Category Archives: Fly Fishing

2018 black bear harvest was down 25% from previous year

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At the January Meeting of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden presented the statewide 2018 preliminary black bear harvest report. He reported that during the three hunting seasons in 2018, a total of 201 bears were harvested. This represents a drop from the 270 bears taken in 2017 and the record 283 bears taken in 2016. A breakdown by season is as follows: First season (Sept. 4 – Sept. 22): 150 bears harvested, Second season (Nov. 5 – Nov. 24): 26, and the Shotgun season (Nov. 26 – Dec. 8): 25.  
He reported that the September and November seasons were virtually identical in 2017 (151 and 26). The big decrease in harvest in 2018 was during the Shotgun season. He speculated that bears were active very late in 2017, resulting in a high Shotgun season harvest, 91 bears taken. The lack of hard mast in 2018 saw bears enter their dens early which resulted in a corresponding reduction in the Shotgun season harvest, with only 25 bears taken.
Although these were preliminary figures, Madden does not expect the total to change significantly. There are a lot of bears out there and he expects that the 2019 harvest will climb back to the 270 range.
Sportsmen’s Clubs archery/shooting leagues gearing up for the new year
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association (LSA) in-house Winter Pistol League will commence Tuesday, January 15 at 6:30pm and continue every Tuesday for 10 weeks. It will feature both rim fire and center fire pistol matches, and rim fire rifle competitions. There will be 4 events in all. The cost will be $40.00 for one event and $5.00 for each event after that.
They will start at 6:30pm shooting the rim fire rifle match. Each shooter will shoot 30 rounds at a 50 ft. small bore rifle target. Shooters may lean against the front of the port and rest their elbows on the top of the port. Rifles may be equipped with scopes.
At 7:00pm, they will shoot an NRA gallery rim fire bullseye pistol match. Each shooter will shoot 10 rounds at a standard 50 ft. slow fire target, 10 rounds at a standard 50 ft. timed fire target, and 10 rounds at a standard rapid-fire target. The NRA gallery match is shot one-handed; however, they do allow a two-handed class for their league for those who would rather shoot two-handed.
There will be a combat match when the NRA gallery match is finished. Shooters will fire 25 rounds into a silhouette target at three different positions. The ammunition used will be any 9mm or larger.
For more information, please contact Larry Curtin at (413) 822-3764 or clcurtin9@hotmail.com.

The LSA will be having a Youth Archery League on Saturday mornings beginning January 12 through March 16. It is advertised as a safe, fun, and educational experience, where children ages 6 to 17 can learn and practice archery skills. The club provides everything the student needs, but if you would like to bring your own, that is OK, too.

The cost is $20 per participant and includes: indoor archery range use, bows, arrows, targets, weekly snacks, and t-shirts for new students. Session 1 for Ages 6-12 are from 9:00am to 10:30am and Session 2 for Ages 13-17 are from 10:30am to 12:00pm. Call or text Coach Doug Frank at (413) 822-0720 for more information, or if you wish to discuss placing a student in a different session for any reason.

The LSA is also having a Thursday Night Archery League. It runs from January 17 through March 7 and begins at 6:00pm. You will be shooting at foam 2D targets. There is a $20 fee. Contact Todd Bush at (413) 441-2094 for more information.

The Lenox Sportsmen’s Club (LSC) will be having its Bullseye League starting tomorrow night at 7:00pm and running 11 weeks until March 19. The shoots include .22 Caliber at 50 feet and Centerfire at 75 feet. The same Bullseye League also runs on Thursdays at 12:00 noon. That one started last Thursday.
The LSC Rifle League started this morning at 10:00 am with .22 Caliber rifle at 50 ft. & 75 ft
For more information contact Ray Scheufler- 413-443-3059 or E-mail rps94@msn.com.

The LSC Adult and Youth Archery Leagues start the first and second weeks in January. Its Youth Archery League started on January 12 from 9:00 to 10:30 am for youths 8 to 12 years old and from 10:30am to 12:00pm for 13 to 16-year olders. They are free and some equipment is available for beginners. Contact Mark Jester (413)499-8482. They also have a Club 3D Archery League on Mondays (contact Brian Vincent at (413)443-2098 for details) and a 2D Archery League on Wednesday – Friday and Saturdays (contact Jim Ferguson (413)499-0212.)
The LSC will be having a .22LR Rifle League this year. For those interested in participating, the league will run on Sundays starting at 10:00am. For more information contact Charles Kronick at 413-448-6065 or email chak219@yahoo.com.
The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club began its Youth Archery League yesterday. Although sign-up was yesterday you might still be able to enter it. The league will run for 10 Saturdays, starting on January 12. The club provides all equipment or you may bring your own. Non-members are welcome. You can download and mail a registration form along with a $40 fee. Anyone of interest and is able to assist should contact Mike Buffoni.

Coyote Derby
Dave’s Sporting Goods in Pittsfield is having its Coyote Derby again this year. It will run until the end of coyote hunting season which is March 8, 2019. Entrance fee is $10 and prizes will be awarded to the person who bags the most coyotes, the largest coyote and there will also be a random draw.
Marlborough FlyFishing Show

The 2019 Fly Fishing Show will take place from January 18 through 20 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center,181 Boston Post Road, West Marlborough, MA. The show’s newest edition features a tribute ceremony to the late fly-fishing icon Lefty Kreh on Saturday, plus more than 10 demonstrations or audio/visual presentations each hour together with wall-to-wall displays of the newest fly rods, reels, lines, boots, waders, clothing and flies during the three-day mid-winter run.
In addition to tackle, lodges and exotic destinations, show visitors can view continuous fly-tying demonstrations, how-to-do-it seminars and presentations ranging from the Rangeley Lakes in Western Maine to Surf Fishing for Striped Bass.
Seminars include Euro-nymphing, Tightline and Other Nymph Fishing Secret Weapons by Jason Randall to Catching Difficult Trout by Ed Engle. Casting demonstrations are scheduled by Gary Borger, George Daniel, Jeff Currier and Sheila Hassan among others.
Featured fly tiers include Borger, Alan Caolo, Tim Flagler, Joe Cordiero, Bob Clouser and Engle.
The northeastern premiere of the 2019 Fly Fishing Film Festival is Friday at 6:30. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Scouts in uniform can earn credits toward a fly-fishing merit badge.
The FlyFishing Show® admission is $15 for one day, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Children under age 5 are free as are Boy and Girl Scouts under 16 in uniform. Children under 12 are $5. Active military with an ID are $10.
For a complete list of fly-fishing films, classes, seminars, door prizes, demonstrations and the Scout Merit Badge program, visit flyfishingshow.com/marlborough-ma/ or phone (814) 443-3638.

Let’s go hunting!

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The Duck and Regular Canada Goose hunting seasons open tomorrow in the Berkshires. The daily bag limit for ducks is 6 with a possession limit of 18. For geese, the daily bag limit is 3 and possession limit is 9. (Remember, the 15 daily bag limit for geese only applies to the early goose hunting season which ended on September 21).

There is a myriad of regulations which apply to duck hunting. For example, note the daily bag limits: The daily bag may contain no more than 6 ducks, and no more than 4 of any species, not additionally restricted; only 2 black ducks, 4 mallards of which only 2 may be females, 3 wood ducks, etc. Waterfowl hunters need a HIP number, State and Federal stamps, must use non-toxic shot, etc., etc. Hunters really need to refer to the 2018-2019 Migratory Game Bird regulations.

The upland game (ring-necked pheasants, ruffed grouse and quail), cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunting seasons open next Saturday, October 13.

About 40,000 ring-necked pheasants will be stocked in the Commonwealth this fall and we can assume that about 8,000 of them will be stocked in the Western District. To get a complete listing of the stocking locations, click onto the MassWildlife web site and then onto “Pheasant Stocked Areas”. Not only are the stocking locations listed but also the frequency of stocking.”
Also, a couple hundred additional pheasants, which were raised by the Lee Sportsmen’s Association during the year, will be stocked onto certain public lands.
Really, upland game and rabbit hunting is all about the dogs. How they point, retrieve or hold the scent is a source of pride to the hunter. Now’s our chance to see if all of the training, veterinarian expenses, license fees, dog food expenses, etc. of our bird dogs and beagles will pay off. Hopefully, we have been able to get them into top physical shape, just like us.

If they don’t perform to our expectations, that’s ok. They will still be our lovable best friends who simply adore us.

Hunters should refer to the Massachusetts Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Trapping laws to determine season dates, daily bags, season limits, etc. I would like to reiterate one regulation: No person shall hunt during the pheasant or quail season on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) where pheasant or quail are stocked without wearing a blaze orange cap or hat except while night hunting for raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind.”
My recommendation is to wear blaze orange anywhere that you are hunting pheasants, grouse, woodcock or bunnies, not just on a WMA. Also, if hunting waterfowl from a blind, I would recommend wearing a blaze orange hat while going to or leaving the blinds.
I also recommend that non-hunters (hikers, bird watchers, mountain bikers, mushroom seekers, etc.) wear a blaze orange hat while on WMA lands and any forests or lands where hunting is permitted. Don’t forget that cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunters are out there, too, and many of them hunt in our state forests.
Incidentally, the coyote hunting season also opens on October 13.
Here’s hoping you have a safe and enjoyable hunting season, and be mindful of the deer ticks.
Help MassWildlife by recording your wildlife observations while hunting

Massachusetts hunters spend a significant amount of time in the woods observing wildlife of all kinds. These observations can provide wildlife biologists with a tremendous amount of information to better understand wildlife distribution and abundance across the Commonwealth. If you are an archery deer hunter or a game bird hunter, MassWildlife asks that you consider keeping a hunting log on all the days you hunt this season.
If you complete and submit either an archery deer hunting log or a game bird hunting log before December 14, you will be entered into a drawing. Prizes include 1 stainless steel tabletop gas grill, donated by Cabela’s, 10 blaze orange MassWildlife caps, and 10 one-year subscriptions to Massachusetts Wildlife magazine. Winners will be randomly selected and notified in late December. If you complete both types of logs, your name will be entered twice.
Archery Deer Hunting Season Log: If you are an archery deer hunter in Massachusetts, keep a daily log of your hunting activities and observations of wildlife during the archery deer season.. Because archery hunters are usually very stealthy and camouflaged, you are uniquely suited to record valuable observations of wildlife including deer, wild turkey, black bear, coyote, and other species not commonly observed.
Game Bird Hunting Season Log: If you are a game bird hunter in Massachusetts, keep a daily log of your hunting activities and observations of game birds while hunting bobwhite quail, pheasant, woodcock, or grouse. These observations will provide MassWildlife biologists with information on game bird populations across the state and allow them to evaluate hunter efforts of various upland game bird species. MassWildlife seeks to maintain healthy game bird populations while ensuring quality hunting experiences for both wild and stocked birds across the Commonwealth.
Log Results From 2017
Archery deer hunters submitted 171 hunting logs resulting in over 9,000 hours of hunting time logged. Logs were received from hunters in every Wildlife Management Zone (WMZ); however, zones 9, 10 and 11 accounted for the most logged hours. Turkey, deer, and coyote were the most common species observed statewide. Bucks and does were observed in every WMZ, while turkeys were observed in zones 1-11; black bears were observed in 7 of the 15 zones.
Hunting logs were received from 42 gamebird hunters in 2017 resulting in 975 hours of recorded game bird hunting. Submitted hunting logs were received from WMZs 2-12 and Nantucket (WMZ 14).
Fall trout stocking has begun
Mass DFW has already stocked several of our local waters. To find out when and where the stockings occurred and the kinds of trout stocked, click onto the MassWildlife web site (www.mass.gov/service-details/trout-stocking-report).
There was some conjecture as to whether the East Branch of the Westfield River will be stocked this fall. According to Andrew Madden, DFW Western District Supervisor, barring any unforeseen event such as flooding or accessibility issues, fall stocking of the East Branch is planned.
Happy 50th Birthday to the American Museum of Fly Fishing

The AMFF, which is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of fly fishing was established in 1968 in Manchester, Vermont, by a group of passionate and enthusiastic anglers who believed that the history of angling was an important part of American culture and tradition. The Museum was created to serve as an institution to research, preserve, and interpret the treasures of angling history.

Today, the Museum serves as a repository for and conservator to the world’s largest collection of angling and angling-related items, numbering in the thousands. Its collections and exhibits thoroughly document the evolution of fly fishing as a sport, art form, craft, and industry in the United States and abroad, dating as far back as the sixteenth century. Rods, reels, flies, tackle, art, photographs, manuscripts, and books (including its 7,000 volume Gardner L. Grant Library) form the Museum’s permanent collection.

The museum, which is located next to Orvis in Manchester, VT is one of my favorite places to visit. I always look forward to receiving their quarterly journal, entitled The American Fly Fisher which is provided to its members. Check them out on www.amff.org.

Deerfield River Trout Unlimited Chapter Named Tops in the Nation

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The Deerfield River Watershed’s Trout Unlimited (DRWTU) Chapter has been named the top chapter in the United States by its national organization. The “Golden Trout Award” is the highest honor a local chapter can receive from TU, a national, non-profit conservation agency headquartered in Arlington, VA. DRWTU Chapter 349 was selected from among 420 chapters, with 300,000 members nationwide. This award recognizes the local chapter which, over the last year, took innovative and thoughtful approaches to build and expand community and advance TU’s overall conservation mission.
They will receive the “Golden Trout Award” at the TU Annual meeting in Redding, CA on September 21.
“TU’s philosophy is simple and powerful: Take care of the fish and the fishing will take care of itself,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of TU. “We are a community that cares deeply about our local rivers and we’re willing to roll up our sleeves to ensure those rivers are in better shape for our children and grandchildren. The Deerfield River chapter exemplifies these ideals and is a shining example.”

“The dedication of our board and membership has really driven our little chapter to do things that we never imagined when we first got started back in 2010,” said Kevin Parsons, chapter president for DRWTU and a founding member. “It’s really our people, and all the other groups and agencies we’ve partnered with that really brought this recognition. The Deerfield River is an incredible natural resource and enhancing its fishery and protecting its ecology is a sound investment for its future.”

DRWTU is among the smallest TU chapters in the United States, (having about 140 members) and its boundaries encompass the most rural region in Massachusetts. The 70-mile long Deerfield River, with its headwaters in Vermont and with 10 hydro-electric dams, is considered a premier cold-water trout fishery in Massachusetts.

DRWTU has been actively participating in FERC’s relicensing of the Brookfield Power hydro-electric facilities located in Monroe and Rowe, MA. As part of that ongoing process, DRWTU conducted a first of its kind trout spawning study, in Massachusetts. Prior to this study it was widely believed any significant trout spawning was occurring in the Deerfield’s tributaries, not the main stem. Last year’s spawning study not only proved that significant trout spawning was happening in the main stem, but that current hydro-electric operations were adversely impacting that effort. In addition, Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife (MA DFW) has since begun significant study work on the Deerfield to further assess wild trout. (Their efforts were extensively covered in this Berkshire Eagle column on August 12, 2018 entitled “ Dogged perseverance pays off” and follow-up comments in the August 19 column).
A second, more expansive trout spawning study will commence this fall. DRWTU has joined forces with MA DFW, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, and the USGS Silvio O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center to further assess impacts of Brookfield’s operations. DRWTU and its partners believe better flows from Brookfield Power’s daily operations will result in greater spawning success, higher numbers of wild fish and an overall improvement of the river’s ecology.
DRWTU believes a robust wild trout fishery in the Deerfield will expand economic opportunity and tourism, as even more anglers from outside the region will be attracted by the lure of catching wild fish.
DRWTU was re-established in 2010. A year later Tropical Storm Irene devastated the entire watershed, which kept the chapter busy with several projects. They are a busy little chapter as the members are stewards of the Deerfield River and its tributaries.
For example, they partnered with the Franklin Land Trust (FLT), MA-RI TU Council and all 12 TU Chapters in Massachusetts/Rhode Island to raise an additional $45,000 to purchase and preserve 100 acres, known as the “Crowningshield Property” in Heath, MA to help protect the important West Branch of the North River. This property is now protected in perpetuity.
Stockbridge Bowl is off-limits to all recreational water activities

Recently, the state Department of Public Health found a rust-colored algae on portions of Stockbridge Bowl containing potentially toxic cyanobacteria. The Tri-Town Health and the Stockbridge Board of Health advised people and their pets “to avoid activities that involve contact with the contaminated water.” That includes boating and swimming, but what about fishing?

Probably the best advice is to follow the Health Department guidelines and avoid fishing at the Bowl until the advisory is lifted. Aquatic biologists believe there is a lot of variability in algal blooms and one has to know the specific details of Stockbridge Bowl, but generally once the bloom has stopped and the health advisories lifted, recreational angling will be essentially the same as pre-bloom conditions.
If you have a fish which may have been exposed to the algae and you plan to eat it, be sure to scrub the slime off of it before cleaning or fileting it. You don’t want to get the toxin on the filet knife and taint the meat. (Personally, I wouldn’t even think about eating it.)
Will the toxin harm the fish? As for the impact to fish, aquatic biologists feel that typically the blooms are temporary and don’t have much of a direct impact. Some secondary impacts to dissolved oxygen and food webs can occur. If the fish has been swimming around in this stuff for a long period of time, that is a different matter.
Big family fun at the Big MOE
Experience the Massachusetts Outdoor Expo (The Big MOE) at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club grounds in Sturbridge, MA on Sunday, September 23, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. In its 21st year, this FREE, family-friendly event celebrates outdoor skills, nature, art, and wildlife. With over 45 activity stations, there’s something for everyone at The Big MOE. Stations include: shotgun, airgun, and rifle shooting, fishing and fly tying, kayaking, archery tomahawk throwing birds of prey, petting zoo, birdhouse building, mountain biking and other crafts.
For a complete listing of activity stations, visit www.FawnsExpo.com.
Convenient, off-site parking is located at the Sturbridge Business Park at 660 Main Street (Rte. 20) and FREE shuttle bus transportation will run nonstop from the Business Park to the Big MOE throughout the day. On-site parking is reserved for volunteer staff and those requiring handicapped access (plate required). No pets or alcohol are permitted. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

Presentation on Trail Cameras

Local outdoor photographer and wildlife tracker Dr. Richard Greene will be the guest speaker at the Lenox Historical Society’s Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner which will be held tomorrow evening at the Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker St., Lenox. In his presentation, he will discuss his use of trail cameras and the activities of the abundant wildlife that he has captured on film.

Dr. Greene’s presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:15 pm following the Society’s 6:00 pm dinner and annual elections. If you wish to attend the pot luck dinner, contact Jan (413) 637-1818 or Vickie (413) 441-7902 with your choice of bringing an appetizer, main dish or dessert to share.

Atlantic salmon, but not Nessie spotted in Scotland

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Last week, I mentioned in this column that my wife Jan and I just returned from a 14-day cruise around the British Isles. I mentioned that we were going to visit Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland and maybe spot Nessie, the alleged resident loch monster.

I guess I could understand that a monster could survive in Loch Ness for it is 24 miles long, a half mile wide and 980 feet deep. At places it is deeper than the North Sea.
Well, to make a long story short, we did not see Nessie.

We did have a nice boat ride on the Loch and saw on its shore the ruins of one of Scotland’s largest castles, the Urquhart. It saw great conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress with control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and English during the Wars of Independence. The power struggles continued, as the Lords of the Isles regularly raided it up until the 1500s. The last of the government troops garrisoned there during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. Urquhart’s iconic ruins remain, offering glimpses into medieval times and the lives of its noble residents.

During our bus ride from Inverness, Scotland to the Loch Ness, I happened to look out the window as we crossed over the Ness river and saw a 4 or 5 lb salmon grilse jump some 3 feet out of the water. It’s nice to know that there are still some Atlantic Salmon making their spawning runs up those rivers .
The River Ness is a summer and autumn fishery flowing for some six miles from Loch Ness to the Beauly Firth. It flows through the city of Inverness where King Duncan, notably of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, had his castle. It was there that I saw the bloke pictured herein fly-fishing using a Spey rod. I couldn’t help but stop and take his picture and watch him fishing right in the heart of the city, within sight of Inverness Castle and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Never heard of Spey casting? Well it originated in the heart of Scotland in the mid-1800s. The name comes from the River Spey, which is where the cast originated. Therefore, the Spey cast was developed so one could successfully cast on a large river such as the Spey. These rods are usually 12 to 15 feet in length, and can toss a line up to 80 feet. That’s about how far the angler seemed to be casting. I don’t know if he caught any fish, but he sure could cast a fly.

While there are many variations of the Spey cast, the basic technique is broken down into a few simple actions. With the fly line floating directly downstream, the angler first lifts the line off the water with the tip of the rod, sweeps the line backwards just above the water, and allows just the fly and leader to “anchor” the cast by touching the water one to two rod lengths away and forming a D-loop. While swinging the “D-loop,” the cast is completed by firing the line forward with a sharp two-handed “push-pull” motion on the handle of the rod while making an abrupt stop with the rod tip at the end of the cast. The cast is most easily compared to a roll cast in one-handed fly fishing, although by using the fly as an anchor, a Spey cast allows a greater loading of the rod and thus achieves greater distance than a one-handed cast. (Hope I didn’t lose you there.)

Richard ‘Dick” Bordeau, of Pittsfield, knows how to Spey cast, and he is pretty good at it, too. He sometimes uses that method while fishing for steelhead in the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. He offered to teach me how to fish with a Spey rod one time, but it looked too complicated for me. I can get tangled up pretty well using my regular 9-foot flyrod, much less one that is 15 feet long.

Our tour guide told us that in order to fish for salmon in Scotland, you have to buy a permit. The price for that permit depends on where one fishes and the time of year. A permit to fish a beat at the prime salmon spawning season could cost $200 or more. At the same location at a different time of year the cost could be as low as $25.

The guide also said that Atlantic Salmon have been in a decline there recently and now, in order to increase the stock, anglers must practice catch and release on the Ness River. (Incidentally, between 80,000 to 100,000 salmon are caught annually by anglers in Scotland’s rivers. Many of these were returned to the water but around 25 per cent were still being killed).

Basic Hunter Education Course

All first-time hunters who wish to purchase a Massachusetts hunting or sporting license must successfully complete a Basic Hunter Education course. The Basic Hunter Education course is designed for novice hunters and is standardized across North America. All government-issued Basic Hunter Education certificates, from any jurisdiction, are accepted to meet this requirement.

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates will be mailed a Certificate of Completion recognized in all U.S. states, Canada, and Mexico. All courses are free of charge and open to the public.

Such a course is being offered at the Pittsfield High School, 300 East Street, Pittsfield, MA. The course includes 6 evening courses: September 4, 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20. They all run from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. To enroll call (508) 389-7830.

Thanks for everything Charlie Liston

Charles J. Liston of Lenox Dale passed away this past August 17 at the age of 95.

Readers may recall an April 15, 2018 article that I did on him entitled Charles Liston honored. The article mentioned his receipt of a special plaque from the Lenox Land Trust recognizing his role in forming the Land Trust and his longstanding commitment and leadership of the conservation movement and its early initiatives in Lenox and Berkshire County.” He was recognized for having been tireless in his role as a surveyor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in assisting in conservation work for the Commonwealth, for Lenox, and for many regional environmental groups. And for that generosity of spirit, generations to come will enjoy these preserved lands and wildlife.

He was recognized for exploring and recording the boundaries and features of thousands of acres of land. And his expertise and love of natural landscapes resulted in the permanent protection of many of those acres in their natural state. Anyone who has hunted, hiked or bird watched the Post Farm, the George Darey Wildlife Management Area, Hallowell Meadow, the Edith Wharton Park or Parson’s Marsh in Lenox owes Charlie a great deal of gratitude.

We also owe him our heartfelt gratitude for serving in the US Marines during WWII in the South Pacific, notably in the Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa campaigns.
Charlie and his many accomplishments will long be remembered.

Fly fishing the Penobscot River in Maine

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Recently, a couple of fishing buddies and I traveled to East Millinocket, ME to do some fly fishing in the West Branch of the Penobscot River. This is a large wild river in upper Maine that is noted for its large wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. In addition to myself, there were Ron Wojcik of Windsor, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and Attorney Michael Shepard of Dalton, MA. It is an 8-hour drive from the Berkshires, so we stopped at Cabelas in Scarborough, ME approximately half way, to rest and pick up a few fishing supplies.
We rented a cabin on Twin Pines NE Outdoor Center on Millinocket Lake in East Millinocket. Each day we drove approximately one-half hour along the Golden Road, the primary road access to the river, to get to an area below Ripogenus Falls where we knew some nice fish were awaiting us.
Ripogenus Falls once controlled discharge from Ripogenus Lake until Ripogenus Dam, (92 feet high and 704 feet wide) was completed at the upstream end of the Ripogenus Gorge in 1916. The dam forms a hydroelectric reservoir raising the level of Ripogenus Lake to include the upstream Chesuncook Lake, Caribou Lake, and Moose Pond. Hydroelectricity is generated by diverting water 2,400 cu ft/s through a mile-long penstock around the former falls.
The West Branch once had river log drives transporting pulpwood to a lumber mill in Millinocket. They began in 1917 and the last one was in 1928. Environmental concerns ended river transport of pulpwood in 1971 when the Great Northern Paper Co. opened the above mentioned Golden Road. Since then the lumber industry has been greatly diminished and the Millinocket mill is being torn down.
We left home around 5am and arrived at our cabin around 2pm, ate a sandwich and, although a little tired, we were off to the river by 4pm or so. We were concerned about the forecast of rain for the next 2 days, so at least we could get some decent weather to fish on the day of arrival. Once at the river, we realized that in our tired condition and haste, Paul left his rod at the cabin, Ron left his reel there and I forgot my flip down spectacles. Nice start, hey? No problem, we usually take two rods and reels so a little bit of lending and everyone went to the stream fully equipped, except for my spectacles.
They were releasing 2,400 cfs of water which made the river level just about perfect for fishermen as well as the commercial rafters and kayakers.
The fishing was outstanding with many brookies and landlocks caught and released. We left the river earlier because even though we brought food to cook up in the cabin, we were too tired to cook and decided to eat at a restaurant in the complex where we were staying. The only problem was that it closes at 9pm and we had a half hour ride to get back. We did make it in time.
The weather forecast of rain for the next day was wrong and we had a pleasant and fruitful day, catching lots of cooperative fish. But this time we stopped fishing around 3pm, drove back to that restaurant and ate when it opened at 4pm. Then back to the river and we fished until total darkness, sometime after 9pm. That was when Ron landed the largest brook trout of the trip, one estimated to be around 18 inches. He caught it on a gray caddisfly in some pretty heavy current.
The next morning, the rain continued to hold off and it was another beautiful day. That was when Mike connected with the largest fish of the trip, a landlock salmon estimated to be 20 inches. He caught it on a Stimulator (a fly which imitates an adult stonefly).
Once again, we knocked off around 2pm, went back to the cabin and this time had an early dinner of spaghetti and chicken/sausage prepared by Mike. After gorging ourselves, three of us went out fishing again. (Paul’s back was giving him some trouble so he stayed at the cabin, cleaning it up so that we could get an early start for home the following morning).
The fishing was slower that evening, although Ron caught several nice landlocks and brookies. Just as we left the river in darkness, it started to rain and rained all night.
It was a beautiful trip shared by good friends. We all caught and released lots of nice fish. Of course, the biggest fish didn’t wait to be released, but decided to release themselves, usually taking our flies with them. Those are smart and scrappy fish up there. Once hooked, the landlocks frequently jump 3 feet out of the water and they no sooner come down and they are airborne again. They are masters at tangling around submerged rocks and cutting your leaders. If you use a heavy leader, the fish won’t touch your fly, and if you use a thinner leader, they will take your fly, but usually break you off. It’s a Catch 22 situation, but very enjoyable.
It is a tough river to wade. Three of the four of us took spills; I went down twice but Mike had the most spectacular. Ron nearly injured his shoulder with his fall, but none of us got seriously banged up.
One day, we came across Tom Fuller and his wife Pat on the stream. Tom is a fellow member of the New England Outdoor Writer’s Association who wrote several excellent fly fishing books including: Getting Started in Fly Fishing, The Complete Guide to Eastern Hatches, Trout Streams of Southern New England and Underwater flies for trout. We had a nice chat on the riverbank.
At night, we sat around the cabin table having a drink and munching on baked goodies that our spouses baked and sent along with us. Our conversations covered everything from the day’s fishing, to troubles with kids today, to the Donald, etc.
The most successful flies were adult and emerging caddisflies, size #16, such as Henryville Specials, Elk Hair Caddis, other caddisfly emergers, Blue Winged Olive mayflies and the Stimulator stone fly. Paul tied up and shared an emerger fly of which the fish couldn’t get enough. I’ll bet he could have charged $20 apiece for it.
But a fishing trip to Maine isn’t all about catching fish. We enjoyed the company of two bald eagles that perched on trees directly across the river from us. At one time, a gull swam by with a fish in its bill. That prompted the eagles to try to take it away, swooping at the gull until it dropped the fish. For the next several minutes, both eagles and the gull flew around us looking for that fish in the waters but they weren’t successful.
While on the Golden Road, we frequently observed a mother moose with her young. In the early mornings, we would hear and observe loons paddling along on the quiet lake where we were staying, as we enjoyed views of Mount Katahdin.
Aah, fly fishing with good friends on the Penobscot……it doesn’t get much better.

Lenox Sportsmen’s Club Pistol Team claimed State title

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Last month, the Lenox SC Pistol Team went on a shooting rampage and took 1st place in the Berkshire County pistol competitions which they have won for the last few years, and then competed in the State Finals and won that, too. According to Team Captain David Cimini, that could be the first State title ever for the club and perhaps for a Berkshire team, at least in recent memory.
They scored 4,126 out of 4,500 possible points, beating the 2nd place Merrimac Valley Pistol League by 21 points.
To get to the State finals, the 11 to 15- member pistol team had to win the Berkshire County title. Once that was accomplished, they qualified to represent Berkshire County at the State level.. They had to trim their number of shooters down to 6, selecting their top scorers. Eight teams competed at the State level, representing the different counties.
The rules state that teams must shoot .22 caliber pistols, using open or red dot sights, one handed, at a bull’s eye target at a 50- foot range. The scores entered can only be from the accumulation of the five top scorers. It is called a 900 match. Each shooter has 90 shots at 10 points apiece with a maximum score of 900 points.
The Lenox team shooters were: Team Captain – David Cimini, Co-Captain Ray Scheufler, Peter Kirchner, Tom Greenleaf, Gregg Proctor and James Denault. All are Pittsfield residents except for Proctor who resides in Hinsdale. The top shooter was Denault who scored 834 out of 900 possible points.
According to Cimini, there are some very good shooters at the eastern end of the state, many of them are in weekly leagues, similar to bowling leagues. The Lenox Club only shoots 10 or 12. One of those eastern teams usually takes the State title every year. “This year was our year”, he said, “We worked hard., we practiced hard and we really put a lot into it. And it paid off.” Over the years, they have placed anywhere from 2nd to 8th. Last year, Lenox finished 3rd.
I was hoping to get a picture of these sharpshooters holding the trophy and medals, but the awards are late and have not arrived yet. When they do arrive, I hope to include a picture in a future column.
Congratulations, gents! Mighty fine shooting, mighty fine!
Recent Massachusetts DFW activities now that trout stocking is over
Recently, they completed stocking Quabbin Reservoir with its annual allotment of 10,000 landlocked salmon raised at the Palmer Fish Hatchery. It will take about 3 years for these fish to reach the 15″ minimum size for harvest.

According to Western District supervisor Andrew Madden, they successfully banded bald eagle chicks at Richmond Pond and the Westfield River in Russell.

They are also continuing deployment of black bear GPS radio collars. They added 1 collared female this past spring.

Teachers are tutored on fly fishing

Ronald Wojcik, of Windsor, MA is a teacher at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, coaches the Hoosic Valley Girls’ Basketball Team and also is a superb fly fisherman. So, it makes perfect sense for him to start an after-school fly fishing club for the Taconic High students. About 12 years ago, he did just that and since then about 50 students have taken the course.

The course includes lessons in fly fishing and casting, fly tying (depending on interest), fly fishing equipment, entomology, species of trout, videos, etc. His availability to teach these subjects depends on his basketball coaching schedule for the Hoosic Valley Girls’ Basketball Team.

This past year, Ron had no students available to take his fly fishing course, in spite of sending e-mails and posting fliers about the course. The students were tied up in other sports or had after school jobs. When the teachers saw the flyers, they asked, “What about us? We would like to learn to fly fish, too.” Ron agreed and as a result, 4 Taconic teachers, and the Wahconah High School Girls’ Basketball Coach, Liz Kay, attended the fly fishing lesson. (Ironically, Liz’s team defeated Hoosic Valley in the play-offs last year, but Ron welcomed her anyway). The Taconic teachers were Kris Pearson, Patrice Lattrell and Ana Larkin. Amy Green is a health technician volunteer.

On the evening of June 19, Ron invited the teachers up to his house to learn to fly fish for trout in his private pond, a body of water of about ¾ acre. Also invited were 5 members of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited to do the one-on-one tutoring. They were Stephen Smith, William Travis, Marc Hoechstetter, Paul Knauth and me. After dining on pizza, we got down to the business of casting for and catching trout.

The teachers were a mix of novice anglers and those with some experience. The teacher that I was mentoring, Kris Pearson, had never fly fished before, and on her second cast, a large trout hammered her black wooly bugger fly and went deep to the bottom and put up a fierce fight.

You should see the excitement that ensued with Ron rushing over joining me with instructions. I think Kris was a little intimidated and tried to hand the rod over to me. But it was it was her fish to catch or lose. It was a brute, probably one of Ron’s rainbow trout that he stocked in the 6 to 10- inch range 4 or 5 years ago and now weighed around 5 lbs. After swimming around the pond, it finally got off. Liz immediately became sold on fly fishing and now wants to buy a starter fly fishing outfit.

About halfway through the fishing lesson, Ron’s wife Diane Wojcik brought down to the pond some freshly made and still warm cookies. Their labra-doodle dog, Hershey, checked on all of the lady fly fishers, too. And then they went back to fishing.

Ron made sure that all of the fish that were caught were resuscitated and swam away to fight another day.

So, did these teachers pass or fail? They passed with flying colors. By the end of the session, all of them were decent fly casters and all either caught trout or had them on. They appeared to be having a great time, as did the mentors.

There was no need to send them home with bad report cards. They can now advance to the next phase, that of catching fish out of our local lakes and rivers and enjoying all of the beautiful sights that our Berkshires have to offer. Also, they can go on summer vacation now!

A classic fishing trip to the Adirondacks

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Fishing buddy Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and I recently returned from a 4-day fly fishing trip to New York’s Adirondacks region. Our intent was to fish the AuSable River in Wilmington, NY, a small town near Lake Placid. We were hoping for good weather, good fishing and no mosquitos or blackflies. (We should have also hoped for no “no-see-ums”).
On the way up the Northway, I was wondering if anything would happen on this trip which would warrant mentioning in this column. Hopefully, whatever happens would be positive.
Every time I fish there, thoughts of the late Francis Betters surface. For 47 years, as the owner of the Adirondack Sports Shop and renowned fishing expert, he was at his desk tying up flies and offering advice to customers and fellow fishermen. He once told me that he tied and sold nearly 30,000 flies a year. He is credited for creating several great trout flies, most notably the AuSable Wulff (my favorite fly), the Haystack, the Usual and several others. The AuSable Wulff was named one of the top 10 trout flies of all time by Field and Stream magazine, along with the Haystack. Fran also wrote several fly-fishing and fly-tying books. He was inducted into the Catskill Fly Fishing Hall of Fame in 2008 and passed beyond the riverbend in 2009.
Shortly after arriving and checking into our cabin (Wilderness Inn) Paul and I headed out to fish the river. Paul chose to head upstream and fish down to the car while I chose to go downstream and fish back. The river was on the low side this year so I kept walking downstream until I found good looking water, albeit on the wild and turbulent side.
Thinking of Francis, I chose to fish with one of his Haystacks. In fact, I believe it was one that he tied up for it was much better than the ones I tie. On the 3rd cast, the heavy current swung the fly immediately to the outlet rim of the hole and got snagged onto a rock ….or so I thought. When I tried to work it off of the rock, there was a serious pull that indicated that a big trout was on the other end of the line. After a serious battle, I was able to bring the fish to my feet and discovered that it was a beautiful brown trout of about 18 inches long.
Hoping to get a picture of it, I reached for my smart phone. Of course, it was in my pants pocket, way down deep in the chest waders. While the fish was resting at my feet in about 6 inches of water, I finally got the phone out to take a picture. I decided to lay the reel and rod next to the fish so that one could get a rough idea of the its size. But doing that caused the fish to dart away and snap the leader. It didn’t know it was free and lingered a while, allowing me to take pictures of it. After it swam away, I distinctly remember saying, “Here’s your fly back, Francis”.
Perhaps that’s the story for this column.
The following night, Paul was fishing with a Blue Winged Olive emerger fly when he hooked into a lunker. After a lengthy battle, with the fish swimming all around that pool, he finally landed it. It also was an 18-inch brown trout. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a camera with us, but I can attest to its size. It fought so hard that I thought I would have to step out of the pool so that it wouldn’t swim near and wrap the line around me. An 18-inch wild brown trout doesn’t come by frequently. In fact, I can probably count the number of them caught in my lifetime on one hand.
Perhaps that would be the story for this column.
On this trip, Paul and I decided to explore the North Branch of the Saranac River to see what the fishing was like there. Neither of us had ever fished the stretch near Clayburg, NY. We spent a day and a half there catching mainly small wild brook and brown trout.
On the second day there, we stopped for a lunch break in a fishing access area. While there, a young girl, approximately 13 years old rode by on a bike, and she had a fishing pole. After lunch, Paul and I separated, this time he headed downstream and I went upstream to a bridge. While approaching it, I saw a bike along the side of the road. It was that girl’s bike and she was fishing where I wanted to go.
From the bridge, I could see that she was fishing with an inexpensive spinning rod and a Zebco reel. After saying “hi” to her and finding out which direction she was going to fish (she was going to fish there under the bridge), I went downstream about 120 feet to give her space. What enfolded then was a scene reminiscent of an old Ed Zern caricature.
All of a sudden, I heard a terrific splash and looking toward the sound, saw the girl fighting a large brown trout which once again jumped a foot in the air. Her inexpensive rod was seriously bent, but she fought and subsequently beached that trout like a pro. I shouted congratulations and commended her for the great job of landing it. “What is it, about 15 inches?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said “It’s the biggest fish I ever caught”. Oh, how I wished I had the camera there.
Here I was fishing out in the middle of the river with thousands of dollars worth of equipment consisting of an expensive fly rod, reel, chest waders, wading staff, wooden net, a fishing vest with several hundred trout flies in it and a myriad of other gadgets hanging from it, and catching nothing. And there was this young girl who arrived by bicycle, dressed in shorts and sneakers, fishing from the bank with an inexpensive fishing pole, reel and worms and catching that big fish. How classic is that?
The girl showed up again later that day, this time with her boyfriend who also arrived by bike, a lad of about 14 years old. When Paul saw them, he conceded his fishing spot to them and commented on how she was now famous in the area, having caught that big brown trout (which ultimately measured out to be 14 ½ inches). She was beaming from ear to ear.
After lauding her great accomplishment, I commented to the boy that he was going to have to work hard to catch a bigger trout than her’s. “Well”, he said, “I taught her how to fish!” Paul, picked up on the lad’s wounded pride, immediately said, “You sure did a great job of teaching!
This true story is classic and deserves to be in this week’s column. Wouldn’t you agree?
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

Fly-fishing with friendly spirits

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Every year, usually my first fly fishing outing, I bring along some friendly spirits. They accompany me in the form of fishing equipment that close fishing friends once owned and ultimately ended up in my hands. Usually, a next of kin wanted me to have it or the angler gave me the item before he passed beyond the riverbend. Over the years, I have fished with a rod that the late Joe Areno wanted me to have and one that the late Gordon Leeman once owned, or perhaps with the late Ralph Lichtenstein’s wading staff. Perhaps I wore a pair of waders that the late Tony Lorio‘s daughter, Catherine Gallant, passed on to me. While using the fishing equipment, I recall the fond memories that I had fishing with all these gentlemen who have since passed beyond the riverbend.
Yeah, I know it is goofy, but I actually feel their spirits and quite frankly enjoy their company. It allows me an opportunity to once again remember them and to reflect upon the good times that we had fishing.
Such was the case this year. Actually, it didn’t work out that my first day fishing this year was with them but with some live friends. So, this year, I took one along on my second trip….and this time my friendly spirit was that of the late Charlie Lahey. He passed away in 2010, at the age of 101, just days before his 102nd birthday. You may recall my writing about this gentleman and our fishing together when he was 101 years old….and he caught a couple of trout!
Last fall, his daughter Andrea Dimassimo surprised me with a wonderful birthday gift. Old Charlie’s flyrod, reel, vest, etc. She said that Charlie would want me to have them. He probably bought that flyrod in the 1950’s or 1960’s and back then, 50 years later, Charlie who was 100 years old at the time, would tell me that there was a lifetime warranty on that rod. How we would chuckle over that. Well, the least I could do was to take him fishing with me this spring.
So off we went, me with Charlie’s stuff, his Fenwick fiberglass flyrod, his Pflueger 1495 ½ fly reel, line, etc. I even took along some flies that Charlie had created when he used to fish the Mad River in VT. He named it the Mad River Special, a bucktail fly with an orange body, yellow throat, brown deer hair wing, woodduck tail and junglecock wing. On the rare occasion when he was having no luck with that fly, he would try his tandem fly (two hooks) with a fly on the front hook and a bare hook in the rear. He used to put some garden hackle on the rear hook. He named it his Add-a-Worm fly.
Charlie was a well-known angler from the Berkshires and VT and several articles were written about him in this column as well as The Berkshire Eagle. He was so famous that he ended up in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin. Gerry Gibbs, famous writer for Outdoor Life Magazine and a Vice President from Trout Unlimited National, came to the Berkshires to present the award. Charlie’s induction was not just a listing in some log of honor or anything like that. No, his picture is on a plaque hanging on the wall along with notables such as Lee Wulff, Kurt Gowdy, even Isaac Walton.
You can well imagine the thrill of my fishing with this friendly spirit and using his rod and reel. We started off in the morning fishing the East Branch of the Housatonic River in Hinsdale, MA. I fished with his Mad River Special fly, with the predictable results – zilch, nada, no fish would even look at it. It brought me back to the many times when Charlie would be fishing between me and another deceased friend, Dave Oclair, and he would haul 2 or 3 nice trout right out from t under our noses and promptly release them unharmed. Dave and I were fishing the same pattern fly in the same type of water not 20 feet away, using the same action and we would catch nothing. Old Charlie really got a kick out of that.
There was a bench along the waters where we fly fished and periodically we would sit there and have a bite to eat and enjoy the day, usually a sunny comfortable one. Occasionally, we would have a swig of bourbon from my flask. That was Charlie’s preferred booze. Hey! He was 100 years old and it didn’t harm him yet. Then we would fish some more. What a privilege and honor to spend that time fly fishing with him.
I had to chuckle at the continuing lack of success with his fly on this day. It was only fitting, for that fly was created by and only responded to Charlie. I’ll bet he was looking down and chuckling while advising me to fish it slower, fish it lower, twitch it a couple of times, etc. I wanted so much to catch a trout on Charlie’s old flyrod and fly, but I finally had to switch flies.
This time I tried the Brown Charm, a fly that was developed by another renowned local fly fisherman in the 1960’s, the late Bill White. There were few accomplished local fly fishermen in the 1960’s-1980’s who hadn’t fished and had success using the Brown Charm. The late outdoor columnist, Ted Giddings, in one of his columns, called it his favorite fly. It was a wet fly with a pheasant tail, buff body ribbed with brown thread, wood duck wing and brown hen hackle. Thanks to another local fly fisherman, the late Homer Ouellette, who gave me the original pattern of that fly several years ago, I was able to tie it up.
Using Charlie’s old rod and reel and Bill’s fly, I cast it out into a likely looking run of the river and wham! There it was, the trout which made my hopes come true. The brown trout was lightly hooked in its lip in such a way that it was not necessary for me to touch it or remove it from the water. With the use of a hemostat, I simply clamped onto the barbless hook and with a gentle jerk unhooked it. The fish was in excellent shape as it swam away into the darkness of the stream. That fly produced other fish that day, too.
How cool wass that, catching trout on an old rod that was once owned by someone who is now listed in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
An old philosopher once said, “It is the responsibility of those who live to carry on the hopes and dreams and spirits of loved ones and friends who leave us behind”. I guess that is what I was doing. What a nice feeling resting on a streamside log amidst the fiddleheads and trillium watching and listening to the babbling river while enjoying the pleasant spring day and fond memories of old Charlie.
“Here’s to you, old fella, we had another wonderful day.” I muttered to myself. “As always, I enjoyed your company”. Then, with scratchy eyes, I raised the flask and took a healthy swig of bourbon.
Incidentally, I learned about that above-referenced old philosopher, Richard “Dick” Gotshalk, while reading a recently published book entitled, “Holy Water, Flyfishing Reveries and Remembrances” by Jerry Kustich. It was advice given to the author by the philosopher shortly before passing beyond the river bend. Holy Water is a book written by a man who has spent his entire life as a fly fisherman, fishing rod maker, outdoor lover and conservationist.

I really related to this book as it appeared to be written by a fly fisherman approximately my age who recounted certain events in his life which occurred over the years….memories of his first fish caught, the places he worked, the places where he lived, people who influenced him during the years, the heartbreak of losing a loved one, working for Sweetgrass Rod Company, the river access issues that existed in Montana and other western states, Atlantic Salmon fishing, the increased interest in salt water fishing in the Caribbean, etc. Those events served as wonderful reminders of some of what our generation went through as well as provided a history lesson to generations which follow.

Prior to now, I had never read any of Kustich’s books. He wrote several, including, Flyfishing for Great Lakes Steelhead, At the River’s Edge, A Wisp in the Wind and Around the Next Bend. I intend to do so now after reading this book.

Through his angling essays, he has a writing style that tugs at the heartstrings of the fly fisherman that few authors have. Similar to what the late author Norman MacClean did with his epic novel, “A River Runs Through It”. I was wrapped in this book from the Introduction to the final words on the last page. Incidentally, on that last page writing about himself and his late wife Debra, he wrote:

“Time evaporates like water falling on hot pavement, so it is important to choose activities that are good for the soul while it is still possible. I often look back to that September on the Madison (River in Montana) in 1981 when Debra and I vowed to travel while we were still young enough to do so. As if that experience were a portent of things to come, we committed to a path of uniqueness like there was no tomorrow. It was a sacred journey. I could not have imagined back then that the Madison, beautiful in itself, would have inspired the subsequent decades of adventures to so many other inspirational waters that now seem to me holy. But that is the nature of rivers. One leads to another, and then another. They flow on forever, and forever connected, they enrich our souls and touch our spirits with mysteries that none of us can fully comprehend. Perhaps that is why we keep on going back.”

See what I mean about writing style?

The 187- page hard cover book costs $24.95, is published by West River Media and is available just in time for Father’s Day.

Trout Stockings
The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week: Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Ashfield Pond in Ashfield, Walker Brook in Becket and Chester, Westfield River in Chesterfield, Sackett Brook in Dalton and Pittsfield, North Pond in Florida, Housatonic River in Dalton, Hinsdale and Pittsfield, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Hubbard River in Granville, Williams River in West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, Norwich Pond in Huntington, Pontoosuc Lake in Lanesborough, Lake Buel in Monterey, Konkapot River in Monterey, New Marlborough, and Sheffield, Lake Garfield in Monterey, York Lake in New Marlborough, Windsor Lake in North Adams, Otis Reservoir and Big Pond in Otis, Green River and Hemlock Brook in Williamstown and Windsor Pond in Windsor.

Berkshire County 2017 bear harvest set a record

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According to figures released by MassWildlife, 119 black bears were harvested in the Berkshires last year beating the prior record of 106 which was set in 2016. The harvest numbers have been steadily rising over the years. For example, 57 were harvested in the Berkshires in 2013, 78 in 2014 and 75 in 2015. Berkshire County continues to have the most resident bears and consequently the highest harvest totals. The county with the next highest harvest was Franklin County with 64 bears harvested last year.
The statewide harvest came in at 268 bears in 2017 and that represents the second highest total, just below the 283 bears taken in 2016. A statewide breakdown by hunting season is as follows: September season (Sept. 5 – Sept. 23) was 151, the November season (Nov. 6 – Nov. 25 was 26 and the Shotgun season (Nov. 27 – Dec. 9) was 91.
New regulations proposed for Wildlife Management Areas

MassWildlife is proposing leash and waste disposal regulations for dogs on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). MassWildlife has a long tradition of welcoming dogs on WMAs and dogs are still welcome on them under this new proposal.
MassWildlife proposes to take this action due to repeated complaints from WMA users about negative and unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and issues with dog waste. MassWildlife protects and manages these areas to sustain wildlife abundance and diversity and provide wildlife-related recreation, including hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching, while at the same time providing a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience for all visitors. Therefore:
1. The proposed regulations require leashing dogs and other domestic animals on WMAs. Dogs may be off-leash only when hunting or hunt-training with licensed hunters under existing regulations, or if they are participating in retriever or bird dog trial events that have been permitted by MassWildlife. Leashing dogs decreases conflicts with both people and other dogs, resulting in a safer and more positive experience for everyone.
2. The proposal also requires dog owners to pick up dog waste and dispose of it offsite. Removing dog waste reduces nuisance and protects the safety and health of dogs and other pets, people, and wildlife.
In a recent report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden noted that here in the Berkshires, the problem is not so severe. But in the WMAs in the eastern part of the state it is a real problem because large numbers of unleashed dogs are roaming in some of those WMAs. In many cases it is the dog sitters who are bringing them.
Hunters, whose license and Wildland Stamp fees helped purchase these lands, cannot fully enjoy the hunting experience because of the numbers or dogs, some of them aggressive, disrupting hunting activities.
A public hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2018 at 7 PM at the MassWildlife Field Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, 01581. Information on the public hearing, public comment process and proposed regulatory language is posted on MassWildlife’s website at Mass.gov/masswildlife-public-hearings. Outdoor sportsmen, and any other users of Wildlife Management Areas, are encouraged to attend or weigh in, by mail or email, on this proposed regulation.
MassWildlife Habitat Grants announced
Eighteen municipalities, organizations, and private landowners across the state have been awarded a total of $506,856 in grants for wildlife habitat improvement projects. The MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program was developed to establish partnerships between MassWildlife and private and municipal landowners to enhance habitat and increase recreational opportunities on properties across the state. This year, funds provided through the grant program will benefit 20 wildlife habitat improvement projects, totaling 950 acres in 19 Massachusetts communities. The projects will complement the ongoing habitat management efforts currently underway on state owned lands.
The Habitat Management Grant Program is in its third year, and has now awarded over $1,215,000 in funding to 51 projects. The Program’s mission is to provide financial assistance to municipal and private landowners of conserved properties to improve and manage habitat for wildlife that has been deemed in greatest conservation need and for game species. Projects awarded with funds are also designed to expand outdoor recreational opportunities. The funds are provided through MassWildlife’s Habitat Management Grant Program. This year, the Baker-Polito Administration increased the funding of the program by $200,000 utilizing environmental bond funds.
“The Habitat Management Grant Program is a great example of the strong partnership between the state, municipalities, private landowners and organizations working together to conserve land and wildlife,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “These grants are an important tool to help build upon the thousands of acres of important conservation land for wildlife and residents across the Commonwealth.”
“Massachusetts is home to an incredibly diverse array of protected natural resources and habitats that include saltwater marshes, mountain summits, and old growth forests,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Habitat for common and rare plants and wildlife requires active and ongoing maintenance and management in order to thrive, and these grants will assist in those important efforts.”
“Habitat management is key to benefiting birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians which depend on some less common habitats,” said Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon. “I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to expand our habitat management footprint and improve recreational opportunities for sportsmen and women, birders, naturalists and other outdoor enthusiasts.”
“About 80 percent of Massachusetts’ lands where wildlife is found is owned privately,” said Jack Buckley, MassWildlife Director. “Therefore, as an environmental agency we should promote and apply science-based habitat management activities with committed municipal and private landowners, thereby protecting their investment in wildlife and habitat.”
Local or nearby awardees of this year’s Habitat Management Grant Program are:
• $36,500 to the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Great Barrington, to conduct invasive species control at Housatonic Flats and Thomas and Palmer Preserves.
• $16,675 to the Franklin Land Trust, Heath and Plainfield, to enhance native shrub habitat on Crowningshield Farm (Heath) and Guyette Farm (Plainfield).
• $36,630 to the Town of Lenox, to conduct hardy kiwi invasive species control within Kennedy Park.
• $15,632 to the Sheffield Land Trust, to work to control invasive species at Ashley Falls Woods.
• $20,503 to the Nature Conservancy, Sheffield, to create and improve old field and shrubland habitats at the Schenob Brook Preserve.
• $15,500 to the Cherry Hill Realty Trust, Stockbridge, to remove the invasive hardy kiwi plant.
• $20,905 to the Town of Stockbridge, to treat invasive species at Gould Meadows and Bullard Woods.
• $24,493 to Mass Audubon, Tolland, to create shrubland habitat at the Richardson Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
Winter Waterfowl Survey
Every 5 years, MassWildlife conducts a winter waterfowl survey of sites where people feed wild ducks and geese. While the feeding of wildlife is discouraged, there is no state law or regulation that prohibits feeding (though some municipalities do restrict or prohibit feeding). MassWildlife is asking the public’s assistance in reporting current waterfowl feeding locations for biologists to identify and count these birds.
The survey will be conducted statewide this month and includes sites in urban, suburban, and rural areas near fresh, brackish, and salt water. Feeding sites range from municipal parks where many visitors come to feed the ducks to ducks in backyards feeding on spilled bird seed or handouts thrown out someone’s back door.
MassWildlife biologists will visit historic feeding sites from January 8 to 26. Because these locations can change over 5 years, public input is needed. If you know of a spot where waterfowl are being fed, let them know by phone at 508-389-6321 or by e-mail at h.heusmann@state.ma.us. Include the town and specific location where you’ve seen waterfowl being fed this January. If you are able, also include the number of ducks and/or geese (preferably by species) that you see at a feeding site at one time.
Mallards are by far the most common duck at feeding sites but other ducks may be observed as well. American black ducks are common and wood ducks, pintails, gadwalls, American wigeon, and hooded mergansers are seen on occasion. Canada geese are common at many feeding sites.
MassWildlife’s survey started 45 years ago and documented the increase of mallards at feeding sites reaching peak numbers of over 20,000 mallards at 218 sites during the 1993 survey and declining thereafter. This decline can be attributed to more Canada geese utilizing the sites resulting in many areas being posted “No Feeding” because of the mess geese made. The last survey showed that the number of mallards was down to 9,700 at 139 sites along with nearly 1,600 geese (down from over 5,300 geese recorded during the 1998 survey).

Marlborough Flyfishing Show

The 2018 Fly Fishing Show will take place from January 19 through 21 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. There will be over 50 talks and demonstrations each day. While there, you might shop for the newest tackle, book your next dream trip, watch tying and casting demos and learn from the experts. There will be more than $40,000 in door prizes.

All the new rods, reels, fly tying materials, books, DVDs and latest equipment will be on display to test and purchase. There is a casting pond for casting demos and it is available to test your new rod. Some of the celebrity authors this year include Joe Humphreys, Gary Borger, Bob Clouser, Ed Engle, Sheila Hassan, Jason Randall, Bob Romano and others, and they will be happy to autograph your books.

Show Hours are: Friday: 10AM – 6PM, Saturday: 9AM – 5:30PM and Sunday: 9AM – 4:30PM. Ticket costs: One day $15, Two-day pass $25, Three-day pass $35, Children under 5 free, under 12: $2, Scouts under 16 in uniform: free and Active Military with ID: $10. Click onto www.flyfishingshow.com/Marlborough_for more details.

This is a must-attend event for New England flyfishers and flytyers. The next closest show of this magnitude is in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

A most memorable fishing trip, Part 2

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Last week, this column followed the remarkable trip of Rex Channell and his wife Trish Watson across Canada. Readers may recall that they traveled in their 25-foot Coachman Freelander (aka FISHlander) and camped and fished all across Canada. Let’s pick up the trip when they crossed back into the USA from British Columbia, Canada.

Passing into Idaho, they stopped to visit Matt Sawyer former Marketing Director of Butternut Ski Area in Great Barrington who now works at Lookout Pass Ski Area in Idaho. For the next several days they fished such famous rivers as the Coeur D’Alene, Little St Joe and Quartz Creek with Matt, also an avid fisherman, as their guide.
Then onto Montana where on August 8, they visited two different former Berkshire County ski friends in the Whitefish, Montana area – Emily Goodrich and Paul Descouteau. There was a very real wildfire threat in the Flathead area of Montana, especially in Seeley Lake where active firefighting was prominently visible. Instead they fished Livingston, MT – the Little Blackfoot River, Yellowstone River and Boulder River – which offered up cutthroat, rainbow and browns of various sizes. They splurged on a float trip on the Yellowstone River with Montana Trout Anglers and had a very successful trip catching healthy (1-2 lb) rainbows and browns.
They crossed into Wyoming on August 18 through the very crowded Yellowstone and Great Teton National Parks at the height of the tourist season. They stopped in to see former Berkshire-ites, Jonathan Gray in Jackson, WY and Celeste Young in Victor ID and visited the Jackson National Fish Hatchery (Snake River cutthroat). On recommendation of several local guides, they trekked the 15-mile dirt road up the Grey’s River out of Alpine, WY. There, they experienced the spectacular solar eclipse on the Grey’s River with only a herd of ranch cattle as company. Unfortunately, the fishing was pretty slow with only a couple of Snake River cutties netted in the three days.
So back in Alpine, they took another guided float trip, this time on the Salt River with Pioneer Anglers Fly Shop. It was an evening float that started at 3:00 pm and lasting until dark with continuous surface action using big hopper patterns and producing a lot of Snake River cutthroat several in the 2+ lb range. On their way through central and southeastern Wyoming, they visited the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale and the Saratoga National Fish Hatchery (primarily lake trout). They saw several enticing rivers (e.g. North Platte) and alpine lakes (e.g. Lake Marie in the Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow National Forest) but left them to fish another trip as they were making their way to Colorado to meet up with relatives in a few days. At an over-night in Laramie, Wyoming, they camped in the Prairies Lake region and tried fishing from shore on the Gelatt and Twin Butte Lakes with no luck.
On August 25 and 26, they traveled to Boulder and Castle Pines, Colorado to visit friends and family sightseeing in the Garden of the Gods and the Red Rocks parks. In Salida, one of their favorite places in Colorado, they stayed near Chalk Creek for three days and fished Wright’s and Chalk Lakes catching lots of rainbow trout in the 10”-14” range on size 2 to 10 terrestrials. And they visited three Colorado State Fish Hatcheries – Mt Shavano (kokanee salmon, Snake River cutthroat, rainbow and cutbow), Chalk Creek (rainbow) and Roaring Judy (kokanee salmon, cutthroat, rainbow).
Rex and Trish spent the next 12 days in southern Colorado, visiting transplanted friends, taking in the sights and fishing some great areas. In the Gunnison area, they fished Cement Creek, Spring Creek and Taylor Reservoir for small browns and brookies. They toured the Ross Reel factory in Montrose. They fished the San Miguel River outside of Ridgeway catching rainbows on dries against straight red-rock cliffs. From Ouray, “the Switzerland of America”, they took the Million Dollar Highway which traverses three passes over 10,000 feet high in 57 miles ending up in Durango where they fished the Lemon Reservoir and Florida River.
They spent the next week in Utah visiting the national parks and monuments – Arches, Canyon Lands, Capital Reef, National Bridges, Glen Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion. In Moab, they went off-roading to fish the small alpine Oowah Lake. While marveling at the landscape, they took plenty of time to fish the southern Utah area around Loa hiring guide/owner Mike James of the Quiet Fly Fisher who gave them a diverse sampling of river, lake and reservoir. Both Rex and Trish were successful catching tiger trout in the 3 lb category with a size 16 imitation boatman fly. Some of the waters they sampled both with Mike and on their own include the Fremont River, Ferris Lake, Forsyth Reservoir, Bicknell Bottoms, Boulder Mountain Reservoir, Garcane Power Plant Reservoir, Boulder Creek, and Upper East Boulder Reservoir catching tiger, rainbow and brook trout. In Bicknell, they visited the J Perry Egan State Fish Hatchery (brook, rainbow and lake trout).
They spent 4 days in Arizona (9/18 – 9/21) to see the north rim of the Grand Canyon – so awe-inspiring – and to visit an aunt and uncle in Phoenix. However, it was still very warm (highs above 100°) so they decided to go back into the mountains of Colorado as soon as possible. Passing back into Colorado, they stopped at Mesa Verde National Park. On 9/23-9/24, they stayed at the Elk Trace B&B, a working ranch in Pagosa Springs, CO, to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary fishing (naturally) this time in the nearby Williams Creek and Reservoir.
They spent several days in Mogote, CO, to fish the Conejos River, a river they had fished a few years ago. They stayed at the dispersed wilderness site at Elk Creek since Colorado state campgrounds had been closed since mid-September. They took a day trip with Conejos River Anglers and landed a lot of 16”-20” browns using size 20 and smaller nymph patterns with a double dropper rig. On the way east, they fished the Arkansas River at several pull-offs along US 50 through Canyon City and into West Pueblo but had no luck. The last stop they made in Colorado was to the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, incredible collection of aircraft from the last 120 years.
Now in the plains states, Rex and Trish were interested in laying down some miles. They quickly passed through Kansas and Missouri. They visited Boot Hill Museum and Front Street, Dodge City, KS as a fun diversion from driving. And they took a detour to Branson, MO, to visit Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede – good, clean entertainment. They visited relatives outside of St. Louis, MO and friends in Indianapolis, taking in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis Zoo.
On October 5 they finally made it into Michigan. Their first stop was to the Richard Clay Bodine State Fish Hatchery (brood stock for steelhead). In Spring Lake, they visited
Nick Petrinec who took them out on the Muskegon River in his Jet boat. They spent several days fishing, first the Pere Marquette River in Baldwin, catching big king salmon using egg patterns and grey mop flies, then the Manistee River at the Hodenpyl Dam in Mesick, Michigan netting several 10”-12” rainbows using Adams nymphs and stimulator dries and finally, the North and South Forks of the AuSable River in Grayling, where they were skunked. They made one more stop in Michigan to visit ski friends – Cheyanne Sawyer (the daughter of Matt from Idaho) – at Boyne Mountain Ski Area. They traversed the Upper Peninsula before crossing back into Canada at Sault Ste Marie, taking in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.
They arrived home on October 20 after discovering that all campgrounds and RV parks were closed in the northeast leaving only Walmart Parking lots as places to camp.
They were gone some 164 days, of which 96 of them were spent fishing. They traveled through 8 Canadian provinces, 17 states, traveling 16,708 miles. They visited 7 fish hatcheries, and if you are wondering why, they have a special place in their heart for them. They were married in one.
What an amazing trip! They hope to have a video program of the trip early in 2018, with the locations and times to be determined at a later date.
But wait! You might think they would be tired of camping and fishing by then, but guess what. On October 23, they did some wilderness camping on the Deerfield River in Charlemont, MA and Trish caught the pictured 20- inch plus brown trout!
Ice Fishing
With this serious cold snap, some hard water anglers will be heading out onto the ice to do some ice fishing. There may be enough ice, especially in the higher elevations, but be careful in the lower elevations. You might want to stay away from any stream inlets or areas where there are currents which will have thinner ice. MassWildlife has some ice thickness guidelines, be sure to check them. Simply search “Stay Safe on Ice”, on its web page.
The last weather forecast that I saw mentioned temperatures in the 5 below zero area. Keep a sharp eye on the youngsters so that they don’t get frostbitten hands and feet. If you go, don’t forget to bring your 2018 fishing license.
Personally, I love to ice fish, but I’m going to wait another week, just to be on the safe side.