jbmaine

Winter is the time for us to really spend time on our other hobbies. Woodworking for me and quilting for my wife. We used to enjoy snow shoeing, but the last few years we really haven't had the snow for it.

I'm pushing 70 and I've lived in this area all my life. I don't follow statistics or charts. My original comments were to say I miss winter being winter as the season it used to be. My dad started taking me deer hunting before I was 10. by mid November there was always snow on the ground. Haven't seen that in a long time. I've looked at all the pics in my family albums. By Christmas there was always snow piles on the ground from shoveling the drive way, and we were out snow shoeing and sledding. When I was a teenager Skidoos were everywhere. You would see them going in the fields and woods. there were local clubs that got together every weekend and have trail rides. I haven't heard or seen a sled in years. Winter around here used to mean it snowed and stayed snow all winter, and didn't melt off until Spring. This past week we've had lots of rain, and severe thunder storms IN DECEMBER! Un heard of when I was growing up. The ground at my house is bare as we speak and the next precipitation in the forecast is, you guessed it , more rain. I'm lucky to use my snowblower one or twice a winter any more, and my snow shoes, not in years. I really miss the way winter used to be, and really isn't now.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Hi all, I've been around long enough to remember when the weather was predictable and usually followed normal patterns. Not so much any more. Here in southern Maine, two days before Christmas, we had a mix of everything. It started out with temps of 53 degrees, high wind and rain. As the day progressed the temp. had dropped in to the forties. By supper time, as the temps went into the thirties, and we had wind gusts up to 50 MPH, we came under a severe thunder storm warning. By 8 PM the rain had turned to snow. Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow and temps at eleven degrees. By the end of the week the day time temps are supposed to be pushing fifty again. I miss the days when it just snowed in the winter and rained during the warmer months.

The common theme sounds like people are more accurate with what they use the most/ are more comfortable with. As for my self I grew up with spinning rods/reels. Other than fly rods that's all I use. I'm as accurate with a spinning rod as I need to be. But that's just me.

Same setup I have. Love mine

Used to fly fish for trout in northern New Hampshire and northern Maine. Hit some remote trout ponds that were "off the grid".

Fellow Mainer here, I've caught freshwater LM and salt water stripers both within 10 minutes of my house. In less than an hour from my house I've caught SM, trout, salmon perch, pickerel, crappies, etc. Head further out into the salt and I've caught blues, Pollack, cod haddock, sharks , more stripers, you name it. I can't say where I live I've got the best of anything, but, I'll never run out of something to fish for close by.

Another SB fan here. Give me an overcast day, submerged weed beds in 4-8 ft. of water, I'll catch fish all day on a chartreuse SB. Caught my PB on one. 5+ lb. LM. Hit my SB 4ft from the boat in 5 ft. of water. Saw it come up and hit it. Still think about that morning.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. I don't know who said this first, but these are words I live by.

I'm just a few minutes from the KTP. There's also a fly fishing shop and a mom and pop bait and tackle shop within a half an hour.

Only long sleeved shirts I own are flannel.

It's been my experience that seeing turtles in a body of water is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Seeing turtles has always meant waters with good fish in them, to us. No science to back that up, but 60+ years of observations.

In the local craig list

Best way I ever saw for catching stocked trout was a trick an old fella showed me many years ago. We were fly fishing the same pond and he was out fishing me 10 to 1. I finally asked him what fly he was using. He was nice enough to show it to me. It was nothing more than some brown felt spun on a hook. I stared at it for a bit, then asked him what it was supposed to represent. He smiled and asked me, have you ever been to a trout hatchery? Ya , when I was a kid, it was fun feeding the trout. What did you feed them? he asked. Well, the light dawned on marble head, and I realized that bit of brown felt on his hook was an exact imitation of the brown pellets those trout had been eating all their lives. I've kept a couple of flies like that in my fly box ever since.

As a fellow Mainer I believe I speak with some experience when I say 50% of the time bass will be right where you think they should be, and 50% of the time where you'd never think to look for them. We've caught some very nice bass in the most unexpected places, mostly by accident.

The best years of our lives. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) Official Trailer - Myrna Loy, Fredric March Movie HD - Bing video

If I could go back...................... I would.

shipping container for the new Whopper Plopper 5000?

Wife and I play from time to time. Good mental exercise.

Mine was in september, overcast day, about 11AM. 6 ft of water, weedy bottom, got it on a chartreuse spinnerbait. Hit 4 ft from the boat.

Don't really have a sure fire method to offer, but you're post reminded me of one particular time. There is a section of shoreline my wife and I used to fish. A shallow cove with trees, bushes right to the water. We have found that ( beyond any reason I can think of), on a hot summer afternoon, when the shade starts coming out into the water, the bass stack up along the shoreline, like cordwood, in a foot of water, or less. If you can get a T-rigged Senko in close enough it will get bit. We have actually got a dozen bass in a hundred yard stretch. On one cast my wifes senko went over a tree branch, thru a bush, and into the water. She pulled, but it was stuck. as I'm working the boat into the shore, we see a big bass swimming out. When we got close enough I start working the line free. As I'm freeing the line it starts pulling back. I ended up pulling in hand over hand a 4 lb LM. The 8 lb test mono was all worn and abraded, Don't know how, but it didn't break. Sorry I can't be more help, but thanks for triggering a good memory.

We are seeing a lot of the old camps sold, torn down, and mega houses built on lakes in this area as well. On one lake in particular we see a whole row of new mansions, each one seems bigger than the last. It may be just a coincidence, but the water quality has gone down a lot over the last couple of years.

At least for me, the best summer weather is fall.

I don't, but I used to have a buddy that was sea sicker than everyone I've ever known.? It was funny though. He and I spent years in canoe's, trout fishing in rivers and lakes that tossed us around plenty. No problem. I picked up a 18" boat for fishing in the salt water. He was puking before we left the dock. He never did get over it. At first it felt strange fishing with out him.