Here are the latest tips for fishing the Dead River in May written by guest blogger and local fishing guide Todd Towle. Remember, the Grand Falls Hut is an excellent and convenient place to stay for anglers fishing the Dead River :

It’s May. That means mayflies. Those upright winged bugs are the glamour hatches that everyone dreams and reads about.  Whether you nymph, swing wets or fish the dry, you’re in a pretty good position to get in the game.

A list of nymphs to have on hand would be Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, A.P. Nymphs and Zug Bugs. Sizes 10-18.

Wets to carry would include Hare’s Ear wet, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle, Adams wet and Blue Wing wet.

Dry fly patterns should include Adams and Blue Wing parachutes, Hendrickson Compara Duns, Hare’s Ear HiVis Parachute and March Brown Sparkle Duns.

Leaders should be nine to ten feet in length and tapered down to 4X.

Start your day with nymphing with one or two nymph patterns and keep an eye out for the emergence of adults (midday at this time of season). If your lucky enough to fish over rising fish, get the best dead drift you can. Try swinging some wets after the hatch also. Don’t  forget the spinner pattern towards evening and mornings.

Enjoy your time on the water, good luck and be a good steward to the area by picking up any and all trash, not crowding others and practicing careful release methods.

To see more on Todd Towle, click here.

It may seem like winter has barely ended but if you want to be sure of securing next winter’s hut space for the most popular weekends or holiday weeks, now is the time to do so! The exclusive MH&T member’s only winter reservation period is now underway. From now through the month of May, the reservation lines are open for our members to plan next winter’s ski and snowshoe adventures. Best of all, there will  be no rate increases for the 2012 / 2013 winter season. Last year, the New Year’s weekend and Presidents week sold out very early. If you are interested in these days we suggest that you reserve as soon as possible. The rates are as follows:

WINTER 2012 / 2013 FULL SERVICE RATES
Full-Service Season: Friday, December 21st – Sunday, March 31st 2013. Hot lunch available for purchase at all three huts Friday through Sunday 11:30am – 1:30pm. Trail lunches available for purchase daily for overnight guests. Gear shuttles also available during the winter full-service season at $20 per bag. Advanced reservations for bag shuttles are recommended.

The 2012 winter MH&T crews. Back row L to R: Tim Zlotkoski, Matt Didisheim, Kevin Ross. Middle row L to R: Jakob Wyder & Jenny Baxter. Bottom L to R: Mike Dowling, Lindsay Hill, Mike Joe Jones, Ellen McDevitt & Zack Bell

Hello! This is former Flagstaff Hut Master Ellen McDevitt bringing you the report on what’s next for this past winter’s hut crews.

The Poplar Hut boys have dreamed up some grand adventures: Matt will be embarking on a cross-country bike tour with friends.  Kevin will be spending the month of April as a Maine Huts and Trails caretaker, and then he’ll be returning to his regular summer gig leading sea kayaking trips on the Maine coast. Mike Joe is working and growing food on a friends homestead in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He plans to work his way across the country and back this summer, working on farms and attending a few music festivals. In the fall, Jakob will be heading out to Montana to start his freshman year at college.

After reading everything there was to read at Grand Falls Hut while caretaking this spring, Hutmasters, Mike and Lindsay are heading to Alaska (!) to work at an eco-lodge on the Kenai Peninsula – a 4 hour ride by boat from Seward.

The Flagstaff crew is excited for the warm months ahead, and has found ways to spend lots of time outside enjoying the weather. Zach will be working as a field teacher at the U Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond until November. He’ll be teaching natural history and outdoor recreation to kids ages 8-17. Tim is going home to Islesborough, to work as a lobsterman and plumber. Jenny has already started her job as Mess Mate on the Mary Day, one of the Windjammer Fleet, which anchors in Camden, Maine. (The Mess Mate isn’t in charge of making a mess, in case you were wondering…she’s responsible for helping the cook and also helping out on deck.) She’s hoping to be able to wave to Tim on some of her sailing trips!
I’m currently working at Pete’s Greens, an organic farm in Craftsbury, Vermont. I’m really looking forward to the arrival of green vegetables and the end of cabbage. I’ll be spending the summer working as a Head Chef at Hosmer Point, a summer camp in Craftsbury.

As far as I know, no one has plans past this fall…maybe you’ll see some of us next winter. Until then, you’ll just have to make do with summer hut crew! Sky, our Huts Manager, is pretty excited about the new crew. I’m sure they’ll bring some terrific new energy to the huts this summer.

The ice is out of Flagstaff Lake and the water level in the Dead River is currently running at low mid-summer levels, making for some ideal flat-water canoeing and kayaking at MH&T

Flat-water Canoeing and Kayaking at MH&T
The canoeing and flat-water kayaking options around Flagstaff and to Grand Falls suit a range of skill levels, and are uniquely scenic and peaceful. Here are a few paddle options for you to consider.

Paddling in to Flagstaff Lake: There are a couple different spots to put in for a paddle to Flagstaff Hut.
0.3 miles from the Flagstaff Trailhead on Long Falls Dam Road: 2-mile paddle, approximately ¾ to 1 ½ hours
Long Falls Dam Road boat launch: 2-mile paddle, approx.. ¾ to 1 ½ hours
Round Barn (on East Flagstaff Road) put-in: 4 mile paddle, approx. 1 to 2 hours
Bog Brook Road boat launch: 5 mile paddle, approx. 1 ½ to 3 hours
Stratton / Eustis boat launch: 21 to 28 mile paddle, approximately 7 to 14 hours
Though all of these paddle trips sound (and can be) awesome, please remember that Flagstaff Lake is very large and can get very windy. A fun afternoon paddle could quickly turn into a miserable or even dangerous evening, so please honestly consider your own abilities (and those of your weakest paddlers) before planning any ambitious, point-to-point trip.

Hut-to-hut paddling: You had already figured out you could paddle into Flagstaff Lake Hut. But did you know that you can paddle down the Dead River to get to Grand Falls Hut? This trip follows the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. If you put in below the dam and take out at our dock above the falls, you get to enjoy about six miles of pristine wilderness flat-water on the Dead River. There, you can stow your canoe, grab your packs and hike the last few miles in to the hut! Continue your paddle the next day on Spencer Stream, or paddle back up the Dead to your car.
Do not plan to paddle this section on a day they’re releasing from the dam. For release levels, call 1800-557-FLOW; select “Kennebec” and “Flagstaff” to get the flow from Long Falls Dam (Flagstaff Lake).

Paddle-and-camp trips: If you’re up for a mix of rough and luxe, plan a multi-night hut-and-camp trip. Put in at Eustis/Stratton, spend the night at Round Barn (at the base of the Safford Brook trail to the Bigelows), and paddle in to Flagstaff the next day. Or, you can follow the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: www.northernforestcanoetrail.org. This is more mileage and more adventure—the wind can really whip up on the lake and the lake itself is very large. Even though the paddling can be rigorous, Julie, Poplar’s Hut Master for summer 2011, raves about this trip.

Guided trips: We offer guided canoeing and kayaking trips in conjunction with H2Outfitters. Our standard package is three nights and four days long, and includes paddling instruction and equipment, meals, and shuttles from beginning to end. For dates and prices, click here.

Kingfield, ME, April 3, 2012 – Maine Huts & Trails announced today that Nicole Freedman will be its new Executive Director.  For the last five years Freedman has been involved in broad scale community development and recreation as Director of Bicycle Programs for the City of Boston.  Under her leadership as Boston’s Bike “Czar,” Boston has been transformed from a worst cycling city ranking to one of the best bicycling cities on the east coast with widespread growing network of bike lanes and bike racks as well as bike share and community biking programs.  A former Olympic team member and three time national champion road cyclist, prior to her City of Boston role, Freedman founded and directed Boston Sports Management Group, a management company for professional women’s cycling teams. She attended MIT and Stanford, graduating with a degree in Urban Planning. Freedman was named by Bostonian Magazine to its “40 Under 40” list in 2011, and is a past Boston Globe Magazine Bostonian of the Year finalist.  Consistent with Maine Huts & Trails activities, she is a cross country skier and mountain biker who won an age group  world championship in winter triathlon in 2011.

Bob Peixotto, Board Chair of Maine Huts & Trails commented, “We are pleased to bring such an accomplished young leader to western Maine and Maine Huts & Trails.  Nicole has a track record of highest success in all of her endeavors, and is highly motivated by our vision of economic development through healthy outdoor recreation and nature based tourism, as well as public access and conservation of the region’s magnificent backcountry.  The entire Maine Huts & Trails community is delighted to have Nicole assuming a lead role in our efforts.”

Freedman will be only the second full-time Executive Director of Maine Huts & Trails replacing David Herring who in six years developed the organization from a vision to an award winning 45 mile trail system for people powered recreation, stretching from Carrabassett Valley to The Forks with three remote huts (full service lodges) along the way.  During his tenure the organization has built a strong state and national reputation and was recently featured in a two and one-half page lead story in the February 19^th New York Times Travel section.

Freedman will transition into her Executive Director role in April. At the same time Herring will retain a role as a part-time Special Advisor and Development Director for the organization.