A little light snow here this morning but the temperatures and the amount of daylight tell me that spring is well on its way, even though it is still a long way off. We have had a mild February with little snow, with luck March will have a little snow for us.
Last weekend was our annual kid's ice fishing event here in Union. We had perfect weather, with a high temperature near forty degrees and bright sunshine. Some wind but not enough to do much more than blow the napkins around. Luckily we had a foot or more if ice to walk on. Somewhere over a hundred kids took part and everyone had a great time.
I am experimenting with online video this winter and if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter may have seen a link to my first effort. At the same time Journey Maine TV has now officially launched and posted the video I shot with them last fall.
New this winter for me is Tungle an online calendar that lets you suggest dates and times for trips with me. Still an experiment but I have liked using it for arranging meetings and conference calls this winter. Take a look at my availability here and suggest a time for your next trip!
It seems like a lot is happening these days and I am ready to start enjoying some time back on the water. Hopefully the ice goes out soon!
Smelt Fishing
One morning late last month I went smelt fishing with Captain George Harris of Superfly Charters. Our party was made up of George, my son Noah and friend Don. It was a very cold morning here around 3 below zero at 6AM when I thought to check.
Smelts are a small anadromous fish living in our tidal waters. There are also smelt in many of our lakes but the salt water version generally runs a little larger. You fish for them on light jigs usually tipped with a piece of bloodworm or other bait. A big one will be about ten inches long.
Since it can be cold and windy a heated shack is a great luxury. Capt. Harris has a shack on the Great Salt Bay of the Damariscotta River. He arrived before us and had the ice chopped out of the hole in the ice inside of the shack. The best feature of this location was that at low tide the bottom and the fish were clearly visible. Making the fish watching almost as interesting (actually more) as the fishing.
We spent the morning warm and snug inside the shack and caught enough smelt for a nice lunch. No trophies to be sure but it was still great to do a little mid winter fishing. I recommend a few hours of smelt fishing to anyone who has never been. Great fun!
Maine Outdoors in Smartbox
Maine Outdoors is participating in Smartbox this year. What is Smartbox you ask? It is a gift card good for activities that are listed in a book included with the card. You purchase a Smartbox and use it yourself for any one of 75 different activities or give it as a gift and the recipient gets to choose the activity that most interests them.
The Maine Outdoors trips that I included for this year (actually until July of next year) are freshwater bass fishing or a learn to fly fish trip. Check it out on pages 5 and 6 of the Smartbox Adrenaline Northeast and Mid-Atlantic package.
Or check it out online!
LL Bean Spring Fishing Event
I will be offering a session at the LL Bean spring fishing event again this year. My presentation is scheduled for Saturday March 20th, at 2pm in the Maine Store in Freeport. This is always a well attended event with lots of interesting presentations and individuals. Below is the listing for my presentation that will appear in LL Bean's flyer.
Hope to see you there!
Maine Smallmouth Fishing: A World-Class Secret
Maine Professional Guides Association
Don Kleiner, Master Maine Guide and Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association has long known what many still don't...Maine has some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the world. The fishery here is extremely accessible, not to mention incredibly dynamic. Giant smallmouth thrive in many of Maine's lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, some of which are probably right in your hometown! The smallmouth bass itself is also one of freshwater's greatest game fish. They do all of the things that anglers love; they eat readily, they jump, they run and they can be caught using a variety of methods. They are also a great fish for getting youth involved in fishing, so join Don as he uncovers the secret to what makes this fishery so spectacular.
Newsletter sent monthly until spring!
Starting in March the Maine Outdoors newsletter will come to you every other week again. I will be posting blog updates twice a week and daily updates are still available on
Facebook (Don Kleiner) or become a fan of Maine Outdoors there as well. I am also on Linkedin and Twitter (DonKleiner) or (Meoutdrs).
Or visit the Maine Outdoors web site and submit a contact form. Of course I still use e-mail and the telephone still rings in the office if you would like to plan your next trip or just say hello.
