List of Upcoming Events for the Upper Andro Area

Float Stocking-This method of fish stocking helps decrease the stress on the fish and prevent mortality. The fish are loaded into floating pens attached to canoes and drift boats; then floated downstream and released into likely hiding places and feeding habitats. The ideal river temperature for stocking usually occurs in May but may be as early as April.

National River Clean Up-Founded in 1992 by America Outdoors and now under the auspices of American Rivers, NRCW assists local groups in keeping waterways clean. Rivers and watersheds have been used as dumps for old appliances, tires and other refuse. Litter, such as foam cups, plastic bottles and food wrappers float into waterways, build up along the shoreline and stay there for years. Local students along with UAAA guides are floating the Androscoggin from Gilead to Bethel to help preserve and protect the river. Information on NRCW is available at www.nationalrivercleanup.org.

Family Fishing Festival - A free family fishing festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 31 from 9 am to 2 pm at the Grand Summit Hotel Pond at Sunday River Ski Resort. Instruction in spin and fly-casting and fly tying continues throughout the day. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s “Hooked on Fishing” program will supply rods and reels. Children can practice their newly learned skills in the stocked pond. Youngsters are welcome to take home their hand tied flies and any fish caught that day. May 31 is a free fishing day in Maine. Resident and non-resident licenses are not required. Outdoor barbecue and lots of door prizes.<<read more here>>

Upper Andro Two Fly Contest - June 12 and 13, UAAA will host a two fly contest for drift boat anglers to test their casting skills. Each angler may use only two flies over the 30 hour period. Teams are comprised of two anglers and a judge/drift boat oarsman. Kittery Trading Post is providing over a thousand dollars worth of fishing gear for the winning teams. Advance registration is required. Information and entry forms are available by phoning 1-877-851-7533.<<<Get Rules and Application>>>

Northeast Drift Boat Competition- A first of its kind, the drift boat competition is scheduled for 2 pm Friday, June 13. The timed race will test guides’ skills at launching, course navigation and rowing. Designed as a spectator event, the competition will begin at the Route 2 Bridge and finish at Bethel’s Davis Park.<<<Get Rules and Information>>>

Spey Fishing Clinic – Monday, August 18. Morning and afternoon introductory instruction in Spey fishing, a traditional European fly-fishing technique using 10 to 16 foot rods.

For detailed information on events log onto www.upperandro.com or phone 1-877-275-3363.

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A River’s Journey: The Story of the Androscoggin

June 5, 2007 through May 31, 2009

In the Robinson House of the Bethel Historical Society

One of the largest rivers in northern New England, the Androscoggin drains an area of over 3,400 square miles in New Hampshire and Maine. The 170-mile waterway begins its journey near Errol, New Hampshire, at the outlet to the Rangeley Lakes and, punctuated with numerous rapids and falls, eventually mingles with the waters of the Kennebec River in Merrymeeting Bay below Brunswick, Maine. One of the most polluted rivers in the country by the 1960s, the Androscoggin has made a comeback thanks to more stringent rules governing industrial waste and municipal sewage, and is today a significant recreational resource for many communities situated along its banks This exhibition—through the use of selected images, artifacts and text—presents a vivid picture of the Androscoggin’s past as a transportation route (especially for logs during the 19th and 20th centuries), a source of nutrients for agricultural production and waterpower for industry, a subject for artists and photographers, and a destination for fishermen, canoeists and nature enthusiasts.

Upper Andro Two Fly Contest Information & Rules

Upper Andro Two Fly Contest Information & Rules The contest is scheduled from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm (sunrise 6:34) on Saturday, September 20, 2008. Rain or shine. Each team consists of two anglers and a referee/oarsman. Fishing from open boats-drift boats, rafts or rowboats, only. No canoes, kayaks, motorized craft or wading allowed. Anglers will be fishing for three species of trout-brown, brook and rainbow. Small mouth, fall fish (chub) or any other species will not be accepted. Teams are responsible for their Maine State Fishing Licenses, cameras, processed film or digital images. UAAA will supply a retractable measuring tape and bag lunch. 1 All State Rules and laws apply and will be followed by Contestants. 2 For this contest FLY means natural or synthetic materials tied to a single pointed hook. 3 No tandems No treble hooks. 4 The two flies that you register with will be the only two flies that you can fish. 5. You may re-sharpen hooks and dress flies with floatant, or sink it, but you may not retie materials on to the hooks. 6. The flies must be fished from a fly rod. All rods must be supplied by the contestant. An extra rod is allowed to switch from dry to wet if you so chose 7. You must release all fish alive. 8. For a fish to be counted it must be brought to a net, and have its picture taken and measurement taken. 9. For a fish to be counted for the largest fish it must have a photo taken alongside a tape measure. 10. The fishing area will be from the Maine New Hampshire boarder down stream to Rumford Center. No more than 25 yards up any tributary may be fished. 11. Remember to ask first. Please ask landowners’ permission before walking to the river at non public access points. 12. The decisions of the judges are final. 13. It’s a big river so be ethical don’t poach on one another’s water. In other words, first come first serve. Upper Andro Two Fly Entry Form Team Name & Sponsor_____________________________________________________ Team Cell Phone_______________________________________ Angler #1____________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________ : _______________________________________________________________ Phone________________________E-mail_____________________________ Angler #2_____________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Phone________________________E-mail_____________________________ Referee/Oarsman_______________________________________ Address________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Phone________________________E-mail_____________________________ : _______Yes, Team will be entering the Drift Boat Championship The entry fee is $150 for boat sponsorship and $50 per angler. The entry fee includes a bag lunch for Saturday and entry in the Drift Boat Competition. Sponsors names will be prominently displayed on the boats and listed on www.upperandro.com. Please make check payable to: Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and send with registration to PO Box 244, Bethel, ME 04217. To pay by credit card and register by phone call 1-877-851-7533. Registration deadline is Sept. 6. An additional $50 will be charged for late registration. Registration is limited to 20 teams. Sun Valley Sports, 153 Sunday River Road, Bethel, will be open until 8 pm Friday, Sept. 19 to pick up registration materials. Over $5,000 worth of prizes from our sponsors Kittery Trading Post-Bitterroot Wading shoes, Yellowstone Chest Waders, Integrity Fly Reels, Big Bass U-Boats, Sage Performance Taper II’s, EKS Fly Rods The Orvis Company- Helios Fly Rod and Battenkill Reel LL Bean-Rapid River Vest Pack, Orion III Fly Rod & Orion Fly Reel Caddis and Cane-Hand built Fly Rod and hand tied flies Sun Valley Sports-Orvis packable float tube, Orvis waders Clackacraft-Drift boat floor mats, oar rights, oar locks and tie down Download a pdf of rules and entry form.

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 Gilead to Bethel on Thursday, May 15. Twenty 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. One clean-up flotilla will launch at 9 am from the Gilead bridge and take out at Newt’s Landing in West Bethel and a second group will launch at 9 am from West Bethel and take out at Davis Park in Bethel. Read more