Rod, welcome aboard. Was stationed in Oahu at Hickam AFB for two years in the nineties. Fished for Wahoo and marlin mostly out of both Oahu and the Big Island on charter boats Kalohi out of Oahu and one of the commercial boats out of Kona. Saw lots of fish caught but I never hooked a marlin. My sons caught a couple of nice Mahi off a fish attracting device just off the coast outside the harbor at Hickham. Didn't do any shore fishing or spear fishing though it was going on around me. Talk to the locals they will steer you right. Benjo Bob

Best inside the park is the stream along side the Hoover Camp. Building is locked up most of the time but the stream used to be stocked heavily when the President came to fish. Still holds some small Brookies but fun to catch out of plunge pools. Shared the stream with a black bear last trip. Outside the park the South River, easily wadeable, is stocked with rainbows. Benjo

We use lead core almost exclusively here in Maine for both Togue (Lake Trout) and salmon. Sink rates mentioned above are all in the ball park...4-5 feet per color or 30 feet of line. Key is your trolling speed at 1.3 -1.9 mph. No need for a diver. Never tried it with planer. Most put a #10 swivel between the lead core and about 20 feet of flouro leader of 6-8 lb test. Push back the Dacron covering over the lead core about 3 inches, cut or break off the lead, then tie a standard improved clinch knot with the braided covering. You will think it not strong enough but it is and you don't end up with a huge knot that has trouble getting through line guides and level winds. Other techniques use a down rigger with mono only. Use a couple of swivels whenever trolling or you will get line twist. Sinkers with skegs or flashers and dodgers can help with line twist too.

I agree with Flyguy...16 foot is what you want. I would put a 15 HP Yamaha on it and a 55# trolling motor for all the reasons mentioned above. I have had several for both fishing and duck/goose hunting and can't emphasize enough the extra safety only 2 more feet gives you. Save the 12 and 14 foot Jon boats for quiet water and let the kids play in them. For active water sports you need 16 feet. I have had 14 and 12 footers and nearly swamped them both with 2 people in them let alone three!

I agree with all the recommendations above on keeping your feet warm, but for hunting and fishing late season up here to include ice fishing, I add those chemical hand warmers taped to the underside of my toes just before I put my feet into some insulated rubber knee highs. I am aware that they sell warmers designed for toes with stickum on them but I find them too small and they don't last long enough. The regular hand size is still small enough not to hurt your feet but large enough to last through an all day session. Use Scotch or Masking tape to hold them in place until you can get your foot into a boot. Do not use Duct tape as the stickum will transfer to your socks and when they go through the wash the stickum will be there forever...experience speaking!

I was given two packages of old but new stainless steel trolling line in coils about 6-7 inches across. What kind of reel/pole should I put it on? Do you twist the line at connection points or do you use crimping sleeves? I troll mostly for salmon and large Togue (Lake Trout) in Sebago Lake Maine which has depths to 360 feet. We normally use lead core line or mono with a down rigger to get to depths where the fish are. Are there any concerns I should be aware of other than the risk of cuts if you try to manhandle the line without gloves.

I use a drift sock on my 18 foot Lund even though my 50 hp Honda idles right down. I am usually trolling lead core or down rigging for salmon and Togue (Lake Trout) using spoons or live bait. While flies and hardware allow faster trolling speeds live bait is trolled at 1-1 1/2 mph which is hard to get to with the wind on Sebago Lake. I rig the sock on a float supported bridle off the back of the boat and have never had trouble “steering” a bigger fish to the side of the boat for netting. This drift net is 3 feet across and inflates and deflates very quickly.

This looks more like a lake trout than a brown trout...can’t quite see the complete tail or caudal fin but if it is deeply V’ed it is probably a lake trout...still a nice fish...we catch a lot of lake trout here in Maine...l’d put the weight at 7-8 lbs. Benjo

I like Steve’s advice. You can go broke buying high end fly fishing gear. Given the use you say you intend there is no reason a lower budget rig wouldn’t work just fine. As you gain more current experience and find that this is a sport you want to continue to explore there will be plenty of time to make informed choices on your gear. I have been tying and fishing flies all over the world for 40 years and all my gear together would not cost more than $500 total.

Been out there in God's country a few times...usually chasing pheasants in and around Aberdeen and Cecilton never tried the fishing though. Flew fighters for the AF in an earlier life with a guy from Flint...his wife was from Pierre(sp?). Pike are considered an invasive species here in trout country so there is no minimum length or bag limit. Most guys don't eat them but the ones that do usually put them in chowder or can them stripping off the flesh away from major bones (backbone and ribs and the more diligent search out the "Y" bones as well. Others assume the canning process will take care of them.

We love fishing for pike through the ice up here in Maine...particularly at Sabattus Lake outside the town of Sabattus northeast of Lewiston-Auburn. Derbies have seen catches exceeding 16 pounds. The lake is about 1200 acres, freezes all the way across. Access can be difficult as cottage owners like to keep others out by posting parking areas and are in collusion with local towing companies so know where you can park and ask first. Use heavier line tests, even consider wire line at the terminal end. Larger minnows work well as do white suckers. Some guys have picked up larger pike after they have caught a yellow perch that didn’t trip the trap. Some guys modify their traps by adding a small alligator clip to hold their line so the larger baits don’t prematurely trip them. On good we days we can have >1000 anglers on the ice. License up though as wardens patrol the entire lake