Featured Articles
The Redemption Bear
BY John Floyd There is nothing more disheartening than when a client misses a bear. The time invested in setup, the anticipation and expectations on a bear stand with good bears coming in suddenly crashes in flames with the missed opportunity. It happens. On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, there isn’t a much … Continued
Tying the Barnsie
By Bob Leeman While fly casting for landlocked salmon at Grand Lake Stream a few years ago, I spotted a good-sized fish waiting for a morsel to float by, while hiding behind a sunken boulder across the flow. My first offer was a Bob’s White Marabou Muddler fly, flicked to the upper current just above … Continued
Hastie’s Hut
By V. Paul Reynolds “There. Right there on that point. I’m gonna build a camp there,” my ice fishing buddy exclaimed as we drove our snowsleds up and down the south shore of Seboeis Lake. It was February of 1967. I was a young man just out of the Navy and back in Maine, … Continued
Spring Gobbler Secrets
By Stu Bristol Are there any “secrets” left to learn about spring gobbler hunting or has everything been written, using the same old tactics with a new twist? Wild turkey hunting legend, Ben Lee told me this way back in the early 1970’s, when literally no one in New England had a clue how to … Continued
Ice Fishing Hotspots in Maine
From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Jim Pellerin Where to fish in January: For the earlier part of the season, December through mid-January, anglers should target smaller-medium sized waters (<1,000 acres). Waters in this category generally have safer ice, and in this part of the state many of the larger waters like Thompson Lake, Kezar Lake, Great East … Continued
The Gregarious Grouse
By David Minton Any upland bird hunter will tell you that the Ruffed Grouse, aka partridge here in New England, is one of the hardest upland game birds to hunt. It can fly through the densest woods and conifer forests, takes off when the hunter is least ready to make a shot (stepping over … Continued
Survival: Deer Hunt Gone Bad
BY Mark Cote When we arrived at our Anticosti deer camp it rained a lot overnight. My plan for the first day was to hunt the coastline on the East side of the territory, which meant crossing the Martin River by ATV. Nobody has been able to hunt there for weeks so I knew it … Continued
The Bear Buck
By Ben Wilcox The conclusion of hunting season is a time to look back at the successes and failures of the past year. In my computer I list the deer I killed and note any important lessons. While doing so, I saw my PA public land 8 point listed and recalled the crazy story that … Continued
The Togue Hunters
By Stu Bristol These men and women are a rare and hearty breed, for sure. They travel Maine from end to end, in snowstorms, ice and rain, sometimes for hours at a time in a single day. Armed with modern ice fishing gear they search for the Togue (Lake Trout) honey holes looking for … Continued
Kids: Pickerel Passion
BY V. Paul Reynolds I know of no better way to get kids hooked on fishing than to expose them to an action-packed pickerel pond on a sunny day in late February of early March. They say first impressions are lasting. Not so, though, with fish. Take the chain pickerel. By rights I should loathe … Continued
My name is Cody Fish. I enjoy reading the Northwoods Sporting Journal while out on my fishing trips aboard the two 80-90 foot offshore scallop boats I work on. Our trips are typically a week to two weeks long. As we steam out to the fishing grounds, or even home, I frequently find myself reading the whole journal cover to cover. Wonderful advice, tips, and stories to help me remember just how beautiful the state I call home is. I reside in the town of Union, Maine and am an avid deer Hunter and trout fisherman. I am attaching a picture of me holding the journal as I steam the boat towards Cape Cod.
- Cody Fish"