I recently took a trip to a group of small trout ponds in eastern Maine. Two of the ponds required a substantial trek to access, so backpacking was the strategy. This sort of trip was going to be one for the record books; some serious planning was required.
The trip was the discussion topic of choice for months. Planning is the ticket to success, so we covered every item we could think of, from packs to tents, tackle, rods, regulations, weather and water temperature. I started to collect things that I thought I’d need, and made a pile.
Recently, we put our concept into action. It was a super fun trip, and we caught some nice brookies. However, it seemed as if our preparation efforts were in vain, as we ran into some rough water.
Here are some lessons I learned:
Don’t rely on others. This sounds simple enough, but it can be the difference between a successful adventure and a miserable failure. In other words, you should aim to be self-reliant.
Have each member of your party bring their own food and gear and minimize shared equipment. This way, if someone forgets something, or backs out of the trip at the last second (you know who you are), the others are set up for success.
Consider what you might need to bring out. I was focused on packing light for this trip. My pack was already pretty heavy with fishing gear, and the camping gear only made it heavier. That said, I regretted leaving one thing behind: a cooler.
Obviously, hiking with a hard-sided cooler isn’t an option. However, it would have been possible to bring a small, soft-sided cooler with an ice block, and keep a bigger cooler in my car back at the parking lot. The issue I ran into was fish.
I caught a nice brookie at our campsite, and we weren’t heading out until the next day. I was interested in keeping the fish, but I wasn’t sure how long it would keep without being cooled. We ended up cooking it over the campfire, but it would’ve been nice to bring it home.
When I loaded my pack, I was putting items in as I acquired them. I’ve heard that you want to pack your heaviest items low and close to your back, with the lighter items on top. I did keep this in mind, although I definitely could have packed more efficiently.
When I packed back up to head home, my pack was much more organized, and I had even more room. I wish I had unpacked and repacked it at home, because it would have helped to organize things.
The more I think about it, I realize weight is a significant factor in hiking. Some things are heavy, although unavoidable; others aren’t worth their weight. There were some things that made the preliminary gear list that I later removed: a small frying pan (replaced with tin foil), extra water bottles (replaced with a canteen and LifeStraw), and a large tackle box, replaced by a small box of my favorite lures.
I call this the weight-to-reward ratio. It’s the value an item will bring to you, compared with its weight.
Left to right, Nolan Raymond used this hammock setup to sleep instead of a traditional tent. A campfire burns under a huge rock at the campsite used by Nolan Raymond on a recent brook trout fishing trip to a pond in eastern Maine. Nolan Raymond demonstrates his water purification setup. Josh Sullivan hooked a native brook trout on a trip with friend and Bangor Daily News outdoors contributor Nolan Raymond. Credit: Courtesy of Nolan Raymond
Choosing the tackle to take on this sort of outing can be a challenge. I started by trying to fit my entire trout box inside my backpack, but quickly realized that wasn’t a good choice. Instead, I filled up a smaller box with lures that seemed appropriate.
This included time-tested ones such as the Kastmaster, Rooster Tail and the Phoebe, as well as a couple of local lures I’d heard about: the Weeping Willow, made right in Brewer, and the Hookmore Leaders spoon, another Maine company.
The ponds we fished were heavy in baitfish, so I aimed to bring lures that resembled the forage. I found that the best strategy, at least at dawn and dusk, was to quickly retrieve a spoon along the surface. I caught a handful of trout and lost a few more. The Hookmore spoon, in the 2 5/8-inch length, mimicked the bait well and was really effective. The Harvester pattern appeared to have bands, just like killifish. The Weeping Willow was also effective. It goes to show that a local company, armed with experience and input from local anglers, can make lures that are a cut above.
I had a really fun time on this little expedition, and was happy to reel in some beautiful native brookies. My own mistakes and shortcomings give me some things to remember for the next one.
Correction: A previous version of this story inadvertently identified the wrong type of lure that mimicked the bait.
