Remember: Under Maine law it is unlawful
to fish into inland waters while positioned on ice; 
waters
must be naturally free of ice
Open Water Fishing
CHECK OUT THE
SPECIES PAGE TO BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAUGHT.
Open water fishing
is the greatest thing in the world in the opinion of the Mainefisherman.
I love ice fishing but there is nothing like fighting a nice salmon
or brown on an ultralight spinning setup. The Mainefisherman is strictly
a spin fisherman in the open water season. Since southern Maine is pretty
much a put and take fishery, where huge fish are very rare, the ultralight
will add some fun back to fishing. I see people pulling 18 inch browns
in with no play and 20 lb test line, peactically dragging them across
the surface with a full speed retrieve. Where is the fun in that? Give
the fish a chance! You may lose some lures but I guarantee you will
enjoy fishing considerably more. All tips and tactics are geared toward
spin fishing but things such as location, species, some tactics, are
always useful. I will share the methods and tackle that help me catch
fish here in Maine.
I like to think that
fishing is kind of like cooking. There is no right or wrong way and
all you may need to do is tweak the recipe. I will share my tips and
methods and you will be able to choose what you want to use. They work
for me and I know they will work for you. After all that snow, we can
expect high water for the start of fishing season. On the lakes and
ponds, I think we can expect ice to still be here on opening day. Remember
in Maine it is illegal to stand on the ice and fish into open water.
But by no means does this mean there won't be fishing. Now is the time
to head to the rivers. Barring flood level waters, there will be areas
to fish. The water will be high, lots of you will stay home, but I will
be out catching fish. They are still there and you just have to look
in the right places. A little more caution around the banks and rocks
is definitely recommended. Structure is the key here. The slack water
is where they will be hanging, darting out to grab food caught in the
swirling waters at the base of a dam or behind large rocks in the river.
Small spoons, little minnows, worms, and flies are all effective this
time of year. Get out your light tackle and go after some of the brookies
and browns now becoming active. Remember to catch and release as much
as possible!
Remember
to Catch and Release, or they never get big!
Always carry out more
than you carry in!
CHECK OUT THE SPECIES PAGE TO BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAUGHT.
Open water fishing is the greatest thing in the world in the opinion of the Mainefisherman. I love ice fishing but there is nothing like fighting a nice salmon or brown on an ultralight spinning setup. The Mainefisherman is strictly a spin fisherman in the open water season. Since southern Maine is pretty much a put and take fishery, where huge fish are very rare, the ultralight will add some fun back to fishing. I see people pulling 18 inch browns in with no play and 20 lb test line, peactically dragging them across the surface with a full speed retrieve. Where is the fun in that? Give the fish a chance! You may lose some lures but I guarantee you will enjoy fishing considerably more. All tips and tactics are geared toward spin fishing but things such as location, species, some tactics, are always useful. I will share the methods and tackle that help me catch fish here in Maine.
I like to think that fishing is kind of like cooking. There is no right or wrong way and all you may need to do is tweak the recipe. I will share my tips and methods and you will be able to choose what you want to use. They work for me and I know they will work for you. After all that snow, we can expect high water for the start of fishing season. On the lakes and ponds, I think we can expect ice to still be here on opening day. Remember in Maine it is illegal to stand on the ice and fish into open water. But by no means does this mean there won't be fishing. Now is the time to head to the rivers. Barring flood level waters, there will be areas to fish. The water will be high, lots of you will stay home, but I will be out catching fish. They are still there and you just have to look in the right places. A little more caution around the banks and rocks is definitely recommended. Structure is the key here. The slack water is where they will be hanging, darting out to grab food caught in the swirling waters at the base of a dam or behind large rocks in the river. Small spoons, little minnows, worms, and flies are all effective this time of year. Get out your light tackle and go after some of the brookies and browns now becoming active. Remember to catch and release as much as possible!
Remember
to Catch and Release, or they never get big!
Always carry out more than you carry in!