A deposit is required for every day of guided fishing that you want to reserve. The standard deposit is $150 per day.  The only exception is half-day and 5-hour smallmouth bass trips, which have a deposit of $100.

Please send the deposit to me either via Venmo or by mailing a check to 46 Lincoln St. Old Town ME 04468. If you use Venmo, my handle is @Kevin-Tracewski and I’m wearing a Citgo sign Fenway hat. And if it asks for a four digit code, it is 4883.

.The best way to get a Maine fishing license is to purchase it online directly from the State of Maine.  You can do this by clicking the link below. 

After purchase, you can print or take a screenshot of your license.  You can also usually  just have the email confirmation (with the license number) from the State of Maine on your phone.

Click here to purchase Maine fishing license. 

Clothing – Maine has very changeable weather so layered clothing and a good rain jacket is always a good idea. My best advice is to look ahead at the weather forecast and try to dress accordingly.

We wear waders when wading salmon and trout streams.  I recommend hip waders vs. full chest waders, but either will be OK.  We always wet-wade on our Penobscot river smallmouth bass float trips during the warm summer months.  When wet-wading, I recommend wearing quick drying nylon pants and some type of decent wading shoe or sandal (old sneakers will also work in a pinch).

Sun and Eye protection – I always wear a hood or hat with a wide brim on sunny days and recommend that you do the same.  And don’t forget your sunscreen and SPF lip balm.

Polarized sunglasses are also highly recommended – not only to protect your eyes, but also to help you spot fish below the water’s surface.

Food and Water: We provide a shore lunch and drinks on full-day Penobscot River float trips and Kennebec river shad trips.  But it’s advisable to also bring a few of your own bottles of water.

We don’t provide food on half-day or 5-hour smallmouth bass trips.  Or on salmon or trout trips, which usually put me in remote areas for multiple days with limited access to refrigeration.  We should discuss a plan for lunch / meals on the lead-up to your trip.

Fishing gear –  I’m happy to provide you with the rods, flies, lures and tackle that you’ll need.  But over the years I’ve learned that many folks prefer to use their own gear.  So it’s completely up to you. We should discuss this before your trip.  The one piece of my equipment that I always prefer to use is the net!

I apologize for having a strict cancellation policy, but the prime fishing season in Maine is short, and the number of fishable days that I have available is quite limited.

A $50 administrative fee is subtracted from the deposit before a cancellation request is processed. Then cancellations made more than 45 days prior to the scheduled trip will receive a 50% refund of the remainder. Cancellations made between 20 and 45 days before the trip will receive a 25% refund of the remainder. And cancellations made less than 20 days prior to the scheduled trip date will forfeit the entire deposit.

When the question of weather comes up, I tell people that I dislike fishing in howling wind and driving rain as much as you do. So if the weather forecast on the day of your trip is awful, and you don’t want to go, we can try to find an alternate day that is mutually available. If we can’t find an alternate day, and decide to cancel due to weather, I will refund your entire deposit.

Clients are responsible for the full replacement cost of any gear that is damaged or lost.

All adults must sign this participation agreement separately.  This means If two adults are going on the trip, EACH must open and sign a separate agreement. 

All minors must be listed on the Trip Leader’s participation agreement, but don’t need to sign.  So for a family of four with 2 adults and 2 children, 2 signed agreements are required – one from the Trip Leader including the 2 minors and one from the second adult.

I’m sorry to make you do this.  But, unfortunately, this is the world we live in these days.  Thanks for your understanding.

Here is the link to the Smartwaiver agreement

No.  I am fine with you keeping fish in accordance with Maine fishing regulations for the body of water that we are on.  You will be responsible for cleaning and storing your catch in your own cooler.  Occasionally on trout trips, I will prepare your catch as a shore lunch if you desire.

Not really.  However, Maine has many Fly Fishing Only waters, and many of my favorite trout and salmon spots are either FFO or artificial lures only.  We frequently use spinning gear on smallmouth bass and shad trips. 

In most cases we fish in the rain if it’s not too bad.  Please refer to my cancellation policy above for more details.

No.  The price is for two people and includes the boat and any fishing gear that you may need.  Sometimes we can add an extra person or two on Penobscot River float trips, at an added cost of $50 per person.