With the first race of the whitewater canoeing season just days away, Dale Cross is among those who were smiling as the rain poured down on Tuesday.
Cross, the race director of Saturday’s 31st annual St. George River Race, said the precipitation was just what paddlers needed.
“[The river is] looking pretty darned good right now,” Cross said on Wednesday afternoon. “I think we got two, three inches of rain down this way, and the river will continue to rise until probably some time tomorrow. Then it will level out and hold for a couple days, usually. We’re looking at pretty good water.”
The St. George River Race begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Race-day registration will take place from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Searsmont Methodist Church on Route 131.
Cross predicted that the river level will provide for an exciting race.
“It’s going to be quite a ride,” Cross said. “I think it’s going to be fairly challenging for everyone, definitely for the less experienced paddler.”
Cross said he ran the St. George twice over the weekend, and the river was navigable even before the rain fell.
“It’s even better now. It’s so close to perfect it’s not even funny,” he said.
Cool weather has been forecast for Saturday, and Cross said race participants should dress for the conditions. Wet suits, dry tops and neoprene gloves are recommended, he said.
Most paddlers, Cross said, don’t need such a reminder. It is Maine, after all. It’s still March. And the water is bound to be cold, no matter what the actual air temperature is.
Cross said the water isn’t at record levels for the race, but is high enough to make things interesting.
“We’ve got some excited paddlers, I can tell you that,” Cross said.
The race ends on Route 105 in Appleton, but Cross said spectators looking for a good vantage point for some whitewater thrills and spills may want to go to the Ghent Road, which is just off Route 131.
“You’re going to see some real carnage there,” Cross said. “That’s a great place to watch.”
How’s the ice look?
Most years, anglers have relatively few options when the traditional April 1 opening day of open-water fishing looms.
The rule of thumb for those diehards who feel that they simply have to wet a line on April 1: Look for flowing water.
This year, of course, things have been a bit different. On Saturday it was 70 degrees in parts of the state. For the past three weeks, we’ve enjoyed a gradual spring thaw, with temps in the 40s and 50s. And on Tuesday, much of Maine received heavy rain.
So here’s the question I’ve got for you: How’s the ice look on your local lakes and ponds?
It seems certain that anglers who prefer to troll the ice-free lakes early in the season will be able to find an April 1 option, if they’re willing to look around a bit.
I’m hoping to let folks know what a few of those options are in advance of next Thursday’s opener.
A pal who lives down on Green Lake contacted me on Tuesday and said that ice-out on that popular fishing spot was imminent. A Facebook page that focuses on my own home water, Beech Hill Pond, is featuring Tuesday photos of a fractured ice sheet that may already have vanished.
According to an Associated Press report filed on Tuesday, the ice on Lake Auburn went out on Monday. That was eight days earlier than the previous record ice-out, and the Auburn Water District has been keeping track of ice-out dates since 1874.
So, how’s the ice looking? Your fellow anglers would appreciate any information you choose to provide.
E-mail address changes
Since we’re speaking about providing information, I’d like to take the time to thank readers for all of the great tips, suggestions and questions they’ve passed along over the past several years.
I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve asked for your help, and readers have always been eager to provide that help when asked.
That input from readers, I’ve learned, is essential when you’re writing a column three days a week, and the area you’re covering stretches from the western mountains to the state’s capital to the Atlantic Ocean to the state’s northern tip.
If you’ve passed along information in the past, thank you for taking the time.
And when you do so in the future, please notice that my e-mail address has changed (as have all of the addresses for writers who work out of the BDN’s Main Street offices.
Our e-mails should no longer be sent to a .net suffix. The rest of the former address remains the same, but instead of .net, we’re using .com.
Our computer gurus assure us that the transition, which has been going on for a couple of weeks now, should be seamless, and those e-mails sent to a .net address will be automatically forwarded.
As often happens in cyberspace, however, “seamless” is a relative term; I’ve already received word from a few e-mailers who are having trouble getting through.
If you have trouble getting through to me — or to any of my colleagues — check to make sure you’re sending to a .com address.
And if that doesn’t work, give us a call.
