Finally after almost two weeks of bitter cold temperatures, most Aroostook lakes have a safe layer of ice for winter anglers. Recently a fishing derby drew a wide cast of ice drillers to Long, Square and Cross Lakes. Some waterways may have a few thin spots near thoroughfares, brook mouths and spring holes, but for the most part ice fishermen are good to go.
The question of just where to go is another matter, I guess it all comes down to what species an individual angler is after. Pleasant Lake in Island Falls used to be a smelt hot spot, but hand lining for these tasty silver darters over the last three winters has been very spotty. I spoke with Steve Edwards, owner of Birch Point Resort on Pleasant Pond, recently and he confirmed that smelting was spotty. Several anglers had fishing shanties in the cove and Steve has set two rental huts out and results are only so-so.
Most smelt jiggers are fishing late afternoon and early evening, and 10 fish an hour for two men is considered good action. Most night fishermen put a deep line or two down for cusk, and those ugly buggers are being very cooperative. During the day, most anglers are heading down the lake to set tip-ups for salmon, and these folks are enjoying steady action on good size fish. According to all reports it’s currently worth a trip to Birch Point, and if you happen to hit a slow period you can always head into the lodge for a lunch or to bowl a couple of strings.
St. Froid Lake is currently producing steady smelt jigging, especially near the stream inlets, and it’s a good idea to set out a few tip-ups for togue as well. Another dependable smelt lake right now is Squa Pan, and hand lining with cut bait will work steadily throughout the day. A few regular visitors are doing so well on trout that they are releasing pound-size fish to try for larger trophies, and often they are catching them.
Cochrane Lake in New Limerick gets very light pressure from visiting ice drillers and most years has only two or three fishing huts on board. A slot limit, minimum length, and two-fish-per-day regulations keeps some sports away, but I’ve found when the fish are biting the catch and release prolongs the outing. Cochrane offers up some good splake, 14- to 18-inches, as well as reliable interest from healthy populations of pickerel and perch. This is a great spot for a family outing or to introduce rookie ice fisherman to the sport.
Eagle Lake on the Fish River chain also offers smelt jigging, but it’s very sporadic with one good outing and then several days of slow smelting. Salmon and large togue are the real draws on Eagle and some bragging size fish are being iced each week. Due to it vast size, Eagle offers multiple access points and other than a couple of well known hot spots, most drilling sites aren’t crowded.
Drews Lake near Houlton is a wonderful spot for novice ice fishermen and youngsters because of its wide variety of species. Yellow perch, white perch and pickerel may be bait-stealing pests to some winter anglers, but they provide constant tug of war fun everywhere on Drews. Brook trout and salmon each cause their share of flags to fly, but the most desirable finned quarry from this waterway is a brown trout. Without a doubt, this lake offers the best chance of hooking a five-pound plus brown trout.
A surprising number of fishermen tout the taste of white perch filets above any other fish. I must admit that perch taken through the ice, filleted and cooked right then and there are a mouth-watering treat. For large white perch, and lots of them, it’s hard to beat Wytopitlock Lake in Glenwood. Despite its large area, this frozen gem is only 24 feet at its deepest spot and very simple to fish even for newcomers. While small lures and jigs, and even tiny minnows will draw strikes, a fresh chunk of cut bait on a red-hooked jighead or a red hook and silver spinner will produce the most dependable handlining results.
Whether you’re after Maine’s smallest gamefish or a large lake trout, the lakes are ready to fish and some frozen waterways are yielding steady action. Now if we could just get a few days in the mid-20s a guy might actually be able feel his fingers and enjoy a day on the ice without needing to run for shelter every five minutes.
