Moosehead Region Fishing Report: July 27, 2009
Last year, IF&W teamed up with the Natural Resource Education Center (NREC) in Greenville to create a college internship/summer work program to benefit fisheries in the area. One of the first projects includes a competition removal study on several local trout ponds. The project continued this spring at Crocker Pond in Dennistown and Center Pond in Soldiertown. The goal of this project is to remove species that compete with brook trout for food and habitat. Based on work conducted by this region on Little Moxie Pond in Shirley, the removal of these species can greatly improve growth rates and survival rates for young wild trout.
In 2008, we removed over 2,000 pounds (5,350 individuals) of white suckers from Crocker Pond. Based on our population estimates derived from the catch rates, we removed around 47-100 percent of the total sucker biomass. Of course, we didn’t get them all but the actual figure was probably close to 85 percent. That was a pretty good start.
In 2009, we again hired 2 Unity College students to return to Crocker Pond and continue the project. We tended four nets from May 7 to May 22. In this time, we removed approximately 1,200 lbs of suckers. The amount of effort was nearly identical to the previous year.
Again, based on population estimates, we removed between 58-100 percent of the total population, with a point estimate of 97 percent.
Clearly, trapnetting can be an effective tool to reduce sucker populations in small headwater ponds. We did see an improvement in the condition or fatness of the hatchery brook trout that were also in our nets. This improvement was likely the result of last year’s removal and a reduction in the stocking rate. Crocker Pond, which has no tackle restrictions and just a two-fish limit, continues to produce some fine fish. Thirty-four percent of the trout in this pond were greater than 12 inches. The Jackman Region has some of Maine’s finest brook trout fishing in the state, and this pond has very good access and worth a stop if you’re in the area.
We captured fewer suckers and trout at Center Pond in Soldiertown. We removed about 200 pounds of suckers over two weeks of netting from this 51-acre wild brook trout pond, which lies just north of Rockwood. We estimated the trout population to be 234 fish with just 6 percent greater than 12 inches, although there were a few nice individuals. This pond is relatively shallow and cool water habitat is probably hard to find in the heat of the summer, making it tough on the wild trout. We believe the removal of suckers could improve conditions for trout on this water in the future.
This cooperative project is supported by donations to NREC from groups and individuals interested in improving the fishing in the region, as well as funds from the winter togue fishing derby on Moosehead Lake sponsored by the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. We plan to continue the competition removal project next spring and add new projects in the near future. Thanks to everyone for their support!
