Jan 242013
 

It was mid September, and two MOF operatives embarked on a mission: Take a float plane from Rangeley Lake to Kennebego Lake and enlist Maine Guide, Bill Stevens, to help us nail fish on both the Kennebego River and Kennebego Lake.

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Monster Dean and I headed up to Rangeley and established forward base camp at a motel on Rangeley Lake. Veteran pilot Keith Deschambeault met us at the dock early the next morning and, with a few rain drops hitting the windshield, pulled us up off of Rangeley Lake in his Cessna Sky Wagon for the twenty minute flight over to Kennebego Lake and to Bill Stevens’s camp.

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Bill’s camp is on the lake and one of several sporting camps that go back a long way in this region. His was built in the late 1800’s. A classic log sporting camp, with a living side and a kitchen side with no inside door between them. One must step out onto the porch that runs the whole front length of the camp and go down to the door for one or the other areas. Or sit and enjoy the commanding view of the lake.

 

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Bill took us down river along a private gated tote road that runs parallel to it and into some spots just a short trail walk in.  Dean hooked up within the first ten minutes, a nice salmon. Further upstream I grabbed my salmon, and Dean a couple of brookies. Before we knew it, it was mid day and time for lunch.  Bill’s wife Jen refueled us back at the camp with a beautiful lunch that warranted a good long nap afterwards, but no. Instead, Bill took us up the inlet to the lake in his boat to a place called the Logan.

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It was hard to imagine this placid tributary that fed into the lake would be a hot bed for trout but it was, and we nailed a few good ones. All in all we couldn’t have asked for more. Bill put us on the fish all day and we decided we’ll be back up to see him again. Keith touched down on the water and cruised up to Bill’s dock right on time, flew us back to base camp on Rangeley Lake, and then headed off for one last pick up of a couple of guys he had dropped off down at the Lower Rapid River in the morning.

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Chances are we will hook up with Keith and Bill this next spring, perhaps for a fly in to the lower Rapid River and another day with Bill on the Kennebego.

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Mission Accomplished. 

MOF

 

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