Open water alternatives are available for anglers

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During what he’s taken to calling “the winter that wasn’t,” Rick Jordan found reason to smile recently.

A man walked into the Jonesboro office of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife biologist and gave Jordan an unsolicited ice report … or so staffers thought.

“He said, ‘There’s 18 inches on Gardner Lake in East Machias,'” Jordan said on Wednesday. “I said, ‘You’re pulling my leg.’ He said, ‘Oh, yeah. Eighteen-inch whitecaps.'”

That’s the kind of winter it has been so far, but Jordan and other state biologists are trying their best to combat the growing ice cabin fever by offering up a few fishing alternatives.

“[The DIF&W office in] Augusta was getting a lot of calls in the last week, saying, ‘Hey, there’s no ice anywhere, we’re getting itchy to fish. Where can we fish?'”

In this week’s “ice fishing report,” compiled by the DIF&W, regional biologists take particular care to caution anglers about the unsafe ice.

They also answer that common question and provide a few open-water alternatives to hold folks over until safe ice forms.

Biologists point out an important fact: Just because there’s no ice, that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and fish in a few select places. There are several rivers and streams across the state that are open year-round, and according to state staffers, looking toward those waterways instead of making a potentially fatal mistake on thin ice is a fine idea.

So, if you really, really can’t wait to do a bit of fishing, here are some options for you. The best part: You won’t even have to worry about the ice.

. Hancock County: You’ve got two choices in the DIF&W’s Downeast Region, according to Jordan.

One is the Orland River in Bucksport, from the outlet of Alamoosook Lake to the dam in Orland.

The other is the Union River, from Graham Lake to the Leonard Lake Dam in Ellsworth.

Jordan says both have been stocked with fall yearling brook trout in the 14- to 16-inch range. The Orland River received 150 of those fish, while the Union got 250.

“On the Orland River, we know some people who have fished there and have caught some of those brook trout,” Jordan said. “It’s something special to be able to go out in January and catch a beautifully colored brook trout in open water even though the calendar says you should be ice fishing.”

. Moosehead Region: If the open water in this area has you down, there’s only one place to go to fill that fishing void.

The Piscataquis River is the only open-water option where fishing is allowed year-round.

But there are miles of river awaiting; fishing is permitted from the dam in Guilford all the way downstream to the Atkinson-Sebec Bridge.

This section of the Piscataquis also benefits from a generous stocking program, and during much of the year some sections are easy to wade. When in doubt, use a wading staff when moving from spot to spot … and watch out for ice.

. Near the Penobscot: If you’re looking for a spot to wet a line in the area the DIF&W defines as its “Penobscot Region,” you’re in luck.

According to Nels Kramer, the state biologist responsible for managing fisheries in this zone, Millinocket Stream is the place to go.

The stream is just north of Millinocket in T1 R8 and is open from the Millinocket Lake Dam downstream to the Millinocket town line.

And Kramer says anglers will have a shot at some nice fish. Enfield hatchery workers stocked 230 yearling brook trout that measured between 14 and 16 inches on Nov. 27.

The stream has a two-trout limit but is otherwise a general law water.

. Central Maine: The Kennebec River is your best bet, the section from Madison to the tidewater. The Shawmut and Benton stretch of water has been stocked with 1,000 fall yearling brown trout.

In addition, the Sebasticook River is open to fishing from the Fort Halifax Dam in Winslow to its confluence with the Kennebec. The regulations to know: Only single-hooked artificial lures are allowed, and there’s a daily bag limit of one salmon, rainbow trout, or brown trout.

If you’re a fly-flinger, you may want to check out the St. George River in the midcoast region. It’s much smaller than the mighty Kennebec and offers a safer wading alternative. State fisheries officials stocked 550 yearling brown trout below Sennebec Lake in Union and 1,000 more at Payson Park in Union. Both spots offer plenty of fishing opportunity.

And finally, DIF&W staffers remind you that all brooks, rivers, and streams that lie between the head of tide and the Atlantic are open year-round.

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