Outdoor enthusiasts get education at State of Maine Sportsman’s Show

AUGUSTA — Tom Bleifuss was in need of a fishing lesson.

Bleifuss, 25, of South Portland, made the 60-mile trip north to the Augusta Civic Center for the 40th annual State of Maine Sportsman’s Show on Friday. The three-day event, which ends Sunday, boasts 100 exhibitors, along with demonstrations, seminars, art shows, taxidermy and even a youth turkey calling contest. The show brought in visitors of all backgrounds, even an appearance from U.S. Senator Angus King.

Bleifuss was especially interested in a seminar titled “Trophy Brook Trout: Where and How to Catch Them Including Fly Patterns,” presented by Lou Zambello, a 30-plus year veteran of fly fishing in northern New England and registered Maine Guide. Bleifuss is a recent convert to fly fishing.

“Most of the seminars, honestly, were of interest to me,” Bleifuss said. “Especially the brook trout. I just got into fly fishing in 2020. Trying to learn as much as I can. I’m really self-taught, haven’t really had a guide out (with me) yet. I look at books, YouTube, everything like that. Trying to find resources like these conferences.

“It’s been a process and it’s intimidating,” said Bleifuss, who likes to do his fishing by the Presumpscot River. “I really try my best to learn and realize I’m not as good as I can be and continue to use as many resources as I can.”

Zambello’s 50-minute presentation covered a variety of topics in order to successfully catch trophy brook trout — or brook trout that are 18 inches or longer in length and more than 3 pounds in weight — using everything from research, to networking with other anglers, even breaking down which flies may work in certain situations. Zambello even described how climate change plays a role in the time of year brook trout are available.

Senator Angus King, center, chats with Todd Stapley, left, and Robin Stapley about socks in their Stoney Ridge Alpaca Farm & Store during the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show on Friday at the Augusta Civic Center. King, who walked the floor, chatted with people and posed for photos, said he comes the show every year. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

For Zambello, the knowledge acquired over the years has been especially helpful as a guide, where there’s certain pressure to help others catch fish.

“When I was guiding in one location for five or six years — and I had fished that location for the previous 10 — there were several pools and the big trout and salmon would move in and out of them, depending on the year,” said Zambello, who has written three books on fly fishing and runs the Mainely Fly Fishing Blog. “I knew everything about those pools and everything about the movement of those fish… When you guide, and somebody pays you, and they only have this (set day), and it’s 100 degrees, they can’t change it. You have to figure out a way to catch fish when the conditions aren’t great. That really teaches you.”

Bleifuss said he appreciated the cram session, and learned some new methods moving forward.

“When it comes to putting it all together, I’m still a rookie,” Bleifuss said. “I’ve still got to look at my cheat sheet of how to tie the (flies)… I’m still chasing my first (trophy brook trout), but I just enjoy the process. If I don’t catch a fish, it’s still a win.”

Heidi and Paul Nute, of Oquossoc, are no strangers to fishing. Heidi Nute is the director of the Outdoor Heritage Museum in Rangeley. For the Nutes, the seminar served as something of a refresher course.

Wildlife artist Terri Mason of Winthrop paints as she chats with show-goers during the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show on Friday at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“It was some stuff that we already new, but it reinforced some things,” Paul Nute said.

“It’s just getting us more excited for the start of fishing season,” Heidi Nute said.

Though Zambello listed several different locations in Maine — Rangeley Lake, Moosehead Lake, Pierce Pond and the Kennebago River, to name a few — his advice to new anglers is to master one fishing area, and use that area as a place to experiment before taking on other fishing locations.

“If you just fish a bunch of different places, with different flies, there’s too many variables.” Zambello said. “You can’t figure out when’s somethings not working. You really learn, as a guide or a fisherman in the backyard and just fish the same water again and again and again. All of the variables are known, but you can change one. That’s how I learned, just fishing the same spot. Once you learn (what works), then you can try all these other spots. Then you find out it works. But it wouldn’t work in reverse.”

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