with, that will likely be the case. Stay tuned, and have a great weekend.
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