Tuesday was the opening day of fishing season in the state of Maine, but local anglers say someone forgot to tell the fish.

Some fishermen, however, didn’t seem to care about the complete lack of fish.

“Catching a fish is a bonus,” said Brian Newquist of Raymond. He was out at the Songo Locks in Naples on April 1 and hadn’t gotten a bite, but said fishing is more about spending time outside with your friends and getting away from the world than catching fish.

“A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work or being a couch potato,” said his friend Bill Marchant of Dexter. He had been out all night dressed in layers so he could toss a line into the water at the stroke of midnight. Nine hours of fishing later, he still hadn’t made contact with any fish.

Marchant wasn’t alone in failing to catch any fish.

“We talked to the fish and they’re just not hungry,” joked Joe Iaconeta of Buxton. He runs his own car sales and repair business and took the day off to fish.

Newquist said he planned to have the day off for months in advance from the warehouse he works at. He left a “Gone Fishing” sign at his work station for the day.

He said he was surprised at how few people he saw out on the water this year. He believes it’s because of the cold morning mist shrouding the area.

“There’s too many fair-weather fishermen,” said Newquist, clad in layers of Carhartt and wool. “Some of our best days we end up looking like drowned rats.”

“I’ve gotten to be bit of a chicken,” said John Bernard, 68, of Portland, a lifelong member of the Rod and Gun Club in South Windham. He said he didn’t cast a line first thing Tuesday morning like he usually does on the first day of fishing, even though he’s gotten a lot of good bites on overcast days in the past.

Bill Plamondon of Saco said snow and ice made it hard to get at most of the rivers in the area. He tried to cast a line at the border of Standish and Windham, and said the water he could get to was too shallow.

He’s been fishing for 15 years and has “FLIFISH” on the license plate of his truck.

John Banks of Wilmington, Mass. traveled two states to fish Tuesday morning in Maine and didn’t seem bothered by the cold.

“It’s nice to be out in the fresh air,” he said.