|
Saco Bay Guide
Service Newsletter
This past year held great fishing,
tough weather, a difficult bird season and the final chapter in the Saga
of Bayley Hill Game Park. This was by far our most successful
Striper and Bluefish season. We made ninety trips on the old
“Seabird” and had a lot of fun and caught a bunch of fish. The
bluefish were very consistent the last part of July as well as the
entire month of August and gave us a big shot of excitement almost
every trip. I pulled the boat on the 28th of August to
get ready for our hunting season at Bayley Hill. The fishing
proved red hot in September and I hope to take advantage of this in
2006 as I intend to keep my boat in the water longer this year.
Our family had a wonderful year. We all are in great health and
our children and grandchildren are living happy independent lives.
We had an emotional loss last September when our beloved
“Cranberry Cottage” in Nova Scotia burned to the ground. At this
point Amy and I are undecided whether to rebuild or not. The
cottage was one of the reasons we liked to spend so much time up
there. We had just expended a lot of effort and resources getting
it ready for when we could enjoy some extended vacations on the Bay of
Fundy. But it wasn't to be.
King and Bartlett Fish and Game Club
King and Bartlett Lodge lies about
thirteen miles north off Route 27 in Eustis, Maine. It is a very
special place. For the last five years I have spent the month of
October there with my string of bird dogs guiding hunters for Woodcock
and Grouse. The amount of Grouse available to us is dependent on
the quality of the Spring Hatch. Last year, because of the cold
wet June, we had very few Grouse to work with. Two years ago the
hunting was phenomenal and daily limits were common. I’m hoping
for a good hatch this year to showcase my dogs. The trip to Kansas
in January plus an early spring that held an extended Woodcock flight
and many mating Grouse has put a fine edge on my dogs’ abilities.
Over 200 years old K&B is rich in history and
lore. Quaint but comfortable log cabins surround a classic antique
Lodge where good food and rich stories are shared by the hunters each
night. I have a couple of openings in the first and last week of the
season. Try to make it up north for some high country Grouse
hunting at it’s finest.
The Last Bugle
The final season at Bayley Hill
allowed us to harvest all Bulls. This was very exciting and we
stalked some spectacular animals that made for many memorable
hunts. For the last four years we have guided hunters at Bayley
Hill and acquired a lifetime of indelible experiences. All the
animals have been sold and the park itself is being developed into a
beautiful residential community. We want to thank Fred and
Kathleen for allowing us to conduct hunts on their property and wish
them the best with their wonderful project.
NEW……………..Wild
Quail Hunts…………..Kansas
The fun, excitement,
challenges and change that we experienced in 2005 has caused some
interesting additions to this year’s program. I hope all of you
will be able to make it up to Maine to Fish or Hunt Grouse and Woodcock
or our newest Adventure Maker - to come out to the Heartland and hunt
quail on the endless prairie of South West Kansas.
I have leased a 15,000 acre ranch that is loaded
with Quail, Pheasants and Prairie Chicken. This ranch has only
been hunted by the rancher’s family for over twenty years. This
adventure will appeal to the sportsman who wishes to experience the
ultimate in a hunt that demands class dog work with lightening fast
shooting ability. We will hunt by foot over the gently rolling
hills.
I spent most of last January in the area and the birds
were very plentiful even though it was late in the season. The
walking is good and our area is quite remote. Lodging is limited
but we have made arrangements with a couple of nice bed and breakfasts
that combine good food with an authentic Great Plains experience.
Hunters may also choose to stay in the legendary “Dodge City” and make
the forty mile drive to the ranch.
My customers may hunt with me as a fully guided package
or can bring their own dogs and hunt on their own. I can also
offer prairie dog hunting as part of the trip.
If you haven't experienced the thrill of stepping on a
covey of about twenty birds that are out of range almost before you can
focus on them, you are in for some big times. Hunting late in the
season last year I moved over ten coveys a day. And the areas we
have available to us this season are truly exceptional so the action
will be fast and furious. This open country is also a good spot to
get a young dog “going”. My pointer pup “Dan” was just a
year and a half old and had his good and bad days, but one afternoon he
pointed five coveys and two pheasants and when I brought him home he had
a great spring on Woodcock and Grouse. He’s now standing his game
as well as my most experienced dogs.
The weather in Kansas in December and January is
mild. There is little snow or rain and the temperatures by mid day
are often in the fifties and sixties. Those of you that have
hunted or fished with me before, know that I am “results”
oriented. Kansas has proven to be a remarkable palette to paint
the upland experience on. I hope those of you that are into bird
hunting can bring that little twenty gauge double, with or without your
bird dog and come out to the “Great Plains” to make some memories with
me.
New Boat!!!!!
The “Amy Vee” is a 22 foot
C-Hawk Center Console Bay Boat. We customized it by adding a large
casting deck, live well and slim profile leaning post. My good
friend “Duff” White and I spent the winter in “Chip” Zeiner’s shop in
Kennebunk tweaking the boat so that it will do just the right job
chasing Stripers, School Tuna and Blues in Saco Bay.
The new boat will allow us to fish a lot more
water. This is important, especially as we extend our season into
the Fall. Although the boat is larger I will still cater to those
fisherman that prefer to fish alone or with one or two buddies. I
find it impossible to do a good job with large groups of customers in
this fishery which demands a certain intensity and critical boat
placement. I’ve always possessed a need to “produce” for my
customers. This new boat will give us more options and spots to
keep us over the fish.
As I write this newsletter on a rainy day in early June,
the boat has already taken a half dozen charters with fantastic fishing
action. The superb fish ability of the Amy Vee makes it a very
fun boat.
Over the Next
Wave
Too often in life the last person
we think about is ourselves. We put off trips of our dreams to
make time for work, family matters and the numerous daily challenges
that life throws at us. This is all fine up to a point, but there
comes a time in all our lives when we realize that we will only pass
this way once. Time, which seemed to heal all difficulties
has become a thief and life charges along like a bull in the rut.
I urge you all to do something for yourselves this
year. Let time stand still for a few days or a week. For me,
every time I’m on the water, I become so absorbed with the
fishing, exchanging stories and experiences with my clients that each
trip becomes an entity in itself. A memory that occupies a place
in my mind and soul forever. I get the same feeling when I go
through the gate at King and Bartlett or stand in the endless sea of
prairie grass in Kansas, casting my dogs off to run with all their heart
and athletic talent. Their performance enriches me and whets the
thirst to keep on living this precious life to its fullest.
Come on up to Maine or out to Kansas to hunt or fish
with me this year. I can promise you clean air, class bird dogs,
top notch fishing and a friend that appreciates these experiences as
much as yourself.
|
