opening day sites

[jrelaxin]

opening day fever is just around the bend..........blue shack,red shacks, condo shacks,and no shacks................ where are we all headed??

[icefishmaine]

 my plans are to head to jackman for the first couple days of the season.

[Bluefinforme]

i'll see you up there!  I am staying at sally mountain...

[Jim_C.]

My 1st trip will probably be to Maranacook.  I have 2 or 3 GPS waypoints that produced last year, plus 2 or 3 others that I want to prospect.  Best action last year was on early, marginal ice when only foot traffic was possible. 

Jim C.

[oldfox]

My ST trip will probably be to Maranacook.  I have 2 or 3 GPS waypoints that produced last year, plus 2 or 3 others that I want to prospect.  Best action last year was on early, marginal ice when only foot traffic was possible. 

Jim C.

Hey Jim!...Maybe we can try it again this coming season, with some luck....we will get together again eventually..

[billditrite]

it is much too soon for me to speculate on where ill end up opening day. i can be sure it will be a trout water but where exactly is still being formed somewhere in the back of my mind ...besides ill change my mind a hundred time before the 1st!LOL

[jrelaxin]

yup not decided either but WILL get an opening day flag this yr...might even get a fish....lol

[icefishmaine]

bluefinforme,
    we wil prolly be fishing bigwood the first but who knows, ill be with my friend and possibly his dad and is dads friends. they are a good group of guys and its always a good time. i ve never met you before but it would be cool to meet up sometime.

[hook line-n-sinker]

don,t know were I,ll be but it will be cold and icy the way we like it!!!!!OOOOOOOOOOO and don,t forget flags will be flyin!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bluefinforme]

bluefinforme,
    we wil prolly be fishing bigwood the first but who knows, ill be with my friend and possibly his dad and is dads friends. they are a good group of guys and its always a good time. i ve never met you before but it would be cool to meet up sometime.

well as the time draws near....we'll have to hook up for a few splake flags

[Jim_C.]

Hey Jim!...Maybe we can try it again this coming season, with some luck....we will get together again eventually..

I PLAN ON IT!!  Hope we have a few nice fish to go with the good company this time.

Jim C.

[scottly0]

My opening day last year was Dec. 18 on no name pond in Lewiston, an exception to the Jan 1 opening rules.  Really early that year and set the hook on me for the remainder of the season.

[jacksmelt71]

anybody wanna' come freeze thier a**es off with me on st. froid on the 1st is more than welcome to come along. usually got real good action on togue sal. and trout. still tryin' to get a whitefish out of there that were stocked 3yrs ago. maybe this is the year. hey jim, you gonna come up and chase some whitefish this year? ask out4trout about the whites we got last year. all ran  around 2lbs with some bigger.

[icefishmaine]

jacksmelt,
  i would love to make  trip up there this year to get a taste for what the next for years could be like.( if i get accepted to UMFK)

[jacksmelt71]

no problem. be glad to show you around. just pm me about a week in advance of you comin' up and ill take time off to bring you out.

[Jim_C.]

anybody wanna' come freeze thier a**es off with me on st. froid on the 1st is more than welcome to come along. usually got real good action on togue sal. and trout. still tryin' to get a whitefish out of there that were stocked 3yrs ago. maybe this is the year. hey jim, you gonna come up and chase some whitefish this year? ask out4trout about the whites we got last year. all ran  around 2lbs with some bigger.

Never caught a whitefish, Steve.  It's about time I add it to my "life list" of catches.  I believe you said Feb. was the time?  I should get an xtra day off this year which will help.

Jim

[gamefisher]

As much as I rely on the barometer to fish by, I now find myself relying more on the wife - o - meter to fish by now that we have a couple of young ones.  Here's how it will read for me:  Totally agreeable - Duck Lake with the guys    Semi - agreeable - Lake St. George with the family     Totally non-agreeable - In front of the house on Messalonskee while she shops!  Come on wife - o - meter! 

[jacksmelt71]

jim, me and bro. will be renting a camp on spider lake the first week of mar. we plan to hit several lakes in that area in the three days we stay up there. your more than welcome to join us. ill start fishing those lakes from mid feb. till mid mar. depending on conditions . if you want to  do a couple day trip instead and save some money come up the third week in feb. you can either stay in my spare room or get a room at the hotel 7 mi. away. let me know at least a week in advance and ill take the time off.

[scottly0]

Echo Lake in Fayette

[jacksmelt71]

ive fished echo a few times. never did too well though. i fished it kinda late in the season. my kids live in fayette so i go down at least a few times in the winter and bring them fishing.

[toguetaker]

  I just hope we have ice on opening day.

[jacksmelt71]

never had that problem up north here. problem is theres plenty of ice by mid dec. with no lakes open to fishing til' jan.1. you would think it would be the opposite up north as it is down you guys way.

[gamefisher]

Here is one to ponder guys - Jacksmelt brings up a great point - Ice but nothing open.  I commend what the State has done for opening up more open water / catch and release opportunities through Nov. 30th, etc.  Picture this - statewide no open and ice seasons per say.  When there is ice you can ice fish and when there's none you can open water.  I've had many years that I could safely ice fish on my home water Dec. 15th (great ice skating) and into early April but couldn't because its a class B lake.  The state could still have there catch and release rules for salmonids, etc. until Jan. 1.  What do you guys think?  Do you think the State would be less than receptive because of safety, management, etc.?  I believe that might be the message but not sure it passes the "straight face" test.  After all, speaking from a safety standpoint, we are responsible for ourselves no matter what time of year as you can't, and shouldn't, try to legislate common sense.  Has any else ever thought along these lines?   

[jacksmelt71]

if safety was a issue they wouldnt have first ice waters in the first place. a head biologist up our way told me that the reason that they open lakes for first ice is these lake are full of junk fish for the most part and they arent concerened about survivability. where as cold water species are more susceptable to shock and the mortallity of released fish would be very high.i understand where hes coming from there . problem is in n. aroostook co. there isnt any warm water fish only lakes to open for first ice in the first place. i guess i should be happy for that. but it would be nice to be able to fish before jan. 1. closest place from me is a good 2 hrs south around houlton!