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05/23/2009
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Staff file photo by Joe Phelanfrom the Kennebec Journal
Sport of Kings
New Medicaid billing system inspires doubts among some
Christmas spirit
Guidance counselor: Dismiss complaint based on criticism of same-sex marriage
CHELSEA: 'Practice burn' provides thrill for 9-year-old
Trust eyes orchard purchase
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Bonenfant rises up Cony ranks
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
YES ON 1 BACKER REBUTS CLAIM
New system for Medicaid payments worries providers
After petition drive, Clinton police force budget will go a third time before voters
A rock musician makes trip home via Black Taxi
MADISON: After revaluation, abatement requests reviewed
Parks to have facelift
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Sweet does job for Madison
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
BY TRAVIS BARRETT
Outdoors Writer
The kayak's been hanging on the rack since last summer, but the sun is out. The temperatures are perfect. There's nary a sniff of a breeze coming from either direction.
And you've got yourself a couple of hours to kill until the in-laws show up on the doorstep looking for free food and the big game on the tube.
Where to plop in for a little paddling in central Maine? Well, the people that are in the know had no trouble at all coming up with the spots they'd want to hit with some spare time for themselves.
RALPH ARDITO
Belgrade Canoe and Kayak
Belgrade
"The Belgrade Lakes are absolutely beautiful," said Ralph Ardito of Belgrade Canoe and Kayak, the largest dealer of Old Town canoes and kayaks in the United States. "Just beautiful. They've got all the landings, everything.
"There's just water everywhere."
Ardito's top choices were not easily narrowed, though he did count Long Pond, Great Pond and Belgrade Stream among his favorites. Particularly on larger lakes, like Long Pond or Great Pond, paddlers should pay special attention to the weather conditions.
Blustery days on a wide open lake like Great Pond could be troublesome.
Other than that, though, Ardito said he believes the water in and around Belgrade to be the absolute best central Maine has to offer.
"The Belgrade Lakes, I think, are the prettiest lakes in New England. They've got hills all around them, just surrounding them. It's spectacular. Make other lakes around here look like you're down south.
"I think the area is the best kept secret in the entire country."
Ardito's top choice: Paddle Belgrade Stream from Wings Mill dam all the way to Long Pond.
CARROLL WARE
Master Maine guide
Skowhegan
One thing is clear, Carroll Ware has an affinity for the river that connects the communities of central Maine. Virtually all of his paddling recommendations keep the Kennebec River in mind.
"I tell you, it's tough to beat that trip where you put in at Waterville and take out at Sidney," said Ware, of Fins and Furs Adventures. "There's eagles, ospreys, deer on the banks, lots and lots of smallmouth (bass) and you might even see a sturgeon. That's just a great paddle."
There are public boat launches in both Waterville and Sidney, with ample parking, easy to get to in a pinch. The water isn't terribly deep or rough, making it a paddle that beginners will find challenging, though not necessarily dangerous.
The fishing is the bonus, but Ware is 100 percent correct -- smallmouth bass by the bucketload are to be had. Most of them are in the 12- to 14-inch range, though they fight with the ferocity of fish twice their size.
Ware also favors other sections of the Kennebec that are equally scenic.
"From The Forks down to Caratunk at the boat launch is a good one," Ware said. "It takes about three hours for the headwater to get from Indian Pond to The Forks (from the dam release), but most days they're releasing water there, so there's always plenty of water if you wait until the latter part of the morning.
"It's a nice paddle to put in at Old Point in Madison, too. You've got the Bombazee rips there and all that. It's just another pretty paddle."
Ware's top choice: Paddling from the Waterville boat launch on the Kennebec River down to the launch in Sidney. You'll want to leave a car in one of the locations.
DENNIS MORANG
Eastern Mountain Sports
store manager (Portland)
Gardiner
Dennis Morang, who manages the Eastern Mountain Sports store in Portland, held the same position at the former EMS store in Augusta. He said he's never actually paddled Messalonskee Stream, though he knows it's a popular -- and leisurely -- paddle.
He's got proof.
"When we rented boats out of Augusta, these guys would come in and fill one up with ice and beer," Morang said, laughing. "I remember that they'd come in, rip the hatch cover off and fill it up. We'd get it back with empty beer cans and ice.
"So, I just assume, I guess -- it couldn't have been anything too difficult, right?"
When Morang wants to get out on his own, though, he likes the moving water of streams and rivers.
"How about Fort Halifax over there in Winslow, and then just kayak down to Augusta? That's a really good one. There's lots of wildlife along the way and a couple of Class 2 rapids. It's nothing too difficult, but it's a good time.
"Cobbossee Stream is another good one. It's super long with lots of places to put in."
Morang's top choice: Three-Mile Pond on Route 3 in Vassalboro. "There's just so many places to go in that area. Find some flat water and explore it."
SCOTT DAVIS
DIF&W fisheries biologist
Benton
One thing about a Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife fisheries biologist is that you can be reasonably sure that if they're telling you where to go paddle, you'll want to make sure you've got your fishing rod in tow.
Why not kill two birds with one stone, right?
"Any place on the Sebasticook River, put that one down if you want to go and catch fish when you're paddling," said Scott Davis, who is not only a fisheries biologist but also a fishing guide.
Davis said that one problem with bigger rivers like the Kennebec -- though he did agree with others, like Carroll Ware, that the scenery on the Kennebec is well worth it when the weather is right -- is that finicky weather conditions can decrease the value of the trip. The smaller Sebasticook is less plucky.
"It's just a terrific flow. It's enjoyable," Davis said. "The fishing's great. In the summer, when it gets hot, I fish the shade and only the shade -- and I stay in the shade.
"Having a lot of canopy there is a big help. You know there's going to be plenty of cover at noon, 1 o'clock."
Other smaller tributaries with fishing opportunities for paddlers include 15-Mile Stream in Albion, the St. George River near Thomaston and Cobbossee Stream.
"They're all fairly small, not really too big ... There's some areas with Class 1, Class 2 rapids, but nothing major."
Davis' top choice: Carrabassett Stream in Canaan, "because I'd look for deer hunting spots."
Travis Barrett -- 621-5648
tbarrett@centralmaine.com
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