OK it is April and spring has been officially here for a couple of weeks but you would not know it by spending some time outside today. A stiff northwest wind and morning temperatures in the teens were really not what I had in mind. This afternoon the wind is still blowing and temperatures have only risen to the middle thirties. Not exactly warm even with the spring sunshine and clear skies.

April 1 was the opening day of open water fishing season in this part of Maine. That changed a short while ago and we can now fish through the ice until it melts and then in the open water right away. This change was of course unrecognized by nature. The ice is still in on most lakes and ponds and with rain last night the streams and rivers are high, cold and the water dirty.

When I am guiding in the summer and fall clients always ask “what do you do in the winter?” thinking that I am simply hanging around and once in a while putting another stick of wood in the stove. When I tell them that I also wear the hat of Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association I get a nod that say “that must be easy”.