 Maine Fly Fishing: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
Posted by jeremy on April 25, 2008
(2856 reads)
Fly fishing, for me, represents a series of fleeting opportunities. In my lifetime, there are a finite number of spring salmon runs, hendrickson hatches, fall steelhead runs, albie runs, herring runs, bluefin tuna runs, hex hatches and so on and so forth. From a global perspective, there are so many opportunities and destinations that I would love to, but probably never will get to experience. My home state of Maine offers so many opportunities that I will probably never get a chance to experience. With 35,000 miles of rivers and streams it is simply not possible to be everywhere at the same time. Maine’s winters can be long and it is no wonder that when the ice goes out on Maine’s 5,000 or so lakes; it is cause for celebration. Seriously, “ice-out” in Maine is a big event and folks even have bets on exactly what day the ice will go out on a lake. Ice-out for me, as a fly fisherman, offers a fly fishing experience that I really enjoy and try to take advantage of every year. During the winter when the ice is on the lake, the big Salmon cruise just below the surface in all different water depths. During the summer, the big lake run salmon tend to hang out in deep waters of the lake. So, ice-out offers a fleeting and somewhat transitional period of time where the water is cold enough and the smelt are in the rivers and close to shore and the salmon are right there with them. It is a different kind of experience, but one
that I have truly come to enjoy and I try my best to take advantage of the little opportunities that arise. So, the ice was out, it was 5pm and another work day came to an end. I hopped in my car and drove to the lake. I arrived and there was still a fair amount of sun in the sky. I rigged up my fly rod with a sinking line and a white bunny strip smelt type fly pattern. The water was very cold and little ice chunks still hanging around, as portions of the lake were still frozen. I was not too optimistic but started to make a few casts anyway. After a very long and cold and snowy winter in Maine; it felt great to be outside. I made a cast as far as I could into the lake and let the line sink. I slowly stripped back the streamer fly and just when I was losing hope, fish on! I landed and released my first lake run salmon of the year, and the smelt run is not even in full swing yet. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come and the first of many great fly fishing experiences in Maine this year. This fish and this experience taught me that not all fly fishing experiences have to be big long excursions. Even if I can just get out after work and take a few casts with my work clothes still on; it is better than watching TV or sitting on the couch and definitely better than not fishing at all that day.
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by striper69 on April 25, 2008 | | nice salmon jeremy you always seem to get it done |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by jinxed247 on April 25, 2008 http://www.jumpcut.com/flyfishing247 | | Great job Jeremy! Quick question for ya...do they get bigger than that or is that about average? Great job again! |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by simpson on April 26, 2008 | | nice! nothing like ending your work day with a quick trip to the water. i've been doing the same at a small tidal river near my job. |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by Boz on April 27, 2008 http://www.maineriverguides.com | J-
This is the first "Maine" fish posted for the year...and a big Bastard at that. Congrats.
If that's any indication of the year ahead...It's gonna be another killer season. |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by jakeb on April 28, 2008 | | Sweet! I went down on sat. no such luck. The suckers have moved into the streams though. |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by Austin on April 28, 2008 | | awsome fish jeremy! i think it's impossible to not love the spring landlocks...they are some legendary fish for sure. i feel privileged to fish for them, because it is intresting to see how only a few states in the country have them! |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by tracker12 on April 28, 2008 | jeremy
Do you still like that Orvis sling pack. Do you have a recommendation on a small chest pack? |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by Gander on April 29, 2008 | | Nice Fish Jeremy! I was out up here in NB on the Miramichi this past weekend fishing for black Salmon. Same sort of deal where everyone gets super stoked when the ice finially leaves the river and opens up a new season of fishing. Nice to be back on the water, with fish on the end of a line. |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by joey on April 29, 2008 http://www.fliesandfins.com | | Nice fish jer, that is a beast. good to see a big fish like that made it through the winter ice fishing gauntlet. good luck this spring. |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by donjuanfour20 on May 02, 2008 | | jeremy, i couldn't agree with you more, man. its pretty hard to get out knowin' the old lady and the kids need tending to. but, when they are occupied, i cherish the opportunity to even get out for an hour of light. tight lines to you! |
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Re: Maine: Ice-Out Salmon, Seize The Day
by spector82 on May 06, 2008 | Hey Jeremy, nice to meet you the other day,(Shawn==Steven Sparaco's friend) what a day of fishing that was huh?
I have to tell you that fish you landed in the kayak had to be one of the funniest fishing moments ever, this guy hooks a salmon in his stand up kayak, the damn thing is literally towing him around, so he aborts trying to land it from the small boat, puts the rod in his mouth and paddles to shore with a fish fighting on the other end!!! He makes it to shore and lands the fish,.... Totally classic, I wish you had a vid clip of that one! Steve and I were busting a gut watching the struggle! This guy IS extreme fishing! Hey the offer stands for that little spawning river in October( when you want to be there I assure you) Gonna be big,big salmon this fall, action should be hot! I'm taking 2nd week in October off for this fishing so get in touch with me and I'll get us into some monsters! |
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