By Stu Bristol "I like to say their names,(Kennebago, Rangeley, Cupsuptic, Mooselookmeguntic, Umbagog and Androscoggin) and wish I could make you see them - long, lovely stretches of water, shut in by dark hills. The trees come down to the shore, the black growth of fir and pine and spruce streaked with the lighter green of maple and birch. There is nothing at all on the hills but forest, and nobody lives there but deer and bear and wildcats," said Louise Dickinson Rich in her classic book, "We Took to the Woods," printed in 1942.  Thanks to forward-thinking conservationists, the region today sits dead center in a tract of over 18,000 acres. The land and waters are protected against development of any sort, and remains much as she viewed it back then, when Louise and her family left the city life and built a little cabin on the shores of Pond-In-The-River, midway down the Rapid River. Situated in Maine's western mountains, a short drive north of Bethel, the southern tip of Lower Richardson Lake can be accessed at South Arm. From there, it's a five mile boat ride up the western shoreline to Middle Dam where the Rapid River begins it's 8 mile, 1,100 foot vertical descent. The river is midway in the Androscoggin River watershed that begins farther north in the western mountains with waters flowing from Kennebago and Rangeley Lakes, down into the mystical waters of Mooselookmeguntic lake, past the historic carrying place, where Gertrude "Carrie Stevens" created many of the now-famous streamer fly patterns. Behind her little cabin that still stands on the carrying place between Mooselookmeguntic and Upper Richardson Lake, Stevens tied a streamer pattern familiar with modern anglers as the Gray Ghost.  Without the aid of a fly-tying vise or modern accessories, Gertrude arranged mallard duck feathers and yarn in a pattern that simulated the rainbow smelt upon which the brook trout and salmon feed. On a brass marker depicting her presence at the portage, it is noted that she took a five pound brook trout on her new streamer pattern, a feat repeated many times over the years by novice and veteran anglers alike. Each time I use a Gray Ghost, especially in these waters, I think fondly of Carrie Stevens and her enormous contribution to the angling world. A series of gated access roads prohibits vehicle travel, and the Rapid River is accessible only by boat or floatplane. The river remains one of the last wild rivers in America. Teeming with brook trout, lake trout (called "Togue" in Maine) and landlocked Atlantic salmon, the tumbling river is the epitome of every fly anglers dream. Beginning at Middle Dam where the water roars from the floodgates, creating a frothy white, horizontal waterfall, edged by a whirling pool of dark water in which fish lay stacked like cordwood, the Rapid River is aptly named. Heading downstream, the Horsechop Falls is a popular Class V rapids that only a handful of canoeists and kayakers are allowed to navigate each summer. Anglers begin half a mile below the rapids and fish their way upstream, dead-drifting nymph patterns in the shallow pools that line either side of the river, where the roaring water is not quite as rapid. The sound of tumbling, crunching boulders is constantly heard along this stretch of river and anglers should pay heed. A cable stretches inches above the bouncing rapids, ready to save the life of any nimrod angler who loses balance on the slippery rocks. Then, as quickly as it began, the river flattens out into magnificent pools, arranged in stair-steps, flowing gently into the 100 acre Pond-in-the-River, where Louise Dickinson Rich built her cabin, that still stands today. A bit farther downstream is the third of the historic dams built in the last century, to soften the course of raging waters. Lower Dam, today, is only partially remaining, and makes a scenic backdrop for the fly anglers who wade its wide, shallow pools. From there, downstream to the Cedar Stump Pool, where the Rapid River gently oozes out into the Maine/New Hampshire's border waters of Lake Umbagog, anglers can wade or in some places, use stepping stones to gain access to both sides of the river. Easy access can be gained from Middle Dam to cedar Stump via an old logging road that follows the course of the entire river, about 500 yards from the water's edge. It's a common practice for anglers to walk the logging road to Lower Dam and beyond, then fish their way upstream to Middle Dam. Be warned that it's quite a hike from Cedar Stump to Middle Dam, and it should not be attempted in a single day. Some anglers have opted to camp overnight along the way. Open fires are not permitted anywhere in Maine outside an organized campground, without a fire permit. The entire western mountains region of Maine is snow and ice covered until the middle of May. Early anglers can set up day trips out of south Arm Campground in Andover, at the extreme southern end of Lower Richardson Lake (207) 364-5155. The campground is open from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.  Anglers may also opt for a genuine Maine Sporting Camp experience. At Middle Dam, Lakewood Camps 207) 243-2959, www.lakewoodcamps.com has stood for more than 150 years, making it the oldest traditional Sporting Camp in Maine. It's 12 rustic cabins are well-kept and guests are treated to hearty meals that would curb the appetite of any truck driver or lumberjack. Lakewood Camps is open from mid-May through Columbus Day. Lakewood also offers small rowboats and canoes for rent at the Pond-in-the-River. Many early anglers use the boats simply to cross the high water to reach the second and third currents near a small island at the headwaters of the pond. Other may prefer to row and cast the pond for what sometimes turns out to be huge brook trout and salmon. Maine records show that anglers take several brook trout in the 5-7 pound range each spring, in the Pond-in-the-River, and landlocked salmon of the same size. The major food sources in the Rapid River are Rainbow Smelt and a variety of insect nymphs and adults. Due to the heavy water flow all summer (controlled by the dam with minimum daily flowage) streamer flies are extremely successful. The Black Ghost, Gray Ghost and Nine-Three patterns are by far the most productive from May through the end of August. In September, the brighter attractor flies work well such as the Mickey Finn And Barnes Special. Also, due to the volume of water moving all the time, the technique of dead-drifting nymph patterns works very well. The Gold-Rib Hare's Ear and Pheasant Tail nymph patterns in sizes from 10-22 work well. Anglers fare best when they travel upstream casting their offering into the headwaters of the many yard-wide pools along the edge of the river current. Too often, I have seen novice anglers standing in the pools where they are most likely to find fish. Although some parts of the Rapid River are best fished with waders, most of the fish can be reached wearing only a pair of rubber boots. If you are one of those anglers who needs to be waist deep to catch fish, be warned that the Rapid River eats anglers on a regular basis. Class V rapids are no place for inexperienced waders. The insect hatch progression in the Western Mountains and all along the Rapid River begins in late May with the Hendricksons. There are some varieties of Mayfly from mid-May through the end of June, but the most important hatch of the summer is that of the Green Drake. This hatch occurs between late June to early July, and last less than a couple weeks, followed by a glut of stoneflies. When the Green Drakes are hatching, the fish put on the feedbag, and the more experienced anglers will fish with the emerging stage of the insect. More fish are taking Drakes just under the surface than anywhere else in the water column. Later in July and through August, the Stoneflies emerge, followed by the caddis. This year the flying ants covered the water for over a month, in August. Due to the swiftness of the river, most terrestrials are passed up in the Rapid River, in favor of nymphs and streamer flies. Today, almost the entire length of Upper and Lower Richardson Lakes, the Rapid River and Umbagog Lake area is protected against development. On the Maine side, more than 18,000 acres has been wrapped in the protection of the state's Public Reserved Lands program, and on the New Hampshire side, the Federal Government has set aside another nearly 10,000 acres, insuring that the Umbagog wilderness area will be forever wild. Only two boat public boat access areas exist on the Richardson lakes, one on the northern end of Upper Richardson Lake off Route 16 in Oquossoc, and the other at the extreme south end of the lake, at South Arm. A private boat launch is available to patrons of the South Arm Campground in Andover. Along the shoreline of Upper and Lower Richardson Lakes and the half mile connecting narrows, 18 wilderness campsites are available to rent. Each is accessible only by boat or floatplane and each features an outhouse, fire pit and picnic table. Reservations can be made through South Arm Campground. Maine offers a variety of fishing licenses ranging from a single day at a cost of $10.00 for either residents or non-resident to non-resident 3-day for $22.00, 7-day for $35.00, 15-day for $38.00 and a season fishing license for only $50.00. Licenses are sold at Town and City Clerks, sporting goods stores and the Rite Aid pharmacy chain. Other sources of information for this region as well as fishing license information can be found at the Maine Department of Inland fisheries & Wildlife Website: www.state.me.us/ifw.

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