Archive for September, 2008
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
Nadeau Lake, Fort Fairfield, was surveyed on Aug. 29 by biologists from the Ashland Headquarters. Routine lake surveys include a series of transects to determine water depths, which results in a depth map commonly used by anglers and boaters, water quality, and of course fish sampling. What was unique for this survey was that Nadeau hasn’t been a lake since 1970. In 2007, thirty-seven years after the lake was drained for mining, the MDIF&W built an outlet dam restoring the historic water level. This effort culminated seven years of work by the MDIF&W to improve trout habitat and create a wild brook trout fishery in Eastern Aroostook County.
In 2001 a 33-acre parcel was purchased adjacent the lake for a future public access; later that year an access road, concrete boat ramp, and parking area was constructed on the new property. Over the next several years several habitat improvement projects, funded in part by Trout Unlimited, Trout and Salmon Foundation, Maine DEP, and the Sport Fish Restoration Fund, were completed with the goal of enhancing brook trout production. These projects focused on deepening the future lake, providing cover for adult and juvenile trout, providing spawning habitat, and increasing cold-water inlets. During dam construction in 2007 the low water provided ideal conditions for a chemical reclamation, a process of applying the organic compound rotenone to remove all fishes. The reclamation removed brown bullhead, white sucker, and several minnow species that would compete with brook trout for food. These projects all add to the very productive, limestone-based water quality of the Lake and will significantly increase trout production.
During the fall of 2007, as the lake was filling behind the new dam, the MDIF&W transferred 310 wild brook trout from a nearby waterway. These trout will be the stock from which to build a new population of wild trout at Nadeau Lake. These trout were mostly one-year-old or less, averaged 3.4 inches in length, and weighed less than half an ounce. During our most recent survey, we were able to sample 20 of these trout and found that growth, as expected, was extremely good. The trout had increased in length to 7-12 inches (average, 9.7) and increased in weight to over 6 ounces (Photo 1). Because of the fast growth all trout that we observed were sexually mature indicating that they will spawn in 2008, good news for our efforts to establish a wild population.
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Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
After a full summer of lake and pond surveys the fisheries staff here in Region F are gearing up for the fall field season, primarily trap netting. Fall is an opportune time to sample the salmonid populations of our large lakes, as trout and salmon are responding to their natural instinct to spawn and are cruising the shorelines in search of spawning habitat and mates.
Trap nets, set at strategic locations around a lake, intercept fish which end up in the box part of the net. Trap netting is a non-lethal method of sampling, which means after the biological data (length, weight, and scales for aging) is collected from each fish it is then released alive back to the lake, hopefully to be enjoyed in the future by anglers. Typically we try to sample at least 30 fish for each of our target species, usually landlocked salmon, lake trout, and brook trout.
Depending on water temperature and timing it may take one or more weeks at each lake to collect the fish that we need. However our goal is to get our sample quickly and move on to the next lake, as our window of opportunity ends with the onset of cold weather, generally around Nov. 1.
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Tags: Penobscot Valley Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
The Fisheries Staff in Greenville has been busy once again this summer making our way to a few of the many unsurveyed ponds we have in the Moosehead Region. Our objective was to try and survey five waters that are zoned as Remote Ponds. Everyone seems to have heard of remote ponds and many think that these ponds are ponds located out in the middle of nowhere. Well, this is partly true. Many are in fact located in areas that are very challenging to get to as our experience this summer proved. However, many of the remote ponds in the Moosehead area have road systems that run very close to the pond. This is where the Maine Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC) comes in. The early to mid-1970′s was a time when much of the Maine North Woods was being opened up by many new road networks, brought about by the large-scale wood salvage operations resulting from the spruce budworm infestation of Maine’s spruce-fir forests. LURC and MDIFW fisheries biologists worked together to identify ponds in the north woods that were deemed worthy of additional protection. By protecting or zoning a pond as remote, this resulted in limiting vehicle access to within a half-mile of the pond. Such limitations resulted in the installation of gates, the removal of culverts or bridges, or placing large boulders across a road to prevent the passage of cars or trucks.
In the Moosehead Region 123 ponds were zoned as remote. Many of these ponds had not been scientifically surveyed, that is, our knowledge of their trout fisheries was based on the reports of anglers. Due to time and resource constraints it was not possible to conduct scientific surveys to corroborate the presence of trout fisheries in these waters in the short period of time they were being designated for zoning. It was determined that it would be best to protect these resources while we could. The ponds would be surveyed as time and resources allowed.
In 2005 the Legislature proposed and IFW supported the designation of the Brook Trout as one of Maine’s Heritage Fish. MDIFW identified 305 Heritage waters (often called “A” list waters), i.e. ponds supporting principal fisheries for brook trout but having no record of stocking. Legislation was enacted to provide special protection for these unique waters. Later MDIFW identified nearly 300 additional waters that support self-sustaining populations of brook trout that had been stocked but not within the past 25 years (called “B” list waters). The Fisheries Division recognized the value of this latter resource by developing through policy an appropriate level of protection for “B” list waters. Based on this research it was determined that the Moosehead Region has 144 trout waters that fall into the “A” category and 99 that are on the “B” list. Many of these ponds are zoned remote and some have never been surveyed by a biologist.
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Tags: Moosehead Region Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
The last two weeks of September provide some of the best fishing of the year. Temperatures are cool, there are few biting bugs to contend with, and the scenery is increasingly spectacular. But, best of all, salmon and trout respond to the cooler temperatures with increased activity in preparation for their spawning runs. They frequently congregate at the mouths of streams, waiting for a flush of water to induce them to move upstream. It’s not the time of year to harvest many of these fish, as their true value is in reproduction. That fact is reflected in regulations which limit the number kept or restrict fishing to catch and release only. Nonetheless, anglers have a great time catching and releasing these fish, which tend to be highly colored and full of fight.
And so the season changes for us also. During the summer months much of our sampling is done by gillnet; more recently we have been electrofishing streams to make annual comparisons of population abundance. Not surprisingly, with several good water years behind us, fish populations in streams are thriving. Soon we’ll be turning our efforts to fall trapnetting, wherein we’re able to sample large numbers of trout and salmon, collect our information, and release them unharmed. This fall we plan to work on Rangeley Lake, the Richardson Lakes, Varnum Pond in Temple, and Little Jim Pond in Jim Pond Township. We’ll let you know how we do.
Tags: Western Mountains Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
As stream and brook water temperatures decline in Downeast Maine, brook trout will disperse from their spring-influenced summer refugia areas and take up residence in feeding slots all through some of our best trout streams. From now until the end of the month is the optimum time to take advantage of actively feeding trout adorned in their beautiful spawning colors. Remember that most of our rivers, brooks, and streams close to fishing after Sept. 30 to protect spawning trout and salmon. Until then, artificial lures may be used, and I recommend the following terminal tackle for terrific fall brook trout action: For the fly fishing anglers, it’s hard to beat the black ghost and marabou Muddler streamer flies. For the spin fishermen, some of the best lures I have found are the rainbow or copper-colored Phoebe and the yellow and black Panther Martin spinner.
Here are the waters I recommend for terrific fall brook trout fishing: Old Stream — T 31 MD; Pleasant River — Deblois; Mopang Stream — T 24 MD; Crooked River — T 30 MD; Tomah Stream — Waite; and Chandler River — Jonesboro.
We hope you are able to get out and enjoy this time of year. Good luck and be safe!
Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
