Fifth East Grand ice fishing derby promises ample ice, action

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For years, the mere mention of the words “Grand” and “Lake” in the same sentence have prompted anglers from Maine – and from away – to begin planning their next foray Down East.

West Grand Lake is a great landlocked salmon and togue fishery. Grand Lake Stream is famous among those who enjoy fly-fishing for salmon.

And up the road a piece, East Grand Lake is a monstrous border lake that still enjoys a distinctive wilderness feel, despite some encroachment from a few camps.

Buck Plummer checked in last week to issue a quick reminder that fisher-folk who are looking to spend an enjoyable weekend on the ice may want to head his way next weekend. For the fifth straight year, the East Grand Area Ice Fishing Derby will be held on four local lakes.

According to Plummer, last year’s relatively ice-free conditions – 4 inches in the middle of East Grand on Derby Day – have been forgotten, and people are eager to get out and chase flags.

“So far there seems to be quite high interest in it,” said Plummer, who is organizing the event for the East Grand Snowmobile Club. “In advance sales, so far [as of Jan. 7] we’ve probably sold more tickets than any year we’ve had the derby.”

The derby will be held Jan. 25 and Jan. 26. Tickets are available for $5, and each ticket not only allows you to register your fish, but also enters you in a drawing for $1,000 in cash.

The derby encompasses East Grand, Brackett, Deering, and North lakes, and two weigh-in stations will be open: one at Butterfield Landing on East Grand, and another on the Canadian side of North Lake.

A year ago, conditions were sketchy at best, dangerous at worst. This year, Plummer says, the ice shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Nine days ago he reported a foot of good ice in most locations. And if you’ve been listening to your furnace running nonstop over the past week, you’re probably aware that we’ve been “making ice” since then.

Speaking of “making ice,” just because it’s been 10 below zero on a few mornings this week, it doesn’t mean that our area lakes are uniformly socked in … nor uniformly safe.

That’s the word from Jerry Perkins of Orrington, who checked in this week with a word to the wise.

If you’re a longtime sports fan in these parts, you may recognize Perkins’ name. He was a football standout at Brewer High before his graduation in 1963, and went on to play at the University of Maine.

Perkins has recently retired from an illustrious career as a football and wrestling coach at Rumford and Mountain Valley high schools, and lives on Brewer Lake.

During the daily exercise regimen he and his wife enjoy, snowshoe or cross-country ski trips on the lake have taught them to be cautious.

“Interestingly enough, there are still wet spots and slush down about 4-6 inches under the snow,” Perkins reported on Friday.

Perkins said most snowmobilers seem aware of the problem, and aren’t heading out toward the middle of the lake, where ice conditions are unknown.

“Even as cold as it has been, there are obviously still places where the ice is thin,” Perkins said in his e-mail.

Other things to be aware of, Perkins said, are assorted remnants of the summer season.

“We have found several mooring balls that people either forgot to remove or just left out in the water to freeze into the ice,” Perkins said.

The result: There are plenty of speed bumps Perkins thinks could cause problems for unwary snowmobilers.

“If a snowmobile should hit one of these at the right speed, watch out, as there is a good chance the rider would be thrown,” Perkins said.

Words to the wise: Keep your eyes open, take a lighter grip on your throttle, and don’t assume that the ice is safe … nor slush-free.

I headed up north this week to visit a few old friends and make some new ones in one of my favorite areas: the St. John Valley.

If you’ve ever hopped in your truck at 3:45 a.m. just to make sure you’re in just the right spot come opening day, you’ll understand why I did just that and headed up to Madawaska on Wednesday.

Long Lake was, indeed, bustling with activity, and fishermen … and women … had set up their shacks all over the sprawling lake that serves as one of the state’s premier salmon factories.

After ingesting plenty of proffered chow and listening to as many fish stories as a guy can be expected to hear in an eight-hour span, I hopped in my truck and headed back home.

One common theme of the day stood out, as I dodged moose and made my way south through a bone-chilling Maine winter evening.

The grass is always greener … you know the rest.

If you missed my account of the day’s fishing earlier this week, here are three important tidbits.

. One fisherman chased 10 flags in the first hour of the salmon season and iced a 211/2-incher during that time.

. Another fisherman had worked his way through a dozen bait by 11 a.m.

. Yet another angler pulled up his traps and moved a few miles away after landing 12 small salmon before noon.

You may not believe this, but all three anglers were disappointed in the fishing. Each of them wanted to land “the big one.”

Around these parts, that kind of flag-chasing would be grounds for a celebration. Up there? Well, the consensus (realistic or otherwise) is that things could be much better.

To me, that grass sounded mighty green indeed.

While the event itself is months away, I offer this advance notice for those who find themselves in need of a bit of a winter warmer-upper.

David Cassidy of Deer Isle sent in an e-mail this week about an event that many will consider interesting: It’ll be a fly-fishing conclave – planned for the Moosehead Lake region – that will aim to offer something worthwhile for the fly-fishing crowd.

The event is schedule for June 21-22, and Cassidy said he and other organizers are in the process of getting support from fly shops and fly fishing companies.

The goal is to offer fly-tying programs, casting programs, and on-the-stream fishing instruction.

The best part: Cassidy said organizers are hoping to be able to offer the program for free.

Now, if you’ve never waded the East Outlet of the Kennebec, or done the same on the Roach River, I’ll tell you that it’s a wonderful way to spend an early summer day.

You’ll likely hear more about the conclave in this space in the coming months. In the meantime, do yourself a favor: Turn your calendar forward a few months and mark those dates down.

Bumper sticker of the week: Attached to a Dodge pickup truck seen in Bangor on Monday was this outdoors-oriented piece of wisdom: Work is for people who don’t know how to fish.

Maybe. Maybe not. But let’s just hope the inverse is not also true.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.