Aroostook County Fishing Report: March 6, 2008

The last weekend in February brought ideal travel and fishing conditions for anglers in northern Maine. I surveyed two lakes in the southern portion of our region during this time and experienced the best traveling on trails and lakes that we have seen all winter. With frequent snowstorms throughout the season, anglers have dealt with thin ice, slush, and drifting snow making any angling experience difficult. The great conditions in the Millinocket and Millimagassett lakes area didn’t last long, however, as we received two recent storms totaling more than 20 inches of snow. March fishing will begin with deep snow on northern Maine lakes; as of Sunday, March 2, slush had not yet developed on several of these lakes that we routinely check.

As we approach the last month of the season, we typically see large groups of anglers venturing out to areas that have received relatively little use during the first couple months of ice fishing. More remote areas like the Allagash Waterway, Musquacook Lakes, and Beau and Glazier lakes will see more anglers this month as weather and travel conditions moderate, days are longer, and some days in late March feel more like spring than winter. Any of these areas are great, late season destinations, each offering a slightly different angling experience. This is a great time of year to experience the back country of northern and western Maine. Many summer roads are converted to snowmobile trails during winter or, when a heavy crust develops on the snowpack, one may explore more remote areas even further.