Opening day in Maine kind of sucks. Yes, you heard me. It just plain sucks to go out on April 1.
The water is often frozen, high and cold. Good weather is rare. The odds of catching a fish are pretty low because fish aren’t really moving yet. Dirt roads leading into your favorite spots are muddy, washed out from recent rains or, even worse, still buried in snow, making it impossible to get where you want to go.
So, is it worth it?
Yes. Any fishing trip is worth it.
I’ve always said if you only fish when conditions are perfect, you’ll never learn how to catch fish in tough conditions. Rain, snow, high water, low water or perfect conditions — you need to fish it all if you want to become a better angler.
Every time you go out, you learn something. After 25 years, I’m still learning. It might be a new way to tie a fly, a new pattern or even discovering a new spot.
Getting out on April 1 has become a tradition for a lot of people. It’s not really about catching fish. It’s about meeting up with friends you haven’t seen all winter and shaking off that winter slump — which I think is real. I know I get more irritable and grumpy until I finally get back on the water.
I used to plan for opening day every year. Back then, it wasn’t about hanging out with buddies. It was about figuring out where I could catch a brook trout.
This was before I had the chance to travel somewhere warm to fish. I would see places where anglers gathered early in the morning, cooking out, telling stories and hoping to catch a fish. That wasn’t really for me. I wanted to find a place where I could actually catch fish.
Eventually, I did. I’ve kept that location under my hat for about 20 years and only shared it with a few people.
My dad and I first found that spot years ago. We traveled several hours with no idea what to expect. We didn’t catch anything that first trip, but we met a few locals who told us they had caught some monster wild brook trout there. So we went back the next weekend — and we were not disappointed.
That was the first time I really tried nymphing, and it worked. I started flipping rocks to see what insects were dominant on the river bottom and tried to match my flies to what I found. We ended up catching many trout over 18 inches. From then on, it became our annual opening day destination.
As time has gone on, my guide business has grown, and I’ve learned to appreciate warm weather a lot more. These days, I’m usually in Florida during the first part of April, so it’s been years since I’ve actually fished opening day here in Maine.
One of the most popular places in Maine on opening day is Grand Lake Stream. The dam pool is deep and often holds fish, so it’s frequently where the first fish of the season is caught. Year after year, the same people show up. It’s a tradition, and people look forward to it — hoping for a tug on the line, but also just to see people they haven’t seen in months.
The same thing happens on one of the popular rivers in Rangeley. A group camps out at a well-known pool that holds very large brook trout. Over time, it’s grown into a small circle of anglers who stay connected through quiet conversations — not on Facebook or even on maineflyfish.com, but through emails and texts, away from prying eyes and people looking for free fishing spots.
What they all have in common is a dedication to catching a wild Maine brook trout and spending a day together sharing a moment in time.
So what should you do on opening day?
That’s always the big question. It’s not an easy time of year to catch fish. There isn’t one answer. Every body of water is different. The farther north you go, the colder the water will be. Farther south, fish might be a little more active. If it’s a warm day and snow is melting, the water can actually get colder.
As you can see, there’s no single right answer.
If I were going this year, I do have a few places in mind that I haven’t fished in years. I’d bring several nymph variations — Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears in sizes 22 to 16. I’d also bring a few smelt patterns and some Woolly Buggers in a range of sizes. Cover your bases.
You also need to dress for cold conditions. I always layer under my waders. I wear a thin pair of socks and then a heavier pair with foot warmers. On the bottom, I wear a thin pair of long johns and then a heavier pair of Simms fleece pants. On top, I start with a T-shirt, then a base layer, a vest and a puffy jacket. If it’s raining, I add a rain jacket. I also pack extra clothes in the car in case I fall in or just need something dry and warm for the ride home.