UPPER ANDRO ANGLERS ALLIANCE AND OXFORD HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO CLEAN UP ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER

As part of National River Cleanup, members of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and students from the Experiential Learning Team at Oxford Hills Middle School will clean up a section of the Androscoggin River from Newt’s Landing in West Bethel to Davis Park in Bethel on Tuesday, May 22. Students, ages 12-15, will float down the river in rafts armed with garbage bags and towing garbage scow rafts to collect debris along the riverbanks. The clean-up flotilla will launch at 9 am from Newt’s Landing and take out at Davis Park. Community members are welcome to help clean-up this and other stretches of the river. The town of Bethel will provide trash collection at Davis Park and deliver to the town’s solid waste facility.

Magic Falls Rafting Co. of West Forks, Maine will provide rafts and garbage scows. Immediately following the clean-up, lunch will be provided by the staff of Pleasant River Campground at Davis Park. Read more

Western Maine Fly Fishing Show Success

The Western Maine Fly Fishing Show held recently in Bethel, Maine at the Bethel Inn, was deemed “really successful” by Upper Andro Angler Alliance’s Wende Gray.

For photos and comments by Kevin Mckay about the show, please visit the MaineFlyFish website.

Authors, Artists and Artisans at Fly Fishing Expo

The Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo scheduled from 9:30 am to 4 pm Saturday, March 24 at the Bethel Inn Conference Center in Bethel will feature authors, artists and artisans along with outfitters, guides and sporting camps.

Authors include Robert Romano, author of several novels about the Rangeley Lakes region including “North of Easie”; Topher Browne, Patagonia Fishing Ambassador and author of an upcoming book on the Atlantic salmon; Kathy Scott, author of “Brook Trout Forest” and David Tibbetts, watercolorist and author of “Tight Lines”. Artist John Swan of Portland will exhibit his fine art watercolors and Gene Bahr his 3-D and wall-mounted fish carvings and bronzes. Terry Walsh, a jeweler from Maine’s Midcoast will have his fine pendants on display. Selene Dumaine, Ed Muzeroll, Sharon Wright and Charles Mann will be demonstrating the fine craft of fly tying. David van Burgel and Jim Becker will be building Bamboo Rods. Film maker Carter Davidson of Gray Ghost Productions will be showing excerpts from his fishing films “The One” “East by Northeast” and “The Good Life”.

Information on the expo is available on line at www.westernmaineflyfishingexpo.com or by phoning the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance at 207-824-3694.

Upper Andro Two-Fly Contest Results

Fourth Annual Upper Andro 2-Fly Contest Results

For the first time in the 2-Fly contest history there was a tie at the top for the biggest fish caught during the 7 hour fly-fishing competition held on the Upper Androscoggin River on Saturday, September 17. Both Rex Cummings of Bethel, Maine and Jim Bernstein of Cape Neddick, Maine caught a 15 ½ inch rainbow trout. The fishermen drew straws to see who would have first choice of the many prizes donated by LL Bean, Orvis, Patagonia, the Kittery Trading Post, Sun Valley Sports and Carter’s Farm and Outdoor Center. Cummings won the draw and chose an Orvis Helios fly rod. Bernstein chose an insulated gear bag from Patagonia. Second place went to Emily Cote of Monmouth, Maine, who caught a 14 inch rainbow. Emily received a fishing kayak from LL Bean. Third place with a 13 ½ inch rainbow went to Dan Harrison of Kennebunk, Me . The First Place trophy for the largest catch of the day went to Peter Smith of Wilton, Me with 11 trout, 2nd place to Todd Richard of Farmington, Me. with 10 trout and 3rd place to Kevin McKay of Winterport, Me. with 8 trout. The Rocky Freda Turtle Water Trophy for the Team who caught the most fish was presented to Scott Stone, the oarsman for the team of Northern Lights/Schiavi Homes, who brought 21 trout to net . A wooden, hand-carved trophy donated by Maineflyfish.com was presented to the angler who caught the smallest chub. This year’s chub trophy went to Chandler Woodcock of Farmington, Maine. Read more

Upper Andro Two Fly Contest & Drift Boat Competition – 2011

In Bethel, Maine Scheduled for September 16 & 17

The Upper Andro Two Fly Contest and Northeast Drift Boat Championship are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17, 2011, in conjunction with Bethel’s Annual Harvest Fest. The competitions are the annual fund-raisers for the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance, a non-profit group dedicated to the conservation, protection, restoration and promotion of the natural fishing resource of the Upper Androscoggin River, its tributaries, watershed and environs.

Contestants may use only two flies during the event, which starts at 6:00 am on Saturday. Teams may launch from public launch sites from the New Hampshire border at Shelburne to Rumford Center. The contest concludes at 1:00 pm. Read more

Art and Music News

Frost Farm Gallery will hold a “First Friday” reception, meet and greet the artist on Friday, July 1 from 5-8pm at the gallery located in the historic David W. Frost farm, 272 Pikes Hill in Norway. The exhibit will feature recent bronze sculpture and graphic works by internationally-acclaimed artist, sculptor and conservationist Vito DeVito.

A graduate of Seton Hall University, Mr. DeVito studied extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. Today, he is a successful artist and sculptor, as well as a dedicated conservationist. Seasonally, the DeVito family has traveled to their Norway, Maine home where Mr. DeVito has painted during the summer months for the past twenty-five years. Read more

Annual Upper Androscoggin River Clean Up

UPPER ANDRO ANGLERS ALLIANCE AND TELSTAR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO CLEAN UP ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER

As part of National River Cleanup, members of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and students from the Telstar Challenge Course at Telstar High School in Bethel, Maine will clean up a section of the Androscoggin River from Newt’s Landing in West Bethel to Davis Park in Bethel on Thursday, May 19. Students, ages 16-18, will float down the river in rafts armed with garbage bags and towing garbage scow rafts to collect debris along the riverbanks. The clean-up flotilla will launch at 9 am from Newt’s Landing and take out at Davis Park. Community members are welcome to help clean-up this and other stretches of the river. The town of Bethel will provide trash collection at Davis Park and deliver to the town’s solid waste facility. Read more

Maine Free Family Fishing Festival – 2011

The Upper Andro Anglers Alliance in co-operation with Trout Unlimited will host a free family fishing festival on Saturday, June 4. The festival will be held at Angevine Park on the North Road in Bethel, from 9 am to 2 pm, rain or shine. Free casting workshops and fly-tying instruction will be available throughout the day.

Local Maine guides and members of the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited will teach the workshops. Instruction will include both spin casting and fly casting for older youth and parents. Maine’s Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program will supply complimentary rods and reels for use at the festival.

Families can practice newly learned casting skills in the one acre pond and are welcome to take home their catch. The pond will be stocked with trout courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Each young angler will receive a mini-tackle box complete with bobber, sinkers and hook courtesy of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance. Read more

Tie at the Top at 2010 Upper Andro Two Fly Contest

Bragging rights for the top angler in the 2010 Upper Andro Two Fly Contest held September 18 on the Androscoggin River are being shared by Kevin McKay of Brewer and John Schoen of Wilton, each catching a 15 ½ inch rainbow trout. Second Place with a 14 ¾ inch rainbow went to Rik Dow of Gorham, NH and third place to Walter Hammerick of Wilton with a 14 ½ inch rainbow trout.

The largest catch of the day went to Pete Smith of Farmington with a catch of 13 trout. Second place went to Todd Richard of Farmington with 12 trout and third place to John Schoen of Farmington with 9 trout.

The Rocky Freda Turtle Water Team Trophy for most fish caught went to oarsman Scott Stone of the Schiavi Homes/Northern Lights Team who caught 25 fish. In total over 100 fish were caught during the 8 hour tournament. Thirteen teams entered the competition. Read more

Upper Andro Two-Fly Photo Run

This past weekend was the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance Two-Fly Fish Tournament. While I wait for results and “official” photos of the event from Wende Gray, Kevin McKay, who happened to tie for first place in biggest fish caught, has put together a great run of photos from his experiences.

Please follow this link to Maine Fly Fish to view the photos.

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