With the early departure of winter’s ice and snow, it is now time to get out and enjoy the rebirth of the earth as spring’s greens rapidly reclaim the landscape.

To date, we have largely escaped the spring showers, frost heaves, muddy roads and high waters of mud season. If we can also avoid the black fly season, the Adirondack region may actually be considered habitable in future years.

So far the spring weather has been outstanding, even though the fishing has been a bit slow. However, it is important for anglers to remember the season has been advanced by almost a month, due to one of the earliest ice-outs in recorded history on many of the local lakes and ponds.

While anglers continue to report sporadic success, it is still very early in the season, and many of the typical food sources that trout prey upon have yet to appear. There have been very few flies in the air, or minnows, salamanders or smelt in the waters. Despite an unusually early ice-out, the traditional feeding patterns of trout are likely to remain on the same schedule they always have.

As a result, current-day anglers should stick to the same old basic angling methods that have been responsible for putting fish in the creel for more than a century. It may take a bit more time before the fish “turn on,” however I expect they will be active by the first week of May, as always.

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Trout fishing 101

My old friend, the late Pat Sisti, used to offer a course for beginning trout anglers. The subject matter of his presentation was largely devoted to tips and techniques that could be used for fishing brook trout, splake and lakers on the local lakes and ponds.

In his talks, Pat stressed the importance of being consistently quiet while on the water. He preferred to use a lightweight Lost Pond canoe that he had fitted out with oars for trolling. He had also lined the interior of the canoe with foam rubber padding that made it quiet and provided insulation from the cold boat bottom. Essentially, he created a miniature SportsPal/ Raddison canoe, which are still the most common boat on the ponds when the ice goes out.

Traditionally, brook trout anglers tend to troll for their catch by using a combination of a Lake Clear Wabbler trailing a snelled hook tipped with a worm or night crawler. When using this rig, it is important to have a light touch and a good snap-swivel. If you reel in a Wabbler, rather than retrieve it by pumping the rod, the line will become seriously tangled.

Pat always stressed the importance of catch-and-release angling, and often crimped the barbs on his hooks to ensure a safe release. I subscribe to a similar policy, although I also release a fair share of my catch into a frying pan.

Increasingly, brook trout anglers have been experimenting with a variety of new baits that are now on the market. These “soft baits” may appear to be similar to the rubber worms that have long been popular with bass anglers.

However, the new age “worms” are no longer made out of rubber. Rather, they are molded into a wide variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. They are also edible and biodegradable, with no petroleum products.

I know several anglers who now use them exclusively, especially during the early season when leeches and salamanders provide a major portion of a trout’s diet. While smelt, suckers and minnows will become the major food source by the end of April, brookies will never pass up a chance to slurp down a juicy leech.

I’ve already put in a few days on the ponds, and the fishing has been rather slow. The best action has been found in deeper waters, in and around structures, inlets and outlets.

Moving waters near inlets, outlets and tributaries always provide a variety of food sources, with the annual smelt run set to begin this weekend. I expect to be out there, trolling streamer flies and casting a variety of silver/pink colored lures and jigs.

Water temperatures have warmed considerably in recent days due to the hot sun. Weather patterns have remained consistent, although it wouldn’t hurt matters to have a low pressure front with clouds and light winds arrive on the scene.

Possibly the best lesson that Pat used to provide was the importance of innovating, changing your offerings and trying something different. While traditional techniques continue to put fish on the table, it never hurts to try something new. Often, you’ll be surprised by the results.