McClory: Hold off on putting the rods and reels away

Hold off for a while if you are thinking that when Labor Day weekend is over, it is time to hang up the rod and reel for the season and break out the hunting gear.It’s okay to be thinking about the upcoming hunting season, but don’t give up on fishing.September is a great time to wet a line, both in fresh and salt water. Bodies of fresh water have already turned over and with that seasonal change of surface water; fish are closer to the surface.Up north in the larger bodies of water like Sebago and Winni, salmon fishing has turned on with the fish being taken from the surface to about 20 feet down. Depending on your speed, 4-5 colors of lead core line will put you in the zone. At the inlets of rivers, salmon and lake trout are dining on the baitfish that is migrating upstream to spawn.Streamer imitations like Joe Smelts and Meredith Specials should be on the menu, as well as copper and brass colored lures. Make sure you are on the water at daybreak especially this coming week with predicted nighttime temperature in the 40’s. The first two hours of the day will be the most productive.uLeaves are turning bright colors with shortened days as the morning dew creates a seasonable odor.With this, autumn anglers know that fall trout stocking is just around the corner. More than 60,000 trout averaging 12 inches or more in length have been allocated among the five MassWildlife Districts across the state.The fish are produced at MassWildlife hatcheries in Sandwich, Belchertown and Montague. District staff will be monitoring air and water temperatures over the next few weeks to determine when fall trout stocking will begin. Stocking should begin the last week of September and, barring any problems, will be completed by the middle of October. Local fall stocked water bodies include Sluice Pond, Pleasant Pond in Wenham, and Horn Pond in Woburn. Anglers can contact the District office in their area to determine when stocking occurs.uSunday, New Hampshire bow hunters enjoyed a jump start being the first New England state to start its deer hunting season. With the mild winter of last year, deer should be plentiful. If you put in for a Maine doe permit the drawing was held last Friday. Check the Maine Fish and Wildlife site to see if you are a lucky winner.uMark your calendars for this fall’s biggest hunting and fishing event in the Granite State. In observance of National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 22, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will host a giant Sporting Expo in Concord, N.H., and an Open House at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness.Events at the grounds of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department at 11 Hazen Drive in Concord will be transformed into a giant outdoor sporting expo from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visit more than 70 exhibits featuring hunting and fishing-related products and services and there will be lots of demos and hands-on activities for older youth. Fish and Game’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, N.H., will host a public open house from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Come enjoy hands-on activities and seminars for youth and families to include a 3-D archery course, video-based interactive shooting simulator, shotgun and rifle range activities, treestand safety seminar, trapping techniques demo by the N.H. Trappers Association and free ice cream donated by Granite State Dairy Promotion. Admission is free to all events.uIn closing this week, remember that from through May 15, paddlers in canoes and kayaks must wear their personal flotation devices (PFDs) while boating. According to the Massachusetts Environmental Police, most boating fatalities in Massachusetts are due to boaters who fail to wear PFDs while in small craft in cold water or cold weather situations. Waterfowl hunters using canoes or kayaks are reminded that this law also applies to them.