| Aroostook Outdoors
by Wayne Selfridge, Caribou
County Smallmouths
Bass
are a celebrity fish. Just turn to any outdoor channel and the majority of angling
television shows feature an expose on largemouth bass
fishing. Viewers can relate to this sporty fish that inhabits at least a portion of every
state in the Lower 48. I grew up beside a largemouth
bass lake, fishing for this popular gamefish long before the species became a famous mini-series star.
During one of my teen years, I spent a
couple of weeks in a camp on the shores of Boyden Lake in Washington County. I knew there were salmon and trout in the unfamiliar lake, but a
teenager's budget didn't allow for much variety in
those days. So, with a tackle selection geared exclusively for bucketmouths, I awoke early
the first day and looked upon a lakescape made up of
haphazardly dumped boulders instead of my customary weed-choked habitat.
With the first cast of my brown Rapala, I
was greeted with a jolting strike and a strange fish that battled as much in the air as it did underwater. That first smallmouth bass changed my
angling outlook. Although every fish has its merits, arguably
the smallie is the premier freshwater fighting fish.
Aroostook bass lakes cover just a small
percentage of the County's total fishable acreage. None are north of Houlton. What we lack in bass-lake numbers is made up for in
lake-bass numbers. June is the month to concentrate on the
bass lakes due to the warming-water induced spawning season. I'd start with Pleasant Lake
in Island Falls if you're looking for consistently
large fish. This deep impoundment is aptly named, as the fish are large and plentiful, water clear and the surrounding panorama makes any outing
there a pleasurable experience.
The smallmouth bass are so
large there that I use spinnerbaits designed for largemouths. The most productive
spinnerbait is the titanium-bladed Terminator. The water's visibility is unsurpassed, so
on a windless day you can see the bass you're casting to. The flip side of this is that
they also see you.
Many times I've watched a bass follow a
lure without striking-very frustrating when you realize their size. This is why I believe
that when fishing a bass lake with clear water a sonic vibration will entice a strike over
just a visible presentation. When and where live bait
is legal, a crayfish danced off of the bottom is always productive.
Mattawamkeag Lake, the nearby twin sister
to Pleasant Lake, is as opposite as two siblings can be. This hard-to-pronounce bass water is shallow and contains bass habitat from one end to
the other. Lots of fast action. East Grand Lake, famous
as a salmon or trout destination, is another prolific smallmouth water. My perennial
favorite for bronzebacks is Baskahegan Lake just south
of East Grand.
Aroostookians, being somewhat salmon and
trout purists, may be unaccustomed with fishing that doesn't include trolling. If unfamiliar with bass-fishing, the best way to describe
it is that it's more like hunting. Instead of lure dragging
in deep, open water, look towards shore and cast into the most bow-denting, boulder-strewn
part of the lake. The mariner in you will be tested by
the above-and-below-water rock mine fields we bass fisherman call structure.
Also, forget the Mooselooks, streamers
and sewn smelt. An assortment of spinner baits, slug-o's, dardevils, and a few top water hula poppers or foam frogs will fulfill a bass'
appetite. Oh, by the way, expect to lose many of those lures,
because if you don't you're not hunting deep enough into the bass domain to make a
difference.
________________________________________________________________________
~Wayne Selfridge has hunted and
fished throughout the world as a military veteran. He works in law enforcement and also serves as the Sporting Journal's Northern Sales Manager. He is a member
of the Friends of Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
© 2000 Northwoods Sporting Journal
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