Hello from the Housatonic Meadows Campground! After an amazing eight days here in Maine, we said goodbye in search of some pike. Leaving behind the pristine rivers and lakes of Maine is tough, but everyone is eager to get out on the water in Massachusetts and chase some massive pike.
Over the past few days, we have seen a lot of excitement. It all kicked off with our backcountry journey into Indian Pond, where the kids were fishing from canoes for smallmouth bass, brook trout, and landlocked salmon. The first day in the backcountry was filled with incredible scenery and even better fishing as we canoed down the Western Kennebec. Every canoe landed good-sized fished. After floating 8 miles, we paddled to an island in the middle of Indian Pond, where we set up camp, ate a big dinner, and sat around a fire. Everyone trickled toward their tents early in preparation for day two.
Everyone loaded back into the canoes on the second day as we made our way across the pond to the Eastern Outlet of the Kennebec. We fished along the way, with everyone catching a few smallmouth before we even made it to camp. After arriving, we set up camp and ate lunch while watching kayakers float the rapids above. Shortly after, the kids hit the water targeting a wide variety of fish. Everyone was able to land some nice fish, including one of the biggest smallmouth bass we have seen pulled out of this section of water (somewhere between 4 - 4 1/2 lbs). The Eastern Outlet proved more technical than its Western counterpart, but it was well worth it as we landed some of the biggest fish on the trip. We made backcountry burritos for dinner, followed by the LFFE backcountry classic no-bake cheesecake. Again, the stories of big fish landed, and the giants that got away flowed fast around the campfire fire.
Yesterday we woke up early and packed up camp, completing the 45-minute paddle back to the boat launch before it got too hot and buggy. We loaded the canoes up and started a day of backcountry wrap-up. Showers, laundry, a competitive game of ultimate frisbee, ice cream, a little shopping, and a pizza dinner that was especially tasty for the first night out of the backcountry. We then returned to the Eastern outlet of the Kennebec to fish for Brook trout and land-locked salmon for the last time. It was a successful evening for all.
We are looking forward to an action packed next couple of days targeting the big fish, and the boys are more excited than ever. This group is getting along great, and it has been a pleasure to be a part of it.
Signing off for now,
Eli, Dayton, Max, Ben, and the boys
