Blog

Boating Etiquette and Safety

Pontoon Motorboat Dock

Boating can be one of the most enjoyable recreational activities here in Maine. With around 2,677 lakes, access to a lake is virtually a short drive away from anywhere in the State.


Boating safety should be practiced and on top of every boater’s list. Having the proper amount and type of life jacket for each person on board, staying sober while driving, and knowing the navigational rules are all good examples to help ensure a good, safe day out on the water. Boating safety courses are also offered throughout the state.

Boating etiquette is something else each person should practice. Etiquette begins at the boat launch, before the boat even touches the water. Most boat launches are congested, and a level of patience needs to be reached. From the moment you pull into the boat launch area, you should put yourself into a mode of doing things quickly, efficiently, and with the minimal amount of time. Make sure that the boat is full of everything you need before you unload the boat into the water. Don’t load coolers, fishing equipment, etc., into the boat at the launch. This is the last thing people want to see waiting for their turn behind you.

Getting off the lake should be looked at the same way. Often times you may be sitting to wait your turn to get to the dock for loading. It can get hot sitting there waiting so try to be patient and courteous. An opportunity may arise where you might get behind someone loading up that doesn’t have the experience to be efficient. Step up and lend them a helping hand. You may be able to show them something to help them on their next trip.

-Dave Capponi, Member Mid Maine Chamber Bass Committee

The Post Spawn Changeup and Bassmaster Magazine

The Post Spawn Changeup & Bass Master Magazine

The ice-out bass fest is over, and the crazy sixty fish-a-day bed fishing slowly comes to an end. Now we are moving into the summer, deeper water patterns or weed bed patterns. Things slow down but certainly don't stop.

Now is the time for very early surface baits and soft plastics. Whopper-Ploppers can provide some heart stopping action on the surface, and baits like the D-Bomb Missile work great along the weed lines. Other effective surface lures include the usual suspects: Zara Spooks, poppers and buzz baits.

This time of year, don't be surprised if a giant Northern Pike decides to covet one of your favorite baits. Most of the lakes in the region have some monster pike in them.

And be sure to check out the next issue of Bass Master Magazine's annual listing of the top 100 lakes for bass. Out of 125,000 lakes in the country, Mid Maine has 3 listed in the top 100, nation-wide! Proof positive, Mid Maine is the place to come for spectacular bass fishing!

Be sure to check out information about our lakes at www.midmainebass.com and like us on Facebook at @MidMaineBass. And don’t forget to post your pictures on our facebook page – or if you catch a lunker, upload it to our Local Lunker page

 

Mid Maine Bass Website Blog

china lake mlf kh

Several years ago the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and the Mid Maine Region hosted Major League Fishing’s 2015 General Tire Summit Cup. Major League Fishing is a tournament that is filmed over the course of a week in an area on lakes that the competing anglers don’t have any information, practice, or history on. This opportunity to host MLF in this region was too great to pass up, so the Chamber agreed and we did it. And it was awesome! The six day tournament took place on Great Pond, Messalonskee Lake, and Long Pond in Belgrade, and the finale took place on China Lake in China. Scott Suggs won the tournament and was the first Geico Select angler to win an MLF Cup Event!

Family Fishing Fun in Maine

Harrington Family Fun Fishing

It’s late June in Maine and the bass fishing is in full swing! Although I grew up at our family camp in Belgrade, I have only really been fishing for a couple of years, ever since Major League Fishing filmed their tournament in Maine. I guess I caught the bug, because now I try to get out on the water as often as I can. It’s not uncommon to find me on the Kennebec River early morning before the kids wake up, and during the weekends you are likely to find me on our boat with my wife and four kids at any one of the area lakes. And in the evening you may find me and the family fishing from shore in a local pond in Fairfield, down by the Kennebec River, or at our family camp on Long Pond in Belgrade.