Category Archives: Fishing

Fishing trip turns into un-bear-able event

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Following up on my recent articles about our fishing trip north to Quebec to fish in Lake Ternay,  Attorney Mike Shepard and I flew out on Tuesday, September 2 and the other guys: Mike and son Darren Miller, Carl Racie and Gary Hebert stayed to fish through Sunday, September 7.

 

Gary and Mike tell what happened next:

 

Gary said the remainder of the trip continued to be the “trip from Hell”. “Bad weather made for some nasty white knuckle boat rides.  Not afraid to say this old Navy vet was a bit nervous in some of those three foot swells wearing a half ton of fishing clothes.  My life jackets (plural) never left my hand.  We did manage some decent sized brookies up at the North Rapids one day.

 

We had a fly-out on Friday to a remote lake but it came with a huge price.   The day started off beautiful and we flew two at a time to remote lake where we took two canoes to some rapids.   In the afternoon we ventured to the other end of the lake and fished those rapids.  Mike landed an 8+ pound brookie, but that’s where the fun ended.

 

Weather was starting to look iffy, and we headed back to the boat.  That’s when Mike fell down and got soaked.   We make it back to the plane and the weather started to really turn bad.  Carl and I were first on the return trip but we had to abort it because of a wind change and an overweight alarm. We took the boat motor off the plane to get the weight down.

 

After a tree-top second take-off and subsequent landing on very rough water on Lake Ternay, we made it back to the lodge.  That’s when Joe (outfitter) said we would have to leave Mike and Darren in the Bush.  The weather turned absolutely nasty.  Heavy rain and forty mph wind kept the plane grounded.  Did I mention Mike and Darren had zero emergency gear?   And Mike was soaked with the potential for hypothermia.

 

None of us slept a wink that night and we never fished again.   To add insult to injury when I asked Joe about any contingency plan if something happened in the Bush, he had none.  Nobody would have had a clue where to even start looking for us.  Very interesting trip and we even paid for it.”

 

Mike Miller said:  “When we realize that the plane wasn’t coming back we started to make shelter.  We had fly rods, flies, wading sticks and Darren’s pocket knife.  We found a “porta-boat”, assembled it and stuck it upside down between 2 trees.  We broke off spruce branches and piled them between us and the wind to give us a little relief.  The night was extremely long but we got through it okay.   Our biggest concern was for bears coming into the shelter.  I changed into 2 lightweight shirts I carry in a dry bag for situations like this and we ran around the beach every hour to keep warm.  The waders and rain jackets really helped to keep us warm.

 

A bear showed up around 6 AM working the shore eating blueberries.  When he was about 75 yards away we yelled to get his attention and he just laid down on a rock for about 5 minutes then got up and started coming in our direction.  He did this 2 or 3 times until he was around 20 yards from us at the edge of the beach.  We puffed ourselves up to look big and charged him but he didn’t move.   Again he started in our direction and we charged and threw rocks at him.  He finally stopped, turned around and walked off.   He had no idea what we were.

 

The weather was pretty good when light broke (4:30AM) so we were confident that the plane would be coming shortly.  Around 9AM the plane hadn’t shown up even though our weather was still clear and we became concerned that something had happened.   At 11AM we decided there was a good chance the plane went down or was damaged so we put together a 5-day survival plan (we knew there was a 3 day front coming through with cold weather and snow from the forecast received the day before).  We fortified our shelter with logs and branches and caught some trout for lunch which we ate raw.  We positioned a canoe half way in the water to allow us escape if a bear showed up.  The smell of fish would probably draw one into our area.

 

We made the best shelter we could and decided we needed to get some sleep.  Our outlook at this point was bleak.  There were no other options except for being picked up by the float plane.  We left messages on our cell phones for our wives and kids in case we didn’t make it.

 

About 2PM we heard a plane and then it went away.  It later came back and flew over us and we saw that it was Joe’s plane.

 

Interestingly, the weather at Ternay was blowing and raining all morning but the weather 15 miles away was clear.  We even had the sun out at one point.  Prime example of what can happen with the fickle weather up there.

 

Joe did the right thing by leaving us.  There wasn’t any way he could have made another flight that day because he would have crashed the plane trying.  Afterwards he told us this is the first time in 38 years he had ever left anybody in the bush.”

 

What a story Mike and Darren Miller have to tell their children and grandchildren.  I’ll bet it will be part of their family lore for generations to come.

 

Unwelcomed guest arrives at fishing camp

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Following up on my recent articles about 5 of us fishermen heading north to Quebec to fish in Lake Ternay:  Attorney Mike Shepard (Mike S) and me from the Berkshires, Mike Miller and Carl Racie from Athol, MA and Gary Hebert from Richmond, NH (guys from the east).

 

One evening, shortly after dinner, our guide Steve came storming into the lodge shouting “There’s a bear out there!”  He grabbed outfitter Joe Stefanski’s 30:06 scoped rifle and ran back outside.  Some of us didn’t take him too seriously for, as mentioned in a previous column, he had a drinking problem and could have been hallucinating.  Things livened up at the table shortly thereafter when we heard a gunshot from outside.  Several rushed outside to see if there really was a bear and if Steve shot it.  Apparently, he missed.

 

We had just returned to the dinner table when there was another shot and once again fellows scurried out to see what was what.  He missed again.  This scene repeated itself one more time.   There was no way I was going out with a guy running around in the dark shooting a gun.  The bear got away again.

 

We were beginning to suspect that there was no bear at all when Claude, the handyman, came back in saying he shined a flashlight on the bear but no one was with him to shoot it.  Later on, Steve came in holding a hip boot that was all chewed up.  (Bears apparently like to chew on boots and waders.)

 

Mike S and I headed back to our cabin because he had left his waders on a clothes line to dry and he wanted to get them inside.  As long as we were there, we called it a night and went to bed. I slept with one eye open that night.  Our cabin was not that secure, with parts of the door rotted out and a very poor latch.  The wind actually blew it open a couple of times earlier during the week.

 

Around 5 AM, I heard a scratching sound on the outside wall near my feet and thought the guys in the next cabin were clowning around, trying to scare us.  It wasn’t until I heard a piece of plywood being torn off the outside wall that I bounded up to look out the window.   I saw nothing there, listened next to our door and heard nothing and looked out another window.  There I saw a black bear walking down the boardwalk heading away from our cabin and toward the lodge.   I woke Mike S up and told him about it and we both peered out the window but we couldn’t see it any more.  Mike went back to bed and as I was getting dressed we heard 3 gunshots come from the area near the lodge.

 

Gary Hebert and I walked toward the big house and saw Joe standing there in his underwear holding his rifle.  The first words out of his mouth were “What’s a guy have to do around here to get a night’s sleep?”   The animal had awakened him while rummaging nearby and he shot it.

 

Shortly thereafter, Claude joined us from the guide’s cottage and showed us the damages the bear did there.  During the night, it scratched at their door trying to get it.  It destroyed Steve’s backpack, scattered his fishing lures, chewed up a beer can, chewed up his sun glasses and punctured an aerosol can of OFF insect repellant (that’s possibly when it chewed up the camp water hose, probably to gargle). Sometime during the night, it also chewed up a couple of jerry cans near the boats.  It tore off a chunk of plywood from our cottage and left it lying on the ground.

 

After bears had previously broken into one of Joe’s camps and totally destroyed his lodge kitchen, stove, refrigerator, etc, costing him thousands of dollars in damages, he doesn’t fool around with them anymore.  From that day on, no fishing cleaning is allowed on the island or anything that will attract bears.  He flies out the garbage when he goes for provisions.

 

Unlike the bears around here with frequent contact with humans, bears up there are hundreds of miles away from civilization.  They never see humans and probably consider us another animal to kill and eat.  I hated to see the bear being killed, but if not that day, then sometime in the future it would have caused someone serious trouble.

 

Joe had to get the dead bear off the island lest the carcass attract other bears.   It was rolled down the hill to the water’s edge, attached by rope to a boat and towed out to a nearby small island which he calls Bear Island.    He left it there where it will eventually be eaten by other bears or scavengers.

 

Later on, we kiddingly asked Joe what the proper attire was for bear hunting up there.  “Fruit of the Loom”, he replied.

 

In some ways, Mike S and I were glad to leave because of the slow fishing, drunken guide, dangerous, slippery rivers, white knuckled boat rides through white caps, and marauding bears.  On the other hand, the sights of the Northern Lights were remarkable as were the sights and sounds of the loons and, of course the occasional catching of big beautiful brookies.

 

As our plane approached, Mike Miller confided in us that he wished he was leaving, too.   But he had to stay because his son Darren was flying in on that plane to fish with him and the other guys for the next several days.  Did he have a premonition?  Find out next week.

Trip to the North turns south

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Readers may recall last week’s article about 5 of us fishermen heading north to Quebec to fish in Lake Ternay:  Attorney Mike Shepard (Mike S) and me from the Berkshires, Mike Miller and Carl Racie from Athol, MA and Gary Hebert from Richmond, NH (guys from the east).

 

When our plane landed on Lake Ternay and we got to the island, there were other people leaving who had spent the prior week fishing.  They said they caught some fish but the fishing was slow at times.   The weather had been very hot, the water warm and the fish were not moving into the rivers.

 

After unpacking our gear and grabbing a quick lunch, we got into a couple of 16 foot boats and crossed the lake a mile or so to fish the South Rapids (inlet to the lake) where we caught a few small brookies.  It was then that we noticed that we had only one guide for the five of us and he was a last minute fill in.  The scheduled guide hurt his hand and could not be there.

 

The guide was a Frenchman from New Brunswick who we shall call Steve, and he was accompanied by another Frenchman also from New Brunswick named Claud.  Claud was a likable person whose job was to keep the equipment running and do other camp maintenance.

 

That night, the outfitter Joe Stefanski asked us not to give any alcohol to Steve because he had a drinking problem.    He also mentioned that Steve had spent two years in prison in Kuujjuaq village in Nunavik, Quebec.   We noticed he always carried a sheathed knife on his belt.  He was an excellent fly tyer though and was familiar with the waters.

 

The next day, we returned to the South Rapids, hiked over a peninsula where a boat was stashed, crossed that lake to another inlet and hiked overland to the river.  Mike S. caught a nice brookie of nearly 4 lbs where the river entered the lake.   I moved upriver and had just stepped into the water with the intent of fishing downstream toward Mike when Steve entered just below me and started catching fish after fish.  Being the guide, I fully expected him to invite me down there to fish it, but he didn’t.  It was like he was competing with me.

 

When he finally moved upstream, I went there and began catching nice trout myself.  We never saw Steve or Claud the rest of the day.  In the meantime, Stefanski brought the guys from the east to the other side of the river and they caught a few nice fish.

 

At the end of the day, the Frenchmen returned to the boat and on the way back we heard all about the big fish that they caught up above.  This did not set well with us who were supposed to be guided that day.

 

A day or so later, we noticed Steve helping himself to the guy’s beer and before long, an 8 pack of beer was missing.  His problem with alcohol was becoming evident.  Mike S and I took our stuff to our cabin.  After all, we weren’t in a place where we could go to the corner package store and buy more.

 

The next day, we fished the North Rapids (lake outlet) some 12 miles away (2 hour boat ride in very choppy waters). Care had to be taken at certain spots lest the motor propeller struck large submerged rocks.  Depending on what side of the river you fished or if you wanted to brave the strong current and slippery rocks in the middle, some large brookies could be caught.  We never saw a landlocked salmon that day nor had the shore lunch that we were promised.

 

On our next trips to the North Rapids fishing got a little better.  Steve typically took the guys from the east in his boat and Mike S. drove ours.  One day Steve spent an hour or so helping me and Mike S.  get out into the middle of the river and catch some beautiful fish.  He took the guys from the east to the opposite side of the river and they caught some nice fish, too. On the way back, we did some trolling in a shallow inlet and caught 7 nice pike of 36” or more for our dinner that night.

 

But for the next several days, Steve only drove the boat and dropped us off to fish while he disappeared on shoreline or sat in the boat drinking.  There was virtually no guiding being done, or shore lunches, and it appeared as though he was drinking more and more.

 

When the beer ran out, he started hitting the hard stuff that other customers from previous trips had left when they went home.  He used so much of our orange juice for mixer that we had none left for breakfast the last day.

 

A trip like this is not just about catching fish.  Part of the enjoyment is when the dinner is over and the fishermen sit around the fireplace, have a drink and discuss the big fish that they didn’t catch.  We couldn’t do this because of Steve and we were uncomfortable and had to watch every word we said to him.  Usually, we retired to our cold cabins earlier that we wanted.  We were disappointed.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  We caught some big brook trout.  Mike S. and I caught a couple in the 4 lb range and the guys from the east landed some even bigger in the 5-6 lb range.  However, we should have caught more.  If we had a sober guide who took his work seriously, the outcome of our trip may have been different.  To be continued next week.

 

Off again on another fly fishing trip

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For over 6 months Attorney Michael Shepard of Dalton and I have been planning a fly fishing trip to Lake Ternay in Northern Quebec.  We had arranged the trip through outfitter Joe Stefanski of High Arctic Adventures. Several years ago, we used the outfitter to fish Diana Lake in the Nunavik region in Canada.  We had a wonderful trip then catching lots of large brook trout and we hoped the same would happen at Ternay.

The day finally arrived and we drove up to Montreal, stayed at the Sheraton Hotel that night and linked up with three other fishermen :  Mike Miller and Carl Racie from Athol, MA and Gary Hebert from Richmond, NH.   The next morning we flew to Sept-Iles in Quebec and then on to Wabash, Labrador.  From there we took a 5 minute ride to Labrador City where we purchased our provisions and spent the second night.  The following morning, bush pilots flew us in two  seaplanes, from Little Wabash Lake to Lake Ternay where our camp, Lake Ternay Lodge was located on an island.  Our plane was a four seat de Havilland Beaver which was built in 1956 and it appeared that the only modern equipment on it was a GPS system, similar to what you have in your car.

Mike Shepard sat in a front seat next to the 22 year old pilot and I sat in the back next to a strapped in 55 gallon drum of aviation fuel.  After an hour flight, we made a smooth landing on the lake.  (I get such a rush taking off or landing on water).  The lake is located approximately 100 miles northwest of Wabash in Quebec Province with nothing, I mean nothing but tundra and water bodies in between.   There were no other people or towns for nearly 100 miles.

The lake is in the headwaters of the Caniapiscau River in the sub arctic region and a river flows in from the south (South Rapids) and the outlet flows north (North Rapids).  All rivers there above the 52nd parallel flow north ultimately into Ungava Bay, some 350 miles north.

According to Stefanski, the brook trout, lake trout, landlock salmon, pike, etc. stay in the deep lake during the winter and as soon as “ice out” the baitfish swim upstream to spawn and the game fish follow and feed on them.   During the warm summer months, they drop back into the lake and stay there until it is time for them to spawn, in late August or early September, depending on weather and water conditions.  That is what brought us to this remote spot at that time.  We wanted to fish the rivers for big brookies, landlocks, and perhaps lakers. Aah!  The things we do and places we go to outfox a critter with a brain the size of a pea.

After two days of traveling, we finally made it there and were ready for a wonderful week of catching some big fish.  To be continued in next week’s column.  *****

At the September Berkshire County League of Sportsmen meeting, Andrew Madden, Manager of DFW Western District reported the following:

Hunting on Sundays is still prohibited in Massachusetts.  A bill allowing bowhunting on Sundays had been passed by the House in June, but it did not get passed by the full legislature.

The DFW Field Headquarters staff is back in operation in Westborough. The new state-of-the-art, energy-neutral Headquarters building, is located on the footprint of the old building on the Westborough Wildlife Management Area.  Phone numbers, email addresses for Field Headquarters staff, and location remain the same (1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581).

The sale of Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits by Wildlife Management Zone will be staggered over the following days in October:

  • Zone 11 permits will go on sale Tuesday, October 7th at 8 A.M.
  • Zone 10 permits will go on sale Wednesday, October 8th at 8 A.M.
  • Zone 13 and 14 permits will go on sale Thursday, October 9th at 8 A.M.

 

Three Western District sportsmen’s clubs are participating in the Youth Pheasant Hunt this fall (East Mountain, Lee, and Worthington).  For more information contact the DFW Western District office in Dalton (413) 684-1646.

Total new acreage (Ownership and Conservation Easements) in the Western District totaled 958 acres this past year:  Blandford – 150 acres, Chester  – 76 acres, Chesterfield – 91 acres, Cummington – 2 acres, Great Barrington – 325 acres, Lanesboro – 139 acres, Windsor – 75 acres and Worthington – 100 acres

Fall trout stocking should begin the last week of September and run through the Columbus Day weekend.  The Western District waters usually stocked in the fall include: Ashfield Pond, Deerfield River, Littleville Lake, Westfield River (E. Branch), North Pond, Upper Highland Lake, Littleville Lake, Norwich Lake, Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, Lake  Buel, Windsor Lake, Lake Buel, Otis Reservoir, Big Benton Pond, Onota Lake, Pontoosuc Lake, Richmond Pond, Stockbridge Bowl and Windsor Pond.

The September meeting of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board will be held this Tuesday at noon at the DFW Western Wildlife District office, 88 Old Windsor Road, Dalton. *****

The Berkshire County Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited will be having a banquet on Saturday evening, September 20 at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club, Route 102, Stockbridge.  There will be games, raffles and a social hour at 5 PM and a buffet dinner at 6:30 PM.  Tickets cost $45 for a single, $35 for spouse, $25 for junior.  There are sponsor deals also.  The ticket order deadline is tomorrow. We attended the first event last year and had a wonderful time.

The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club Turkey Shoots start next Sunday and run every Sunday through November 23.  Shoots start at 1 p.m. and costs $3 a shot.

Famous poet once was in North Berkshires

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For you fishermen and stream enthusiasts, here is a poem which you may enjoy.   The poem was discovered in the North Adams Library by Paul Ouellette of Lanesboro and read at a Taconic Trout Unlimited Chapter meeting over 25 years ago.    It still is required reading for TU members.   Paul is in his 90’s now, but I’ll bet he can still recite that poem from memory.  You’ll  never guess who wrote it.

There’s a brook on the side of Greylock that used to be full of trout, But there’s nothing there now but minnows; they say it is all fished out. I fished there many a Summer day some twenty years ago, And I never quit without getting a mess of a dozen or so. There was a man, Dave Lilly, who lived on the North Adams road, And he spent all his time fishing, while his neighbors reaped and sowed. He was the luckiest fisherman in the Berkshire hills, I think. And when he didn’t go fishing he’d sit in the tavern and drink. Well, Dave is dead and buried and nobody cares very much; They have no use in Greylock for drunkards and loafers and such. But I always liked Dave Lilly, he was pleasant as you could wish; He was shiftless and good-for-nothing, but he certainly could fish. The other night I was walking up the hill from Williamstown And I came to the brook I mentioned, and I stopped on the bridge and sat down. I looked at the blackened water with its little flecks of white And I heard it ripple and whisper in the still of the Summer night. And after I’d been there a minute it seemed to me I could feel The presence of someone near me, and I heard the hum of a reel. And the water was churned and broken, and something was brought to land By a twist and flirt of a shadowy rod in a deft and shadowy hand. I scrambled down to the brookside and hunted all about; There wasn’t a sign of a fisherman; there wasn’t a sign of a trout. But I heard somebody chuckle behind the hollow oak And I got a whiff of tobacco like Lilly used to smoke. It’s fifteen years, they tell me, since anyone fished that brook; And there’s nothing in it but minnows that nibble the bait off your hook. But before the sun has risen and after the moon has set I know that it’s full of ghostly trout for Lilly’s ghost to get. I guess I’ll go to the tavern and get a bottle of rye And leave it down by the hollow oak, where Lilly’s ghost went by. I meant to go up on the hillside and try to find his grave And put some flowers on it — but this will be better for Dave.

The poem is entitled Dave Lillie and it was written by none other than the famous poet Joyce Kilmer.  Yes, the same guy who wrote the poem “Trees”.  You remember it, “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…. “   A lot of us Lenox Dale grade school kids back in the 1940’s and 1950’s had to learn that poem and recite it in class.   I don’t know if kids even learn poetry in school any more.  But I digress.

It is obvious that he (Alfred Joyce Kilmer) lived in or visited the North Berkshires, because he mentioned some local landmarks such as Mt Greylock, North Adams Road and the town of Williamstown in the poem..    According to research conducted by Paul W. Marino (www.PaulWMarino.org), a Lillie family farmed in what is now the watershed of Mt Williams Reservoir, which he believes is the area to which Kilmer referred.

Marino notes that Kilmer, who was born and raised in New Brunswick, NJ, was no stranger to the Berkshires.  For many years his mother maintained a summer home in Cheshire.

At the age of 31, Kilmer was killed in World War I, during the Second Battle of the Marne on July 30, 1918.  On that day he volunteered to accompany Major William “Wild Bill” Donovan when Donovan’s First Battalion was sent to lead the day’s attack.

According to Wikipedia, most of his poems are largely unknown and several critics including his contemporaries and modern scholars have disparaged Kilmer’s work as being too simple and overly sentimental, and suggested that his style was far too traditional, even archaic.  

Well, some of us simple, archaic old folks do like his poems.

Many thanks to Matt Tannenbaum of the Bookstore in Lenox for helping me research this article .*****

Happy 100th birthday goes to the Berkshire Hatchery, an environmental and operational landmark on the Konkapot River in New Marlborough.   The Hatchery was created when the family of John Sullivan Scully, a trout fisherman, entrusted their 148-acre retreat to the U.S. Government in 1914.   It became a Federal hatchery in 1919.

Scully is to be honored today at the Hatchery’s Lobsterfest.   As Berkshire Hatchery Foundation President George B. Emmonds so eloquently wrote  in his article in the August issue of The Monterey News:  “As the sound of music at the afternoon celebration filters over a picturesque mountain setting, with the year round flow of 300 gallons a minute of perfect 47 degree water, attendees will be asked to join in singing this song of praise to honor the generosity of Scully’s (Irish) ancestral heritage.  Although it was 100 years ago that the founding angler rounded a bend in the river of life, he will be with us in spirit as his legacy lives on.”

Hope you are one of the lucky ones attending today’s Lobsterfest.

Get the lead out……save our loons

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Recently, wildlife officials in New Hampshire reported the third documented lead poisoned loon death this year.  It was discovered in July on Lake Winnipesaukee where the bird beached itself.  It was transported to an animal hospital for a blood test and x-rays.  Radiographs showed a lead-headed fishing jig and blood lead levels were at toxic levels, so the loon was immediately euthanized.  The link between loon deaths and lead poisoning first emerged in the 1980s.  Necropsies performed by the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine on dead adult common loons in New Hampshire revealed that 49% had the remains of lead sinkers and jigs in their gizzards and had died from lead poisoning. A loon will die approximately two to four weeks after ingesting lead tackle.   Officials believe it is likely that loons are eating fish that have tackle in or on them. As the acidic juices in the bird’s gizzard break down the food, the lead is also broken down and gets into the bloodstream of the bird, said Emily Preston, a wildlife biologist with the N.H. Fish and Game Department.   Necropsies of dead adult loons show that lead tackle accounts for more deaths than every other human factor combined. The loss of so many adults from this preventable cause of mortality has inhibited the recovery of loons in New Hampshire, according to the Loon Preservation Committee. “Because loons do not breed until 6-7 years of age and have low reproductive success, it is important that adult loons survive for many years to produce surviving young. The loss of an adult loon may also result in the loss of that loon’s nest or chicks, further negatively impacting the population.” Over the objections of some sportsmen, Governor Hassan signed a bill (SB 89) in 2013 that increases protection for loons from lead fishing tackle by banning the sale and freshwater use of lead fishing sinkers and jigs weighing one ounce or less.

 

This bill will be implemented in June of 2016, but N.H. Fish and Game and the LPC are urging everyone to remove lead tackle from their tackle boxes now.  Safe alternatives to lead tackle are weights made of steel, tungsten, tin, bismuth, and other materials.  They are effective and readily available.

In Massachusetts, it has been illegal to use any lead fishing sinkers and lead jigs weighing less than 1 ounce in inland waters since January 1, 2012.  Prohibited tackle includes lead sinkers and jigs weighing less than an ounce regardless of whether they are painted, coated with rubber, covered by attached “skirts” or some other material.  *****

With the hot weather upon us, trout fishing in our local rivers has pretty much shut down until the fall for many local anglers.  They don’t want to overly stress the trout which are trying to survive the low, hot water conditions.  One exception is the Deerfield River which has frequent cold water releases from the bottom of the dams and the fishing is good all summer long.

Fuad Ameen, of Pittsfield, former writer for Western Mass Angler Newspaper, sent in this article which is a warning for us all.  Many thanks, Fuad.

“What is unusual about the Deerfield is the fact that many dams impound the waters and regulate the flow of the river daily.  This everyday release of the water causes the river to rise quickly and this rapid rise can jeopardize your wading safely back to shore.  The fly caster must be alert and use extreme caution when in the stream.

 

Fishing close to the dams, the water rises quicker and is even more dangerous.  The incident that follows happened to me one summer evening.  My friend, Max, and I were fishing the famous “Old Mill Dam Hole” near the entrance to the Hoosac Tunnel in Zoar, MA.

 

The “Old Mill Dam Hole “is in a section of the river close to one of the dams.  Max was upstream from me, while I was casting off of some submerged timbers in the main pool.  In low water, the pool was perhaps eight feet in depth.

 

I heard Max’s warning whistle first and then what sounded like a strong wind blowing pierced my ears.  That sound of wind was actually the rushing and rising waters coming around the bend and quickly filling the “Old Mill Dam Pool”.

 

Making my way back off of the sunken beams, I saw several large trout rising at the tail end of the pool.  Feed was washing down and the trout were quick to surface.  I looked back at Max and yelled “watch me take some of these”.  But in that split second, I had let my guard down and stepped off of the sunken timbers.  I was quickly caught in the roaring currents.  As I sank, I knew I would have but one chance to surface as my waders quickly filled.  I doubled up and when my feet hit bottom, I surged upward with all of the strength I could muster.  Just my head broke the surface and I was being carried downstream in the raging currents.  My rod and cap were gone.

 

Max had witnessed my distress and was running along the shore trying to catch up with me.  He picked up and extended a long branch on the first bend and the currents pushed me towards Max.  I grabbed and hung on to that branch for dear life and was dragged out.

 

I have fished the Deerfield my entire life and knew of the dangers of the rising waters, yet could have lost my life that day.

 

After dark, I returned to the “Old Mill Dam Hole” as the waters had receded.   I recovered my favorite rod for future adventures.  My fishing cap was lost forever”……Fuad Ameen

2014 Antlerless deer permit allocations remain unchanged in most districts

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In his May report to the MA Fish and Wildlife Board, DFW Deer Project Leader David Stainbrook recommended few changes to the antlerless permit allocations for this year’s deer hunting season.    In fact, no allocation changes were recommended for Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) 1 through 9.   (The Western District encompasses WMZ 1 through parts of WMZ 4).  That is because the deer density levels are at the desired levels or very close to them.  However; in WMZ 10, 11 and 12 the Division is still struggling to attain what it considers optimal density levels.  He recommended increasing the antlerless permits from 11,000 to 12,000 in WMZ 10, from 10,000 to 11,000 in WMZ 11 and from 650 to 800 in WMZ 12.  Those zones are at the eastern end of the Commonwealth and Cape Cod.  The Board approved his recommendation.

To get an idea of the density problem which exists  in the east, contrast the total number of permits in WMZ 1 through 9 (13,174), which takes you from the Berkshires to Rte 495, to the 23,000 around the Boston area. They must have a serious deer problem on Martha’s Vinyard and Nantucket too, for the permits total 2,700 on each island.  The entire Western Massachusetts area, west of the Connecticut River only has 2,325 permits.

So why is there such a problem getting the deer density totals down in the east?  The main reason given by DFW is the fact that many of these towns do not allow deer hunting.  As a consequence, the deer herd there has skyrocketed to the point that residents are complaining they are eating all of their flowers, bushes and gardens.  The deer are also taking a heavy toll on various tree saplings necessary to sustain their forests as well as eating rare and endangered plants.  There are also high numbers of deer/auto collisions as well as high rates of lime disease caused by deer ticks.

The only way DFW can get the deer densities down to desired levels is by increasing the number of antlerless permits in towns where people can hunt.

Interestingly, some of those thickly settled towns are beginning to allow archery hunting.  They  consider  it safer than shotgun hunting but is still a way to help alleviate the problem.  Last year in those zones, more deer were harvested by bow hunters than any other method.  Now the State Legislature is looking into possibly allowing archery deer hunting on Sundays.

DFW Director Wayne MacCallum is pleased that two thirds of the state is basically at density goals.  He doesn’t believe there is another state in the country that has a deer population that’s as healthy as ours.   “We have hard winters but we don’t have winter kills because we’ve got those densities down to a point where we have sustainable harvests.  For nearly two decades some 10,000  deer have been harvested a year”.  Healso praised the new data base model used by DFW to manage the deer herd.

F&W Board Chairman George “Gige” Darey expects the new data model to get even better because they are just at the beginning of it.  “It is so important to manage the deer herd.  We can’t let it get out of sync, like what is happening in Maine (high winter kills) and on Long Island (where they are so many that they are contemplating poisoning them).

Stainbrook also reported the final numbers for the 2013 deer hunting seasons.  Some 11,566 deer were harvested by hunters during the combined 2013 hunting seasons. By season, the statewide total breaks down as follows:  6 deer taken during the special deer season for paraplegic sportsmen; 4,486 taken in the archery season; 4,609 taken during the shotgun season; 2,343 taken during the muzzleloading season and 122 deer harvested during the Quabbin Reservation hunt.  For more detailed information, go to the MassWildlife White-Tailed Deer Harvest Information web page.

Incidentally, the deadline for applying for a 2014 antlerless deer permit is July 16.   There is no application fee but a $5 fee is charged if you are selected for a permit during the Instant Award period.  If you are not sure you submitted an antlerless deer permit application, check your hunting license in the Item Purchased section where you will see a line item that reads: “Antlerless Deer Permit Application.  You can also log on to the MassFishHunt website at www.mass.gov/massfishhunt and check your customer inventory.  If you have not yet applied, you can submit your application for an antlerless deer permit either online through a computer or at a licensed vendor.  *****

Steve Bateman of Pittsfield, organizer for the 22nd annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby which was held on June 7, can’t thank you enough for supporting this derby.   A record 252 people participated.  He reports that it was a beautiful day but no monsters were caught.  The winners were as follows:  Children’s Heaviest Game Fish Category:  1ST  place – Jayden Tucker, largemouth bass – 2 lbs 6 oz; 2nd place – Jordyn Hamilton – largemouth bass – 1 lb 7 oz; 3rd place – Chalyce Jones – rainbow trout – 1 lb 7 oz.  Children’s Heaviest Non-Game Category:  1st place Brody Perkins – bullhead – 11 oz; 2nd place– Corey Kahlenbeck – white perch – 7 oz; 3rd place – Logan Barde – bluegill – 7 oz.. Adult Heaviest Fish Category:  1st place – Clem Caryofiles – largemouth bass – 3 lbs 1 oz; 2nd place – Mitch Scace – Largemouth bass – 3 lbs, 3rd place – Brian Barde – largemouth bass – 2 lbs 13 oz.  Special Heaviest Fish 1st Place Awards:  Bass: Shaun Herforth – smallmouth bass – 3 lbs 2 oz, Perch/Crappie: Dakotah Thiede – yellow perch – 9 oz.  Trout Adult:  Stan Les – rainbow – 1 lb 11 oz.  Trout Child:  James Lambert – brown trout – 3 lbs.  Sportsmanship Award:  Lillian Wilson.

Update on didymo

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It was just about a year ago whenofficials from the Massachusetts Departments of Fish and Game  and Conservation and Recreation  informed residents of the presence of Didymosphenia geminata (didymo, a/k/a rock snot) ) in the Green River in Alford and Egremont.  That finding was the first confirmed occurrence in Massachusetts.

It has also been detected in NY, CT, VT and NH.  Fishermen wearing felt soled boots were blamed for its spread and some states banned their use.  Fishermen were angry at being forced to buy new boots that they didn’t trust.   They remembered the previous attempts at producing non-felt soles which didn’t work.   Nothing beats felt at gripping wet rocks.

In his update to the MA Fish & Wildlife Board, DFW Western District Manager Andrew Madden reported that he went back to check on the didymo in the Green River late last summer and could hardly find any.   He informed the Board that didymo requires a set of environmental conditions:  cold, clear, oligotrophic type water, sunlight, and proper PH.  He feels that the key limiting factor seems to be reaction to phosphorous.  Didymo requires really low phosphorous levels and if you get above a certain level it goes away.  He speculated that there was a lot of water diluting conditions there as summer went on with reduced water levels and increased agricultural run-off.

Scientists knew that didymo was native to all of North America and already present in many streams.  What’s new are the blooms, and they believe the blooms are caused by a change in the environment — low levels of phosphorous in the water, which cause didymo to grow the long stalks that could become streambed-smothering mats. Turns out that Madden is right.

 

Of course we should continue to thoroughly disinfect and dry our boots.  But isn’t it ironic that  we have been doing our best to get the phosphorous out of our waters only to have the cleaner water foster the growth of didymo? *****

The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation will be holding a kid’s fishing derby at the lower pond next Saturday from 9 to 10:30 AM.     Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. *****

For various reasons I got a late start on fly fishing this year.  The first day of fly fishing for me is always a nostalgic trip into yesteryear.  I knew where I was going to fish, but had no idea of what hatches were on and what flies to use to imitate them.  Some of my friends had already been out fly fishing several times and had good ideas of what flies would work best.  I didn’t want to ask them because they would know that I was going fishing soon and would not want me to fish alone.  Not this day, for I already had a truckload of fishermen going with me…………people like Joe Areno, Charles Lahey, Ralph Shea, Bill White, Ted Giddings, Gordon Leeman, Al Les, and others.

 

Wait, you say, these folks have all passed beyond the river bend, some of them many years ago.  True, but their memories still linger and are with me to this day, especially the first day of fly fishing each season.  Their influence on me in the sport of fly fishing was great.

 

Each year on my first outing, I tote them along.  This year I fished with Joe Areno’s fly rod that he purchased in Japan during the Korean War.  The reel that I used was an old beat up Martin reel that Gordon Leeman (former game warden) fished with.  Some of the flies used were the late Bill White’s Brown Charm, which Ted Giddings passed on to me, Charlie Lahey’s Mad River Special, Lee Wulff’s flies (met him in North Adams when he was a guest speaker of the Hoosic Chapter of TU), the AuSable Wulff, tied up for me by Francis Betters, famous fly tyer and author, and others. .

 

Of all the people mentioned, no one had a more profound effect on me as Ralph Shea of Pittsfield.  He practiced catch and release long before it became popular.  It was he who taught me how to cast a fly and how to tie them.  It was with him that I caught my first trout on a fly out of the Westfield River in Bancroft (on a fly that he taught me to tie).

 

The last time I saw Al Les was fishing on the Williams River in West Stockbridge.  We fished together a short time that day.  He passed a few months later. (He was the first recipient of the Silvio O. Conte Sportsman of the Year Award).  I was so impressed with Joe Areno (another Sportsman of the Year award recipient) that I developed and named a fly after him.  I fished with Charlie Lahey many times and was elated when  he was inducted into the Freshwater Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin.  He fly fished until he was nearly 102 years old.

 

The memories of these and other great fly fishermen were vivid and I sat down on a stream bank and reflected.     They had a lasting effect and were the reason why I took up the sport.  Because of them, I was able to enjoy a sport that I had hitherto never known.    For the last 35 or so years, it has provided me with great pleasure.

 

I never caught a fish that day, but so what.  We just enjoyed the clear blue spring sky, warm sun, and green pastures.  The memories of these sportsmen made for a very special day.

As previously mentioned, this happens once each year, in the spring and I look forward to it.  I so much enjoy their company. *****

 

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818

 

 

A shiny future for Silver Lake

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Recently, I attended the Silver Lake ceremony celebrating its clean-up.   The 26 acre lake has been remediated in accordance with the Consent Decree, agreed to by the EPA and GE.    The PCB’s have not all been dredged out but rather the lake bottom has been capped, the banks have been cleaned, benches installed, trees planted and a paved walkway has been installed on the north side.  “This is not a premiere, pristine waterway by any stretch of the imagination”, said Jim McGrath, Pittsfield’s Park and Natural Resources Manager, “but at the end of the day it is an urban water body that has the potential to be a contributor to the city of Pittsfield.   His department will be responsible for the maintenance of the park and walkway on a permanent basis.

 

Swimming in the lake is not recommended but it is not entirely unsafe to swim in either.    “Do we want to see people recreating here around the lake with kayaks and such?  Sure if that is something that they desire to do.  They can do that here.  There is a parking lot on the north side of the lake which is owned by PEDA and should be available for public use.  This lake is no different than any of the other publically accessible water bodies in Pittsfield, such as Onota and Pontoosuc lakes”.

 

The public can fish any of the shoreline owned by PEDA, which is mainly the north side, including a sand bar located there.  The southern shore is privately owned and the public is asked that if they fish from the shore, they do so from the publicly owned land.   There is no boat launch on the lake but people can launch a boat anywhere they feel that it can be launched.   “If you can traverse down the bank safely, and if you want to launch a kayak, feel free to do so”, he said.   Due to its size, it is classified by the Commonwealth as a “Great Pond”, available to people of the commonwealth.

 

“It was a polluted open water body and those who were involved with the project did their best to remediate and restore it.  And, in doing so, they provided a very handsome resource.   It is one more place for people to enjoy healthy activity.  Previously, there was no sidewalk on Silver Lake Boulevard, so if nothing else we have increased the public safety along this half mile stretch along Silver Lake Boulevard and that is important.”, McGrath said.

 

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi said that he feels that this project is a symbol of the next chapter in Pittsfield and a bright future for generations to come.   He is delighted that many generations of young people will enjoy Silver Lake.

 

After the dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting, I took a walk along the adjacent walkway and checked things out.  There is an adjacent settling pond which apparently catches the drainage from the former GE property.  This little pond in turn drains into Silver Lake on the north side.  I could smell oil or something and detected an oily sheen on the water.  Too bad the Consent Decree didn’t address that for it appears that PCBs are still entering the lake.

 

I observed several large tree trunks and limbs in the water along the shoreline.   According to McGrath, they were intentionally placed there to provide structure and shelter for the fish and critters.  Consultations were conducted with MassWildlife and other environmental consultants on the selection of trees and shrubs planted along the shoreline to ensure they were native varieties and not invasives.

 

Before leaving, I observed something else…….dimples on the water surface, indicating that perhaps an insect hatch was in progress and fish were taking them.  It is claimed that largemouth bass and other fish live there and that was proof enough for me. It almost made me run (er…walk quickly) to the truck and grab my fly rod.  No, you don’t want to eat these fish, but catch and release fishing is quite enjoyable. What a great place for the kids in Pittsfield to go fishing, probably within walking distance of their homes.  What a great place for the older folks to sit on a bench and take in the scenery.

 

Like it or not, the lake has been cleaned up in accordance with the Consent Decree..  It is an urban water body with runoff coming in from different sources.  It is not pristine, not perfect and it is what it is.  But at the end of the day it is better than what it was and the city of Pittsfield has a new valuable resource and every reason to be proud of it. *****

Sixty seven fisherman and fisherwomen entered the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club Fishing Derby that was held on Sunday May 18.at Stockbridge Bowl.  It was a cool start and windy day but no rain.  The following individuals were the winners:  Largest Trout- Mike Storie, Pittsfield , 2 lbs, 9 oz, 18 ½”; Largest Bass-  Matt Fogarty, Sheffield 3 lbs, 1 oz, 19”, Largest Pickerel- Bob Spence, Austerlitz, NY, 3 lbs, 1 oz, 26 ½”, Largest Bullhead- Jeff Courier, Stockbridge 1 lb, 3 oz, 13”. Ages 12 and Under Winners:  Largest Trout –  1st place – Colin Mackie, Becket  1 lb, 10 oz, 16 “; 2nd Thomas Koldys, Housatonic, 1 lb, 4 oz, 13”; 3rd Blake Cella, Lenox, 1 lb, 3 oz, 13’; Largest Bullhead – 1st– Seth Slemp, Lee, 1lb, 2oz, 12’; 2nd – Dylan Trumps, South Lee, 1 lb 1 oz, 12 ½”;   3rd – Ashley Trumps, South. Lee, 1 lb,13”.   Largest Rock Bass was caught by Kemp Stiles, Stockbridge, 4 oz, 7’’.

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818..

 

 

MassWildlife staff honored

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Several staff from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) were recently honored with awards for their public service to fisheries, wildlife, and conservation.  Dr. Mark Tisa, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Dr. Jon Regosin, Chief of Conservation Science, from MassWildlife and Rich Lehan, General Counsel for the DFG were part of a multi-agency group honored by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New England Regional office with a Bronze Medal Award.  This medal is EPA’s third highest honor and is presented by regional offices to recognize exceptional, distinguished, or heroic individual and group achievements.  It is uncommon for recipients of this award to be given to non-EPA staff

The multi-agency team consisted of representatives of EPA New England and EPA Headquarters, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts DFG, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office.  EPA and the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut discussed potential approaches to clean up the Rest of River portion of the GE Housatonic River site.

The team focused on the need to address the risks from PCBs to humans, fish, wildlife, and other organisms while avoiding, mitigating, or minimizing the impacts of the cleanup on the unique ecological character of the Housatonic River.  As stated in the nomination application by EPA staff, “Thanks to the partnerships formed during this process with the states, the program and the public can be assured that this difficult cleanup decision will be made based upon sound science and the best available information and in an open and transparent manner.”  *****

The 22nd Annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at the Frank Controy Pavilion at Onota Lake in Pittsfield, MA. from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  No fishing license is required (Free fishing weekend for the state) The derby is open to the public and its purpose is to raise money for the Jimmy Fund – Dana Farber Cancer Institute For Children. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Jimmy Fund in memory of Harry A. Bateman a former member of Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Council, Central Berkshire Bowman & I.U.E. Local 255 who was well known throughout Berkshire County and who became a victim of cancer in 1992. 15 trophies and prizes are given away to the winners of the fishing derby (8 for the Children 4  Adults and 3 that can be won by adults or children)  There is a special category for those fishing with a bow & arrow.  All fish must be weighed in at noon. and can be caught at Onota Lake from  boat or shore.  Fee, which includes food and beverage, is $10 for adults and $5 for Children 14 years and younger.  There is a ticket raffle and many other great prizes.  

 

For any information contact Steve Bateman at 413-464-5035 or by email home:iggnatz@msn.com. *****

 

The picture?   Well, three and a half year old Hunter Proper has been having a good year of fishing, catching some 9 rainbow trout.  But nothing compared to the lunker carp he latched onto recently.    While fishing at the Onota Lake Causeway, using his little Spiderman fishing pole with a low weight line test and worms, he hooked a 14 lb 14 oz carp which immediately took off and fought him for a half hour.  His dad Justin had to help him hold the pole lest the fish yank it right out of his hands, but Hunter caught it all by himself.  Don’t you know, there were 10 other fishermen there witnessing the battle and not one had a net.  So he just dragged it up on shore.  It turned out to be a 30 inch fish with a 19 inch girth.  Rather than mount it, they will have a carved reproduction made of it.  *****

The following local waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week:  Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield and Russell; Housatonic River in Hinsdale, Dalton, Stockbridge and Lee; Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida, Hoosic River in Clarksburg, Ashfield Pond, North Pond, Onota Lake, Upper Highland Lake, Otis Reservoir, Goose Pond and Laurel Lake. *****

Over this long weekend, you might want to take a moment or two to remember and thank those who sacrificed so much in defense of our country.

 

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818..