Moose River/Jackman Maine

About 25 years ago I spent some time fishing northwest of Jackman, Maine and to this date it is still the best brook trout fishing I have ever experienced. Some of it I am sure was just timing as we hit a hatch which brought out all of the big boys. I don't think we caught anything less than a couple of pounds. Last year I decided to re-visit the area and paddle the Moose River/Bow loop to see if the fishing was still a good deal. All I can say is my first 3 casts produced two brookies over a pound each(The first cast cost me a fly in the alders). On this trip it was just me and the dog, Emma. We had a great time but rushed it a bit covering the 40 miles in just 2 days. I vowed to return soon and spend more time fishing. That soon, became this summer with my brother in law. We have paddled together on trips many times in the past but always with a family group. This would be our first time alone, except for Emma. The goal was number one, see moose and number two, catch fish. DJ lives in New Jersey working in Manhattan and even though he visits us in NH quite often he has yet to see a live moose. I promised he would on this trip.

Jackman Maine is about 80 miles northwest of Skowhegan Maine way up on the border with Quebec. The Moose River starts basically on the Quebec border west of Jackman coming out of a small set of hills and lowland area. It travels from there for the most part, in a south/easterly direction through multiple ponds and lakes until it empties into Moosehead Lake at Rockwood Maine.

What makes it such an attractive canoe route is that with a small portage you can do a loop ending right where you started. Thus eliminating the need to shuttle vehicles all over the place which can be a timely and costly exercise, especially in northern Maine. The put in is at the northeastern end of Attean Lake just where the Moose River flows out, from here you paddle about 5 miles west to a portage about 1 ½ in length which leads to Holeb Pond. From the east shore of Holeb Pond the route heads west to the ponds inlet, approx. 4 miles. About 1 mile up the inlet it intersects the Moose River. From here you simply follow the Moose through the valley behind the two lakes where it empties into Attean Lake and paddle the eastern end of the lake back to the rivers outlet and your vehicle. The total trip is about 40 miles.

It is a great trip exposing you to a variety of paddling conditions, wind, waves, riffles, rapids and waterfalls. Be advised, thunderstorms come up quickly and sometimes unannounced as we found out the hard way spending an afternoon huddled under a tarp in a spruce thicket at the edge of Holeb Pond. You will see moose, otters, beaver, eagles, osprey, herons, etc., etc. For fish, of course native brook trout and salmon.

DJ, Emma, and I hit the water late in the afternoon on our first day. A beautiful sunny day with no bugs to speak of. A quick paddle a mile or so up Attean Lake we set up camp and enjoyed a bit of fishing and a fine steak dinner complete with roasted corn and baked potatoes. Day two started with blue berry pancakes and sausage. Once on the water we covered the length of the lake rather quickly. DJ is a good, strong paddler plus we had a nice tail wind. For the portage to Holeb pond, DJ volunteered to carry the canoe. Wow, I do not think I have ever been on a trip where I did not have to carry the canoe. Without arguing I dawned the food/cookware pack, filled my hands with paddles and fishing poles and off we went. A quick break at the other end and we headed back for the 2nd pack and other misc. items. Upon our return to Holeb Pond we attempted to eat lunch however we were both still full from breakfast. Our plan was to head to the far end of the lake, set up camp and then go up the inlet to fish for the afternoon and evening. Unfortunately shortly after we got back on the water, a thunderstorm rolled in and pinned us down in the pucker brush for a while. We eventually got to a campsite and no sooner set up when it began to rain again. Dinner tonight was chicken stew. A good choice for a rainy camp. Especially the dumplings. Surviving a barage of thunder/lighting we emerged well rested in the morning to a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. Lots of bacon as we needed some for dinner. We quickly broke camp and headed for the river. At this point we had not seen any Moose. Not a major concern as I was positive we would encounter more than our fair share on the river. On the other hand, it was a bit surprising we had not even caught a glimpse of one. It has always been said that if you are looking for them you will not see them and we were certainly intensely searching for them. Once on the river DJ began fishing while I worked the canoe. Not much luck. We came to the spot where I had landed my first two last year and beached the canoe for a thorough attempt here. After a good ½ hour the only catch was a small creek chub. Time to move on. As we rounded each corner both of us were scouring the shoreline and backwaters for any sign of moose. While tons of fresh tracks, no actual sightings. We stopped for lunch, did a bit of fishing and had a discussion about our lack of moose sightings. It was agreed that we were looking to hard, however it was hard not to. The pressure was on. We were on our 3rd day of a 4 day trip so time was running short. Shortly after lunch as we paddled along I was beginning to think we might not see one. I believe DJ was on the same wave length.. We had always joked that he was just cursed in this area. For a short moment the thought of moose left my mind. As we rounded the next corner DJ exploded with excitement, quietly. There directly in front of us, 100 ft. away was a cow and calf. Unfortunately before DJ could get his camera out they moved up into the beaver swamps. No big deal, we finally saw one. DJ was in awe. We spent the night at the base of Holeb Falls. After a dinner of bacon, and garlic risotto, fresh green beans, garlic bread and jello for dessert we tried our luck fishing again. Yes I did say jello. Not much luck fishing, a small salmon and brookie between the two of us. Not really an issue, we had seen a moose and that's what really counted.

Another night of rain but a beautiful sunny morning complete with freshly baked berry muffins for breakfast. The day was spent lazily paddling and fishing with not much luck. The water was quite low over last year so that was our excuse. Later that day at the base of Attean Falls we saw another moose. This time he was feeding in a large pool and was not in a hurry to leave so we got plenty of pictures. Dinner was pasta and sauteed tomatoes. After dinner we fished between two sets of falls and were only able to produce multiple small creek chubs. We turned in for the night, planning to get an early start for home in the morning. We had about a 6 mile paddle back to the car. Up at 5, fed, packed and on the water by 7am and headed out of the parking area by 9. A great trip which I am sure we will do again.