Ice-out on Lake Auburn is a magical time.
The winter ice has kept the fish safe and the restrictions on ice fishing allows them to grow during the frozen months. As spring arrives and the ice begins to recede, anxious anglers attempt to fish what open water they can find. Local sportsmen have taken to such methods as constructing PVC pipes that will push their bait under the ice to get at the salmon and togue.
These hardy souls brave bitter cold opening days, often camping out the night prior to obtain a coveted spot near open water. While these anglers are often successful, I long for the day when the ice is completely gone and I can ply the waters in my trolling craft, chasing silver-sided salmon and richly-colored togue.
This year, the oft-prognosticated official date of ice-out was April 20. As luck would have it, I was in Florida on a family vacation when the ice let go, but I was able to fish the following Monday when I got home.
The alarm sounded at 4:15 a.m. and after a quick breakfast and trip to the launch, I was on the water by 5:15. I motored past Rene Lavoie and Butch DeSanctis, two angling friends who, combined, have close to 100 years of angling experience, much of it on Lake Auburn. They were trolling along the buoys that separate the open water from the restricted zone.
I reached the shoreline along Spring Road and began to fish.
There was little wind, so I rigged my lines with a bait harness and put out two rods with a live smelt. I cut my outboard and turned on the electric trolling motor, which pushed me silently along the shoreline in about 40 feet of water. I no sooner had got settled when the rod on the port side bent slowly. I snatched it from the rod holder and set the hook. There was definitely a fish on, but it didn’t act like a spirited salmon. I surmised that I had a togue or perhaps a bass on my line. Things changed as the fish came in with my reeling. Once near the surface, the lethargic fish began to pump and dive, taking line from my reel at a feverish pace. As soon as it broke the surface and performed the standard tail dance, I saw that it was a nice, fat salmon. The fish tired quickly, so I brought it in the boat, measured it at 16 inches and released it to fight again.
My second fish came but a few minutes later. I had motored near the two old camps on the Spring Road and was admiring their classic appearance. The brick red, forest green and dark white of their paint schemes is true Maine camp dcor.
As soon as the boat was in front of the red camp, my rod bent again and I had another fish on. This one fought more from the start, and I knew I had a bigger fish on my line. My glee was interrupted as the fish neared the boat and threw the hook before I got it in the net.
As I neared North Auburn, the rod bent again and the reel sang as the drag let line out. This fish made a run for the boat and I had to reel frantically to keep constant tension on the line. As it neared the surface, it leaped from the water and shook to and fro. As it dove again, it tried to go under the boat, but I steered it away with steady pressure on the rod. As it tired, I was able to slip a net under it and my third fish measured out at 17 inches before I released it. As I turned and made a pass up the same shoreline, I trolled for a half-hour without a strike or indication of my quarry on the fish finder. Content with three fish on my first outing, I called it quits.
More success
This past week, I checked in with Butch, who guides anglers when he is not working at L.L. Bean’s in the hunting and fishing store. He and another angler boated six fish last Tuesday, including a five-and-one-half pound whopper of a salmon. Butch reported that the togue were biting too, so this is the time to be on Lake Auburn.
Anglers using sewn on smelt trolled slowly on a sinking fly line or lead core line do best around ice out. Those trolling streamer flies in patterns such as the gray ghost, Barnes’ special or pink lady, typically do well in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Lures like the Mooselook wobbler, in gold or fluorescent orange, also take a great deal of salmon and togue this time of year. If my first day on the lake is any indication of what lies ahead in the following weeks, this should be a great year for Lake Auburn anglers.
Comments are no longer available on this story