With all this snow free weather we’ve been having over the last month. It has made the hiking trails fairly easy to hike on. So me and my family decided to try our luck at Peaked Mt (Chick Hill) in Clifton, Maine. Only a short 10 mile drive (GPS: N 44.838959 and W -68.465303) from Bangor. At a height of 889 feet, and a trail length of almost 3 miles, out and back. This will be a great first hike for the kids. The trail had few ice patches, but nothing we couldn’t handle.

Once you are at the top. You have an AMAZING 280 degree view. You can see Hopkins and Parks Pond, Jellison Pond, and much more. I would highly recommend this hike to anyone with kids.

Enjoy the episode… Don’t Forget to let us know what you THINK and make a comment.  Click lower right corner.

“Something amazing waiting around every corner”

This summer Jess and I visited Yellowstone National Park for a week. We were joined by my dad and uncle as well as Jess’s parents, and we met up with my grandparents who were already there, and have been going to Yellowstone for 21 summers. Everyone should visit yellowstone at some point in their lives.

It seemed like there was something amazing waiting around every corner. 2.2 million acres of wild and wonder teaming with wildlife; roaming buffalo, black bear mothers and their cubs and herds of elk all set in some of the most majestic scenery in the world and filled with breathtaking geological wonders. I could easily dedicate a very long blog to describing just what an amazing place it is, and perhaps sometime soon I will. However for now I will let the photos do the talking for me.

Oh, and there’s video. Coming soon.

View the Gallery: http://gallery.me.com/llabree#100451

Yellowstone National Park Pictures from Luke LaBree

This season I made a commitment to myself, to fish ponds and lakes that I have never fished before. With about 2,500 lakes and ponds in Maine. I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to find some viable watersheds that I haven’t fished before that will produce some nice fish for my creel. Attempting to catch fish in a water shed that you have never put a pole in can be challenging. You will need to do a little homework and put your talking hat on and then the rest is up to a little luck.

Here are a few tips that have helped me fill my creel this season!

There is a great FREE website that I use every time before I hit the water. This website is from the Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife State of Maine. This site will give you a depth map, physical characteristics, fish that inhabit the watershed, and a little history of the watershed.

www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/lakesurvey_maps/

Talk to the folks that live on or around the watershed. Don’t be shy to ask where they are catching the fish or what they are using for lures or bait. This will substantially increase your odds of putting something in your creel. From time to time you will run into to a local or fisherman that just wont give it up. We will need to respect that…

The local country store. Most of these country stores have a fishing section that is specific to the ponds or lakes local to them. This is a great way to see what the locals are using. (These stores will usually only put on the shelves what sells.) Again don’t be shy to ask questions. These folks in the country stores usually like to talk and can give you a lot of info.

The local bait shop. If you can wait to purchase your bait at the local bait shop around were you are fishing, It would be to your advantage. These guys hear it all. What the folks are catching, where, and how…. These places can be a gem of info.

You know when go on a fishing trip and things start to go a-rye. Its now an adventure! We were about 15 miles up on a remote dirt road in the middle of the Maine woods with a flat boat trailer tire. We needed to put our Mcguyver hats on to get this boat out of the woods. From using the battery out of the pickup to get the boat motor going or a couple of logs to support the trailer suspension to get us home. Dee, Melissa and I were ready for anything. It was a great time!!!

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Hey everyone.  Luke here.  This year I, along with my wife and the rest of my team, participated in the the American Lung Association’s 25th annual Trek Across Maine. The Trek is a 180 mile long bike ride starting at Sunday River ski resort in Bethel and finishing in Belfast on the coast of Maine.  It traverses all types of landscapes, weaving a path through Maine towns and country settings, up mountains and alongside rivers. There were over 2,500 riders this year, who raised over 1.5 million dollars.

I’d like to thank those who pledged donations to help me reach my fundraising goal!

Jerry York – From Yorks of Houlton
Michael Levesque – From Perfect Fit USA
Tanya Pereira – From the City of Brewer
Brian Rahill – From Rainstorm Consulting Inc.
Judy Hill – From Mixed Media Artist
Charles Washburn – Zeta Nu Fraternity Alumni

Thank you again for your contributions!

The Trek was long, hard and tiring but also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. To be able to complete it alongside my wife and my team made it that much more of an accomplishment.  Rain or shine, I’ll certainly be riding again next year.

*Couple small notes about this video. My approach to filming was drastically changed the weekend before the trek.  I had a bad wipeout on a practice ride, went over my handle bars and really messed up my left arm.  I couldn’t confidently or comfortably bike with one hand and film with the other, so there’s not as much “action” footage as I was hoping for.  Second, there isn’t a lot of footage from Day 1.  It rained a lot all day and digging the camera out to film seemed like less of a priority than staying warm and finishing the day.

ENJOY!  Share with your friends! If you want to learn more about the Trek Across Maine, visit their website: http://www.lungme.org/

Brook Fishing in Maine is one of my favorite past times. Sometimes getting myself into the deepest swamps of Maine or just running down the road to the secret honey hole after work. Attempting to catch my favorite fish,  Brook Trout. Taking my friends and family along for this spring time adventure…

We recently attended the Maine State Sportsman’s Show and had the opportunity to talk with several Maine companies about the products and the services they offer. We also took a look at some of the seminars and other great offerings that you can only find at the Sportsman’s Show.

Thank you to all the people that took the time to talk with us.  We had to take 2 hours of video and edit it down to 10 minutes, so not everyone made the final cut.  If we talked to you and you didn’t make it in, contact us and we’ll work out doing an episode featuring you or your business.

Enjoy, and as always, be sure to leave your comments!

(This video is a little longer than our usual, and as a result it might “skip” a little during playback , if this happens pause the video and let it load before watching.  If you continue to have problems, click here.)

Featured in this Episode:

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
www.samcef.org

Delorme Map Company
www.delorme.com

Kennebec Lure Company
In-Line Spinner and Trolling Spoons
www.klcme.com

Seaspray Kayaking
Paddling Midcoast Maine Guided Tours, Hourly Rentals, Instruction, Kayak Fishing, Sunrise Sunset Paddles, Private Trips, Kayak Sales
1-888-349-SPRAY (7772)
www.seaspraykayaking.com

Silverton Sporting Ranch
Upland Hunting Preserve
Cabin Rental, Shooting Sports, Gun Dog Training & Boarding, ATV & Snowmobile Trails, Deer, Duck and Goose Hunts
www.silvertonsportingranch.com

David Footer
Wilderness and Wildlife Artist
www.davidfooter.com

A day to remember….. Shinning sun, warm breezes, blue waters and a ton of fun! A perfect day for the 37th Annual Piscatiquis River Canoe Race.  This is one of over 30 races that go on between March and September in the State of Maine. The Piscatiquis river race consists of Class II White water, 9 miles of winding banks, and some great views.  The Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis have put this race on for the last 37 years. There was a great turnout, over 90 participants and many different classes of boats.  We took two canoes down, Luke and Jess in their new Old Town Canoe and Matt and myself in my twice overhauled fiberglass canoe (from my understanding, this canoe was split clean in half at one point in time).  Even though we finished towards the end, we had a fantastic time!  You do not need to be an expert to compete in this river race.  I would highly recommend it to even to the most novice individuals.  Now, keeping to the true nature of Flip Outdoors, our outdoor adventures for this day did not end after the race.  Luke and I met up in Orrington, at Rocky Knoll golf course, to squeeze in an evening round of 9 holes.  FOUR!!!!!!!  Enjoy the episode.

What a time….. Check out the episode on flipoutdoors.com. Some great white water footage…

These are some photos of the race taken by Matt’s fiance Becky.  Thanks Becky!

Golfing, Canoeing, Golfing, Biking, Canoeing!

An Outdoor Update from Luke

This weekend was all about being outdoors. It started Friday after work, with 9 holes of golf at Hermon Country club. Followed by some light whitewater paddling at The Piscatiquis River Canoe Race and another 9 holes of golf at Rocky Knoll on Saturday. On Sunday a 16 mile bike ride followed by a BBQ on Pushaw Lake for lunch, and then a little more canoeing. This time at a more leisurely pace, casting spin rods.

Now is a great time to get outside in Maine, the bugs aren’t out yet and everything is drying up and coming into bloom. Here are some popular hiking trails in different areas of Maine. Get out there! http://maineoutdoors.com/hiking/hike_info_trails.shtml

Yes folks, we’re still editing the Maine State Sportsman Show video.  Lot’s of footage and interviews to get through.  Hoping to have it posted soon!

I have had a lot of fun so far this year Brook Trout fishing. Yes it’s early, brooks are running a little high and the temperature of the water is still very cold.   So you can imagine it has been a little challenging getting video footage of us getting into the fish.  We’ve been catching a few pan fryers (7 or 8 inches) here and there.  I tell ya there is nothing better than being able to go out an catch a couple brookies with the white stuff still on the ground.  I am confident that I will get the footage I need to put together an “Early Season Brook Fishing” episode soon.  Here are a few snap shots of Willy, Wayne and I doing our due diligence on these little streams.

One of Them is a Keeper