Spring fishing around the Crown of Maine is a nebulous endeavor depending heavily on weather and water conditions. Cool nights and overcast days, as well as consistent rain prolongs the season, but too much rain such as we’ve had lately ruins some fishing opportunities for days at a time. But when all the stars align, memorable outings and once in a lifetime catches may occur.
The Aroostook River was just beginning to produce great trout fishing for bank casters and trollers a couple of weeks ago when heavy rains put the river back into the bushes and full of mud and debris. A week later when the Aroostook, Prestile, St. Croix, and Meduxnekeag began to recede and clear two more days of rain led to another major setback. Lakes and ponds became the only option for anxious anglers.
Echo Lake offered great results for shoreline bait casters, a lot of 14- to 18- inch trout, and Hanson and Conroy Lakes kept lure and fly trollers smiling. The large lakes with the big fish, particularly the Fish River chain of lakes, really kept the fishermen scratching their heads however. One day would be fast, the next slow; the thoroughfare was full of fish yesterday, but vacant today, and that boat had a fish on every fifteen minutes while this boat hadn’t had a strike in two hours and both are trolling the same area!
The key to productive spring trolling rests on one attribute,- perseverance. Just because of one poor outing don’t throw in the towel, be on the water as often as possible. If the lure or fly you’re trolling doesn’t generate any interest within 30- to 45-minutes, change it, and then keep altering size, color, trolling depth and even boat speed until something clicks. Just in the last two weeks these alterations have worked several times for myself and my friends, let me give you an example.
My cousin Mike Wallace and I fished Long Lake for two hours and caught a yellow perch and a short salmon despite making three changes in baits. My fourth plug was a gaudy Yo-Zuri bait fish imitation in bright gold and black with a brilliant orange belly. Over the next 90 minutes that particular lure produced a 14-inch brookie, a 14-inch salmon, a 16-inch trout, a three pound salmon, and a three and a half pound salmon. Mike never caught a fish and my streamer fly was likewise ignored. The right bait makes a difference.
The next day Mike and his son-in-law started trolling on Square Lake bright and early and by lunch had boated only two 12- to14-inch fish. After lunch the duo moved to Cross Lake and trolled near a brook inlet and hooked a dozen fish over a two hour period on an assortment of lures and flies. While tailoring his boat at the boat launch Mike crossed paths with Tom Wolters, a long time acquaintance and since he couldn’t fish the next morning advised Tom about the hot spot.
Tom and boat buddy Carl Sjoberg were Johnny of the spot the next morning, but the fish seemed to have lockjaw. After awhile they moved a short distance across the lake to the thoroughfare mouth and took a trout on the very first trolling pass. Over the next couple of hours the duo caught trout steadily on several different baits, boating and releasing 28 trout in the 12- to 17-inch range. The right place is crucial.
A couple of days later Tom Wolters and I were back on Long Lake for an afternoon outing. It was overcast and a mild breeze formed a perfect “salmon chop” on the water’s surface. Only one other boat could be seen near our fishing area. Conditions were perfect and we just knew the fish would all but jump in our boat.
Three hours later a half dozen other boats had come and gone, and not one had boated a fish as far as we could tell. We had succeeded in catching only one salmon ourselves, a feat most would consider a disappointing outing, save for the fact it was largest landlocked salmon I’d ever caught in all my many years of spring trolling. At 7 pounds 12 ounces the chrome-sided leaper put up a tremendous fight that formed memories for a lifetime.
All of these recent trolling trips were dependent on being in the right place at the right time with the right bait on the line. But isn’t that true of every successful outdoor venture? Regular rain is keeping lakes cool and rivers high so anglers should experience productive trolling most of the month. Get out soon and get out often, perhaps a twenty fish day or the trophy of a lifetime awaits you.
