I was speaking to the folks at Town and Lake Motel and Sam-O-Set Cabins in Rangeley, Maine, yesterday. It seems that Mount Blue Pond opened up Saturday evening. The ice is gone. The wind helped move the ice along. And, if all goes as usual, Rangeley Lake will follow shortly.

I threw an e-mail over to my good friend, Shaun Swain, at Rangeley Lake Guide Service. It seems that he was occupied, but his wife Beth, was kind enough to do a little investigative reporting for me. And, even though Rangeley Lake is still mostly frozen, that may change soon. It seems that a small group of men staying in the Rangeley Lake Area are trying to hurry the thaw along. Some of the men have been seen ramming their boats against the ice in a small patch of open water in hopes of gaining more water to fish on. It sounds comical to me. At this time, only a few shores are open. Part of the bay by the public landing is open, and a small area in Greenvale Cove is open. I hope those guys are able to break it up! Ha, Ha, Ha! Better get the Coast Guard or Paulette Bunyan for that.

After speaking with the parties that be (Beth, Mrs. Swain, Rangeley Sports, and Town & Lake), it looks like this is going to be the week that Rangeley Lake opens up. I have already made my reservations. I hope you can get yours, because once this post gets read, good luck!
Rangeley Lake is known for pretty good early open water action. Two things contribute to this. First, Rangeley Lake is closed to ice fishing. Yup, too bad for ice heads, but the fishing is reserved for open water season. Secondly, Rangeley is a well managed fishery. What do I mean by this? It has a one salmon limit. So, if you keep one, you are done for the day. And, the lake and all of its tributaries are closed to the taking of smelt. The more smelt for the Landlocks, the faster the growth rate. I truly love fishing this lake!

The fishing can get a little slow after June, but I have experienced great fishing in July. So, if you take my advice, you will get a present for yourself, or your mother, or your wife. A little Mother's Day present, that is. It's time to head to Rangeley Lake. And, if your wife is not a Fish Head, take the kids and give her a day to relax. I’ll see you at the Town and Lake Motel, or Sam-O-Set Cabins this season. Tell them Marc, the Fish Head, sent you.

Be safe and have fun fishing!

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