I've fished this remote Maine trout pond for more than 50 years. This trip was unlike the rest.

A fly-fishing trip to a remote trout pond near Timbuktu, Maine, turned out unlike the angler’s decades-long routine. The writer said the pond has been part of an annual pilgrimage for more than 50 years, with early June visits typically producing brookies using a single fly: a #14 or 16 Hornberg with a yellow body. This year, he and Scotty tried the pond in early July for the first time, expecting possible slower fishing from warming waters but relying on old-timers’ accounts of consistent evening rises. Instead, weather changes dominated, starting with drizzle across Northern Aroostook County and continuing through a day-two forecast of severe thunderstorms, wind gusts up to 75 mph, and possible tornadoes. Both nearby pond attempts failed, and the trip ended early with tents packed after conditions deteriorated.