Downeast Fishing Report: July 9, 2008
We invite the angling public to attend one of two informational meetings to discuss and comment on a set of proposed regulation changes for Hancock and Washington counties that will create increased conformity of general law fishing regulations among 10 of Maine’s counties.
Meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 29 at the Bucks Mills Rod and Gun Club in Bucksport and at 6:30 p.m. on July 30 at the Calais Rod and Gun Club in Charlotte.
The proposed changes are largely the result of ongoing efforts to consolidate ice fishing and open water regulations into a single two-year law book. Our aim is to increase angling opportunities where possible, further simplify the law book, save time and financial resources, and to continue protecting the resource. Most of the proposed changes will affect southern, central, and eastern Maine angling opportunities.
The following general fishing laws are being proposed for lakes and ponds in Hancock and Washington Counties, although special restrictions may apply for specific waters:
* Lakes and ponds are open to open water fishing year round. (Note: Two lines per angler, general law.)
* Lakes and ponds are open to ice fishing from Dec. 1 through March 31. (Note: We provided this liberal time frame in order to account for years when ice forms early on waters. A time period was decided rather stating “presence of ice or safe ice” given the “fuzzy” nature of such terms.)
* Lakes and ponds will be Catch and Release for all salmonids from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. (Note: General law for all other species would apply during this time period. Special regulations, more liberal or conservative, can be provided on specific waters as appropriate.)
* For lakes and ponds the General Law bag and length limits for salmonids apply from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. (Note: Special regulations, more liberal or conservative, can be provided on specific waters as appropriate.)
* Under the proposed general law fishing regulations, both ice anglers and open water anglers could fish lakes and ponds in December, but could not harvest salmonids, unless provided by special regulation. From Jan. 1 through March 31, both groups of anglers could fish lakes and ponds and harvest salmonids under respective bag and length limits.
* Unless otherwise provided by rule, the number of lines an angler may fish at any one time will be limited to two lines while open water fishing and five lines while ice fishing. At no time can an angler fish more than five lines. (Note: This modification in wording for the number of lines that can be fished by an angler at any one time is being made to address the potential for anglers to simultaneously ice fish and open water fish in lakes and ponds in the eight southern counties and two eastern counties. They are Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Hancock, and Washington.)
The current statewide aggregate bag limit for salmonids of five fish will be removed. (Note – IFW management decisions regarding bag limits, length limits, open seasons, etc. for salmonids are already focused at the species level and the removal of this regulation would not impact current management strategies.)
The term salmonids includes the following Maine fish species — Arctic charr, brook trout, brown trout, landlocked salmon, rainbow trout, splake, and togue (lake trout).