Moosehead Region Fishing Report: August 8, 2007

The fishing is still very good on the big lake. Anglers are reporting catching good numbers of lake trout and the salmon fishing has been very good all summer with many fish in the 16-18” range. It seems each week we get a report to the office or see a photo in the Moosehead Messenger of a 4+ lb brook trout. The hot flat summer days are perfect for slow trolling for lake trout with bait so get out and enjoy it because summer will be gone before you know it.

Plum Creek’s proposal for development in the Moosehead Lake Region has been a hot topic for discussion this summer. Development of this scale is unprecedented in the unorganized territories of this State and it can have both positive and negative impacts on the region. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be formulating comments over the course of the summer in preparation for LURC hearings in the fall. From a fisheries perspective, we will first look at any impacts the plan may have on habitat. Access is also a very important issue for our Department and the sportsmen we represent. We want to be sure there is adequate value in the conservation easements to offset the proposed development. Value will be evaluated in the form of protection from development as well as protection from the loss of traditional access. Sportsmen know the trends regarding access are not good for the hunter and angler. We have lost access in recent years, some from the pressures of development (sprawl) but also from the creation of “Kingdom Lots”, which protect the habitat but shut out the traditional users. We have seen large tracts of land and water gated off as a result. We will also review the impacts from the anticipated increase in visitors to the region. The recreational impact study for the proposal indicates a substantial increase in visitors to the area. It is likely that all waters in the region, not just those with new development, will witness an increase in fishing pressure. Certainly there are some waters that would benefit from more fishing pressure, while others could suffer. To successfully manage increases in recreational use it will be important to have transparency and opportunities for input from the many competing stakeholders.