Spring is Sprung

Jeff Reardon

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There are many definitions of a north country spring, and they don't all come at the same time. We're north enough for late season snow well past official spring in most years, and this year April was cruel indeed cruel, with much of northern New England seeing not just one, but two plowable snowstorms in April. Spread out from late March to early April are any number of officials starts of spring: Ice out on the lakes; spring peepers and wood frogs; paired up wood ducks on the little pocket ponds; gobbling turkeys; fox kits poking their noses out of the den to toss around old scraps of deer hide or bones; the early wild flowers--trout lily is usually first here; fiddleheads ripe for harvest.

Spring sprung for real this year on May 1, with the convergence of some key events.

(1) Peas, spinach and radishes, foolishly planted before the last of those snowstorms, are poking up in the garden. Indeed, broccoli and lettuce starts are hardening off and ready to go in; the rest of seedlings will follow between now and June 1. The daffodils are blooming. The red maples are showing how they got their name.
(2) The first brook trout of the season have been caught. Since I discovered the one wild trout stream in my little town, my ceremonial trout has come from the bottom of the hill on a neighbor's farm from the appropriately-named Spring Brook. Three came to hand Saturday--one a corker of 11", huge for a stream I'll be able to step across in a few weeks. Local lore says the trout fishing turns on when the colts foot is blooming. Sure enough, the patch in the ditch up the road from the house was bright yellow when I passed on my way to the stream. No fish were harmed, but I did snag bottom and lose a nice trolling spoon.
(3) The ground has dried out enough to pull the boat and trailer out of the boat barn, which is off pavement and requires crossing a notorious spring mud hole that has never mired my truck, but did come close once. The old 15 HP Yamaha, now approaching 40, started on the third pull, and the afternoon was warm enough to launch the boat in Crocs and a T-shirt for a ceremonial buzz around the pond, following by a fruitless hour of trolling for the elusive lake trout of Narrows Pond.

Not a bad Sunday.

Real trout fishing in the north country is next, as the ice is going fast on my favorite ponds.
 
That sounds like a very nice way to start spring out! Down here we are almost to summer....days are pushing 90 but we are still in the low 60s at night. Soon though summer will be here for about 8 months....
 
Just took a quick break from work to plant a dozen broccoli seedlings. Spring is truly sprung--the black flies are out!
 
Jeff Reardon said:
Just took a quick break from work to plant a dozen broccoli seedlings. Spring is truly sprung--the black flies are out!

We'll be heading up soon to chase those brookies, Jeff. Lots of spring cleanup needed around the house, nice to hear that the bloodsucking greeters are out already. [pirate]
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Jeff Reardon said:
Just took a quick break from work to plant a dozen broccoli seedlings. Spring is truly sprung--the black flies are out!

We'll be heading up soon to chase those brookies, Jeff. Lots of spring cleanup needed around the house, nice to hear that the bloodsucking greeters are out already. [pirate]

Probaby none at Moosehead yet. May be up next weekend with a friend who has a camp at First Roach.
 
Sounds beautiful.
We?re already in early summer. I?ve harvested my first cherry tomatoes and green pepper. Okra is about 6? tall and yard-long bean vines are growing.
Spanish mackerel are running too. But I haven?t had time to go yet.
 
Jeff Reardon said:
SJ Fairbank said:
Jeff Reardon said:
Just took a quick break from work to plant a dozen broccoli seedlings. Spring is truly sprung--the black flies are out!

We'll be heading up soon to chase those brookies, Jeff. Lots of spring cleanup needed around the house, nice to hear that the bloodsucking greeters are out already. [pirate]

Probaby none at Moosehead yet. May be up next weekend with a friend who has a camp at First Roach.

We're planning to troll First Roach this year, I haven't fished it for a number of years. I had breakfast at Kokadjo in March while on a snowsled trip. Sitting in the dining room looking at the lake got me thinking about it. I wonder if the water in First Roach is up? Based on the Brookfield site numbers, Moosehead is topped out.
 
It really isn't spring until the blackfly hatch and the last snow storm (Mothers day) has passed. Sometimes on the same day!
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Jeff Reardon said:
SJ Fairbank said:
Jeff Reardon said:
Just took a quick break from work to plant a dozen broccoli seedlings. Spring is truly sprung--the black flies are out!

We'll be heading up soon to chase those brookies, Jeff. Lots of spring cleanup needed around the house, nice to hear that the bloodsucking greeters are out already. [pirate]

Probaby none at Moosehead yet. May be up next weekend with a friend who has a camp at First Roach.

We're planning to troll First Roach this year, I haven't fished it for a number of years. I had breakfast at Kokadjo in March while on a snowsled trip. Sitting in the dining room looking at the lake got me thinking about it. I wonder if the water in First Roach is up? Based on the Brookfield site numbers, Moosehead is topped out.

I'll get a First Roach update from my buddy with the camp later today, but we had a decent snowpack and a pretty wet April, and pretty substantial rain again today. I think most dam-controlled lakes are at or near full pond. Most of Brookfield's dams are now dumping water. East Outlet was running 7,000+ cfs for a few days last week and is still at 4400.
 
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