|  Aroostook Outdoors: Snorkeling Smallies
by Wayne Selfridge
This month angling can be difficult in
waters warmed by months of hot summer sun that force fish into the shade of cooler depths. The Crown's salmon and trout will stay deep, only cruising
the fathoms to feed.
The County's smallmouth bass lakes the
most productive fishing is first thing in the morning and just before dark. At these times the temperature- tolerant bronzebacks are willing to
hunt the shallows for food before returning to more comfortable
climes.
Angling for spring and early summer
salmon and trout, boated with regularity with trolled streamers just below the surface;
or plugging to spawning bass with every-cast action are now
just pleasant daydreams. In these dog days, some fishermen quit altogether, or just resign themselves to going through the motions in
lethargic angling outings.
We get like the fish, looking for cool
zones or shade and the occasional dip in a lake, as well as saving our sweat-producing
chores to coincide with the comfortable parts of the day. In
the deep summer, we're likely to spend more time in our favorite
waterway than on it. I'd like to share an innovative way to enjoy fishing and a refreshing
heat relief swim at the same time.
I've SCUBA dived for over 25 years,
observing fish behavior up close. When joining them in their natural environment they are not as fearful of the intrusion as they are curious. In
my Pacific and Caribbean ocean dives I would often
enjoy feeding fish underwater.
At a Southern Aroostook lakeside camp my
family rents every summer, I introduced my son to snorkeling. Similar to my salty experiences, we snorkeled in the shallows on the edge of the
precipitous drop off to cooler water and noticed that many
smallmouths would swim up to greet us.
The inquisitive bass would come within a
few feet of our stationary bodies as we stood motionless in water to our shoulders, slightly bent over watching through a submerged mask
breathing from a snorkel. The two of us would walk slowly,
and as long as we made no threatening movements they would circle close to us.
 Recalling my sea-fish feedings, Justin retrieved our
bucket of crayfish live bait and gently tossed a mini lobster so it plunked on the surface and swam towards the safety of the rocky bottom. It
didn't make it. A bass soon engulfed the meal and we
enjoyed nature's drama as we fed a dozen or so crayfish to several bass. The next step was
inevitable.
Justin hooked a crayfish, and holding his
rod above the surface he dropped the bait in front of the intended fish as we watched with anticipation through our facepieces. That fish, along
with many others, was caught and released that day, with
nonstop action until we exhausted the bait supply. We have employed this productive
angling technique many times with success that equals
that usually experienced only during the spawn. We dubbed this newfangled sport Snorkel
Fishing.
All that's required to enjoy this sport
is a bass environment with clear water, ankle covering footwear, mask and snorkel, and a rod and reel. Live bait is a must, as I've used many
lures I routinely use for bass fishing, and all they'll
do is follow them. With bait a strike is a near guarantee.
The excitement of watching a smallmouth
swim up to you and take a bait in the same underwater presence, then play him as you observe his escape maneuvers is an awesome spectacle. Give
snorkel fishing a whirl. What better way to spend an August
day than keeping cool in a lake while angling.
~Wayne
Selfridge is a seasoned outdoorsman who 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 also a member of the Friends of Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
© 2000 Northwoods Sporting Journal
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