Families in the Woods
Last week was the first week of summer vacation for most schools in the area, and families with kids are beginning to show up everywhere. Almost all of the summer camps and sporting camps are back to a normal schedule. It is good to see our friends from away returning.
These camps are not only very important to the local economy, but often bring visitors from all over the country who learn the joys of living near a lake in Maine. Many later come back to settle here in their retirement. There are many former Camp Kennebec alumni around Salmon Lake, Pine Island alumni and Runoia alumnae around Great Pound, Manitou and Matoaka alums around East Pond, and Snow Pond Center for the Arts alumni everywhere. This is also true of former visitors to Bear Springs, Alden Camps. Whisperwood, Castle Island, Wheeler’s Camps, and other family camps in the watershed. Residents of Taconnet have been playing tennis with the same “kids” for decades. A recent UMO study estimates youth summer camps alone generate about $323 million direct and indirect economic benefits in Maine annually.
Over Father’s Day weekend, I got to take care of my youngest Grandson, Bayard, a.k.a. “Bub.” We spent a fair amount of time fishing. Bub caught and released 15 red-breasted and pumpkinseed sunfish off our dock using a small jig with a bit of worm on the tail before we headed out to the lake for a bit on Saturday afternoon. I caught a nice smallmouth that my grandson officially measured as “humongous.” It was actually only 19″, about 4 pounds, but still pretty nice. The next morning, we went to the farmers' market by boat and met Nana there for a bit, which included popsicles, fresh bread, and cookies, and making a frog in the gallery. Bayard and I headed back in the boat and we each caught a couple of nice bass. Bub caught a solid three pounder trolling a white zonker streamer. He wouldn’t hold it up for the camera but is sitting with it and pointing at it in the picture below.
A couple days after the end of school I went for a hike on Mt. Phillip and met three generations of the Nickerson family from Norridgewock. Randi Nickerson was hiking with her mom Eileen and her two sons Ashton and Levi. Ashton is going into third grade next year and Levi will be headed to the middle school in Skowhegan. They were very enthusiastic about the 7 Lakes trails and said they tried to hike them as often as they could.
The trout fishing has been slow for the past month as the water warms. Once the surface water temperature gets above 70°, the trout will tend to stay below the surface mixed layer in the cooler water below the thermocline, currently about 25 feet down. I have still been catching some nice rainbows by trolling streamer flies or small spoons just off the bottom in areas 20 to 25 feet deep. The bass are off their beds and feeding on alewives, as are the pike. The sunfish are still spawning in the shallows and provide a lot of action for youngsters just learning to fish.
Check the 7LA website and Facebook page for upcoming events. Our Chewonki presentations from 3:00 to 4:00 on Thursday afternoons begin on June 26 with “Owls of Maine.” We will also be offering regular expeditions on our new education boat on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 and Invasive Plant Workshops on Sunday mornings during the farmers’ market. Check with Sally (495‑6039) in the gallery if you are interested in signing up.
I encourage everyone to take advantage of the wealth of recreational opportunities this area offers. Do like they used to in “the good old days” and take a kid fishing, or hiking, or paddling in a canoe. It’s how memories are made. Or take a parent, so they can become a kid again.
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