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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.....