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Tom Seymour is busy writing a new Book About Trolling

8/15/2018

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Getting Your Big Fish: Trolling Tactics and Techniques for Trout, Salmon and Togue will be published by Just Write Books early 2019. Seymour details how to catch fish that are measured in pounds, not inches 
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People who troll for trout, salmon and togue represent a small minority of Maine’s anglers. And yet, these select few routinely catch the largest fish of all.
 
Fly fishing, a hugely popular sport, does not necessarily target large fish. In fact, most fly-fishers content themselves with catching and releasing mostly stocked trout. And for that, people congregate in huge numbers around places where freshly stocked trout are available.
Trollers, however, never need to contend with crowds. Rather than carrying the small nets used for stream fishing, trollers always have a huge, long-handled net available for that 4-, 5- and even 10-pound salmonid.
 
Even those who cast spinning lures for salmonids mostly fish to smaller trout, usually recently stocked ones. The reason most fly and spin-fishers rarely take big fish is because their tackle does not permit them to put their offerings down deep where the biggest fish await. Trolling solves that problem.
 
Fully versed trollers use a combination of techniques both old and new. Tackle, though, falls in the category of new and improved, at least when compared to the trolling gear of yesteryear. Lines, rods and reels are thinner, lighter and stronger than ever before. Whereas most people associate trolling as a sedentary sport using heavy and often unwieldy tackle, today’s trollers are constantly working the water in ways our ancestors could not have imagined.
 
Fish locators help to not only locate fish, but also give an idea of what the bottom looks like, a big help any time. And downriggers, devices that allow anglers to use light tackle while trolling deep for the biggest fish, have turned the trolling world upside down.
 
And yet, the traditional lead-core line has its place too. New, ultra-thin lines make catching even medium-sized fish a joy, especially when coupled with light and powerful modern rods and reels.
 
Lure manufacturers cater to those who troll and like auto manufacturers, these companies strive to introduce hot, new offerings each year. These often brilliantly-colored lures lie side-by-side with old tried-and-true fish slayers in angler’s tackle boxes.
 
Given all this, the age-old practice of lake trolling has now become the wave of the future. Getting Your Big Fish by Tom Seymour will help anglers to catch that wave. 
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10 important things about foraging according to Tom Seymour

7/21/2016

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PictureTom looks at cattails.
Many people have purchased Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide by Tom Seymour. It is a great book for those interested in foraging. With close-up photos and others showing the plant's location and relative size compared to other plants, it is a welcoming identification book for wild plants. More than that, Tom describes how to find, harvest and to use these plants.
Recently I asked Tom what were the ten most important things that people should know about foraging for wild plants here in Maine. Here are his answers.

PictureGoostetongue.
1. Prepare to harvest by knowing the right time. Each plant has a perfect time of availability, the “window of opportunity.” Since plants come ripe in a regular succession, knowing when to expect your favorite wild edible puts you in the driver’s seat.
2. Collect and transport your harvest in baskets (my favorite method), brown paper bags or canvas bags. Never collect in plastic because it causes the harvest to sweat and wilt. They lose flavor and can mold in the wet plastic bag.
3. Be aware of plants that cause irritation to the skin when foraging. Poison ivy, virgin’s bower (wild clematis, a vining plant of edges and woodland trails), often mistakenly called “poison oak” and several other plants can cause mild to severe reactions in people. Know how to identify these plants. There are many great photos on the internet so as to allow you to identify these the first time. Watch out, since some people are affected just by being in the same vicinity. They don't even have to touch the plant to have an extreme allergic reaction.
4. Become familiar with botanical names in addition to the common names to prevent mix-ups in communications. Scientific names for plants are called “binominal nomenclature.” The first name is the genus, or general family and the second name tells something specific about the plant. Don’t be afraid to use these names and don’t worry about proper pronunciation. Others will know what you mean. The danger in only using common names is that some plants often share the same common name. For instance, “pigweed” is the common name for several totally different plants.

PictureGoosetongue leaves ready to freeze or can.
5. Cook or prepare the plant according to suggestions from a trustworthy source. Wild Plants of Maine offers dozens of recipes in the back of the book. Within the section for each plant, I offer suggested preparations for each edible. You might find a few other recipes in other cookbooks. I particularly like fiddleheads with butter and salt and pepper.
6. When a wild edible plant is harvested, harvest extra then freeze, dry or can according to suggestions in Wild Plants of Maine. One example: I love goosetongue, or seaside plantain, Plantago juncoides. When home-canned, these have the same flavor and a similar texture as when fresh. Nothing says “summer in winter” like a jar of seaside plantain.
7. Here in Maine, plants have a short growing season. This means they change size and appearance in a short time. Get to know your favorite wild edible plants in all seasons. That way, you can locate groups of colonies of great, edible plants in the off-season and harvest them later, when they are ready for picking.I
8. When learning a new plant, note carefully every detail of the plant’s description in the book. If a plant matches everything else except for one detail, it is not the plant in the book. Each plant must match every, single thing in the plant description section. Take no chances, since there are some toxic wild plants out there. Don’t let this keep you from trying wild edible plants, though. Instead, know that you are safe when the plant in hand perfectly matches every item in the description.
9. When harvesting wild plants, never pull a plant up by the roots. Most wild plants are perennial, some are biennial and only a few are annual. Uprooting a plant kills it and takes it out of production. On the other hand, don’t worry about taking a good haul by snipping with clippers or cutting with a knife, since these plants come back year after year.
10. Have fun foraging and eating your wilds.

Check out Tom's website here.

​Stay up to date on the latest foraging stories on Tom’s blog.

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Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books. With the tagline Maine books, Maine authors, Maine stories, Randolph quickly developed a reputation as a publisher of quality Maine books. An active community member she co-chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.
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Beach Reading from Just Write Books

6/23/2016

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Summer is the time to catch up on your reading. Whether you’re at the beach on a warm, sunny day or curled up during stormy weather, a book makes a great companion. Check out these ten offerings from Just Write Books that will provide entertaining on sunny or rainy days.
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by Virginia Chute
A Daughter of Francis Martin
This historical novel is deftly written keeping to historical facts and filling in with an imagination and a sharp pen that allows us to follow Virginia Chute on her travels back in time.

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​The Remembrances Of Marietta Lufford
Marietta's Remembrances tell of her troubled childhood in rural England and London, her adventurous journey to the New World and the tribulations of surviving in a country dominated by strong willed men, fanatic Puritans and Indians.​

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by Virginia Chute
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Coming Home: A Maine Mystery by Robert M. Chute
Jim Johnson returns from World War II to his hometown and to the family business, a country inn on a lake in northwestern Maine. Johnson's return is filled with surprises—a body hidden in a garment bag in an empty cabin, his deceased father's association with bootleggers and his childhood friend, Joan Chaplin, now married but with an absent husband. His relations with Joan, and with other women, are complicated by traumatic experiences during the war which he fears may have left him impotent. Johnson's quest to find answers leads him on a cross-country journey pushing him to explore himself in a rare gem in mysteries.


Return to Sender by Robert M. Chute
Robert M. Chute brings us the sequel to 
Coming Home: A Maine Mystery. In Return to Sender, Melonie Janus thinks she knows who killed her stepbrother and dumped his body into the lake to fake an accident. Jefferson County's Sheriff Dumont and DA Black are stymied by a lack of evidence for arrest and trial. Melonie embarks on a dangerous private voyage, traveling to Wyman Falls at the southern end of a wilderness lake extending north across the Canadian border. Readers of Coming Home will recognize many of the residents of Wyman Falls as they continue their usual (or unusual) activities. Willis Wyman and his steam-powered lake boat, Leland Fogg, a disabled veteran with mathematical and romantic aptitudes, and the obsessive-compulsive Runner Higgens and his dog Whitey play roles in this excellent mystery set in post World War II rural Maine.
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oadside Rest by Robert M. Chute

With Roadside Rest, Robert Chute returns to Wyman Falls. Readers of Coming Home and/orReturn to Sender will recognize many of the characters and much of the landmarks in this mystery set in post Korean War rural Maine. The mystery unfolds as a fellow from West Virginia comes to town with a deed to property owned by Willis Wyman and James Johnson. The West Virginian goes missing. There are more questions than answers in an investigation that includes quirky town characters. Meanwhile Jim Johnson is missing in action from Korea. Enjoy this story as it takes you around the world and back to Maine with nonstop action revealed through Chute's prose—that like, his poetry, is, "careful language, precise, with a sparse beauty."

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Maney the Sneezing Moose by Roland Wallace
Maney is a Maine moose with a sneezing problem. Maney finds friends who are tolerant of his problem and find a way to help him. The black and white drawings are sure to fascinate both children and adult readers.
Lewis and the Lighthouse by Bill McKibben
​Bill McKibben has written his first book about Lewis, a boy who lives on the coast of Maine near a lighthouse. With just enough suspense for young readers, this fun read-a-loud book is illustrated with lively art by Robert Logan.

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Hidden World Revealed by Tom Seymour
Hidden World Revealed is a collection of short works by Tom Seymour previously published in his blog "Wild Plants and Wooly Bears." InHidden World Revealed, Seymour discusses his interaction with animal neighbors and explores plants and seasonal changes. Each piece reflects Maine rural life. The narratives of his walks in the woods are instructive about the natural environment and revealing of a human who walks lightly on the earth. A humble man with a fine mind invites us to know our Maine woodlands and rural neighbors. A great book to read every day of the year.

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Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide by Tom Seymour
​From insect repellent, to table fare, to a relaxing wintergreen tea, Tom Seymour identifies the source and describes the method of preparing wild plant concoctions or foods. Any person living or visiting in Maine should have this book to enhance the enjoyment of our great Maine outdoors. From the shore to the forest and from the first green of spring to the snowiest winter day, join Tom Seymour as he enjoys Maine "wilds."

Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books. With the tagline Maine books, Maine authors, Maine stories, Randolph quickly developed a reputation as a publisher of quality Maine books.
An active community member she co­-chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.
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    Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books offering consulting and coaching for writers.

    An active community member she co-­chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.

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Just Write Books
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Topsham, ME 04086

Phone: 207-729-3600

What our Customers say

Nancy E. Randolph, JWB owner, markets my titles on a wide scale. She also sets up book signings. I find it infinitely more enjoyable and rewarding to work with this Maine-based publisher than to deal with national publishers from out-of-state.
Finally, JWB does not publish just any aspiring author. Randolph is very selective, accepting only material that she is convinced will sell. I highly recommend JWB to any author. 
Tom Seymour, author of Wild Plants of Maine and many other titles.
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