Photo from the past: Salmon sunrise

Earlier today, sleet was falling sideways in downtown Bangor. Right now, it’s snowing like crazy.

Two anglers fish the Penobscot in 1995. (BDN photo by Scott Haskell)

And despite what Mother Nature says, it’s officially springtime. Not only that, on Saturday — April 1 — we’ll mark the traditional opening day of open water fishing season here in Maine.

To mark the impending occasion (in spite of the fact that many of the state’s waters keep less-than-traditional schedules nowadays), I’ve chosen to share one of my favorite BDN fishing photos.

My former colleague, Scott Haskell, captured this image back in June of 1995, on a foggy Bangor morning. His photo, which he called “Salmon sunrise,” shows a pair of anglers fishing for Atlantic salmon as the sun tries to burn its way through a green haze.

The first time I saw it, I’d been working here at the BDN for just two years, and I remember appreciating Haskell’s artistic eye and photographic skill. I’ve always thought this shot looks more like a painting, and I’ve wondered how many Mainers purchased prints of Haskell’s classic photo to hang on their walls.

So as we wait eagerly for some fishing weather of our own, let’s look back at warmer days, and a scene worth savoring.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.