Fishing the
Moosehead
and Sebec Lake
Region

By Captain
Steve Lemieux

This Month:
Brookies Through the Ice

 Well, January has finally arrived. In Maine, that means the opening of most lakes to ice fishing. Be sure to check the law book for the rules and regulations for your favorite lake or pond. One of my favorite fish to target during January is the brook trout. I thought that this month, we could talk a little about tactics for winter brookies.

At Moosehead Lake, you can catch brook trout just about anywhere along it's shoreline, including around most of the islands. I find that I can increase my odds by fishing near rocky points that protrude out into the lake. Also areas near inlets are productive. Both of these areas often seem to hold more trout. Be very cautious when fishing near inlets. The ice near the running water will not be as thick. I like to start by setting a line of traps along the shore. Again, check the rule book for the number of traps you're allowed to set. I don't often set any traps in more than five feet of water. While trout can be taken in deeper water, I like to stay between one foot and five feet of water. Trout love to cruise the shoreline in search of small bait fish and crawfish that are hiding in the rocks. If you're planning on staying at the same spot on the lake all day, then I would suggest that you spread your traps apart quite a bit to cover more area and allow the trout to find them. Another more productive method is to set your traps closer together in a line along the shore and give them about an hour to produce. As long as the flags keep flying, leave them alone. As soon as things slow down, which will most likely happen, pick up the first trap you set and move it up the lake just past the last trap you set. Keep moving the traps by picking up the trap that has been in the water longest and moving it past the last trap you set. This will almost always produce more fish. It lets you cover more area. It forces you to tend your traps frequently which means you are less likely to have traps in the water with dead or no bait. It also gives you something to do when the fish are slow to bite.

As far as presentation goes, I like to keep it simple. I put about four feet of good quality monofilament line of about ten pound test on the end of my Dacron fishing line. At the end I attach a small swivel which allows me to quickly change hooks or add a new hook when I have to cut one off. I use the snelled hooks that come in packages of six. I keep several packages of these of different sizes in my pocket. I like size 6 and 8 for brook trout. A few inches above the swivel, I put a small split-shot to keep the bait from swimming back up the hole. Because a fishes eyes are positioned to primarily look upward, I like to keep my bait in the top half of the water depth. By this I mean if there is four feet of water under the ice, I put my bait no more than two feet below the bottom of the ice. I don't want high swimming fish to swim over my bait and not see it. Even if your bait is just under the ice, a fish swimming on the bottom in four or five feet of water will have no problem seeing it.

By now you're saying, he hasn't said anything about bait. Be patient; here it comes. There are several different baits that will attract brook trout and I don't pretend to know them all. Every lake and pond is a little different. At Moosehead, my favorite is the live smelt. I like small to medium sized smelts for brookies. The smelt is the primary bait fish for the trout at Moosehead. I would say that the best bet for your lake is whatever is most abundant in that lake. For a second and third choice at Moosehead, I choose small shiners and worms. Again, check the rule book to be sure what is allowed for bait at your favorite lake or pond.

At Moosehead, we are only allowed to keep one brook trout per person per day. This means that most of the brook trout we catch at Moosehead have to be released. I can tell, when a trout enters the hole, if I want to keep it or not without bringing it out of the water. My theory is that if I can't tell if the fish is legal or not, then I will just release it. If the fish is to be released, I will just bring it's head out of the water and quickly try to take the hook out. A small pair of needle-nose pliers is very helpful for this. If the hook can't be taken out without damaging the fish, I cut
the line as close to the hook as possible and let the fish go. I keep a pair of clippers on a retractable spool pinned right to my coat. Biologists agree that the hook will quickly rust out and the fish stands a much better chance of survival if it is not brought out into the freezing weather. The last and most important thing that I want to talk about is safety.

I left this for last because if you only remember one thing from this article, I want this to be it. Where I fish, January is the best month for brook trout. However, it is also the most dangerous month. Very often, Moosehead Lake is not safe to be on at the beginning of January. As of December 27 of this year (1999), much of Moosehead Lake was not yet frozen. This means that any time you go onto the ice, you need to make sure that the area you are going to fish is safe. The only way to be sure is to walk the area (don't ride on your ATV or snowmobile), checking the ice thickness as you go. It's too easy to find yourself on thin ice if you just ride out there on the ATV or snowmobile. You cover too much area too fast. If possible, you should ride on shore until you get to the area you're going to fish. One of the best things that you can do is to stop and ask the local people about the ice thickness. Most bait dealers have a good idea how much ice is on the lakes in their area. They can also advise you of known unsafe areas. Even when armed with the information you get from the local people, you must still be sure to check the ice thickness. Don't take any chances when it comes to ice thickness. If it doesn't look safe, go home and live to come back and try it later. Next to being burned to death, I can't think of anything that would be worse that drowning in ice cold water. Lets all be safe out there on the ice and return home to our families each and every time we go out.

Captain Steve Lemieux
Mickey Finn Fishing Charters
Email: steve@mickeyfinncharters.com
Web Site: http://www.mickeyfinncharters.com/

Steve Lemieux steve@mickeyfinncharters.com    Phone : (207) 379-2035
Mickey Finn Fishing Charters: Sport Fishing in the Moosehead Lake Region of Maine and on Lake Ontario  Excellent Fishing at Affordable Prices.

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