“For Wild’s Sake: The Rare Trout Chronicles | Episode 1”

Producer: Tight Loops

Join us for the debut episode of For Wild’s Sake: The Rare Trout Chronicles, season 1! A series which explores human beings relationship to the natural world, in hopes of gaining a better understanding of how and why we assign value to wild things and places. In a quest to illustrate rare and threatened species of wild native trout in watercolor, artist Chase Bartee and wife Aimee set off on a multi year, cross country adventure of discovery.

We begin our journey in the North Maine Woods, in search of one of the state, and country’s rarest fish; The Blueback Trout (Salvelinus apinus aquossa). Long believed to be many different species, Maine’s rare strain of landlocked arctic charr faces great peril in its struggle to hold on along the southern most margins of its range. Follow along as we uncover the past, present, and future of this unique species as well as ready ourselves for fill time road living in our 1985 VW Vanagon, “Bullwinkle”.

Will we be able to find the Bluebacks? And if so, can we catch them with a fly rod? Notoriously hard to catch by fly fishing, these elusive fish live in cold, deep, and remote lakes in Northern Maine. We enlist the help of Igor Sikorsky, the grandson of an aviation giant, to transport us via his small Cessna float plane to Big Reed Pond, a small jewel, surrounded by 5,000 acres of old growth forest and protected by The Nature Conservancy.