 Well, good morning guys Welcome back to the channel summer is over here in Maine, so you know what time it is this time to get the channel going again If you are a current subscriber current watcher Welcome back to the channel if you guys are new to the channel. I offer a hearty and heartfelt Good morning to you and welcome to the channel big things planned for the channel this year as always But right now I am up North in the North Main Woods with one of the greatest people I've ever met my one of my very best friends in the world Donnie Johnston He's inside cooking some breakfast as usual. It's pretty much the best camp cook I've ever met And we are on our annual cast and blast trip into the North Main Woods. We're here casting for Handlocked salmon in the West Branch of the Penobscot River and we are blasting for rocked grouse or partridge Whichever you prefer we came in Yesterday afternoon we were fortunate enough to pick up a couple birds on the ride in which we were pretty surprised Since it was a little windy and a lot of leaves on the trees a lot of mushrooms in the woods So there's not much Call for the birds to come out to the roads and pick gravel like they normally do when they're eating nuts and berries and and leaves and stuff But we did pick up a few we were also fortunate enough to stop in at the Indian Hill Trading Post in Greenville, Maine and pick up all the supplies We needed for this trip and a couple things for winter too and had a really good visit with Jamie and Bruce there But we did the overnight here at Donnie's son's cabin Greg's camp right here We did the overnight here which kind of gets us close to the river and then we have about a half hour 45 minute ride to the river this morning and We're gonna be going down river 10 to 15 miles and find in a camping spot where we're gonna set up tents and Camp for four or five days and do a little metal detecting like we did last year and see if we could find some really old login camps If you've got to see last year's episode We stumbled upon a hundred and forty year old blacksmith shop that was set up for a for a logging camp Let me drive some of that coffee into me And man were we excited we found about 75 horseshoes six or seven ax heads and a bunch of other tools and Really got to Get a first-hand look into the past that blacksmith shop had been on the ground for over a hundred years probably Good morning Say hello to the folks at home. Hey folks How you doing this morning rise and shine beautiful day Can't beat it North Main Woods. Wow. What's the plan for today? Well Well, we hope to get a boat in the water Yeah here and head down river, but I think we'll be able to do it. Do you think we brought enough gear this year? Oh my gosh, I don't know this. It's gonna be a fiasco Wait till you see the setup we're gonna have It's gonna be something. Yeah, it'll be something What's for breakfast this morning Donnie, we're gonna have bacon and eggs and English muffins, I guess Yeah, that's about it coffee. You made the coffee this morning. It's pretty damn good What Woody and I first came up here camping out and stuff We could buy bacon in a can And it was wicked salty. Oh my gosh Yeah, you almost had to soak it before you cooked it Oh, but it was a great way of preserving, you know, if you were on a Couple week trip why it would it would keep real well But yeah, you can it was it was awesome. It was it was something different. I'd never heard of that. Yeah Can bacon can bacon. Yeah, then fold it up And tuck it in a can You can tell the camp is out of level everything floats to the Toils of the water and it's raining again. We had such a nice sunrise we run into this stuff That's the way it is in northern Maine. You never know You can listen to southern Maine forecast and doesn't mean anything up here those mountains over there They make their own weather. Yeah, they sure do catch meow get off the carry in the motor and the gas These have stayed good Extra canoe this year Last year we had All of this And all of this and this canoe Maybe we got a little bit more this year But uh, how long we going for? Looks like we're gonna go for a month or two, but Actually, we're only gonna go for four days so You know, we're not like the old timers that grabbed a wall blanket and In a pound of salt pork and off they went we could be we could be but you know, this modern world is A little different than it was back then. Yeah made us soft. Yeah made us soft. Yeah, so we got all ready to push off and uh So we'll see you guys down river And you said you like it when I move around side to side a lot, right and fast Beautiful Yeah, lift it up a little bit. What's that? It did lift up a bit. Yeah, what are you trying to say about that nose heavy? There's a beaver slide right there That was before me that that was before my time Yeah Going down the river the edges of the river All along the river and it looked nothing like this, you know, it was like a bomb went off I guess eradicated it because it hasn't been his sense and I can't remember what he hear that was in fact, I'm guessing maybe Yeah Naughty he saw your video the other day Yeah Oh, it's a squirrel It's a red squirrel Look at him Donny it's a red squirrel They're fast. I don't think I've ever seen a squirrel in the river. I've seen rabbits Swamp that guy's fast Well, we got a lot of stuff. We got a lot of stuff Well, we ain't gonna be accused of not bringing enough stuff I know it it would be kind of fun to See last year's video and this year's video as far as water conditions are I think it's about three foot higher It's gotta be because we I mean this stream out a rag my stream here is just Chocoblock full of water Well, what do you think get set up? Yeah get the tent set up and get this top over the table and yeah Get set up and have a little uh, patridge for lunch. Sounds good About gutter Donny You've got the old camp more tent like these modern tents set up in 10 minutes this This takes a little longer. You've got the old camp more tent. Yeah. Yeah I don't know how many years I've had that I hate to think Serve me well It doesn't owe you a thing doesn't owe me anything Well, this is mine. I've only used it one other time and that was this trip last year That's called the adventure dome four by L. O. B That's the setup We each brought cots and sleeping pads and sleeping bags. So we'll be pretty comfortable I think we're gonna be here four nights Donny is it four nights three nights five We're gonna be here as long as we can we got a moose hunt to go to buddy of mine j. T. He's coming up from Florida, so we got to Get back just in time to meet him He's driving up And we're gonna meet him down home And then head back up for the moose hunt. So we can't really Stay as long as we'd like on this trip, but we're gonna get the most out of it and enjoy it Set up's going really well last year. We got super lucky. It rained every day. We were here, but It didn't rain while we were setting up and it didn't rain while we were taking down That was the whole trip and that's all we asked for we were happy for it Yep Yeah, it looks like it could any second Yep, we're ready Been there before I gotta get these rubber boots on Donny we got to get you a pair of good rubber boots Those are the cheapest renny specials. Yeah, they were like 7.99. Yeah, and you can't move your feet once you get them in there No, it's so molded I used them up to campabello clamming Yeah, and I had a pair up there that leaked like hell So I stopped at renny's, I guess in belfast pick these up No, I I gotta get some of those bog boots. So what do they go? Oh the muck boots. Yeah. Yeah Do you think they're any good? I don't know. Some people haven't had good luck with them. I've had good luck with lacrosse To the rubber. Yeah all rubber. Yeah I've had really good luck with the lacrosse ones. Yeah Maybe what I'll get First fish of the trip It is giant Look at that little silver-sided salmon Donny got one Little tiny salmon pooped in my hand Something smells good over here What is that? What smells good? Patridge In butter and garlic Probably the greatest thing in the world You know, I Was thinking, you know, we brought all this gear and stuff. Yeah, we forgot one thing We forgot the kitchen sink It's right out there Did you bring your donut cutter? Oh, yeah, I got my donut cut up. Oh, I was happy. I was I was scared I was gonna have to Manifact or something Doesn't probably I'll try it just to make sure it's edible Is it tough? No It's edible A little salt and pepper Yeah, I got some some way Probably in that yellow-green one Like some yeah, that looks pretty good to me Going out of there Well, we just shared about Half the partridge there's a group from Of campers from all over the country over there that are at Camping in wiskassa that chew on key for I think three or four months And they're doing a river trip and they've never had partridge before so Donnie cooked some up and some butter and garlic I rolled it in flour butter and garlic And a little vegetable and he sent some over there. They're at a picnic table even there there and about Um Oh, half dozen red canoes doing a river trip. They stayed at Thoreau Island last night. They're gonna head down to little Um Little ragmuff tonight, I think Yep, that's good stuff right there If you know, you know, and if you don't know just trust us Trust us. You don't know. You don't know. No. Yeah, you gotta trust us. Donnie I know for me if I ever have to choose my last meal, it's going to be centered around partridge Maybe cask nuggets and partridge nuggets How'd you get a buck? I didn't think they made these anymore Law book I went to the town office. Oh nice. I thought they stopped making them. Well, I thought they did too, but Probably there was a lot of people computer illiterate like me and they Bitched. Yeah Back on the trail Have a great have a great time guys You like that porcupine? Yeah No, just kidding But I have eaten porcupine before it's not as good as partridge It's uh, it's like really musky. Yeah, really dark and oily porcupine Oh, yeah, is he in the stuff, you know, he's up on the table. He's What are you doing on our apple pie? Oh boy, that smells good Yeah, well have fun Hey, we we saw one swimming across the river a red squirrel. It was the funniest thing when they do that Yeah, we got a pound in the stake for the water level See how much it goes down that comes out for Remember last year it dropped about five foot on us. All right All right Right there So the front edge is just barely touching it, right? Yeah What do you what's your guess is it going to go down at all? I think it will go down a little bit. I think like Maybe a foot. There's some serious current this year. Yeah Big time That mic is really sticking it to us this year. I think we've got a good one. I'm gonna go If nothing else, we'll have a camping experience But they didn't prove too good on the fishing Although you did catch five fish That's true, but no size No keepers Well, I got supper here if you want to what you got going on I got a kind of a chop suey kind of a spicy chop suey Hopefully you'll eat it and not complain I know better than that Looks good smells good Yeah, yeah, I think it I think it will be good. Yeah. Yeah What's on the menu for friday? Believe it or not I put fish on the menu With baked potato and carrots. Oh man, but Right now this is wednesday night and we're done fishing for the night And we got uh, well about a day and a half to catch something. Yeah So you might be eating chub. Yeah, hope not but it might be this looks good tonight. Yeah Looking good donnie sure Funny how the smoke follows you around a fire all those little person the right person It always does Kind of nice to hear it snap and crackle Yeah, that's a grand force. Yeah, it feels good in my hand. It's a nice axe. That's the one skip got for me. Yeah That's a beauty Yeah, it just feels good Why don't you walk us through camp donnie? So everybody what we got going on? Well, what a heck Probably the best two things going on have a tense You know an old timer here But probably I don't know 40 years ago guessing In the newer version which takes No time to set up But this is the best thing because usually On a camping trip you always get some rain And if you can cover your cooking area and your eating area and your sitting area You got it made Let it rain. Yeah, what are we running for a cook stove over here? this is This whole cook stove is I used to have a You remember the ones that had a tank out here? You used you have to pump them. Yeah, I had to pump them and you used white they call white gas You could buy it at amacol. Yeah gas station And then In fact, I still got the old one But I never throw anything away But now you got these cylinders which makes it much easier and And really efficient to burners even this one is pretty old Yeah, that's the old style there. Yeah and You know, I bring my grub in these plastic containers and my cooking gear in here And this was my new Thing that I bought I guess a year or so ago I really splurged and bought it. They're expensive as hell But you got some good use out of it. Yeah, and they and they hold ice like crazy. Yeah, they're great I guess that's about it, you know Hopefully on this trip Well, I am I'm going to make some donuts one morning. Really? Yeah Probably I don't know maybe friday morning. Yeah Well, guys, that's gonna do it for today Had an awesome day one getting in here No problems at all got set up nice and we're watching the fire burn down to some coals out here and full bellies so it's a good time to Hit the rack and maybe do a little bit of reading. Stay tuned for the next episode. We're gonna be I don't know what we're doing tomorrow Do you don't know but We'll figure it out over breakfast. Yeah, we'll figure it out over breakfast. We'll do something fun We might go metal detect in we might do a little fish and fishing's been crazy crazy tough this year from Everybody we talked to they're only catching one or two a day and they're fishing all day with guides And some guys aren't catching anything. So it's been tough. So we're not we don't have our hopes set on the fishing too much I checked the stake down by the water's edge. Yeah drove earlier today and it's dropped about two inches two inches already Yeah, two inches that wasn't too long. Maybe that's a good sign. Maybe the fish will turn on. Yeah. Yeah We'll see. All right guys. Thanks again for tuning in. We'll see you on the next one