I wouldn’t say that fishing in Maine is easy, usually. There are a lot of variables up here: water temps, water flows, whether brook trout have pushed into the rivers to chase smelt and how far they’ve forayed, and the weather. Regarding the last point, you’ll go from sultry and humid days to cold and rainy ones within 24 hours.

When a thunderstorm moved through two nights ago, we lost power for about 12 hours. The complication was that our electric range was ready to go for a pasta Bolognese dinner, and so, I switched gears and grilled steaks on the the grill outside. We found a candle and a battery-powered lantern, moved our perishables into a cooler, and hoped that our food wouldn’t spoil.

I think the fishing has been as unexpected as well. Jamie knows the waters up here quite well, and we both have worked hard for a fish or two each day: they’re small-ish brook trout that Jamie thinks reside year-round in the rivers. We await their larger cousins, those piscivorous beasts that migrate to and from the lakes.

Nevertheless, the scenery is beautiful, the conversation convivial, and it’s nice to get away. We’ll fish from a boat today. It’s chilly here this Maine morning, and it’s unclear how we will do. Our hope is that fish are starting to leave the lakes to chase smelt that have moved into the rivers and tribs.

We will see. In Maine, you never know what you’re going to get. But that’s Maine fishing for you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.