By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
Larry Scholz, the owner of Unc’l Lunkers Bait and Tackle in Bridgton, is pleased with the pace of business now that it has gotten cold enough to make ice fishing the hot ticket activity.
“It is going full tilt,” he said.
Thanks to the start-up of derbies, ice fishing has kicked into high gear this month. If anyone took a drive across the Moose Pond causeway, it was evident how many people partake in ice fishing.
“People are getting out. Moose Pond, this past weekend, had vehicles parked on both sides of the road. The cars were backed up to the fire station over the causeway bridge on both sides,” Scholz said. “The salmon are biting on Moose Pond. That’s kinda pushing people in that direction.”
THE WEATHER REPORT
CDC lays down rules for staying warm outdoors
This past year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has become a household word that is often synonymous with the COVID-19. Certainly, the center does so much more. The CDC provides information for avoiding weather-related health issues such as hypothermia and frost bite. The cautious approach is that when it is really cold, people should limit the length of time they are outside. When there is a wind chill, it is advisable to not have bare skin exposed to the air. Frostbite can happen in minutes.
Most Mainers have learned from trial and error how to best stay warm: what to wear and what to do. Many people have grown to rely on materials like wool and polypro. The CDC recommends dressing warmly and staying dry when going outdoors during the winter. It advises that adults and children should wear:
• A hat
• A scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth
• Sleeves that are snug at the wrist
• Mittens (mittens are warmer than gloves)
• Water-resistant coat and boots
• Several layers of loose-fitting clothing
Layer-up
• Inner Layer: Wear fabrics that will hold more body heat and don’t absorb moisture. Wool, silk or polypropylene will hold more body heat than cotton.
• Insulation Layer: an insulation layer will help you retain heat by trapping air close to your body. Natural fibers like wool, goose down or a fleece work best.
• Outer Layer: The outermost layer helps protects you from wind, rain, and snow. It should be tightly woven, and preferably water and wind resistant to reduce loss of body heat.
Additional tips:
• Stay dry — wet clothing chills the body quickly.
• Excess sweating will cause your body to lose more heat so remove extra layer of clothing whenever you feel too warm • Avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing or fueling your car or using a snow blower. Getting these materials on your skin will cause your body to lose a lot more heat.
• Do not ignore shivering — it’s an important first sign that your body is losing heat. Constant shivering is a sign that it is time to go inside.
• Know the signs of frostbite and hypothermia. — D.D.
Like many outdoors activities since the pandemic began, COVID-19 restrictions have brought some new faces to the fishing scene. Ice-fishing gear has sold out quickly, especially the pop up tents. On the flip side, a good economy in the local construction business has caused some regular customers who work in the construction field to give up ice fishing for a regular paycheck.
Typically, ice fishing is run not by the economy but by the weather.
There is a proverb: As the day lengthens, so the cold strengthens. Scholz believes that proverb will ring true.
The Bridgton businessman is predicting that the cold will stay around long enough to keep ice fishing strong and safe for another 4 to 6 weeks.
“We have a big polar vortex coming in over the next two weeks. That will add a couple inches to the ice,” Scholz said.
“I venture to say there is four to six weeks of good ice fishing left. The next four weeks will be fine and dandy. We will have four strong weeks, and two weekends where it is going to be slowing down a bit,” he said.
Four inches of ice is thick enough to support activities like ice fishing, skating, cross-country skiing and walking. An ice thickness of less than three inches should be avoided.
Earlier this winter, the warmer-than-usual weather postponed ‘ice up’ by about three weeks. The fishing season was “maybe three weeks late not quite a month behind,” Scholz said.
“The best time to make ice is when it is in the single digits. But it will make ice anytime it’s below 32 degrees. It doesn’t make real good ice at 32. You want single digits — more bang for your buck,” he said.
SAFE SHOPPING and GOOD ADVICE
Scholz invited people to his bait shop, which is located 6 Gage Street in Bridgton, before the monument at the top of High Street.
“Business has been fantastic. Once things opened up, we’ve sold many dozens of bait fish,” he said.
“If they want ice traps from here. We could do it outside, or they can come inside with the proper face protection and pick it up,” he said.
Big sellers are: “Ice traps, ice augers, ice shelters, the pop-up tent type — they are picking up a lot of those,” he said. “Keep the kids comfortable. Keep the people comfortable. When it is 10 degrees out and the wind is blowing 15 miles per hour, there is a wind chill. People like to get out of the wind. That’s why the ice shelters went really well this year.”
However, there is the drawback: Because these items are so popular, it is hard to find them on the shelves.
“The one thing about all this ice-fishing equipment. There are so many new people going out and enjoying it and finding out what ice fishing is all about that a lot of places have sold out a good portion of their equipment,” he said.
The newbies aren’t the only ones with the ice augers.
“Oh, yeah, the regular ice fishermen are still out there drilling holes and catching fish,” Scholz said.
He has owned Unc’l Lunkers for 15 years. So, he has had time to observe some trends.
“It’s funny. But Bridgton doesn’t really have the following. It’s not as popular up here as you’d think. People have to work. This year, there is a whole boatload of building going on compared to normal years.”
He mentioned that he hasn’t seen as much of the ice fishermen who work construction during the summer.
“This season, they didn’t get laid off. The slack has been made up by the new people,” he said.
WHERE TO ICE FISH
Some of the fishing spots in Bridgton are: Highland Lake, Moose Pond, Otter Pond, and Long Lake. He suggested getting onto Long Lake by Power House Road, Plumber Landing or at the boat launch in Harrison.
“I tell people go to Moose Pond. You can access on both sides. Off the island or down right off the causeway. That’s the best thing about Moose Pond— because of the road that runs right down through the pond, there is plenty of access. From the island, there is safe parking and you don’t need to get near the highway,” Scholz said.
Because some of the derbies are starting to happen, ice-fishing activities are picking up.
He said unfortunately the childrens’ fishing derby that he held on Highland Lake as part of the Winter Carnival was put on ice since the carnival has been cancelled this year. Still, some derbies are still taking place, with virtual registrations.
No doubt, fishing doubles or triples in its excitement level when winning money is involved.
For a listing of derbies, look up ‘fishing derbies 2021’ on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife website.
“It has been busy with people coming in to buy stuff. People need to get bait. People buying jiggy sticks. They are replacing their older equipment, also,” he said.
“My weekend starts on Friday and runs through Sunday. This past weekend, Friday and Saturday were really busy,” he said. “On Sunday, people backed off a little bit because 1.) it was snowing all day, and 2.) the Superbowl,” he said.
“Even though the Patriots weren’t playing. Tom Brady was. And, people were watching to see if he would get No. 7,” he said.
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