Breakup is on the horizon

The trees in my driveway are already starting to bud and the snow is beginning to melt from my roof. Combined with longer days and ample sunshine can mean only one thing: spring is just around the corner, and in fact, the day this article is published will be on the first official day of spring. With such crazy winter weather this year, cold temperatures that have stretched into March and a considerable snow load in some parts of the Valley, I believe we are still a few weeks away from breakup.

I’ve had a busy winter working several different jobs that have kept me from ice fishing much, and I’m itching to get a rod in my hand! March is prime time for targeting pike as the fish begin to move towards their spawning grounds. This could quite possibly be the best part of winter to target one of the large, toothy specimens. But do be aware of conditions as temperatures warm and the safety of the ice begins to melt. No fish is worth losing a life over… or your vehicle.

Open water fishing might be more than a month away, but that time will fly and soon I’ll be flipping a line into the flowing creeks of the Susitna drainage. Before you know it, the terns will be dive-bombing salmon smolts as they head down river and I’ll be throwing small streamers to the hungry trout below.

With my new packraft, I’m excited to poke around the local lakes in Willow this spring in search of pike and other fishes that would be otherwise inaccessible or incredibly more difficult to access with heavier, larger watercraft. There are several hike-in lakes and small ponds that deserve exploring and I’m eager to get started as soon as the ice melts. The new packraft opens so many possibilities and I’m excited to get it on the water soon.

Melting snow also means budding green shoots and fresh grass for bears that will soon be emerging from their dens. I know I’ll start seeing their large prints in the mud on my favorite local trails and stepping over their scat as I navigate the swamps and spruce thickets close to home. And not long after that, I’ll be glassing for them on south facing slopes and making my way south to hunt them alongside my wife on the coast.

There’s so much to do and so little time left to prepare. Breakup is coming, whether we’re ready or not. And I’m sure we’re all ready for it this year.

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