Aroostook County Fishing Report: July 25, 2008

Summer weather has warmed the surface water of northern Maine waterways so that trout and salmon have retreated to deeper, cooler water. A recent check of a small pond in southern Aroostook County showed trout to be active during evening hours in 15-20 feet of water. Larger trout were observed eating small minnows and occasionally smelt and various aquatic insects. From our survey it was clear that evening and early morning would be productive times to use small fish imitations to have success in stocked trout ponds.

Frequent rain storms in the County are maintaining excellent flows in rivers and brooks, and springs, those important refuge areas for trout, are running well for this time of year. Trout seek out these cooler inlets when temperatures in the main stem increases much beyond 65 degrees F. The week of July 21 is forecast to be wet and much cooler than recent weather; this could bode well for trout and salmon activity late in July.

By many accounts trout fishing is very good so far this summer and with light traffic in the North Maine Woods (NMW), anglers can have a solitary experience on their favorite trout brook.

Our northern most region of the State has nearly 7,000 miles of flowing water, most of which support wild brook trout during the summer. Anglers searching for good waterways this time of year can refer to the Maine Gazetteer; look for spots on streams that are higher in the drainage, where the blue lines are lighter in color, but far enough downstream to still have a few inlets that have a cooling influence.

For example, on map page 63, Greenlaw Stream in the area of Ten Mile Brook to Greenlaw Crossing would be a good bet for lots of wild brook trout up to about eight inches in size. This location is just beyond the NMW’s Six Mile Checkpoint so anglers don’t have to travel far to find good trout fishing.