Central Maine Fishing Report: September 20, 2007
The beautifully warm sunny days followed by progressively cooler nights we’ve experienced lately will result in increased opportunities for fishing for cold water fish species over the coming weeks. It is the perfect time to get out and enjoy some of the season’s best fishing for these species.
Over the past week, I’ve received several calls asking ‘why’ the fishing for trout and salmon seems to get ‘better’ in the fall. The answer is relatively simple — the water is cooling with the season, making it more of it much more to the liking of these species.
As the summer progresses, our lakes and ponds receive an increasing amount of sunlight. Most of that sunlight is received from a high sun-angle. The more shallow depths warm the most, of course. As a result, in many cases the water tends to form layers called thermal strata. Trout and salmon, being adapted to cooler water conditions, tend to gravitate to the layer that best suits their requirements for temperature and oxygen levels. Often the height of this layer is only one or two feet vertically. Many other species prefer the cool water layer too, so salmon and trout tend to forage there for the most part. They do move in and out of the preferred layer, but this is often of short duration.
With the approach of fall, the days shorten, average daily temperatures begin to drop, and the sun angle decreases. All of these factors play a role in a process called turnover. The upper strata of the water begin to cool. Cooler water is slightly denser than the now warmer layers beneath and it slowly begins to break down the thermal layering effect.
The warming and cooling of the atmosphere creates winds that push the surface water in one direction until it ‘piles up’ on the downwind shore. Water stacks up until gravity pushes it back, creating a net reverse movement. The waves observed on the downwind shore on a windy day are akin to mixing water in the bathtub to get the right temperature.
Working together, these natural forces mix the water until temperatures, now cooler, are close to the same temperature. Since the water is cooler, it is more in line with the habitat requirements for trout. So the ‘better fishing’ suggested above is a result of fish being able to utilize a variety of depths to forage rather than concentrating in a relatively narrow layer of water.
General Law open water season runs through September 30, less than 2 weeks away. However many lakes and ponds, as well as several rivers and streams are open through parts of October through the end of the year. For example, lakes and ponds in Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties are open through November 30 with all trout, salmon, togue and bass to be released alive at once. For rivers, the Kennebec River is open through December 31 from Weston Dam in Skowhegan to tidewater. Tackle restrictions apply in some sections. To find a complete listing of what is open for angling and the regulations for those waters, consult the 2007 Open Water Fishing Regulations booklet.
