Well, as you can imagine, the April 1 open-water fishing season up North was a bust this year. Most of the traditional ice-out lakes still have over an estimated 20 inches of ice. Access to water was very limited because most ramps are still plowed in with more than three feet of snow. To gain access to the banks to fish from shore, you had to travel through two to three feet of snow to get to the water’s edge. Bridges are the only easy access areas, but they are very limited. My buddy Tom called me Monday, March 31, the last day of ice fishing season from his home on Lake Winnipesaukee to tell me about the guy that was ice fishing in front of his house. On Tuesday, the same guy was fishing from his dock with a rod and reel. Right about this time of year, I usually start to think about how we can put winter behind us, because spring weather is usually here. The state stocking trucks already made it to Sluice Pond and to all the other local trout waters like Pleasant Pond in Wenham and Horn Pond in Woburn over the last two weeks. Most of the stocked trout were 12-14-inch feisty rainbows. Trout fishing just started picking up at Sluice. Power bait seems to be the meal of choice.Laura at Ippi’s Bait and Tackle assured me that they are stocked up and ready to provide you with all the right bait and tackle to make your next local outing a successful one, especially at Sluice. Last week, she weighed in a 6-lb., 13-oz., 30-inch Atlantic broodstock salmon from Sluice Pond, caught by James Guy Sr. of West Peabody. James was using his favorite Thomas Lure. Congratulations, James! “Opening day and super trout” this year at Sluice Pond will be on April 26, a week later than usual. I will have a complete rundown on the day’s events next week.If you plan to fish from a canoe or kayak, remember, until May 15, all occupants must be wearing a personal flotation device. In any boat, all children 12 years old or younger are required to wear a personal flotation device.New Hampshire’s 2008 youth turkey hunt will take place Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, the weekend before spring gobbler season gets underway on May 3. This year marks the fifth annual youth turkey hunt weekend in New Hampshire. To participate in the special weekend turkey hunt, youth hunters must be age 15 or younger and must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult age 18 or older. The adult may not carry a firearm or bow and arrow. Youth hunters do not need a hunting license, but they must have a valid turkey permit ($16 resident, $31 nonresident). Accompanying adults must hold either a current NH hunting or archery license and a turkey permit. The special weekend provides youth and mentoring adults a quiet, noncompetitive time in the woods, where they can focus on safety, ethics, hunting methods and natural science.Don’t forget the New England Paddlesports Show sponsored by Kittery Trading Post; it takes place on the campus of the University of New Hampshire in the Lundholm Gymnasium complex on April 4-6 at the UNH Field House in Durham. Admission is $6; under 16 is free.All for now.