Archive for May, 2007
Posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Although we continue to receive fish from a number of our hatcheries and rearing stations around the state, the newly-expanded Embden Hatchery is providing us with far more brook trout than we’ve had in the past. We’re stocking a number of new waters this spring with legal-size (8-10″) brook trout, and have made an effort to stock waters near towns and villages so that families can fish for them without traveling too far. Here are some western-Maine waters that have been stocked to date:
Franklin County: Carrabassett River, Clearwater Lake, Crowell Pond, Dead River (North and South Branches), Grindstone Pond, Harvey Pond, Porter Lake, Sandy River from Strong to New Sharon, Temple Stream, Toothaker Pond, Varnum Pond, Wilson Pond, Wilson Stream.
Somerset County: Embden Lake, Kennebec River at Solon, Wentworth Pond, Wesserunsett Lake.
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Tags: Western Mountains Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Primetime May fishing is here! This is the time when your favorite gamefish is feeding heavily and biting well, so now is the time to visit your favorite lake, river, or stream to enjoy the fishing.
Now that stream water temperatures have reached and are remaining in the mid-50′s, mayflies and caddis flies are hatching daily, sending brook trout into all-day feeding binges. Maine has the distinction of being labeled the last stronghold for healthy populations of wild brook trout in the eastern United States. Trout hold a special place in Maine’s angling traditions. And what brook trout angler doesn’t pause while unhooking each fish to take a long, lingering look and a mental picture of the trout’s green flanks, orange and white belly, tricolored orange-black-and white fins, and red spots with blue halos? Do your part to keep our trout populations healthy for the future — practice catch and release on part of your catch.
Good brook trout producers this spring have been Long Pond in Aurora, Simmons Pond in Hancock, Lower Hadlock and Witch-Hole Ponds on Mt. Desert Island, Pineo Pond (fly fishing only) in Deblois, West Pike Brook Pond in Twp 18 MD, Salmon Pond in Twp 30 MD, Berrypatch Pond in Twp 31 MD, Monroe Lake in Twp 43 MD, and 6-Mile Lake in Marshfield, Indian Lake in Whiting, and Keene’s Lake in Calais.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
As I write this, the stocking of scheduled spring fish is winding down in the Region. There are some ponds that get multiple stockings each year, but the majority of this year’s spring fish are in and acclimating to their new homes. I’d like to take a moment to extend appreciation to the staff of the Hatchery Division here at MDIFW. With two very late snowstorms, a nor’easter, and relatively late ice-outs on some waters, the time window for getting fish from the hatcheries to the waters to be stocked was somewhat shortened time-wise this year. But as is the usual case, the trucks rolled and over 56,000 brook trout, 14,600 brown trout, 3,000 landlocked salmon, 2,000 rainbows and 5,000 splake have been planted in 86 waters throughout the region. And, while their spring stocking iswinding down around here, it is going full-scale in the more northern regions.
These folks do some pretty amazing work, not only with stocking, but in growing some of the finest hatchery raised fish around too. Several weeks ago, biologist Jim Lucas wrote about our on-going ‘catchable’ brook trout’ project. On my assigned pond for the project, I have seen many examples of the brook trout that our hatchery staff raise, and I think that the quality of these fish is outstanding. They are beautifully robust, with brilliant coloration. The fish are great fighters for their 8 to 12 inch size range.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the DIFW Hatchery Division. Your efforts provide thousands of anglers with many hours of fishing pleasure. The work you do is a credit to our Department and our state.
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Tags: Central Maine Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Warm sunny weather with plenty of bugs, like we have been having since the beginning of the week, invariably reminds me of some of my earliest and thus most exciting fishing memories. It was always very exciting to see my grandfather get out the old 7-foot bamboo fly rod with just a few yards of line run through the eyes and tied at the butt. Long past its fly-casting prime, this contraption became a deadly worming weapon in the hands of my grandfather. After digging some worms out in the garden we would walk what seemed a hugely long distance to the brook where my grandfather would catch his limit in no time and watch with amusement while I splashed amongst the shallows trying to beach the fat brookie that had fallen off my hook. He would always catch fish in the places I had thought I had fished out or had bypassed altogether. These are the kind of memories that a kid will treasure all their lives, the kind of memories that make for lifetime anglers and, perhaps, the kind that may encourage a youngster to pursue a career in fisheries management!
As we progress through the spring and approach early summer some fish habits change, requiring us to change tactics accordingly. From all reports the Sebago Lake smelt run is over. The smelt that were so highly concentrated in the tributaries and near the mouths of tributaries have dispersed once again to their lake-wide range talking their ever-eating salmon with them. This just means you will have to cover a slightly larger area to find your salmon and perhaps pay a little more attention to your fish finder. One angler has already reported a catch of three salmon of 3+ pounds each on Jordan Bay.
I was amused earlier today to hear the woes of a salmon angler that had spent a morning on Thompson Lake trying to get away from the togue for long enough to present his smelt to a salmon. He never did see a salmon but landed 10 togue of average size (for Thompson Lake).
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Tags: Southwestern Maine Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, May 17th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Mantle Lake is a small man-made impoundment on Kennedy Brook flowing through the middle of downtown Presque Isle. The pond is identified in the open water law book as open to persons under the age of 16 and to those with complimentary licenses. In June 2004, a gentleman took a child fishing at Mantle Lake and found the lake so thick with mats of algae that it was impossible to get a line in the water. Once brought to the attention of Commissioner Martin, regional fishery biologists contacted the northern regional office of the Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Presque Isle in support of action that might improve the aquatic habitat. A task force of individuals from the city, DEP, IFW, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Army Corps of Engineers and the Central Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District met in early 2005 to determine a plan of action. A watershed survey was conducted under the direction of Linda Alverson, Executive Director of the CASWCD, and identified the several sources of sedimentation that over the years has added to the nutrient loading of the lake. It was determined that dredging the bottom sediments and implementing erosion control was the course of action to treat the lake.
After core samples revealed that the material was inert, the lake was drained in the fall of 2005 and the bottom left to dry during the summer of 2006. Dredging commenced in late July and was completed by fall. As the result of fall rains and winter snowmelt, the lake was at full capacity at spring ice out this year. While removing the phosphorous rich sediment from the lake bottom that was determined through core samples to be 3-5 feet, an older dam constructed in 1887 was unearthed behind which was a vein of sediment 10 feet deep. This increased the amount of sediment that was removed from 9,000 yards to 13,000+ yards!
Recognizing that there would be few legal sized trout for the young anglers to catch this spring, 300 spring yearling brook trout were recently stocked by IF&W’s Cobb Hatchery in Enfield. Young anglers have since been observed fishing on the bank and proudly showing off their catch of trout to anyone passing by. A Hooked on Fishing Program sponsored by the Presque Isle Elks Club is scheduled for early June.
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Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: General
