READFIELD — Josh Blackwood and Kevin Busch both have what they call a “love-hate relationship” with Maranacook Lake.

Loaded with both largemouth and smallmouth, the 1,673-acre lake is one of central Maine’s many strong bass fisheries. Yet while Maranacook can produce good fish on some days, it can leave local fishermen frustrated on others.

“It’s just hit-or-miss,” Busch said. “It’s one of those lakes where you can come out one day and catch a 20-bag, but then you can come back the next day and catch nothing.”

While Busch had a rougher day in Saturday’s Central Maine Bassmasters tournament on Maranacook, Blackwood, who won the overall competition with a bag weighing in at just over 17 pounds, fared significantly better. Such is life in the world of angling, where the local action, club members say, has been excellent in 2022.

It’s now the midway point of the fishing season for the Central Maine Bassmasters, who held their first tournament in late April and will wrap up the year in early October. The bi-weekly competitions pit competitors from Vienna to Lewiston against one another with the person weighing in the largest combined weight of largemouth and smallmouth bass being declared the winner.

Blackwood, who serves as the group’s tournament director, said those anglers have all fared very well this season. Whereas past seasons varied a lot from week to week, the action in 2022 has, despite some ups and downs at Maranacook notwithstanding, been strong and steady.

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Josh Blackwell organizes his fishing rods before the start of a bass fishing tournament Saturday at the Maranacook Lake boat launch in Readfield. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“It’s been good so far — really good, actually,” Blackwood said. “The last couple years seemed to be a little off, but this year seems to be getting back on track. Weights seem to be a little bit more consistent, and the weather’s been better; it hasn’t been raining as much on the weekends.”

Although some groups fared better than others in terms of overall weight Saturday, there were big, healthy bass boated across the board. Several fish weighed in over the 4-pound mark with Blackwood and Dana Connon both recording largemouth of 4.91 pounds.

“I’ve never seen a tie for the lunker before today,” said Blackwood, whose 17.14-pound bag beat out that of runner-up Wayne Morey Sr. (16.47) for first place. “We weigh to the hundredth of a pound, so to have that is pretty rare. To be honest, I’m not even sure how you break a tie like that.”

Although Maine is traditionally known for its salmon and togue, there is plenty of great bass fishing to offer throughout much of the state. Locally, that includes Maranacook, the Belgrade Lakes, Cobbosseecontee Lake, Annabessacook Lake, Threemile Pond, Webber Pond and the Kennebec River.

Fish kills, though, have severely limited the action on two of those fisheries this year. Webber and Threemile, two of the region’s most popular spots for largemouth, saw massive die-offs resulting from an aquatic parasite known as Chilodonella uncinata. Another bass club, Southern Maine Bassers, recently moved a tournament off Webber Pond.

“Those are two big (ponds) for fishing, and you’re seeing a bunch of clubs move their tournaments from this year,” Blackwood said. “There was another big fish kill on Cobbossee a few years ago, and the fishing on that lake came back, so hopefully it does on Webber and Threemile as well.”

A bass boat blasts off from the starting point to begin a tournament Saturday at the Maranacook Lake boat launch in Readfield. Boats leave one by one at intervals to start their competition. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The club will be back in action in two weeks for a tournament on Echo Pond in Fayette. They’ll fish that pond once more in early August with additional tournaments set for Seven Tree Pond and Round Pond in Union, Pleasant Pond in Gardiner and the season finale Oct. 9 on Annabessacook.

“We have some really good bass fishing all around here,” said Busch, who lives near Flying Pond Vienna, another good bass fishery. “We’re able to get out every couple weekends and have a lot of fun on the water.”

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