On The Road Again: Lovell, Maine
By: John Kumiski
Were we in the wrong place? We entered the cabin I understood was ours- surely there was a mistake. Four bedrooms, two kitchens, three bathrooms, and it was just the two of us. Bob the caretaker eventually came by and explained. "You were supposed to be in another cabin. The renters there decided to stay because the wife is nine months pregnant and they didn't want to travel. So you're in this one until the next renters come. Then you'll have to move."
That's fine with us! We settled in, then began checking our surroundings. The cabin was a 60-second walk from Kezar Lake, one of Maine's premier fisheries. Numerous other ponds were nearby. We had access to kayaks, and canoes, and a johnboat. The surrounding area had farm stands, and hikes, and restaurants, and best of all, we had an entire month here.
Ralph, the cabin's owner and a long-time friend, came by in the morning to orient us a little more. He and I went out in the johnboat- he belongs to the lake association. They hunt for exotic plants species in the lake, removing them when they're discovered. While he hunted for milfoil he told me about the lake and the landowners along it- Stephen King, this heiress, that wealthy person, this eccentric, and etc. When we were done searching, we toured the north end of this sizable water body. The water was splendid- so clear you could see the bottom 25 feet down. Large piles of large boulders littered the lake, all marked by buoys to warn boaters of their location. All I could think about were smallmouth bass, although largemouth bass, landlocked salmon, and lake trout live here too.
Sunset on Kezar Lake.
The rest of the day was taken by the minutia of living- getting organized in our new digs, washing clothes, buying groceries, stuff you have to do no matter where you are or what else you might be doing. I had enough time to research other potential fishing spots. Yes, I had a big lake out my front door. But I always like to find places that require sweat equity. They are always lightly fished, and have hungry, unsophisticated fish. Such a place is Kezar Pond. A mile-long paddle down a shallow stream is needed to get there. When we finished our chores, I brought my wife to see a covered bridge, which just happens to be the put-in, too. I have yet to try to get to the pond, though.
The next morning found me on Kezar Lake in a kayak, surrounded by a dense fog, mist rising from the water. Mysterious and magical! I used a fly rod to cast a popper along shorelines and over rock piles, even though I'd been told the fish were deep. Early September, warm water. It didn't make sense to me- bass like warm water. I got a couple little ones, and then got a real bite. The smallmouth wasn't huge, but it was respectable, putting up a spirited resistance. I photographed it, then released it. Life was good!
I saw a fisherman in a motorboat working the same area I was. He didn't seem to be having any luck at all.
Kezar fisherman in the mist.
The mist burned off and the bite stopped, so I paddled back to the cabin. Susan said she wanted to go kayaking, so I grabbed my spin rod and off we went.
For Susan it was a sightseeing trip. For me it was a scouting trip. If I could get some pictures and a fish I'd be more than happy. Fortune smiled when we found a family of six loons, swimming together. Two of them came our way, and while they weren't exactly posing, I was able to get some pictures. It was thrilling watching them swim underneath my boat!
Farther on, I got a largemouth bass on a Senko worm. Again, not huge but respectable, and I was able to get a picture of the fish and kayaking Susan at the same time. Now it was getting to be well after lunch time, so we paddled back and ended our excursion.
Largemouth bass and Susan, on Kezar Lake.
That evening, after dark, I walked down to the beach with my fly rod, the popper still tied to the end of my leader. On the third cast a bass crushed the bait, and a few minutes later I released a three-pound largemouth. I had taken three fishing trips on Kezar Lake in one day, and caught fish on all of them.
Kezar Lake loons.
We saw a sign for Sabattus Mountain along Route 5. We put on our hiking shoes and went looking for the trail head. A moderately strenuous walk through what looked to be third-growth woods followed, a 1.5-mile loop to and from the top of the mountain. I'd never really noticed dragonflies at mountaintops before, but there were lots of them up there, along with splendid views of the White Mountains to the west. There were also some enormous veins of white quartz up there, quite spectacular. And someone with more fortitude than I had carried a cast iron bench up, exquisitely fabricated with trees and wildlife done in cast iron.
Every Saturday in season, a farmer's market is held in nearby Bridgton. We made the drive out there. I love farmer's markets. There was a woman playing a dulcimer (for ambiance, no doubt), and folks selling all kinds of produce, and fish and meats, and jewelry, and baked goods- baked goods, wow! Gotta have some of those! We got some groceries for upcoming dinners, too, and when the shopping was over headed back to Lovell.
The Fryeburg Fairgrounds are down the street from where we're staying. There was a gem and mineral show happening, so after we finished our trip to the market we went to the show. No purchases were made by us, but it was surely a display of amazing phenomena that the fantastic planet we live on so generously provides. Truly humbling.
Sabattus Mountain bench.
When I got up the next morning, I could not help but notice the bread we had just purchased the previous day was scatted all over the kitchen. Squirrels were sharing our cabin! Look, there's one running across the top of the cabinets! It disappeared into the wall where a pipe went though.
Next thing, we were packing our things. Ralph had us moving to his pond house. We'd known we had to move, it just came on us rather suddenly. Ralph had to get the rodents out of the building- he had other renters on the way. So our adventure was taking a new twist.
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