Priorities have definitely changed for many anglers on the eve of an ice fishing trip this season.

The first order of business was always test running the snowmobile in the garage till blue smoke wiped out your vision. Or you saw the silhouette of your wife in the doorway of the garage which leads to the kitchen and heard her pleading to turn it off before the entire supper was seasoned with exhaust.

But not this year; the recipe for those high-octane suppers has been put on the back burner. The need to replenish those empty bait pails has taken precedence over roughly idling snowmobiles or dull ice augers.

The root of this bait shortage dates back long before the season began and the sound of power ice augers cracked through the cold morning air. Although some bait fishermen have noticed a decline in bait fish, the weather deserves much of the blame. Last year’s stingy rainfall lowered water levels enough to cause bait fish to change there travel patterns, and this left many bait fishermen hustling to relocate there bait traps. This task of rediscovering their route of travel can be a challenge for even the experienced bait fishermen.

Low water has also had a lasting effect, threatening small bait ponds where some bait dealers keep their stock. The water dropped to such a level that some of these ponds couldn’t support all of the fish, and many dealers lost much of their inventory.

Another player in this bait shortage came in the form of slush, which has been abundant on most lakes and ponds this winter. The slush has left many bait dealers trying to free their snowmobiles from the lake and has made it difficult for them to check their bait traps. At this stage of the season, a bait trapper doesn’t need another setback.

So if you’re a fisherman with an abundance of live bait in your garage, you may want to consider keeping the door closed. This shortage is here for the season and the last thing you need to see is the neighbor’s cat with one paw in your bait pail.

Storm weighed heavy on shacks

At Grand Lake Stream, Kurt Cressey, owner of The Pine Tree Store, reports travel conditions for snowmobiles and four-wheelers have improved over the past week on West Grand Lake. The rain and cold weather stiffened up the lake surface for travel, especially areas that had seen heavy traffic prior to last weekend’s storm. “But continue to use caution. There’s still pockets of slush in areas of the lake that haven’t been traveled,” said Cressey.

Although the weekend storm may have brought welcome traveling conditions to the lake, it wasn’t so nice to some ice fishing shacks in the area. There was more than one report of shacks resting on their side or completely destroyed.

Salmon catching remains steady at West Grand Lake with a good number of them weighing 2-23/4 pounds. Lake trout remain active as well, followed some hardy feeds of whitefish.

“Some salmon fishermen are giving the circle hooks more fishing time than previous years,” said Cressey. It’s designed to allow the fish to swallow the hook, but once tension is applied to the line, it slides from the fish’s throat and catches the lip. This hook allows fish to be released without being injured. One major difference between this hook and others is it doesn’t need to be set, it does the hooking by itself. All you need to do is reel in your catch.

Taking a look at the hunting scene, Cressey said bobcat hunting has been above expectations this year. Reports of bobcats in the area are far above previous years, he said.

Shiners in short supply

Up in Greenville, the Indian Hill Trading post has experienced the effects of the bait shortage, said Scott Bennett. “We’ve had a fairly steady inventory of smelts, but shiners have been in short supply this season, but we hope to have a fresh supply [today].”

If you haven’t visited Moosehead Lake this season, this may be the weekend you’ve been waiting for. On Saturday and Sunday no license is necessary as the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has designated it as free-fishing weekend. Something else that may get you headed in that direction: As of Thursday anglers have been allowed to keep salmon.

Iced togue a Sebago favorite

To the south at Sebago Lake, Carroll Cutting, owner of Jordan’s General Store, reported togue fishermen were still catching a handsome number of fish between 2 and 4 pounds. Although none that would threaten to break the scales came through the door last week, there were a couple of lakers iced that weighed between 6 and 8 pounds, said Cutting.

Even though it’s been a tough year keeping a live bait inventory, Cutting has been holding his own. As of Wednesday his holding tanks were full, but it still may be wise to call before making the trip.

Big brookies in Aroostook

Up in Aroostook County, St. Peter’s Country Store owner Jules St. Peter mentions not to overlook a fishing trip to Square Lake if you’re coming to the area. It requires a little more effort to get to than some of the other lakes in the Fish River Chain, but the reward could be worth the trip. Square Lake holds some healthy-size brookies that could make that 21/2-mile snowmobile trip from Mud Lake public landing a welcome event.

Q&A

Answer to last week’s question: Does Maine has more landlocked salmon waters than any other state in the nation? Yes

This week’s question was sent in by fisheries biologist Frank Frost. When were landlocked salmon introduced to the Fish River Chain?

Terry Farren’s Outdoor Report is published each Friday in the News sports section. He can be reached at 990-8067 or by e-mail at outdoor report@bangordailynews.net.