I have to be honest…I have been dealing with a little bit of writer’s block. Every time I sit down to share with everyone what has been going on since my last post I just stare at the screen or quickly find myself flipping through the pictures trying to glean some inspiration. We had a great season, no doubt about it. We are still fishing open water on the river into January and will do so throughout the winter. Ice fishing will be upon us very quickly as well and we will soon be chasing flags from our ice fishing traps. This brings me to the lull or funk that I have been in for the past few weeks. With the change of seasons there are sometimes occasions that one will have to wait for the right conditions. I have always struggled with this. I always want to get out on the water. Just ask Jeff how this works out with us getting ready to go fly-fishing. I always feel like I am a little puppy dog prancing around ready to be let loose. This feeling has not changed for well over 15 years, so I don’t think this will change anytime soon. Not like I ever want it to. If we are planning on going fishing I have trouble sleeping the night before and will wake up extra early ready to go. Nothing beats the feeling of getting out on the water.
This fall has been much warmer than normal, which has given anglers a lot more opportunities to get out on the water. In the southern part of the state there are special regulations that allow for fishing at any time of the year on most of the ponds and lakes. There are also many rivers with expanded seasons as well. My easiest explanation to those that are not familiar with these regulations would be that if there is ice then you ice fish, if it is open use a canoe. However, you will need to consult the rules and regulations to ensure that you do not break any laws. One also needs to use some common sense when choosing when and where to fish. If the ice is not safe to walk on don’t go ice fishing. I always like to see a minimum of six inches of ice on any body of water before I even think about ice fishing. Even then one needs to exercise caution. The area around the shore will be safer than the middle of the pond in the early parts of the ice fishing season. There are some parts of the state where anglers have been able to get out on the ice, but that is hours away from where we are and the pictures that I have seen still show some open water in the back of those anglers. Not something we are looking to do.
What we do like is the change in the seasons. Autumn has always been a great time for me growing up on the Christmas tree farm. Smells trigger warm feelings and memories that take me back to the best times of my life. I don’t think I could live in a place where there is no change in seasons. There are distinct smells in the woods that accompany the change in seasons. With the spring there is a freshness that abounds in the air and with the fall there is a musty smell that invokes a sense of putting things to rest. Fish also follow these seasons accordingly and in the fall they are preparing to rest. Things slow down in the late fall for fishing as the trout and salmon are also preparing for the change that is coming. Colder temperatures slow the metabolism of the fish and the takes will come a lot slower than in the spring. Most salmon and trout spawn during the fall as well further complicating things. Nymphs work well during this time of year. In many of the spots that we fish we are sight fishing to holding fish. I am very quick to change nymphs if I see the offering pass right in front of the fish and they do not seem interested or even move away. When I change I try a completely different color to cover all of my bases. Do not waste your time with a pattern that isn’t working. It may work tomorrow, so try it another day.
In addition with the many seasons of change I have noticed a change in the attitude regarding fishing for stocked fish. When I started fishing many years ago this was not a huge issue and it seemed as if anglers were just happy to feel the tug on their line. Throughout this fall I was reminded of this change in opinion, which I feel dampens the overall spirit of the sport. Many anglers now look down on stocked fish as a lesser species if you will. I thought about how this behavior and thought process has tainted our sport. Many bodies of water throughout the state have to be stocked in order to give anglers any opportunity to catch trout or salmon. Whether it is because those ponds, lakes or rivers do not have suitable spawning areas, or the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are trying to create a self-sustaining population, there is a need to stock certain bodies of water. Now the stocking program has improved dramatically over the years. I noticed this many years ago and the quality of the fish improved as the state sourced the fish from different bodies of high quality water. Many people associate a fin clip as a stocked fish and if it is not clipped then it must be “native.” Many biologists will only clip fins if they are trying to track how each year of fish are doing where they are putting them. Even some bodies of water that you may not have thought of have been stocked periodically or even on a regular basis. Just look on the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website and you will see how many places the department assist with stocking. Let’s just enjoy fishing for what it is and not judge others for enjoying their fishing opportunities.
