There is a deep, rich history of fly fishing here in Maine. It has given us names like, Carrie Stevens, famous for her Grey Ghost fly, the Rangeley boat, Fly Rod Crosby, Thomas Rods and the Grand Laker canoe. All have made huge contributions to the fly fishing world and will be remembered for many lifetimes to come.

I met a gentleman recently who is hoping to make an impact in the fly world as well.  Nate Bacon has a family history of contributions here in Maine.  Nate’s great great grandfather built Grand Laker boats back in the 1900’s.  Nate and I crossed paths this summer when we were both setting out on  fishing trips. I was towing a modern day G3 jet boat and he was hauling a Grand Laker, which he built. We instantly started talking about fishing and I found that he too was a guide here in Maine.  We stayed in touch through out the season and I soon added Nate to my growing list of guides to use.  As the season came to an end, I started seeing his net posts on Instagram. It was about this time that I heard rumors of a Maine net company being sold.  People were looking for a local options and Nate was working hard to get his product out there.   I reached out to him in hopes of learning more about his hand crafted nets.  

I drove to Hampden where Nate has his shop.  I felt like a kid in a candy store the second I walked through the door.  There were nets in various stages of construction in every place you looked.   But what really caught my eye was the mold for the Grand Laker his great great grandfather made many many years ago.  A true piece of Maine fishing history. 

Nate comes from a family of woodworkers and is a contractor himself.  He seems to have wood in his veins. We talked about fishing and guiding but our conversations always came back to woodworking.  Nate builds everything from kitchen cabinets  to an entire house.  His love for fishing and guiding was apparent but his true passion was for woodworking.  Boat building and handcrafting nets is what truly makes him tick. Nate talked about building a new version on the Grand Laker in hopes of creating the perfect boat.  Neither one of us really knows if a perfect boat exists but the dream is still there.  Nate started crafting nets partly out of necessity and partly because he had the ability. 

He is hard on his fishing gear and needed a net that would hold up day in and day out. Like with any new craft, trial and error always plays a huge part in the process.  This has resulted in a 4 year, on going, relationship with his own personal net. Of which he uses while guiding as well.  I was impressed with the condition of the net considering the four years of abuse Nate had put it through.  It was solid and shown little wear. 

He had a long handled net that was crafted from cedar and I was shocked at how light it was.  Any weight that can be eliminated is always appreciated by any fisherman.  He also had a net made from a combination of birds eye maple and black walnut.  The possibilities are endless.  Each net comes with a rubber mesh net that is better for our fish and helps keep hooks from getting caught up in it.  His craftsmanship is incredible and his passion for his craft is apparent.  I would say he is doing something right.  

It’s great seeing this Maine fishing heritage being carried on through Nate. He truly has a passion for guiding, fishing and most of all wood working. I am looking forward to seeing what his creative mind comes up with for nets and also his vision for that perfect boat!

To Order your own piece of Maine, call Nate: 207.745.1700

Kevin McKay

“Daybreak adventures nets are 100% handmade, Maine made. We at daybreak got started making nets by simply wanting something tough and durable for the everyday fishing enthusiast. We not only wanted to create something tough but also looked great that people could brag about. Made with hardwoods such as curly or Birdseye maple, cherry, black walnut or ash. There is an ultra-light version that’s made out of cedar. 

A little history about daybreak adventures. It all started I would say in the early 1900’s when my great great grandfather created one of the original grand laker canoe molds in the grand lake stream area. It wasn’t until his son Timmy bacon built off that original mold and also guided in one his entire life. He guided in one all summer and built, restored and repaired canoes all winter. Fast forward 50+ years from Tim’s hay day of building 10+ canoes in the winter and guided 100+ days in the summer is I. 5 generations of woodworkers/ craftsman’s all having something to do in the fishing/ guiding industry along with woodworking. My father and I spend a lot of our time in the winters building nets for other families to enjoy. We also still build canoes off that original grand laker mold, nearly 100 of unchanged beauty. I am working on buildings up my guiding business so I can follow in the footsteps of my famous great grandfather Tim Bacon in guiding all summer then switching gears and craft nets and other woodworking projects all winter including canoes both new and working on old. Nate”