Central Maine Fishing Report: February 13, 2007
Due in part to a reduction in landlocked salmon stocking in Swan Lake over the past two years, salmon growth seems to have dramatically improved since the fall of 2005.
This improved salmon growth may also be attributed in part to the smelt population growth. The smelts appear to be rebounding from egg transfers planted in the spring of 2004 and 2005. Spring smelt runs had been very discouraging in the early part of the decade, with very few smelts or eggs observed in any of the tributaries. A portion of the success in recent smelt recruitment could well be attributed to efforts by the Department to augment the number of eggs by introducing them from another water that produces high numbers of smelt. The procedure for placing smelt eggs entails placing one foot squares of burlap material into the producing water. Once the eggs are deposited on the cloth, the burlaps are treated to prevent disease transfer, and then placed in coolers and transported to the receiving water. The usual placement procedure is to place the egg-laden burlaps in a suitable inlet tributary where they can hatch and disperse naturally. In Swan Lake we have tried a different approach. The burlaps with eggs are suspended in the lake near the mouths of the tributaries. This method is utilized instead of the normal procedure since it has the benefits of reducing predation on larval smelt and that it removes the chance of the eggs being left high and dry by receding water in the tributary.
The local rumor mill being what it is, there was talk that the Department was taking smelt out of the lake when in truth the reverse was true. Acting upon that rumor, some enterprising but misguided individual made the unilateral decision to remove the egg-filled burlaps on his or her own, thus depriving the lake of a valuable added resource. To avoid any future confusion (and rumors for that matter!), if anyone sees or hears something that just doesn’t sound right, call us and we’ll be happy to tell you what we’re up to.
Lake trout in Swan Lake maintain themselves by natural reproduction and management of that species has been founded on that fact since 1981. In an effort to maintain a quality fishery, a minimum length limit of 23 inches was established back in 1992. Results from the 23-inch regulation evaluation indicate that Swan Lake does have a growing population of lake trout.
While our salmon in the lake appear to be improving, trap net data from the fall of 2004-2006 indicate the size quality for togue has declined substantially from previous years. The declining smelt population combined with good survival of younger age classes of togue have reduced the average overall size of the fish. To improve both the condition of the togue and reduce pressure on the smelt population, the region is considering reducing the minimum length limit on togue to 18”.
On another note, anglers have raised concern regarding their brook trout catch. It seems that many anglers are finding rubber worms or discarded pieces of rubber in the stomachs of their catch. Although this not limited to just brook trout stomachs, many species have been observed to have ingested rubber baits. Brook trout and lake trout seem to be the most susceptible to this artificial diet. During the summer months, anglers are targeting bass in the same region of water and discarding rubber within these shallows where these trout will cruise in the fall and winter months, looking for that easy meal. This concept confirms that brook trout will cruise these shallows during the colder months. This isn’t lost on many anglers who use it to their advantage during the ice-fishing season.
Another concept to think about is that we are now stocking fall yearling brook trout in many waters. These larger trout are stocked in the early fall when the water fall turnover and is cooling. Given the cooler water temperatures, the newly stocked fish will not need to seek deeper, colder water for refuge. Therefore they spend more time in the shallows, giving them first dibs to last summer’s discarded rubber. Just imagine what these fish could look like if they were able to eat some of the golf balls that seem to litter many of our waters. Although this rubber is displeasing to see in the stomachs, the fish are still fine to eat. However, anglers need to be aware that tossing rubber baits is a problem now and is increasing in frequency. Also, the bait or baits consumed ‘take up space’ in the fish’s stomach, reducing that amount of food that it can take in. Longer- term effects can show up as slower growth rates, shortened survival, and increased susceptibility to disease.