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Author Topic: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring  (Read 3192 times)

Jim C.

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April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« on: May 01, 2020, 04:15 PM »
Mother Nature couldn't seem to make up her mind in April.  There was rarely more than a single warm day in a row, plenty of rain and cold nights, plus a snow dump of nearly a foot and a half just before mid-month.  It probably wasn't that much different than many Aprils, but it was a step back from what was a pretty easy winter.  It made for challenging fishing.  I hope you enjoy scenery and adventure pics because they outnumber fish pics for April. ;D

Early on, my Plan A (as it often is soon after the opener) was native brookies in small streams and brooks.  I made it a point to try some spots that I'd never fished or hadn't fished in a long time.  When it was warm, action was good with nearly 20 brookies coming to hand on some days.  I hadn't fished this brook in around 20 years. Access was a problem back then, but it seems that there are fewer posted signs now.



Action in the deeper pools was slow and surprisingly fast in faster pocket water for early April. 







The cold and snowstorm on the 9th and 10th knocked down the bite quite a bit.  Big changes to the landscape in a short time :o





It was still fun to get out in woods and give it a go.  The storm had knocked out power to a lot of homes in the area and was still down for many unfortunately. A lot of trees were toppled both upland and along the streams, making the going a bit tough.  Slower, back water areas filled with slush ice.





As I navigated ridges and stream banks, it was nice when a deer left its vote of confidence that I had chosen the right path. :laugh:







The fishing was a slow go on the wintry days when the water temps dropped from 38* to 34* or so.  I still came up with a few natives and also lost a 10"-12" fish (a monster for this small water).  I hooked it in a real difficult spot and couldn't apply the net fast enough :P Tipping my jigs with spikes always seems to improve my odds in early spring.





I put in some time on a few "tried ad true" waters.  This one seems to always produce natives with a bluish coloration.







I tried to get back to bigger water as the month went by, but snow melt and rain took their toll.





When the bigger water receded if even for a bit, the stocking trucks rolled.  When it comes to fishing, I was way ahead of the curve for "social distancing".  I skipped crowded access points and did some exploring on tidal sections for possible sea run trout, particularly browns.  I did find decent access points, but not much in the way of action.  At least, I had the places to myself.  I also think it may be more of a fall bite.  I did come up with 1 brown that appeared to be a recently stocked fish that had quickly made its way down from the likely stocking point to a seaweed ledge well into tidewater.  Encouraging for the future. ;)





I also found a nice, tiny trib to the tidewater area that kicked out a few native brookies.





Late month, I started chasing bigger fish on lakes and ponds.  Notice I said  "chasing", not "catching".   As mild as winter was, spring was slow to kick in the further north you went.  Miss a warm front or 2 with fog and rain and winter keeps a lock. 



My lake and pond trips were one misadventure after another.  If I could find water that was spring-like, I was blasted by a freak windstorm more fitting for the Wizard of Oz.  I heard a loud crack and ducked as a pine limb shot over my head.  I guess maybe someone took exception to me getting to the pond through a cemetery :unsure:





On other ponds, ice out was well underway.  Cause for optimism, but no love.  I guess the fish were practicing social distancing on steroids.....they could have been 60 feet away as far as I could tell.



The crowning glory of my pond "fails" waited for last.  Chasing ice out, I jumped the gun and was treated to this.  I fought with it for a couple hours.  At times, the wind would open up a small, fishable area that led to some casting and false hope. Most of the time, it was like wading through a snow cone.  Not a bump, unless count the occasional solid chunk, like the one that drifted in still sporting an auger hole.  My wife says I've 100% lost it. ;D









On all but 1 of the tough days, I had a Plan B that worked.  After getting my butt kicked on a pond, I fished a rushing outlet brook that had some real orange natives.







Another trip was salvaged by high water on a big river that was puzzling at first.  Not a sniff casting spinners and spoons in traditional spots, with the same result for a bunch of anglers rotating through.  I found fish in my last hour stacked up in an eddy near a small trib mouth.  The key was drifting a small tube jig under a bobber for a strange 16 fish mix of stockies and  yellow perch.





April was definitely interesting.  Onto May.....

























PIKE FISHERMAN

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2020, 04:49 PM »
Great report Jim! I love them little natives!! Unfortunately, my local streams have dried up, literally and  figuratively!!!
Precision Angling on Youtube. Maine based bass, pike, fly fishing, brook fishing, trolling and ice fishing. Hope to see you on the water somewhere!!

NBourque

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2020, 05:06 PM »
Great report Jim. April was a cold month indeed. I couldn’t even scrape up one fish the other day in a spot that was recently stocked with over 1000 fish 🙄 like you said onto May...

Jim C.

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2020, 05:53 PM »
I sometimes wonder.....were they actually stocked or was it a number off a dartboard that wasn't actually stocked to save $$  :laugh:

Great report Jim. April was a cold month indeed. I couldn’t even scrape up one fish the other day in a spot that was recently stocked with over 1000 fish 🙄 like you said onto May...

NBourque

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2020, 06:08 PM »
I sometimes wonder.....were they actually stocked or was it a number off a dartboard that wasn't actually stocked to save $$  :laugh:
Exactly what me and my buddy were saying haha. Who knows the real number of fish stocked. Oh well. The water is still cold. We need a bit of a warmup.

seamonkey84

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2020, 06:20 PM »
Wow, some rough conditions all around. Glad to see you’re streak continues with some beautiful little brookies.
"You know when they have a fishing show on TV? They catch the fish and then let it go. They don't want to eat the fish, they just want to make it late for something." - Mitch Hedberg

TightLinesMaine

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2020, 11:23 PM »
awesome natives Jim, looks like you got out quite a bit! i bet that brook with the orange-colored brookies has some real colored up beauties come August & September.  First brook looks real fishy too.  I don't know about you, but i am excited to start tossing some dry flies w/ the 3 wt. for natives pretty soon, probably a month or less to go until they really start looking up.

fish wayniac

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2020, 06:37 AM »
Jim, Beautiful Brook and Brown Trout. Pretty colors on those natives. It sure has been a slow warm up which makes for slow fishing. You still got a lot in the net.Nice!

taxid

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2020, 08:40 AM »
Thank you for sharing Jim. Aways cool to hear from Maine which I been to fishing many times.

Funny even though you are farther north than I am in the midwest, we have had the same weather complete with spring snowfalls.

Today it's up to 77 F. which is the warmest we've seen so far. And guess what? Windy as hell! Next week below average temps again.

Love those pictures and your reports. Keep them coming! 
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

zwiggles

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2020, 08:50 AM »
The auger hole is hilarious! I enjoyed the report as always, and it’s neat to see the wide variation in colors on those brookies!

Jim C.

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2020, 08:59 AM »
Unfortunately, Josh, I have seen quite a few brookie streams go downhill also.  Those in the Rt. 1 corridor took a beating in the droughty years.   There is also a lot of development going on, plus the regulations on mining and logging don't do a lot for trout. 


Unfortunately, my local streams have dried up, literally and  figuratively!!!

Jim C.

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2020, 09:01 AM »
You are spot on about that, Randall 8)

  I don't know about you, but i am excited to start tossing some dry flies w/ the 3 wt. for natives pretty soon, probably a month or less to go until they really start looking up.

Jim C.

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2020, 09:06 AM »
Thanks.  I forgot to include this one.  It was a real yellow gold nugget.




it’s neat to see the wide variation in colors on those brookies!

franklin fisher

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2020, 07:06 PM »
Great post Jim. That snowstorm really set the water temp back in the place I was fishing also. From Wednesday to Sunday that week the temp had dropped 5 degrees and the fish were nowhere to be found. Better times are ahead.

lowaccord66

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Re: April......Stuck Between Winter and Spring
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2020, 07:13 PM »
Great post Jim, like I was there reading it.

 



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