Archive for March, 2007
Posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Northern Maine fishery biologists are currently surveying ten waters open to ice fishing. Three of these are in the Fish River Chain of Lakes, six are located in the Allagash drainage, and one is in the Aroostook drainage.
We have seen a definite shift in fishing pressure from the popular, early-season waters – Long and Eagle Lakes – to Square and Madawaska Lakes that are more difficult to access (Square) and open at a later date in the season (Madawaska Lake opens February 15th). These two waters have been very good late-season destinations. At Square Lake most parties are limiting out on salmon that are mostly on the small side; brook trout are also very active with many parties having at least one trout. At Madawaska Lake the recently stocked fall yearling trout that are mostly 12-14 inches are biting well. Our survey clerk checking Madawaska reports that deep slush conditions still exist, particularly on the Little Lake side. Although pressure has dropped considerably at Long Lake, this lake is still a good choice for anglers seeking a chance at a large fish. We measured one salmon just under five pounds over the weekend. With longer days and better weather in the forecast, we expect to see more anglers in the Allagash region during the remaining five weeks of ice fishing.
Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Region F, the Penobscot Region, is as the name implies, located mostly in the Penobscot River basin although it also includes the upper portion of the St.Croix river drainage. The upper portion of the West Branch of the Penobscot River extends into Region E west of Baxter State Park. The topography of the region varies greatly from the high terrain of Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin to the river plains of the lower Penobscot. Region F is the second largest region in the state and is tied with regions E and G for the lowest population density. The region contains 368 great ponds with an area of 196,020 acres. Of these 245 are surveyed plus an additional 24 waters under 10 acres in size for a total of 269 surveyed waters comprising 189,486 acres. Of the 4,770 miles of rivers and streams in the region 3,578, 75 percent, support self-sustaining populations of brook trout or other salmonids.
The fisheries are just as varied as the topography across the region. Both coldwater and warmwater fisheries, wild and stocked, in lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, are dispersed throughout the region. There are 111 self-sustaining populations of salmonids in Region F lakes and ponds. The majority of these, 96, are brook trout waters mostly located in Baxter State Park and the hilly terrain of eastern Piscataquis County although there are wild trout ponds scattered throughout the region. Currently about 50 waters are being stocked with 42,000 brook trout. These waters include five streams that are targeted mostly for youth fishing and three ponds where there are hooked on fishing programs.
Salmon are found in 56 waters, 131,609 acres, of which 24 waters, 103,341, are being stocked with about 50,000 salmon. Salmon were historically found only in the St. Croix drainage within the region and were introduced into all other waters. Four salmon waters consistently produce larger than average fish. The existing self-sustaining principal fishery salmon waters, 4 in number comprising 3616 acres, are all the result of the discontinuation of salmon stocking. Stockings were discontinued in lakes that were too small to sustain a viable fishery or to reduce competition with other native salmonids, principally brook trout. There are 20 waters containing lake trout and of these 17 are self sustaining populations and 3 are stocked. Prior to 1980, 7 lakes in the region were stocked with lake trout. Lake trout stocking was discontinued in the region after 1980 to determine if natural reproduction would be sufficient to maintain lake trout populations in these lakes. Eventually stocking was found to be necessary in only 3 of these lakes and in 2 of these waters management plans are being developed that will result in the establishment of spawning lake trout populations.
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Tags: Penobscot Valley Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Those hardy souls that braved yet another weekend of cold and wind on Moosehead Lake enjoyed some very good fishing. In fact, catch rates for salmon, lake trout, and brook trout have been quite good this winter on the big lake. We encourage anglers to come up and take advantage of the good fishing and be sure to leave with your limit of lake trout.
The ice-fishing season on Lobster Lake and Allagash Lake will come to a close this Wednesday. Fisheries staff from the Greenville Office checked Lobster Lake one weekend day per week for the month of February in an effort to monitor the fishery. Last year, we had many reports of small salmon, which gave us cause for concern. As Lobster Lake anglers know, the lake is notorious for slow fishing but when you catch one it’s a good one. According to data we collected this winter, all is well at Lobster Lake. The fishing was slow and anglers were reporting some large, fat salmon and togue.
As fisheries managers, it is our job to inform the public when there are significant changes to fisheries programs. Rep. Theodore Koffman of Bar Harbor, on behalf of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) has introduced a bill into the legislature, LD 285, An Act To Designate Additional Wild Trout Waters for Recognition and Protection. In summary this proposed bill states: The use and possession of live fish as bait will be prohibited on waters containing brook trout that have not been stocked in the last 20 years and these waters may not be stocked with any fish.
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Tags: Moosehead Region Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
In January ice was a problem, there was not enough of it! Then came the cold, and only the hardiest of anglers dared go out. Now we have snow with deep, hard-packed drifts and slush with which to contend. Overall, it’s been a tough year to get out and enjoy winter angling. Despite the conditions, a number of anglers have been experiencing some good fishing.
During the month of February while conducting our creel survey of Wyman Lake in south-central Somerset County, we interviewed 270 anglers that caught 77 coldwater gamefish, including 47 splake. The splake are larger this year than in past surveys, averaging almost 15 inches and well over a pound. Our survey of Chain of Ponds in northern Franklin County finds anglers catching a higher number of brook trout that usual. Past surveys have shown catch rates of about one trout per every ten anglers, while this year’s catch rate has almost doubled. The current size range is from seven to seventeen inches in length, with an average brook trout measuring 10˝ inches.
March is an excellent month for icefishing. Warmer, longer days can create such comfortable conditions that anglers almost don’t want to be bothered by fish! If bass is your fish then now is the time to get out. The last month of the winter fishing season is the best for bass angling and this time of year the quality of fillets is excellent. Our icefishing surveys show the highest percentage of bass is caught in March. Ponds to try for smallmouth bass are Ellis (Roxbury) Pond in Roxbury, Clearwater Pond in Industry, and Wentworth (Ironbound) Pond in Solon. For largemouth bass try Crowell Pond in New Sharon and Wesserunsett Lake in Madison.
Tags: Western Mountains Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Salmon fishing at West Grand Lake continues to be good, and fish are in excellent shape, although many reports indicate that catches of lake trout have been down. Creel census clerk Joe Overlock traveled by snowmobile to the extreme northwest corner of the lake recently to interview anglers fishing for lake whitefish in the “whitefish village” of ice shacks in Junior Bay. By the time he finished weighing, measuring, and recording lengths and weights of a few dozen whitefish, his fingers were quite chilly, but that is part of the job. The biggest whitefish was about 3.25 lbs, a very large fish for West Grand. With plenty of snow on the lake, snowmobiles are the best method of travel.
March fishing can be characterized by many days of above-freezing temperatures, although the wind may blow. March is a good month to try a couple of different types of fishing, described below.
The first method can be called “run and gun” fishing, where anglers set no tipups, choosing instead to cut a hole and jig for 15 minutes, then jump on the snowmobile or ATV to move a ways down the lake and repeat the process all day long. This can be a great way to locate fish without being tied to a set of tip-ups for the day. As March temperatures warm, you can often locate open holes cut by other ice fishermen on previous days and you can jig these holes with little or no cutting of ice before you drop your jig to bottom. I’ve caught togue, salmon, and perch using this practice.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
