GRAND LAKE STREAM – With open-water fishing still in its early stages, the illustrious waters of Grand Lake Stream have already lived up to their reputation.

Just moments after 6 a.m. on opening day, the dam pool at the head of the stream was the talk of the town, as early-morning anglers had immediate results from sassy landlocked salmon averaging 17-20 inches in length.

As the morning progressed, about 22 fly fishermen worked the perimeter of the dam pool, trying to diminish the frigid chill of the 35-degree water slapping against their chest waders. Opening day isn’t always such a hit, and these hardcore fishermen were not about to let this moment slip away. By the time evening shadows signaled the end of a day on the stream, most anglers had battled 10 to 12 landlocked salmon.

The Washington County stream has produced this red-hot action before on opening day, but what’s unusual is the continuation of the fast action, said Bob Upham, who’s no stranger to these waters. Since moving to Grand Lake Stream he has tucked 22 years of experience under his belt, working his own custom-tied flies and viewing the activity from his residence only a couple of hundred yards from its prestigious waters.

The first Monday morning of the new season arrived with another wave of anglers. However, the fishing pressure dwindled from that of Sunday, and remained light through the course of the week. But salmon were still on the take, and those fishermen fortunate enough to get in on the midweek action could testify to it.

There were continuous breaks in the action, and at times fishermen believed these aggressive salmon had reached their fill of artificial foods for the season. Then, however, the fish were back on their low-calorie diets, tearing into a variety of well-seasoned streamer fly patterns such as Gray Ghosts, Black Ghosts, Red and White Bucktails, and the ever-present Barnes Specials.

Just up the hill from the stream, at the Pine Tree Store, owner Kurt Cressey said the aggressive salmon meant fishermen depleted his inventory of flies. Before the close of the first week of spring fishing, Cressey had already made provision for a fresh shipment.

By Saturday the news of Grand Lake Stream had spread among the fly-fishing community, and a few new faces trickled in throughout the day to cast alongside some of this season’s repeat customers. At 8:30 a.m., there were four anglers working the dam pool, including well-known fly fisherman Gary Scavette of Northport.

Scavette worked the pool almost nonstop for two hours, placing each cast with precise accuracy and paying close attention to detail, for the rewards were high. By the time his two-hour shift had expired, Scavette had latched on to seven or eight salmon.

Just a few yards downstream of Scavette, Jack Hennessy of Newport was working another section of the pool, alongside Newport resident Mark Nichols. Both fishermen tied into their share, including a 21-plus-inch salmon that christened Hennessy’s new Orvis Clearwater fly rod.

On the opposite side of the pool, a pair of Newburgh residents were experiencing their own success. Kelly Steward and his 6-year-old son Logan encountered pleasing results, applying a Black Ghost toward the heart of the pool. Within 10 minutes of observing the duo Saturday morning, Kelly Steward had latched onto a 17-inch landlocked and passed the fly rod to young Logan to complete the fight.

Kelly Steward was also in on the opening-day action, which proved to be the most successful opening day he’d experienced since his first trip to the stream in 1992.

“For this time of year, it’s the best game in town,” Scavette said.

This spring Grand Lake Stream has turned up the notch on the action, reminding anglers it hasn’t lost its stuff.