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Author Topic: February....Had to Cover Some Ground  (Read 1355 times)

Jim C.

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February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« on: Feb 27, 2020, 03:57 PM »
I'm putting a monthly summary on here a bit early.  I don't see getting out again until March and my computer will be off line soon anyway as we "update" the house.

February will be another month that will likely end up with above average temps overall.  It sure had abrupt and frequent swings from warm to cold and back, with erratic flows as well.  It made for overall tough fishing.  Winter fish use ice shelves and the current breaks they set up as holding lies.  Stable ice shelves and the honey holes they create just didn't set up to any extent this year.

The month started out well at a "go to" spot on the 3rd.  Both salmon and brookies came out to play.







After that, I had a run of  "one hit wonder" trips.  And had to work for that one shot!  The good news is that those are some of the most satisfying trips and forced me to play a few hunches and add some new things to my bag of tricks. :laugh: 

After batting zero at my first few stops one day, I hiked a bit further in to a dam controlled area that is also fed by springs that emerge either directly from a hillside or from railroad culverts.  The water was low, but open and a single thump on my jig kept the skunk at bay for that trip.







Another trip was saved by a little creative access.  This dam spillway is fenced and posted on 3 sides.  I guess they figured no one would wade up the concrete sill from below. ;D I found one brown to chase and eat at my rod tip.





On other slow trips it was a single salmon that tightened my line.









The last salmon bumped my jig on the first cast, looked on the 2nd, and then chased and ate the jig as I bounced literally at my feet.  That will fire you up in a hurry.

You can see several of the salmon with this jig as a lip ornament.



In 2016, I had  a great run in February on rivers near the coast.  I picked what I thought was a perfect day for a rerun in 2020....warnish, dark, and calm.  It wasn't in the cards.  I found surprising amounts of river ice that made fishing nearly impossible in many spots. 



Tight to the coast, this marshy river area saved my arse more than once in years back.  There was more open water, but no definite takers.



I ended the coastal adventure that day on a brackish water ledge that just screamed of sea runs.  Again no love, but maybe that will change when Spring takes care of the grounded ice.



Along the way, I found a few spots further inland that looked worthy of a more detailed visit.





A little ice fishing added variety.  Nothing wrong with jigging some late day whities 8)





On to March.




seamonkey84

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #1 on: Feb 27, 2020, 06:55 PM »
Wow, I had a feeling I should check in. Nice batch of fish! Sure beats my ice fishing this season. How many months is the streak now?
"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

zwiggles

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #2 on: Feb 27, 2020, 08:31 PM »
A great post as usual, and the picture of that second salmon is a great one! I know often the camera doesn’t really capture the fish, but that one looks great.

franklin fisher

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #3 on: Feb 28, 2020, 05:05 AM »
  Nice job.  I always enjoy your posts.

Jim C.

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #4 on: Feb 28, 2020, 06:22 PM »
Thanks for the nice comments.

The streak of open water trout/salmon in Maine is now 107 months.  I got motivated back in 2011 by a guy who posted about his streak of 45 months.  I thought that was an interesting thing to track and it got me thinking....and fishing  ;D

It's often tough to get decent pics wading in sketchy spots, over exposure from snow glare, etc.  Thanks for your words on the salmon pic, zwiggles.

TightLinesMaine

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #5 on: Feb 29, 2020, 10:07 AM »
Jim, awesome month for you.  I wanted to try for some river browns this month but never got around to it (maybe in March).  So jealous of the salmon! I am always amazed at how successful you are with them during the hardest months of the year... I wish i knew as many spots like that  ;D  One of these days maybe I'll figure out where you're fishing!  :laugh:

edit: love it when you get strikes right by your feet.  Happened to me this spring with an 19" male that seemingly came out of nowhere from a log jam and slammed my Zonker right below my feet.  definitely gets the adrenaline going.

Jim C.

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Re: February....Had to Cover Some Ground
« Reply #6 on: Feb 29, 2020, 01:37 PM »
Thanks, Randall.  I bet that river that you and I have fished would have been ripe last Wed.  I ended up making what was a mistake and going the opposite way :P

Set aside a bunch of gas money.  I have a "portfolio" of spots ;D  Figure I only have about 10-15 good years left before I'm food for that natural bait I got a ticket for using in 2018.  I can leave a road map to you in my will ;)


Jim, awesome month for you.  I wanted to try for some river browns this month but never got around to it (maybe in March).  So jealous of the salmon! I am always amazed at how successful you are with them during the hardest months of the year... I wish i knew as many spots like that  ;D  One of these days maybe I'll figure out where you're fishing!  :laugh:

edit: love it when you get strikes right by your feet.  Happened to me this spring with an 19" male that seemingly came out of nowhere from a log jam and slammed my Zonker right below my feet.  definitely gets the adrenaline going.

 



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