THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, February 16, 2012
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by Peter Grasso Contributing Writer
If my calculations are
somewhat correct, by the time this article reaches print, we should be count- ing down to about 60-days prior to salmon fishing. As usual, once the boat is put away for the win- ter, I begin thinking about spring. My wife says that this is the only thing that gets me through the winter months. Now that I am re- tired, it makes it worse as I’m just in the way most of the time. We have already started
taking bookings for the spring ice-out fishing and my predictions are that we will have some real nice fish the first two weeks af- ter ice-out, whenever that might be. It’s always a “Roll of the Dice” to attempt to establish just when we can begin charters. “Most” of the time I am pretty much on schedule, but I do get caught on occasion. As a rule, I like to begin scheduling about the 21st of April. That usually gives me time to get into the wa- ter and make a couple of “Shakedown” runs before I begin my regular season. Again, as usual, I have a “Will Call” list of folks that will fish at the drop of a hat, if ice goes out early, as it did in 2010. Once the beginning of
February is here, I will look over my inventory of flies and tie up what I think I will need for the season. This is also the time to take a couple of days and head down to the Worcester and Springfield shows. Great way to get out of the house for a day and stimulate the juices for the beginning of the season. It’s also a great time to socialize with friends that I see only once or twice a year.
I think it’s going to be
interesting to see what fuel will be available this year. When we were in NY, last fall, the marina had ethanol free marine fuel available. Of course it only makes sense that if you take something OUT of the fuel, you have to charge more for it??? In any case, in the long run, it’s worth the extra few cents per gal- lon. We’ll just have to wait and see. With any luck at all, it
should be an easy launch this year as there are NO major (or minor) repairs or replacements that are needed for the “Dr. Hook.” Dave serviced and tuned the motors all up last fall, so they should be ready to go. Gotta tell you, routine
maintenance is the ONLY way to go. I could never understand how careless some folks are with their equipment. Boats don’t get properly winterized and when spring comes, they get all upset at the mari- nas because that can’t fix them “Right NOW!” Come on folks, take the time, do it right. Take care of your equipment and you will not be disappointed when the time comes to use it. I think the next item
on the work agenda, is to check over the “Jig Boxes” and make sure that they are all in good shape. I like to give them a shot of WD- 40 at the beginning of the season, even though they are pretty much mainte- nance free. When you hit the water
in late April – early May, keep in mind that most of your fish will all come from the top 15 feet of wa- ter. You really don’t need downriggers and all that to target these fish. Also, a good assortment of #4, single hook, streamer flies
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS If you take your limit
should do the trick. As usual, I will be sticking to barbless hooks again. This appears to cause little damage to the fish. Using the jig boxes, 99% of our fish are lip hooked and will fall right off when in the net. This facilitates release of the fish, and in most cases, without touching the fish at all. Please keep in mind the
changes that Fish and Game made to the rules last year. “Catch, Kill or Release.” NO fish in the
live well for “Culling.” Fur- thermore, don’t be a fish hog.
in the morning, call it a day and don’t go back out in the afternoon and take more fish. I know it’s done. I’ve seen it. Please, be re- spectful of the resource. As of this date, I have
not heard of any estab- lished date for the Winni Derby, but I’m sure it will take place. On this note, I would suggest that you all observe the rules and regu- lations as a token of re-
spect for the Winni Derby’s late originator, Rick Davis, who passed away last fall. Without Rick, there never would have been a Winni Derby. Rick was a great conservationist and will long be remembered for his efforts in preserving the salmon population on Win- nipesaukee. With all that in mind,
gear up for a great sea- son and most of all “Have Fun!”
Later……….. Capt. Pete
Only One Available Close by March 15 and
enjoy 6 months on us!
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