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Northwoods Sporting Journal > Articles > Featured Articles

Featured Articles

One Night in Alaska

By Dave Willette “Shoot that bear! Shoot that bear! Be quiet and get on that bear.” Those were the exact words of my outfitter/guide Chet Nettles, owner of Alaskan Guided Hunting, and it was the culmination of a long and strange journey. This Brown Bear hunt was originally scheduled in the Winter of 2020 as … Continued

Fall Backwater Brookies

By Stu Bristol With striped bass still off the beaches in numbers and fall lakes and ponds heating up again, why would any angler in his/her right mind head into the backwater streams in search of a limit of five brook trout? Here in southern Maine anglers are spoiled with the amount of fishing opportunities … Continued

Fly Fishing Summer Bass

By Al Raychard        For many fly fishing enthusiasts trout are the name of the game. I’m a big fan of the various members of the “trout” clan, too and have been fortunate to travel from the remote fly-in regions of Labrador, Quebec and Alaska to the high altitude ponds in the Rockies to … Continued

The Forgotten Fendler Legacy

By V. Paul Reynolds It seems, for whatever reasons, one of Maine’s most fascinating and uplifting woods lore adventures has faded with time. In Maine, July 25th is Donn Fendler Day. Governor Paul LePage claimed it so in July of 2014, 75 years after a skinny 12-year old New York boy survived an incredible 9- … Continued

Summer On the Allagash

By Gil Gilpatrick Canoeing the Allagash in mid to late summer is usually great time of year for it. The weather is more dependable than at any other season. When I was asked, it is the time I most recommended for a group of friends or a family trip. The bugs, though never completely absent, … Continued

Catch and Release or Kill

By Josh Reynolds For the modern fly-fishing angler, there is controversy afoot. It seems that the social and political polarization of the past few years has threatened to pollute a sport that I love. In the angst-ridden world of social media, throughout the internet of fishing blogs, in the pages of traditional fishing magazines and … Continued

Understanding Fly Lines

By Bob Leeman Are some of these lines better than other flylines? Actually, despite differing in color and price, a (WF) weight forward floating flyline will do what they say they do-that is, float better and perhaps longer, if coated. The Question Do you really know how many kinds of flylines are available to anglers … Continued

Green Lake: A Special Fishery

By V. Paul Reynolds Among those Maine anglers who talk and ponder such things, the Arctic charr is getting a fair amount of attention these days. This cold -water native Maine fish has a Laurentian lineage, which means that its ancestors date back to the Ice Age. In the U.S, there are just 12 waters … Continued

Spring Fishing Allagash Lake

By Matt LaRoche   It is that time of year again. Time to tie a few new trolling flies, put some new line on that spinning reel and plan a fishing adventure. A spring fishing trip to Allagash Lake is a real wilderness expedition that you will remember for a lifetime! Allagash Lake is the … Continued

Overhauling the Maine Deer Hunt

By V. Paul Reynolds Last fall in this column I reported: **** “Clearly, the any-deer permit system needs a thorough overhaul. Through a legislative order, a stakeholder group has been assembled and is conducting meetings this fall and winter to address the issue. No doubt there will be a public input period once the group … Continued

Reader Feedback

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the largest hunting & fishing magazine in the Northeast.

"Just want to complement all of you on an excellent magazine. I have my subscription sent to my office and have found that clients grab the Northwoods Sporting Journal first over the dozen or so other magazines in our waiting area.
I have enclosed subscriptions for myself and five friends that I think will enjoy your magazine. I especially like the Outdoor News sections for keeping up to date with statistics and changes going on in the state."

Jay Deane

"I used to subscribe to several outdoor magazines in the past until one day I picked up a copy of the NWSJ at LL Bean in Freeport, Maine. After reading the journal I have to say I never subscribed to any other outdoor magazine. The journal had it all and the thing is it only gets better every month! The articles are informative and very well written by what I consider experts in the field. I have to say if one does not subscribe to the journal or picks up a copy of the journal “they do not know what they are missing!” Unfortunately, I am not a resident of Maine but after reading the journal I feel I know more about your great state than my own regarding the opportunities of hunting and fishing, very good writers."

Tony Ostrowski

"Good morning, I have to write this…because your magazine deserves it.  Every couple last winters my family has gone up to Maine after Christmas for a couple days.  This always coincides with a stop at KTP, where I buy a copy of your magazine. Well, this Christmas I asked my kids for one gift, a subscription to NWSJ. I’m 57 years old, I grew up cutting and chopping cords of wood every year for my family’s two vermont castings stoves, and fishing and hunting extensively. especially loved tying my own flies and selling them in my local Connecticut hardware store when I was 12.  When not doing those things I was salivating over field and stream, outdoor life, fin and feather, you understand…those were great mags, but I don’t like how they’ve changed over the years…they’re selling to the masses now, not to who I think is their core audience. You guys are different, and good different.  You’re old school.  You actually do not care what people think of what you’re writing, and that reeks of important values like HONESTY, COMMON SENSE, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND KNOWLEDGE. Your articles are SO good that I refuse to read more than one at a time.  no joke; I leave each issue open on my kitchen table, and read one article a day.  Why? Because every single article is fantastic!  I don’t want to ruin the digestion of the last one by reading the next one too quickly…yes, you guys are that good. So here it is, my first feedback; you have the best outdoor magazine I have ever read..and will continue to read it till I can’t read. "

Alexander Pflomm

"I enjoyed reading Ms. AuClair’s article on Mount Katahdin. 
I had also enjoyed the mountain and knife-edge trail twice when I was in my late 40s - early 50s. It’s an unbelievably beautiful environment. The quiet is God-like. Thanks very much. Keep up the great reading. I look forward every month to the Sporting Journal."

Warren Seddon