Good Trout Ponds

By V. Paul Reynolds I was asked recently which ponds were my top selections for Maine trout ponds. With over 500 lakes and ponds in the North Maine Woods, there are certainly a lot of places to fish and over the past 30 years I have had the good fortune to try many of them. … Continued

June Fishing Tips

Fishing? It is coming on strong, as it always does in June.. Truly, Maine is a sport fisherman’s paradise. Get out and wet a line. Here are some tips from the experts, the state fisheries biologists. Region A – Sebago Lakes Region “We were conducting our bass electrofishing surveys last week and bass are actively … Continued

Tips for Summer Bass

By Bill Decoteau Mike Delvisco is one of the most educated bass anglers I know and his simple approach to establishing bass patterns is a sure fire way to increase your confidence in locating as well as landing more bass……especially during the heat of summer! “Many times during the hottest days of summer the majority … Continued

Wild Trout Vs. Native Trout: Is There a Difference?

Photo courtesy of Libby Camps By John Bolland The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) is committed to protecting and enhancing its native and wild brook trout populations. This was clearly evident at last year’s Eastern States Brook Trout Initiative in West Virginia, where representatives from all states from Maine to Georgia met … Continued

Deer Management 101

By V. Paul Reynolds Interestingly, success rate for antlerless permit hunters is close to 30 percent. According to Gerry Lavigne, this higher success rate is due, in part, to the illegal practice of party hunting, and if hunters were to cease this illegal activity the state could double the number of antlerless permits they issue. … Continued

Bowman’s First-Kill Delayed by Uninvited Moose On the Make

The bull immediately started walking in my direction. He didn’t stop until he was five feet from the base of the tree. He was so close I thought he was going to step on my bow. The alarm went off with its usual abruptness at 3:30 A.M. As I climbed from bed I wondered what … Continued

The Phantom Salmon of Fording Rock

Simmering, I handed the rod over to the one-armed man. “Go ahead, old codger,” I said to myself, “show me something.” The number twelve WhiteWulff fluttered in the air and settled as milk down on the center riffle of Landing Pool. Grandfather’s amber Edwards’ Quadrate was poised. Three feet of mended drift brought the expected … Continued

Tom Brown’s Wilderness School

On a gentle evening in February of 1988 in the lofts of Tom Brown’s old dairy farm in Ashbury N.J., a town located in the west central part of the state, I scurried around with fourteen other anxious students fluffing up hay. We were making comfortable places to lay our sleeping bags for the next … Continued

Some Reflections On Being A Maine Guide

As a boy and a young man, I was interested in the Maine woods and waters and I was intrigued by the term “Maine Guide.” To me, the term almost had a connotation as exciting as the “Royal Canadian Mounted Police.” My first real contact with a “real” Maine Guide was in June of 1941 … Continued

For Big Fish & Fast Action: Northern Pike

Increasingly, Maine fly fishermen are discovering the pike alternative. “Pike are often considered warm water fish. But what many don’t understand,” the guide says, “is they are actually cold water fish, preferring about the same water temperatures as many trout and salmon. Sit back for a minute, close your eyes and think about fly fishing … Continued

Reader Feedback

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the largest hunting & fishing magazine in the Northeast.

"Just want to complement all of you on an excellent magazine. I have my subscription sent to my office and have found that clients grab the Northwoods Sporting Journal first over the dozen or so other magazines in our waiting area.
I have enclosed subscriptions for myself and five friends that I think will enjoy your magazine. I especially like the Outdoor News sections for keeping up to date with statistics and changes going on in the state."

Jay Deane

"I used to subscribe to several outdoor magazines in the past until one day I picked up a copy of the NWSJ at LL Bean in Freeport, Maine. After reading the journal I have to say I never subscribed to any other outdoor magazine. The journal had it all and the thing is it only gets better every month! The articles are informative and very well written by what I consider experts in the field. I have to say if one does not subscribe to the journal or picks up a copy of the journal “they do not know what they are missing!” Unfortunately, I am not a resident of Maine but after reading the journal I feel I know more about your great state than my own regarding the opportunities of hunting and fishing, very good writers."

Tony Ostrowski

"Good morning, I have to write this…because your magazine deserves it. Every couple last winters my family has gone up to Maine after Christmas for a couple days. This always coincides with a stop at KTP, where I buy a copy of your magazine. Well, this Christmas I asked my kids for one gift, a subscription to NWSJ. I’m 57 years old, I grew up cutting and chopping cords of wood every year for my family’s two vermont castings stoves, and fishing and hunting extensively. especially loved tying my own flies and selling them in my local Connecticut hardware store when I was 12. When not doing those things I was salivating over field and stream, outdoor life, fin and feather, you understand…those were great mags, but I don’t like how they’ve changed over the years…they’re selling to the masses now, not to who I think is their core audience. You guys are different, and good different. You’re old school. You actually do not care what people think of what you’re writing, and that reeks of important values like HONESTY, COMMON SENSE, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND KNOWLEDGE. Your articles are SO good that I refuse to read more than one at a time. no joke; I leave each issue open on my kitchen table, and read one article a day. Why? Because every single article is fantastic! I don’t want to ruin the digestion of the last one by reading the next one too quickly…yes, you guys are that good. So here it is, my first feedback; you have the best outdoor magazine I have ever read..and will continue to read it till I can’t read. "

Alexander Pflomm

"I enjoyed reading Ms. AuClair’s article on Mount Katahdin.  I had also enjoyed the mountain and knife-edge trail twice when I was in my late 40s - early 50s. It’s an unbelievably beautiful environment. The quiet is God-like. Thanks very much. Keep up the great reading. I look forward every month to the Sporting Journal."

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