Featured Attraction At Maine's January Ice Fishing Derby - Daylong Rain

[hatrack]

During the Maine Ice Angler's Association Derby held in Dexter on Jan. 14, it poured all day. No one expected a good turnout. But Maine's diehard ice fishing crowd packed the ice, said Jim Nicholas of PJ's Bait and Sport Shop in Dexter.

"Early Saturday, it was foggy and you couldn't see 10 yards. You could hear people talking and augers running. At 10:30 the fog lifted and there were people everywhere. It was amazing," he said. The deluge that followed didn't deter him, or the nearly 150 participants that took part in the derby that day. "It started raining but it was in the 50s. We stayed out there the whole day . . . just changed our clothes three times," Nicholas said.

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"A friend of mine decided to sell his snowmobiles. He got sick of having to drive so far to find snow," said Keith Robinson, president of the Gardiner Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club. Robinson said he's not quite ready for that yet, but the day may not be far off. "In 10 or 15 years, I don't believe there'll be anymore snowmobiling in central Maine, except for possibly after a big snowstorm. The line keeps moving north," he said. Robinson said he enjoys maintaining and riding central Maine's snowmobile trails. "The party is over, it's really a shame. I don't think we'll be able to maintain a viable system of snowmobile trails in this area much longer. We'll just have to keep going farther and farther north," he said.

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At Eaton Mountain in Skowhegan, general manager Gene Kent could do nothing but state the obvious. "It's been horrible, of course. Nobody actually comes out and skis when you get an inch and a half of rain," he said. But, like most central Maine outdoorspeople, he's learned to work around the weather. "Our snowmakers have been working nonstop. Because of that, we're in pretty good shape," he said. His biggest problem, besides fuel prices for running his snow machines? "Getting the public to realize you can go skiing when the tulips are coming up in the backyard," he said.

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http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/2345761.shtml

[Atman]

1. We had to head almost to Canada last weekend to find snow

But boy, did we luck out! After a week of spring-like upper 50's weather, we expected to find mud and sticks up there. And on Saturday that is just what we found. But we got up early Sunday and drove further north to Jay Peak, VT, and it had snowed all night. Beautiful, perfect, fluffy powder! All to ourselves! Everyone had gone home during the rain. Maybe a few dozen cars were in the States lot. I had at least three runs on which I didn't see one single person all the way down. It was amazing.

So Monday we wake up at Stowe, where my wife is attending a conference. I hit Mt. Mansfield for first run while she attends a lecture. It starts snowing on my way up the lift. And never stops, all day. Heavier and heavier. Fresh powder every run. Freakin' heaven! Tuesday, another day at Stowe. 8:00 am, first chair...all that powder from Monday had been augmented with fake snow and grooming. It was totally sick...a week before we were fearing a wasted trip with no snow. Now here we were, near-perfect conditions. I rode many miles that day, quitting at 3:00 pm. We loaded the car and headed for Stratton, where another snowstorm dumped almost a foot. What a week!

And today, it is in the upper fifties again, and raining. This can't be good.

[hatrack]

2. Not being from N. England, I can't speak definitively, but . . .

Isn't the kind of weather you're describing kind of, uh . . . weird?

[Atman]

4. To say the least

Especially that far north. I started out the season early...we had lots of snow in December and I got five days in before the January thaw. Usually it's the other way around, you have to search for snow and play it day-to-day in December, but there's alway plenty of snow by January. It also impacts the length of season, as the only way the slopes can stay open into March is if there is enough snowpack to withstand the inevitable spring warmth. That snowpack should already be well established, but we're still seeing many resorts only partially opened, and a surprising amount of bare ground. But then again...I say this after just finishing four days of the most incredible riding ever, in nearly a foot of perfect powder in some places. But it's spring-warm and raining again! I swear, the crocuses are gonna be poppin' up soon!

[Viking12]

3. Here in WI, we've had rain ruin the ice fishing season too :(

I am an avid ice angler and I spend a lot of time on the ice in search of the elusive walleye. We've had poor ice conditions all winter, then we had driving rain Saturday and Sunday which all but ended the season. Where I was driving my van on the ice at this time last year is open water today. My fishing club had to cancel it's annual ice fishing fundraiser that was scheduled for next week.