Fight back against winter: Dream of warmer things!

A snowstorm every three days through the month of February? Fine. We’re in Maine. Below freezing temps in early March? Ditto. But here we are, on the cusp of spring as I write this, and it’s still 15 degrees out. And the wind is blowing. And there’s 3 feet of snow on my lawn.

Guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville (right) takes a photo of Jasper Walsh fishing in the East Outlet of the Kennebec River during a drift boat trip on Sunday, June 15, 2012. Walsh, of Newburgh, won the BDN's annual "Win a Drift Boat Trip" contest in 2012. When Legere stopped on a sandbar to prepare lunch, Walsh was tempted by rising fish in the river and waded in to cast flies to them. BDN photo by John Holyoke

Guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville (right) takes a photo of Jasper Walsh fishing in the East Outlet of the Kennebec River during a drift boat trip on Sunday, June 15, 2012. Walsh, of Newburgh, won the BDN’s annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest in 2012. When Legere stopped on a sandbar to prepare lunch, Walsh was tempted by rising fish in the river and waded in to cast flies to them. BDN photo by John Holyoke

Enough is enough. I want green grass. I want ice to melt. I want some balmy 40-degree days. Is that too much to ask?

Editor’s Note: Me too, John. Me too.

If you’re with me, and you’re willing to ignore whatever Mother Nature throws at us this weekend — I’m hearing snow is on the horizon again — do yourself a favor and dream with me: Warm weather. Warm water. Time to hop in the boat and enjoy summer.

Dreaming time is over. Back to reality.

And the reality is, we’ve had quite a winter for ice-and-snow lovers. If you’re among those who are still enjoying the winter-that-won’t end, we want to hear from you.

How has the fishing been? How much ice is there still on your favorite lake or pond? How are the snowmobile trails holding up? How much longer do you think those trails will be open and available to riders?

And perhaps most importantly, how long do you think it’ll be before we’ll actually get to celebrate spring and get stuck in the mud?

The groundhog told us it’d be six weeks … but that was going on seven weeks ago. Granted, it’s a long way from here to Punxsutawney, but still, spring must be coming. Right?

In a related question, do you have plans to take part in our annual April Fool’s endeavor, the traditional opening day of open-water fishing season? And if so, do you think you’ll find any open water to wet a line?

As for me, I’m planning a trip to Grand Lake Stream. That is, to quote one of my favorite Maine authors, Randy Spencer, “where clear waters flow,” after all.

Maybe there will be snow on the banks of the stream. Perhaps I’ll have to slide down the slope like an otter just to get into the famous Dam Pool.

But if there’s open water to be had — even if it’s 34-degree water — I want to be in it.

After the winter we’ve had, any piece of water that’s not frozen solid is a step in the right direction, I figure.

Presque Isle show on tap

If you’re not in the Bangor area and are looking for another (indoor) outdoor experience, the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club has just what you’re looking for.

The group’s 2015 Sportsman’s Show will be held this weekend at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Gentile Building.

Show hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free for those age 10 and younger. Everyone else gets in for $5.

If you stop by the Presque Isle show, be sure to stop by the Bangor Daily News booth and sign up for a chance to go fishing with me and guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville during our annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” promotion.

On June 14, Legere will take our lucky winner on a full-day fly-fishing drift of the East Outlet of the Kennebec River, where we’re sure to catch plenty of fish and have a fantastic day on the water. I’ll be on hand to cast a few flies, tell a few lies (we call ‘em “fish tales,”) and act as ballast. I’ll also write a column about our trip the following week.

This is the last show we’ll be accepting entry forms, and we’re going to draw the name of our winner on Tuesday, March 24. If you’ve still got an entry form that you need to mail to us, do so soon … or stop by our new BDN offices at One Merchants Plaza, right in the middle of downtown Bangor.

Or, if you want to enter the contest online, visit https://www.facebook.com/bdnmaineoutdoors?sk=app_512541485429310 and fill out our digital form.

We’ll announce this year’s winner in our BDN Outdoors newsletter, “Word from the Woods,” next Wednesday. If you’re not yet a subscriber to that weekly offering, which colleague Aislinn Sarnacki and I produce each week, you can begin receiving it by going to http://bangordailynews.com/newsletters/?ref=outdoors and clicking on the “Outdoors” tab.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.