The ice is officially out on Moosehead Lake, according to Currier Flying Service, which makes the declaration official each year.
Ice-out was declared at 6 a.m Saturday, five days earlier than in 2023.
Moosehead is Maine’s largest lake and one of the state’s most popular fishing areas year round, attracting sportsmen and women from around the country.
The ice on Moosehead has been a popular topic among fishermen and outdoor recreationists since the first of January. Unusually warm temperatures and rain, interspersed with snow, made the ice on some areas of the lake unreliable.
Pressure ridges formed earlier than usual and there were incidents of people going through the ice. Safe ice in one spot did not guarantee it just inches away.
It’s not the first year pressure ridges and unsafe ice were issues. It was similar in 2022.
Some fishermen turned to open water fishing sooner than usual because of the ice melting early in parts of the lake.
The ice went out on Moosehead on April 25 in 2023; April 28 in 2022; April 16 in 2021; May 4 in 2020 and May 9 in 2019. Scientists blame climate change for earlier ice-outs.