BANGOR, Maine — As a chilly October rain fell Sunday morning, Wes Ashe took time out from cheering on an assembled group of children and glanced up Bangor Municipal Golf Course’s sloping second fairway.
The day was nearly miserable — the kind of day that might convince even veteran outdoor enthusiasts that they’d be better off staying inside — but what Ashe saw made him grin.
A parade of children, most of them carrying fishing rods, tromped down the hill toward a waiting water hazard that had recently been stocked with brook trout.
Ashe, a fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, had teamed up with Bangor Muni assistant pro Rob Jarvis to arrange for a Youth Fishing Day on the course, in a small pond that typically doesn’t hold fish.
“I was positive that my sister and my wife, my mother and my father, my niece and nephew would come,” Ashe said, admitting he suspected the weather might reduce participation. “But [plenty of others are] coming down the second fairway pretty good.”
The DIF&W often sponsors programs designed to provide outdoor opportunities for youngsters, and Sunday’s fishing event was one example of that kind of programming. A day earlier, the popular Youth Deer Day was held in Maine, allowing junior hunters a day of their own one week in advance of the traditional season opener.
An hour into the three-hour outing, more than 75 people ringed the pond, and several hooked one of the 150 fish that had been delivered earlier in the week.
Among the successful anglers was 5-year-old Mack Edward Atwood of Orland, who was fishing with his dad, Anthony Atwood.
The fish was a hefty 15-inch brook trout, but Mack — like good fishermen everywhere — knew exactly what to say. Essentially: You should have seen the one that got away.
“On the first cast I had a bigger fish than this one,” Mack said as he posed for a photo and the trout squirmed to get out of his tiny hand.
Nearby, Anthony Atwood laughed. It seemed he’d taught his son well.
“It’s a tradition in the family to go fishing all the time, and it’s fun to bring him out and give him something to do,” Anthony Atwood said. “He has to convince me to go sometimes … it don’t take nothing to convince him to go fishing.”
Anthony Atwood, like many parents taking part in the fishing event and Youth Deer Day, said providing kids with an alternative to modern recreational activities is important.
“Nowadays, it’s all about games and being inside,” he said. “[This is] awesome. The more kids involved in fishing, the better.”
Fishing was only part of the allure for 11-year-old Connor Seymour of Glenburn and Bangor, who was fishing with his stepfather, Alan Martin.
Seymour hunts and fishes with his father, a merchant marine. He showed up to fish 20 minutes before the event was scheduled to start and was pleased to see a flock of ducks swimming around in the water hazard.
“I wish you could hunt here, too,” he told Martin.
Alas, only fishing was allowed Sunday, and it didn’t take Seymour long to land a hefty trout.
Ashe said providing fishing opportunities in untraditional places can not only give children something to do outside but can help spark an interest they can pursue for a lifetime.
“[This is] just a great opportunity for them to come out, learn how to catch a fish, acquire these skills and then head to some of Maine’s lakes, rivers and ponds [to put those skills to work],” Ashe said.
Tim Hodgins of Orrington showed up at the golf course with his 12-year-old son, Alex.
Alex, the grandson of Bangor Muni head golf professional Brian Enman, admitted he probably lost more than a few golf balls in the pond where he was fishing.
But he’s also an outdoors enthusiast who spends a weekend a month taking trips with his Boy Scout troop. In October, he shot his first moose. On Saturday, he participated in Youth Deer Day. And on Sunday, he was catching fish.
“It’s not just the hunting [and fishing],” his father explained. “It’s being able to observe the wildlife. He loves that as much as anybody.”
On Saturday, a steady stream of young hunters arrived at Bob’s Kozy Korner Store in Orrington. Some picked up snacks they’d eat in the woods on Youth Deer Day. Others — 24 in all — tagged deer.
Keegan Lapointe, 13, of Brewer arrived at the store with his dad, Kelly Lapointe. They saw two does early in the day and were fueling up on coffee and hot chocolate.
Kelly Lapointe said that although he grew up hunting, he didn’t push Keegan into the activity. Instead, his son has made it clear he’d love to get out in the woods.
“He used his own money to get his own gun,” Kelly Lapointe said. “He decided to get into hunting because his uncle and I are fairly avid hunters.”
And while parents may sometimes encourage their children to take up hunting, Lapointe said job commitments and youth sports that Keegan and his brother play have cut into his own hunting time severely over the past few years. In this family’s case, Keegan’s desire to hunt has spurred his father into action.
“I got so busy [this week] I wasn’t even looking at the calendar,” Kelly Lapointe said. “He said, ‘Are we going to go [hunt on Youth Deer Day]?’ I said absolutely. Whatever we’ve got to do, we’ll get you out in the woods.”
Once there, the duo focus on safety and on taking in the surroundings.
“It’s just an appreciation of nature,” he said. “We’re lucky to live here in Maine where we can do these kinds of things. We appreciate what we have.”
Chris Soper of Orland and his 13-year-old son, Cameron, also stopped by Bob’s Kozy Korner Store on Saturday morning.
Cameron was beaming, with good reason: In the back of the truck was his eight-point buck, which weighed in at 178 pounds.
“[This] is a lifetime memory right here,” Chris Soper said. “He’ll never forget this moment. Ever.”
Cameron said he enjoys spending time with his father and loves to hunt. But he said the practical side of hunting is the most attractive to him.
“It makes me feel good when I can feed my family,” he said. “It makes me feel happy when I can help support them.”
