The first day of April means more than April Fools Day to me. It is the official start of the open water fishing season here in Northern Maine. Every year I try to make it a point to get out and wet a line. Last year I was rewarded with two muskies in only a couple of hours time so this year I took the day off to really focus my efforts. Blake Hatt and Brent Stoliker decided to join the craziness that my fishing trips entail. The weather forecast was less than ideal with a snow and rain combo predicted for the day, with temps hovering around the freezing mark. The ice on the St. John River hadn't yet "run" so while there were big open spots, they were still separated by ice sheets. The water level was also amazingly low for this time of year. Evaluating the conditions, I decided that shore hopping would be our most effective way to cover several of the open spots. Meeting at our pre-determined time of 5:00 a.m.(I told you my fishing trips are crazy) we wasted no time grabbing our gear and walking the quarter mile to our first location on top of the 18" of crusted snow. Thinking to myself, that walk wouldn't be pleasant if it warmed up and we lost our crust, we pushed on along the faint markings of a trail winding though the trees. Thanks to the contrast of snow we were able to navigate easily even though it was pitch black. As we neared the river we switched on our head lamps to navigate the ice field along the shore and get into position on the river bank. Wasting no time we hooked on our lures and started probing the icy, wet darkness below us. We spread out and used the splash of lures as they landed to judge where everyone's line was and avoid a big tangle. Hopes ran high as the lures made their first pass through the water. Cast after cast we worked the water in fan patterns trying to convince a toothy behemoth to strike. As the light started to creep into the sky, we could see a couple of boats show up and launch. All guys I know, so as they would pass by we would keep tabs on each other by yelling over the sound of their outboard motors. The piece of water that was open around the boat launch was not overly large and most boats worked in a circuitous fashion. Time ticked by and still no fish to show. Working at that hole for a couple of hours we decided to move downstream to the next likely spot. By this time we were soaked from the snow and rain mixture and the wind started to pick up making for cold conditions. We took a quick break and sipped some coffee to warm us up from the inside and then we were back at it fan casting to all of the little eddies and current lines that looked like a potential hiding spot for a yard long fish. In five hours time we had effectively covered every promising looking spot that was thawed open, were froze to the bone and had no fish to show for it. Just as we were ready to head out one of the boats picked up the first and what would be the only fish of the day. It was a 10 pounder that Corey Daigle caught out of Bud Soucy's canoe. This gave us a little bit of encouragement and put some fire back into our casts as we started working the water again. We kept casting until all but one of the boats had left and it was up for debate whether or not our frozen fingers were still functioning. We then decided that if the muskies weren't up for being caught, we would try our hand at a brook trout or two. Besides if we picked the right spot we could drown a worm and sit in the heated cab of the pickup to thaw out. After checking a couple of favored locales and finding them still locked up tight under a coat of ice. Finally we found a spot by a culvert that had opened up enough to fish. As we threaded the worms onto hooks the wind seemed to pick up even more and turned an already cold situation frigid. I used my preferred presentation with just a worm floating down through the current and leaving the bail on the spinning pole open I hurried back to the truck a few feet away to warm up. We watched the baits for a couple of hours checking the bait every few minutes to no avail. Just as we were ready to pack up I decided to try a lure just for fun. On the first retrieve I saw a fish dart out from the edge of the ice and swirl at it. Quickly casting again, I waited and just as I saw the swirl I felt the line tension up and I quickly lifted the rod tip to set the hook. Ahhh, there it was that tugging and pulling that I had waited all winter for. The foot long trout put up a good fight and after a quick admiration I released him to swim another day. We decided that since we were no longer skunked we could call it a day and go get some warm, dry clothes. A slow start to the 2013 fishing season, but I hope to redeem myself soon!
Stay tuned for exciting news and product reviews and for up-to-date fishing reports in the near future!
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