Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
Ice conditions were good on most waters last weekend. Most of previous week’s water and slush on the ice had frozen to create safer conditions and easier traveling. The ice thicknesses on the smaller waters in the northwestern corner of the state have six to eight inches. The larger waters still are a problem, so ice travelers need to use some caution. Slushy conditions likely will return after a few more snow events.
Overall, this year’s winter fishing season is off to a great start. The first couple of weeks in the year produced some fast action. Here are some of the regional highlights.
Pleasant Pond, Caratunk: We have so far interviewed 185 anglers. They’ve caught 140 legal lake trout and a 15-inch brook trout. Two of the togue were over 30 inches long and weighed more than 10 pounds.
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Tags: Western Mountains Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
It appears as though the January thaw may be over with meteorologists forecasting colder weather conditions for the remainder of the week. If you are an avid ice fisherman, the recent warm days have been a bit of a downer. Fisheries staff members were out over the weekend talking to ice fisherman and checking ice conditions. We observed that most small coastal waters had between 3-5 inches of ice. Some of the inland waters had between 4-8 inches of ice. Many locations had ice broken up around the shoreline. Anyplace where moving water is found (inlet, outlet, saddle area between islands or shore) be aware of potential thin ice. Also, around the shoreline, around rocks, and shoals be cautious of ice thickness. Pay close attention to old ice holes and cracks in the ice since many of these places have opened and swelled to a larger size as a result of so many warm days. Many of the larger coastal waters (Tunk Lake, T-10 SD, Jordan Pond, Mount Desert, Eagle Lake, Bar Harbor to name a few) have now opened up again or have just a thin layer of ice. Be sure to check ice conditions before venturing out onto any body of water and check it often as you move to different locations.
If weather predictions hold true for the upcoming week we should see great improvements in ice conditions all over the Downeast region. Snowfall early this week will act as an insulating blanket, partially hampering additional ice formation. But if overnight temperatures dip down into the single numbers for any length of time, we surely will be making some ice!
Area Game Wardens would like to remind all anglers to be certain of the fishing regulations that exist on the body of water they are fishing. Also, be sure that any fish you harvest does not fall under the minimum length limit. Even if a fish is a ¼-inch short at the time a warden measures it, you are in violation of the law. You can pick up your free copy of this year’s ice fishing law book at any location where fishing licenses are sold, from any regional IF&W office, your local town office, or online at www.maine.gov/ifw. Remember, it is your responsibility to know the regulations on the body of water that you are fishing.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
This weekend a number of anglers questioned me about black crappie. Therefore, I thought I would write about this relative newcomer to the State of Maine. The black crappie is native to the Great Lakes area, its range south to the Gulf of Mexico. Crappies were first introduced in Maine at Virginia Lake, the head-water lake of Sebago Lake watershed, in 1921. In 1969, black crappies were accidentally stocked in the Sebasticook River drainage when they were intermixed with a shipment of largemouth bass from a federal hatchery. They have further expanded their range and now are found in at least 64 waters throughout the state.
Spawning takes place in the spring and is similar to that of our native sunfishes. A small dish-like depression is made on a sandy area within heavy vegetative cover. Once the eggs are laid the male guards the nest until the fry emerge and disperse.
Young crappies feed on insects and switch over to a mostly fish diet as they grow larger. The typical black crappie in Maine is between six and 11 inches although larger individuals are fairly common. The state record is 3.25 pounds.
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Tags: Central Maine Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
This ice-fishing season I have been assigned to do my weekly creel census rounds on Keoka Lake in Waterford, Keewaydin Lake in Stoneham and Bear Pond in Waterford.
Keoka Lake has consistently produced good catches of 12- to 15-inch stocked brook trout with the occasional brood stock in the mix. Some angling parties have caught as many as 20 of these fish in a morning and a large party on Sunday, Jan. 13, managed 13. All I can say about these hatchery products is WOW! The anglers I have spoken to can’t get over the colors and depth of these brookies, and rumor has it that some of these are going to be mounted. I also happy to report that the 120 fall yearling (12- to 14-inch) salmon stocked in Keoka Lake in the fall of 2006 have grown to 16– to 18-inch fish of fair condition. Those fish were the beginning of an annual salmon-stocking program at Keoka and I hope the initial good results continue in the future.
Keewaydin Lake is a favorite salmon hole for some and early results were good. Most parties in the first week of the season managed a salmon or two though, predictably, catch rates have declined in the second week of fishing. Those few folks targeting brook trout over salmon at Keewaydin have generally been successful. One family of three had a stringer of stocked brook trout I will never forget. Five trout were on that stringer and not one was under a pound. A party I spoke with this past Sunday (Jan. 13) caught four 13- to 14-inch brook trout in less than half an hour jigging small lures with a small bit of bait on the hook. Angler use on both of these ponds is much lighter than I expected considering the number of large brook trout stocked.
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Tags: Southwestern Maine Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
There are no current fishing reports for this area.
Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
