Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 8 : Spring 2011 | Page 43

Fish are great levelers! Fish
don’t care about your affluence, religion,
ethnicity, social status or politics. What
gets their attention is the drop of a fly
without casting a shadow. Much of the
joy of fly fishing involves the satisfaction
of turning others on to this great past
time.

The thrills and pleasures of
watching others land their first fish or
knowing the opportunity will be brought
back as the Aroostook is jumpstarted
is the reward. A special camaraderie is
shared amongst fly fisherman.

I believe it was here, at the
lodge, sometime during the dining
hour the words really settled into my
heart. I looked into the eyes that have
already envisioned the return of the great
Atlantic Salmon. Their passion clearly
stated the greatest gift we can give our
families or friends is a pastime that will
last a lifetime. The Atlantic Salmon is a
“wonderful” sporting fish, worth every
effort to bring them back.

As adventures were shared, I could
almost hear the scream of a reel, see the
rod bend in a big arc, and feel the shower
of spray described. The Good Lord must
have been concerned about the happiness
of fly fishermen when he made the noble
Atlantic Salmon available to them. They
told of times when they have dropped
a fly right over the flash of a salmon to
watch it rise and take the fly as though
everything was carefully rehearsed. They
have gone to the waterways exhausted
with daily duties of life when the rivers
gave new energy to tired limbs.

With great trepidation, I cast
this, my first literate fly into the stream
hoping for the right presentation that
will invoke a rise in each of us to grasp
that proverbial fly and give generously
to the ongoing work that will afford us
the free flowing heritage of fine angling
on the native rivers of Northern Maine.
The only bad cast any of us can make,
regardless if we are beginners, polished,
or masters of the rhythmic motion of
SPRING 2011 Atlantic Salmon 41