Welcome back to another fun filled year of exploring the beautiful Belgrade Lakes region! For a while it felt like winter would never end, but as we teetered on the edge of despair, the crocus started popping, followed by the tulips and bleeding hearts, and eventually the black flies. Ahhh. … Spring in Maine, perhaps the single greatest environmental transformation in the country! I think my favorite part of spring is seeing all the deer emerge from their winter haunts. Sure, I love watching the grass turn green and picking fiddle heads with my kids in our favorite (and secret) patches, but there’s nothing more reassuring than seeing the deer emerge. It’s a sudden occurrence really, like someone flicked an imaginary switch – presto! The whitetail ghosts appear from out of nowhere, looking a bit ragged but overall they are quite healthy. It’s a true sign of perseverance, strength and the will to survive. For those who do not live in Maine year round I can honestly tell you that this winter was tough and packed quite a wallop. But don’t worry, the locals survived with a smile, showing the same resilient as the white-tailed deer.

During the last few weeks of May our area received a lot of rain and wind and cold conditions. While these conditions made lake fishing difficult, the fishermen who braved the choppy waters were rewarded with excellent catches of largemouth & smallmouth bass, northern pike and trout. The best fishing was for pre-spawn smallmouth bass. The bigger female bass have put the feed bag on recently and they have offered anglers face paced action. Three years ago we had a terrific spawning season, one of the best we’ve had in years and now that year class of fish are big and healthy. I have a feeling fishermen are going to have a banner year on large smallies. Most anglers will be searching for bedded bass in early June and the water temperatures will dictate when and where the beds will be. The male bass will be working hard to make the nests in their shallow water locations while the larger females will be cruising nearby. Once anglers can pattern the pre-spawn females the excitement will really begin. One great method to catch the bigger bass is by throwing top water baits that entice aggressive (and quite enjoyable) strikes! Putting plastic baits into the nests will certainly draw bites from the buck males protecting the nests too. The action can be fast and furious. It’s important that anglers make an effort to release the bass back in the same area they are caught as this practice makes for better fishing for years to come. For trout fishermen, the Belgrade Village spillway has produced some terrific brook trout and salmon this spring, including a few brookies that were true trophies. Days Store has plenty of bait, lures and information for anglers looking to fish this historic spot. Fly fishermen looking to hook up should also hit both the spillway and the current that flows through the Castle Island location.
The beginning of June brings the end of Maine’s spring wild turkey hunting season. We are fortunate to have a high turkey population in central Maine and many hunters take advantage of this opportunity. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (www.maine.gov/IFW/) now offers two wild turkey permits per hunter during the spring season, so hunters have even more incentive to hunt these wily birds. Many local farmers and landowners welcome turkey hunters, however it’s always best to ask for permission if you are accessing land you are not familiar with. The wild turkey is an interesting creature in many ways. While they are easily spotted on country roads by hunters, commuters, and passerby’s, turkeys are not easily snuck up on! They are a very difficult bird to get close too and are quite challenging to hunt. They have amazing vision and can sense predators with keen eyesight and that magical 6th sense that many wild creatures’ posses. If you missed out on the spring season, there’s always the fall season to focus on. Personally, I think our area has one of the best wild turkey hunting opportunities in the entire northeast. Good luck!