Ice Out Brookies

An early week outing yielded some surprisingly good results.  The ice was barely away from the shore enough to cast, but we decided to give it a try seeing that our previously planned destination was completely clogged with other anglers, and this lake was vacant.  Fishing patiently, we didn't have to wait too long before we were rewarded with a nice 12" brook trout from right at the receding ice's edge.  Renewed by this limited success, we settled in for a long wait.  Just as the sun was setting, a pole came alive followed by another, then another and another!  In 10 minutes time we landed four trout varying in size from 12-14".  Heather was deemed the fishing champion since she caught the largest of the five fish measuring 14".  It was beautiful evening for fishing, but a few people stopped by and after the stories make it around the coffee shops, I am sure elbow space will be at a premium.

First Brook Trout of the Season

Heather and I managed to get out and wet a line, while battling the cold wind that was unrelenting this weekend.  The muskie refused to show themselves, but we did manage to pick up a nice 12" brook trout after a couple of hours of shivering.  The water temperature is still too cold for the action to be consistent, but we had to get out and scratch the fishing itch!

Opening Day!

Today was the opening day of open water fishing season here in Maine.  I ventured out early this morning with Brent to see if we could pull a muskie out of the dark, frigid water.  As I left the house, 18 degrees showed on the thermometer, and I knew we were in for some cold fishing.  Luckily we didn't have to wait long for our first fish which rejuvenated our frozen spirits.  The first fish was a 32" beauty which was a wonderful feeling on the fishing rod after a long winter of anticipation.  The next one was a very heavy 34" fish which took the entire Rapala deep into its throat.  As the sun rose, so did several other fishermen, and it wasn't long before the river looked like a marina.  It was hard to find pristine casting spots as the boats plugged up the river.  Several of the fellow anglers hooked onto some nice fish as well, with a couple of them pushing over the coveted 40" mark.  It was a great start to what I hope will be a fish filled season!  To top it off on the way out I found a large muskie that appeared to have been crushed by the ice.  It was a hog of a fish that was over 43" long.  It's unfortunate that this monster fell victim to the ice before I could hook onto it!  Stay tuned for more upcoming action.