A couple months back, we rolled out the BDN’s 13th annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest, and as we’ve come to expect, hundreds of readers said they would love to spend a day fly fishing on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River.
On Tuesday, we combined all of those entries, which were gathered at outdoor expos in Brewer, Orono and Presque Isle, as well as online, and drew our winner. And this morning, I’m happy to announce that Harvey Siebert of Owls Head will be joining guide Dan Legere of Greenville’s Maine Guide Fly Shop (and me) on June 14 for a full-day trip.
Mike Horvers was our first winner, back in 2003. Others followed: Jason McCubbin in 2004, Doug Saunders in 2005, Tom Nichols in 2006, James Rolph in 2007, Dick Fortier in 2008, Tiffany Shepard in 2010, Don Factor in 2011, Jasper Walsh in 2012, John Craig in 2013 and Byron Hale in 2014.
I don’t make many guarantees when it comes to fishing, but this trip has become so predictable, I’ll make one here: Our winner will catch fish. Lots of fish. He’ll eat well. And we’ll have a great day on the water.
Thanks to all who took the time to enter, and who stopped by to say “hi” at the shows we attended.
— John Holyoke
Fat biking gains traction in Maine with new festival
Fat biking — which is essentially mountain biking on snow — has gained popularity in Maine over the past few years, and this April, this relatively new sport is being celebrated at the first-ever Sugarloaf Fat Tire Festival, which will include an epic downhill fat bike race on the mountain’s Sidewinder slalom course. Learn more about this up-and-coming sport.
All ice, no water: St. George river canoe race postponed
“[The St. George] is more iced in than it was a year ago, [when it was postponed for a week],” race director Dale Cross said on Tuesday. “Let’s put it this way: I walked across it on Friday. Down in the woods where it’s shaded, I was clearing brush and I could walk across the river in my snowshoes.”
As a result, the race, which begins in Searsmont, has been pushed to April 4.
Checking traps and ice hole mishaps: Orono international students try ice fishing
Back home in Caracas, Venezuela, Jessie Ben Alaya didn’t do much ice fishing. Or any, for that matter.
“In my country, we don’t have snow at all, except in the mountains, which are really far away from my city,” Ben Alaya said Friday morning as she joined 11 other international students from Orono High School on an ice fishing trip to Perch Pond.
And she admitted that merely stepping foot onto a frozen lake took a bit of a leap of faith.
“I was like, ‘Is that the lake?’” she said. “The first time, I was like, ‘What if we die here?’ But it’s fun. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Gear bag: Socks for a better outdoor adventure
Our first “Gear bag” feature focuses on one of the most essential pieces of outdoor gear you can own: Socks. Why are they crucial? What do you look for? Where can you get ’em? It’s all here.
Blog log
Act Out with Aislinn: 1-minute ski: Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in Alton
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Hirundo Wildlife Refuge covers 2,460 acres in Alton and includes sections of Pushaw and Dead streams, the 4-acre pond named Lac d’Or, an archeological site, vast wetlands and mixed hardwood and evergreen forest. Year round, the public is welcome to explore this land for free on 7 miles of clearly marked trails constructed for walking (or snowshoeing) and skiing.
Robin’s Outdoors: This is what happened when the bobcat came back
We hadn’t been to the game camera to look for bobcat pictures in a week. The melting and compacting snow made it easier for the bobcat to move, and I’d stopped feeding him. The last visit to the site was on March 10 when he walked through. Parts of the carcasses were left beneath the snow but he wasn’t interested in them. He could hunt again. I saw him (I think it was him …) when I was out for a run on the afternoon of March 10 as he walked the tree line of a field three-quarters of a mile up the road.
On the horizon
An Old Town wildlife photographer recently sent the BDN some spectacular photos of a bald eagle pair sharing a meal. Later this week, we’ll share those photos and the story behind them.
Also coming up, Aislinn is working on a story about the disappearance of Maine’s cottontail rabbits. She recently spent a day with wildlife biologists, climbing through bramble and searching for rabbit scat in the snow, to learn about the cute critter and the efforts to restore its population in Maine.
John is working on a spring story that anglers may find handy: He has contacted several fisheries biologists seeking the answers to a few questions. Chief among them: “What if I want to keep ice fishing after April 1 … where can I go?” and “I’m eager to start open-water fishing on April Fools Day … what are my options?”
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