- Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Roughfisher Happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, you look like a roughfish and you smell like one too!
Hope your day was swell Mr. Roughfisher, and thank you once again for all of your support. Up’North will forever be in debt to your dedicated friendship and continuous service to the cause. In short, we dig you, even though you don’t particularly care for trout you bastard .
Raise a glass!
-Ben
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- Let it be known that I am in no way, shape, or form advocating for ANY MORE snow than what northern Maine currently has. Truth be told I am growing quite tired of cleaning up after mother nature. With that in mind, it is hard to discount the photographic potential of a fresh blanket of snow over a scenic country landscape. Alas! Another reason I proudly call Fort Kent Maine my home.
…but just between us, I would rather be fishing.
Somewhere in those icy depths awaits my Spring landlocked salmon. Eat well fella, get nice and fat for the taking!
-Ben
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Winter has arrived in northern Maine, and in a big way. It seems as though fall came and went in the blink of an eye, and even as the hills shimmer with new fallen snow I admittedly miss the colorful leaves and even more colorful brook trout of the past few months. The last week we have seen almost 25 inches of fresh snow, not to mention a good dousing of rain. You can imagine my excitement (I miss fishing).
Between the countless hours of shoveling, plowing, and cleaning the roofs I did manage to snap a few pictures of the fluffy stuff. It seems the new Olympus is going to take some getting used to before I can take photos even CLOSE to the ones I’ve been snapping with my Canon Rebel. Then again, the whole purpose of my new Stylus Tough 8000 is to have a stream side camera I’m not afraid to drop in the water or dunk for the occasional fish release picture. For now I’ll take a page out of Michael Gracie’s book and read the manual of my camera from front to back. Gotta love Christmas gifts!
A colorful fall afternoon…
Fall 2009
And over two feat of snow…!
Winter 2009
Stay toasty, it’s going to be a long Winter.
-Ben
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- Back again!
After a busy, family fun filled weekend I am finally ready to get back to business! Christmas was extremely exciting and more fly fishing and flannel oriented than I expected, much to my surprise! Among the thoughtful gifts that came my way were a hat and shirt that ushered in an Up’North first. My parents went through all the trouble of getting the Up’North logo digitized and sewn into each item, and I couldn’t be more excited about how perfect they came out. Tomorrow I plan on placing an order for a few items that I will make available to my readers for the first time ever! These items could include a few different hats as well as some different colored t-shirts!
For now, take a look at the two beauties that found their way under my tree this year..
Dri-Duck graphic hat and a Chamois shirt with the Up'North Logos!
Can you say OFFICIAL!?
-Ben
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It’s Up’North’s first Christmas!
From the folks of the Up’North family, it is my sincerest pleasure to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May Santa fill your stockings with fresh fly boxes and zingers galore!
Now for presents!
Tight Lines and plentiful presents!
-Ben
Christmas Eve has finally arrived, and between last minute shopping and clearing snow (pictures later) I was fortunate enough to stumble across a little something on Moldy Chum that really put me in the Holiday mood. Day after day I am constantly and consistently entertained by the fellas over at Moldy, but today’s post tops them all. No spoilers, just head on over to Moldy Chum to jump start your Christmas spirit.
Tight lines and Merry Christmas,
-Ben
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- Howdy!
Christmas is still a few days away, but today I was fortunate enough to open my first gift of the season. Courtesy of my good buddy and Up’North contributor Alex Mitchell, I am now the proud owner of an illuminated etched glass Orvis fly fishing sign. Now all I need is a permanent fly tying bench to hang it over. Hint Hint Santa!
Tight Lines and Happy Holidays,
-Ben
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- Still doing some last minute Christmas shopping you lazy sally procrastinator?
Well, if the recipient of your last minute purchase swings streamers on the Fish River (or any river for that matter) during the spring run, listen up.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you have probably heard the ranting and raving that is standard company with Sharkshin fly lines. Believe the hype, Sharkshin fly lines are arguably the best lines on the market. Good luck finding someone who has fished these lines that disagrees.
Less surface area=less friction=better cast!
As if there weren’t enough reasons to spend 100 bones on a fly line, I now give you one more; STREAMER EXPRESS. It seems like lately dry flies get all the credit, which might make sense if your fishing out west (generalizing, I know), but in northern Maine streamers are the name of the game. While fishing streamers with a floating line can be effective in certain conditions, a good sinking line is a must during the Spring run if you plan on hooking up with the big boys. A common complaint I hear about fishing sinking lines is that they are sluggish and difficult to cast. With the specially designed S.A. Sharkshin coating, casting a sinking line has never been more easy. Optimized for wind and cold weather, Streamer Express is specifically designed to shoot big-ol-streamers through the northern winds. I could not imagine a more perfect line for trolling streamers during early spring on the Fish River, period.
Trolling with Dad on the Fish River
For more information on the S.A. Sharkskin Streamer Express fly line, and the complete line (line,line,line,line I know) of S.A. lines, visit Scientificanglers.com!
Tight Lines,
-Ben
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- As if the award winning Helios line of fly rods wasn’t impressive and versatile enough, there is now a new kid on the block who aims to impress. The handsome Orvis Helios Switch rods give fly anglers the ability to make traditional one-handed casts, or deliver lengthy spey casts to pockets of water that might otherwise be out of range.
I’ve been looking into a switch rod for a while now, and the Helios switch looks like a great option. For a limited time Orvis is also offering a FREE Battenkill large arbor reel with the purchase of a new Helio’s Switch rod, a pretty snazzy deal indeed.
Check out the new switch rods at Orvis.com today!
Tight Lines,
-Ben
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- Muskie Fishing in northern Maine has taken off in a BIG way. In recent years toothy monsters upwards of 40 inches have become commonplace on the Saint John River and it’s tributaries, creating what is shaping up to be a world class muskie fishery right in my backyard.
While trout and salmon have always been (and will always be) my passion, catching a muskie on a fly rod has become of goal of mine in recent years. What started as a mild interest has quickly grown into a full blown obsession, and by the time the ice clears and fishing season comes around, I should be more than ready to unleash hell on my unsuspecting victims (before releasing them safely).
Stage one, assembling an army.
As I mull over different fly rod brands and do the dance between single and two handed options, my army of flies has started to assemble. And who better to help me kick off the collection than Simon Graham of Pike Fly Fishing articles? Below you will find a be-a-utiful assortment of fly candy tied specifically for Maine muskie by the man himself. I can’t thank Simon enough for the great selection of meaty flies to kick off my collection. This is going to be a looooonnnng winter.
Like what you see? Head on over to Pikeflyfishingarticles.com to see Simon’s complete collection, and to order your own!
Tight Lines,
-Ben
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