Ice Fishing On Big Wood Pond In Jackman Maine

Big Wood Pond - February 10-13, 2020

The View From Sally Mountain Cabins in Jackman, ME

My Personal Best Brook Trout

If your idea of winter fun is chillin in a cozy wood-stove heated bobhouse while catching plenty of Brook Trout, Splake, and Salmon, then Jackman Maine is the place to go.  This was our fourth winter trip to Jackman.  We started way back when the kids were young.  Cynthia and I both grew up in Northern New England.  Bringing our Cape Cod kids to Maine during the February break was a way to show them what a real winter was like while enjoying some fun winter sports.  Ice Fishing, Cross-country skiing, and skating were all on the agenda.  For the last three winters, Cynthia and I went to Lake Winnipesaukee for our ice fishing vacation.  This year we decided to go back to Jackman for a change of scenery.  

Family Ice Fishing On Big Wood Pond

Sally Mountain Cabins is located on the eastern shore of Big Wood Pond within walking distance of the center of town.  The cabins are very comfortable and include a fully equipped kitchen.  My favorite amenities though are the bobhouse rentals and the on-site bait shack.  The bobhouses are heated with a small wood stove (firewood provided).  Guests can help themselves to smelt and shiners and just add the cost to the final bill.

Scuppy And Choggie Hoggin' The Woodstove

We booked our cabin well in advance since both of us needed to request time off from work.  Fortunately we got lucky with the weather.  The days before we arrived had temperatures in the teens and a wicked windchill.  On the days we fished temps were in the low 30s, with a light breeze, and gentle snow flurries.  In other words, perfect ice fishing weather.  Any warmer and the surface becomes wet and slushy which is problematic.  One day in the middle of the week was colder and windier, so we took a break and went sightseeing in Quebec which is only 17 miles away.

On the first day we started catching fish before all the holes were drilled. This trend continued throughout the week and we never did need to use all ten lines as allowed by the regulations.  The first fish was a small Landlocked Salmon followed by a few Yellow Perch.  More Perch soon followed.  Around noon the action slowed down so we heated up a pot of chili on the wood stove. Before I could even take my first bite the tip-up flags started to pop up again.  It seemed as though the Brook Trout had also decided to eat lunch.  We caught three beautiful Brook Trout of which two were kept for dinner.  Altogether we caught one Landlocked Salmon, three Brook Trout, eight Yellow Perch, and two Fallfish.  

A Pair Of Brook Trout

Landlocked Salmon

The next day played out almost exactly like the previous day with two Salmon caught in the morning, Yellow Perch hitting the bait all day, one Fallfish, and two Brook Trout in the afternoon. Cynthia caught our largest Salmon yet, a fourteen incher.  

Cynthia Holding Her Salmon

Fallfish

On the third day we decided to take a side trip to the Canadian province of Quebec.  The road from Jackman to the international border has to be one of the worse roads that I’ve ever driven on.  The road improved greatly once we crossed over into Quebec.

We drove the the nearest large town, Saint-Georges, an attractive town located on the Chaudiere River.  The best feature of the town is the riverside park.  The park covers riverbanks on both sides and is connected by two covered pedestrian bridges.  The trails were all plowed, sanded, and salted.  It has all the usual park amenities such as playgrounds, picnic spots, and an area for dogs.  What makes this spot special and unusual is the many modern art sculptures scattered throughout the entire park.  After an enjoyable walk with the dogs we found a nice pub where we could eat lunch.  We got gourmet pizzas and a side order of poutine.  What is poutine?  It’s the ultimate French Canadian comfort food.  The three main ingredients are french fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy.  A spicy modern variation uses barbeque sauce instead of the gravy. Best of all we had enough leftovers to enjoy the following day while out on the ice.  Sure the fries were a bit soggy the second time around but ice fishing makes a person hungry enough to eat just about anything that qualifies as food for humans. 

 

Poutine

Our last day of fishing was the best one of all.  By the end of the day we caught four small Landlocked Salmon, two Splake, two Brook Trout, and nine Yellow Perch.  Splake are a hybrid cross between a Brook Trout (aka Speckled Trout) and a Lake Trout.  They closely resemble a Brook Trout.  They are identified by the caudal fin which is more deeply forked than the Brookie’s squared tail.  Splake also typically lack the red spots with a blue halo that is are found on Brook Trout. The highlight of the day was a personal best Brook Trout. It was eighteen inches long had a ten inch girth and weighed two and a half pounds.

Brook Trout

Splake

That night we feasted on trout seasoned with a honey mustard & dill marinade. Delish!  By morning the temperature had dropped to the single digits with the windchill well below zero. We were glad not to be fishing that day and instead to be driving home in a warm automobile.  However as we worked our way back to Cape Cod my thoughts were on planning the next Maine ice fishing trip.  

Trout Cooked Dill & Honey-Musterd

2019 Species List

Burbot
Lake Winnipesauki, Gilford, NH

One of the most satisfying aspects of fishing is the pursuit of different species.  My goal is to catch as many species as I can in one year.  This approach is similar to the activities of birdwatchers.  My birdwatching past is what inspired me to take a species diversification approach to fishing.

Here's the list for 2019.  A total of sixty three species were caught, same total as in 2018 Twenty one species were caught in freshwater. Forty three species were caught in saltwater which is a new record for me. . One species, Brown Trout, was caught in both fresh and salt water. The list includes six new species, Checkered Pufferfish, Cottonwick Grunt, Striped Grunt, Vemillion Snapper, Green Moray, and Yellowfin Mojarra.  All of these were caught during a vacation to Belize.  The list also includes quite few species that I haven’t caught in recent years.  Some examples of these are Great Barracuda, Little Skate, Acadian Redfish, Spanish Mackerel, Lane Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Schoolmaster Snapper and Grey Snapper to name a few.

All species are listed by one or more common names followed by the scientific name.  The number indicates how many were caught during the year. Letters following the number indicate mode of fishing (see key).  Also included are the locations where each species was caught in 2019.

Mode Key:

K  kayak, canoe, or rowboat

SH shore

MB private motorboat

PB party boat

CH charter boat

IF ice fishing

Saltwater

Bluefish
Popponesset Bay, Mashpee, MA

1. Acadian Redfish, Sebastes fasciatus (1) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank

2. Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua (58) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank, Browns Ledge 

3. Atlantic Mackerel, Scomber scombrus (132)  SH, PB

Location(s): Cape Cod Canal, Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank

4. Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata (125) MB, CH, SH, K

Location(s): Westport MA, Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Woods Hole MA, Browns Ledge

5. Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (37) SH

Location(s): Oregon Beach Cotuit MA, Popponesset Bay Mashpee MA, Cape Cod Bay, Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Dowses Beach Osterville MA

6. Blue Runner, Caranx crysos (3) K, SH

Location(s): Dowses Beach Osterville MA

7. Bonito, Sarda sarda (3) SH

Location(s): Cape Cod Canal, Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

8. Brown Trout (Sea-run), Salmo trutta (1) SH

Location(s): Scorton Creek Sandwich MA

9. Checkered Pufferfish, Sphoeroides spengleri (2) CH, SH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

10. Cottonwick Grunt, Haemulon melanurum  (1) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

11. Cunner (aka Bergall, Choggie), Tautogolabrus adspersus  (9) MB  

Location(s): Browns Ledge, Cape Cod Canal, Plymouth Bay

12. Cusk, Brosme brosme (1) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank

13. False Albacore Euthynnus alletteratus (1) SH

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

14. Fluke (aka Summer Flounder), Paralichthys dentatus (7) MB

Location(s): Westport MA

15.Great Barrcuda, Sphyraena barracuda (2) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

16. Green Moray Eel, Gymnothorax funebris (1) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

17. Grey Snapper, Lutjanus griseus (7) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

18. Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus (26) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank

19. Inshore Lizardfish, Synodus foetens (1) K

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

20. Little Skate, Leucoraja erinacea (1)  PB

Location(s):  Cape Cod Bay

21. Lane Snapper, Lutjanus synagris (11) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

22. Menhaden (aka Bunker, Pogy), Brevoortia tyrannus (23) K, SH

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Dowses Beach Osterville MA, Popponesset Bay Mashie MA

23. Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis (7) SH

Location(s): Parker River Yarmouth MA

24. Northern Puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus (7) K

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

25. Northern Sea Robin, Prionotus carolinus (1) K

Location(s): Westport MA

26. Pollock (aka Coalfish), Pollachius virens  (15) SH, MB, PB 

Location(s): Cape Cod Canal, Inner Mayo Ledge Westport MA, Cape Cod Bay

27. Red Hake (aka Ling), Urophycis chuss (5) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank

28. Schoolmaster Snapper, Lutjanus apodus (1) SH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

29. Sculpin, Myoxocephalus scorpius (4) PB

Location(s): Stellwagen Bank

30. Scup (aka Porgy), Stenotomus chysops (86) K, MB, SH

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Westport MA, Browns Ledge, Dowses Beach Osterville MA, Inner Mayo Ledge Westport MA

31. Silverside, Menida menida (2) SH 

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

32. Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus canis (2) MB

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Westport MA

33. Spanish Mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus (2) SH

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA

34. Spiny Dogfish, Squalus acanthias (7) PB

Location(s):  Northeast of Stellwagen Bank, Coxes Ledge

35. Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis (13) K, SH, MB

Location(s): Popponesset Bay Mashpee MA, Cape Cod Canal, Westport River, Dowses Beach Osterville MA

36. Striped Grunt, Haemulon striatum (1) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

37. Striped Sea Robin, Prionotus evolans (14) K, MB

Location(s): Megansett Harbor North Falmouth MA, Westport MA, Cape Cod Bay

38. Tautog, Tautoga onitis (24) MB

Location(s): Inner Mayo Ledge Westport MA, Browns Ledge

39. Windowpane Flounder, Scophthalmus aquosus (1)  PB

Location(s):  Cape Cod Bay

40. Winter Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (10)  PB

Location(s):  Cape Cod Bay

41. Vermillion Snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens (2) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

42. Yellowfin Mojarra, Gerres cinereus (2) SH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

43. Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyrus chrysurur (1) CH

Location(s): Caye Caulker Belize

Freshwater

Northern Pike
Buck Pond, Vermontville, NY

1. Black Crappie,  Pomoxis nigromaculatus (1) SH

Location(s): Mill Pond Wareham MA

2. Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus (5) SH, K

Location(s):  Lake Winnipesaukee NH, Childs River Falmouth MA

3. Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis  (3) SH

Location(s): Grews Pond Falmouth MA, Scargo Lake Dennis MA

4. Brown Bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus (1) SH

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashie MA

5. Brown Trout, Salmo trutta (12) SH

Location(s): Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA, Scargo Lake Dennis MA, Hamblin Pond Barnstable MA, Grews Pond Falmouth MA, Pimlico Pond Sandwich MA

6. Burbot (aka Cusk), Lota lota (3) IF

Location(s): Lake Winnipesaukee NH

7. Chain Pickerel, Esox niger  (15) IF  

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashpee MA, Pocassett River Bourne MA, Lake Winnipesaukee NH, Lake Wentworth Wolfboro NH

8. Fallfish, Semotilus corporalis (4)  SH

Location(s): Spicket River Salem NH

9. Golden Shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas (7) SH

Location(s): Spicket River Salem NH, Lake Winnipesaukee NH, Buck Pond Vermolntsville NY

10. Lake Trout, Salvelinus namaycush (1) IF

Location(s): Lake Winnipesaukee NH

11. Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides  (19) SH 

Location(s): Mill Pond Wareham MA, Pimlico Pond Sandwich MA, Hathaway Pond Barnstable MA, Shubael Pond Barnstable MA, Scargo Lake Dennis MA, Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA, Coonamesset River Falmouth MA, Coonamesset Pond Falmouth MA, Wequaquet Pond Barnstable MA, Buck Pond Vermolntsville NY

12. Landlocked Salmon, Salmo salar sebego (1) IF 

Location(s): Lake Winnipesaukee NH

13. Northern Pike, Esox lucius (4) K

Location(s): Buck Pond Vermolntsville NY

14. Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus (24)  SH, K

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashpee, Lake Winnipesaukee NH, Buck Pond Vermolntsville NY

15. Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss  (8) SH 

Location(s): Grews Pond Falmouth MA, Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA, Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Mashie MA

16. Redbreast Sunfish, Lepomis auritus  (6) SH 

Location(s): Spicket River Salem NH

17. Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu (11) SH

Location(s): Scargo Lake Dennis MA, Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA

18. Tiger Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis X Salmo trutta Hybrid (2) SH

Location(s): Scargo Lake Dennis MA, Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA

19. White Perch, Morone americanus  (1) SH

Location(s): Santuit Pond Mashpee MA

20. White Sucker, Catostomus commersonii (3) SH

Location(s): Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Mashie MA

21. Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens  (874) IF, SH, K

Location(s): Lake Winnipesaukee Moultonborough NH, Spicket River Salem NH, Hathaway Pond Barnstable MA, Mill Pond Wareham MA, Pimlico Pond Sandwich MA, Spectacle Pond Sandwich MA, Santuit Pond Mashpee MA, Buck Pond Vermolntsville NY