|
Date: February 12, 2023 Body of Water: Worthley Pond - Peru, Maine Boat: None, Ice-fishing With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 9 AM - 3 PM Conditions: Clear and generally calm with just a little bit of WSW breeze at times; 19 - 42 degrees. Over a foot of solid ice. My traps were set by 9 AM. It had been a bit of a drive, and I'd gone past many trout opportunities on my way there, but I was set up in a spot for which I had high hopes. This part of Worthley Pond (Peru) offered an inlet stream, a small point, a delta, and a sharp break into the lake's basin. Plus, I'd caught a few trout here on the troll in my late Fall efforts of 2022. Some frozen holes indicated others had thought the same, but I was alone for the day. Other groups were scattered around the lake, but especially clustered around obvious points. My first three holes were concentrated on the most obvious features, and my smelt swam about half-way to bottom in 9, 16, and 25 feet of water. I placed my last two traps to the south and west, with one in just 5 feet and the last in 42 feet. Once again, I was surprised by the lack of action by the time all traps were set. I drilled a few more holes and used the sonar to look for fish. The only sign of life was right along bottom in about 32 feet. I pulled a nearby trap, but these fish did not respond positively to my lure. My next move was to place a smelt in their face, but that never resulted in any action, either. I continued to poke around, adjust and move my traps. From 2 to 40 feet down, I had it covered. I had just moved one trap from the top of the delta to the northern edge when the flag sprang to life. Once again, an active approach on the ice paid off. I was pleased to see line steadily spooling off the trap as I approached. I knelt, grabbed the line and immediately came tight. It wasn't heavy, but I was still happy with landing my targeted quarry, even if it was only 14 inches long. I continued my adjustments and re-located a couple of traps to this area. There was a promising and steep drop-off into 30 feet of water very nearby, and I really believed a smelt hanging there would be very visible. I was visited around 1 PM by a local who was fishing across the lake and to the south. He reported that the lake was typically slow in February, and any action was good action. He'd taken a brookie in shallow water at a stream outlet in the early morning, but had otherwise skunked. He said I was in a good spot, though, as the largest brown he'd ever seen from the lake (13.5 pounds!) was caught where I was set up. (Who knows how long ago?) I wanted more action, but I was more than okay with waiting a big fish out. I made sure my smelt were large and active and let them do their work. Unfortunately, the rest of the day proved to be slow, and I didn't get another flag by the time I left. What do I have to say about this? Yes, it was slow, but that single flag from a small fish made all the difference! I finally caught a Maine trout through the ice. I hope there are many more! Plus, it was a wonderfully comfortable day to simply be outdoors. My local friend also revealed that this is a productive perch lake; that may have been the activity I saw on the sonar. He said they get to a good size, and maybe I'll add some bottom bouncers and Gulp! to the tackle bag when next I visit during the soft water season. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
0 Comments
Date: February 5, 2023 Body of Water: Upper Range Pond - Poland, Maine Moon Phase: Full Moon Boat: None, this was ice fishing With: P and N, local friends Target: Trout, but happy to accept anything Time: 11 AM - 3:45 PM Conditions: A day after a historic cold front, including local temperatures down to -20 degrees F or so the day before; mixed clouds and sun; generally mild southerly wind and 20 - 32 degrees. About 11 inches of ice and a fair number of folks out fishing! Winter was late to arrive this season, and other than having my gear prepped and ready to go, I hadn't really even thought of ice fishing until after the passage of this most recent cold front. I figured the two nights below zero and daily highs in single digits had firmed up the ice, and I found a solid 11 inches on Upper Range ("Rang") Pond. I've fished this attractive pond three times before from my boats, and have had some success each time. A two-story fishery with a variety of trout species and reasonable access, it's a popular choice for "early" ice. There was a vague plan that a couple of local friends, P and N, would join me. Having picked up a couple of dozen smelt at Sebago Bait, I was greeted at the access by N, his wife J, and their dog "Tek". The narrows between the lake proper and the launch was crowded with tip-ups (N and J had caught a fine brookie through the ice here in 2022), and we saw a group with kids running between flags. We continued our walk past a small island. I knew a rocky and weedy reef stretched off this structure, and I'd caught trout on the troll in this area. It seemed like a good place to start for my inaugural ice adventure here and for 2023! By the crack of 11 AM, my five traps were set. There'd been no real sense in starting earlier, it was still cold and a bit breezy! I had a couple of traps in 5 or 6 feet of water, one nearby in 16, and two others near the reef break in 10 and 21 feet. A lively smelt swam beneath each trap, and I was mildly surprised to not have experienced any action by the time these were set. Meanwhile, N and J set their allotted traps with native shiners nearby. We'd saved one hole for jigging. We set up in the local "basin" of 21 feet. I had two fish swim by, right along bottom, but these showed no interest in the flashing spoon-and-smelt-head. Unfortunately, we saw nothing suspended. Based on this, after 15 minutes, I placed my deepest trap bait right on bottom. And then we waited for a while. Nothing happened. P found us and took over jig duty. Nothing happened. All the while, Tek demanded my attention and retrieved his rubber throw toy over and over and over. At about 12:30, having drilled and scouted additional holes, checking and adjusting all baits and having moved a couple of traps to the other (inside) edge of the reef into about 12 feet of water, the work paid off. FLAG! One of these new locations had resulted in some action. Quite a bit of line had been taken off, but I was disappointed to find nobody home. As I re-set the bait, a fish ate my descending smelt out of my hand. After a brief run, it dropped the bait again. Oh well, I had plenty of bait, and a new smelt went down the hole. Shortly thereafter, the same flag popped again. This time, the spool was turning, and I came tight to a fish. Soon enough, I had color at the hole. It wasn't my desired trout, but rather a 13 or 14-inch largemouth bass. Good enough, this was my first fish of 2023, and my first ever largemouth bass on a smelt! For a while, this area was hot! I added a third trap to the vicinity to try to take the most advantage. Ultimately, I landed three largemouths between about 13 and 15 inches out of a dozen or more flags. The action was concentrated in two waves around 1 and 3 PM. Some were just simple drops, but a few took a lot of line before doing so, and I felt the weight of two other fish before they came unbuttoned. All the while, only two other traps sprang to life, and each was just a drive-by. I took some crap from the group for harassing bass when we were trout fishing, but was I really supposed to abandon this area when virtually nothing else was going on? For our group, or the others within range, too? What do I have to say about this? With a couple of new fishing buddies, solid ice, moderating temperatures and plenty of action, this was a good outing! While we didn't find the trout we'd hoped for, when that flag flies, for a few moments, one thinks it could really be ... anything! Especially when the spool was turning at a steady clip, I couldn't help but remember fine trout from the past. All the gear worked, too, with no problems. Standing on the ice and walking 15,000 steps left me a bit stiff and sore. But that's a small price for some quality time on the water. Plus, I was reminded several times; I now live in Maine. The setting was beautiful, and the "crowd" was pretty inconsequential. I've got lots of learning to do, but it should be a pleasant experience for me. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|
Proudly powered by Weebly