Is your boat ready? Have you taken your canoe or kayak out of the shed yet? If you haven't, you better make it a high priority!

I've been talking to people around Sebago Lake, and it looks like the lake is ready for some hot activity. The rain and wind has helped knock down most of the ice and the smelt run will be happening soon. It makes me want to cry. I still haven't taken my boat out of storage yet. But this is the week.....and I have decided to set my priorities and get that old girl ready.

I have targeted various waters in the past, but Sebago has always eluded me. Oh, I'd make the occasional jaunt to the lake, but I never really fished it hard. To target a lake like Sebago, you have to be plugged in. Plugged into a good stream of information. And, last year that stream presented itself to me at the Fryburg Fair. I was as surprised as you. Good fishing information at a fall fair?

But there it was....steering me right in the face.... The Sebago Lake Anglers Association. They had a booth set up at the fair with alluring fish mounts and seasoned fisherman that almost scared me away. My wife wanted to know what I was afraid of. I knew what it was! I knew that once I started talking to these folks, I would have a hard time pulling myself away. And I was right! I talked for over an hour and ended up joining the crew.

It was through this Association that I made connections with Larry Lewis, Greg Cutting and Dennis Fecteau. All seasoned Sebago Lake Anglers. And what great information they shared with me.

My friends at On The Water magazine were so interested in my findings they agreed running an article on some of their ice fishing antics and advice last February. Now, that spring has arrived, I'm going to tickle the toes of these seasoned anglers and see what they have to say about spring and summer fishing on the lake. And with water as big as Sebago, I'll need all the advice I can get.

The gear is in place and the boat is ready to be dusted off. Let's see what this lake has to offer!

The outlook for Sebago Lake Toque fishing is excellent this year. Anglers should focus their early efforts on the area just south of the Sebago State Park access and areas off of Wards Cove with access from Nason's Beach.

Speaking of access, I just got off the phone with Greg Cutting of Jordans Store in Sebago. As of yesterday, the State Park still had the chain across it and Sebago Lake Station (at the intersections of Rt. 114 and 35) was still iced in. There is some good news though, Nason's Beach is open. Carroll Cutting, Greg's father, saw a five pound Landlocked Salmon today at Jordans store. No information was available on depth or the presentation being used. But I do know it was caught off of the Nason's Beach area. Live or dead smelt work well on Sebago Lake. As far as trolling speed with these presentations is concerned, slow as you can go seems to be the consensus. So if you are looking for action on Sebago this weekend, Nason's Beach is the place to head to. Jordan's store is also near by if you need to gear up or buy grub.

The outlook for early Pike fishing on Sebago looks slow, but as more interest and effort is put into targeting the species, I believe the catch rate will increase. Rumor has it that a twelve and a half pounder was taken out of the lake in the past several years. If this is true, the illegally introduced Pike population has established itself.

If you are an early Pike fisherman, try a floating bait rig in the shallows with dead or live bait. Pike are early spawners and move into spawn before the ice is out. Try fishing grassy or stemy shallows. Allow Pike to run a before setting the hook. Open-reel bait fishing is the preference in the early season; large spinners will be more productive as the water column temps approach the 55* mark. Pike in Sebago are often a by-catch. If you target them, your results will increase in proportion to the amount of effort you put in. Fishing is all about time on the water.

Be safe and have fun fishing!