Posts Tagged ‘Aroostook County Fishing Report’
Posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
During our routine fisheries management which often involves measuring hundreds of sport fish per year, we occasionally get reports of exceptionally large fish. While not the norm, large fish are worthy of recognition for the state of Maine and the angler. This summer we have had two notably large fish caught in Aroostook County, one of which will qualify as a new State record.
First, a new state record Arctic charr was caught by Carter McLaughlin, age 11, of Mapleton on Aug. 20, 2008. A locally common name for the species is “blueback trout.” This particular fish was caught at Pushineer Pond, T15R9. Carter was accompanied by his father Lionel (on right in attached picture). The charr was 25.4 inches total length and weighed 5.24 pounds.
The previous record was a 4 pound 4 ounce fish caught by Merton Wyman at Basin Pond in 1958. Arctic charr are a rare fish, occurring in only 14 lakes and ponds scattered throughout the interior highlands in northern and western Maine.
Normally, Arctic charr in Maine waters are small (6-10 inches) and inhabit deep, cold water of mountain lakes. Currently, the greatest threat to these rare fish are introductions of non-native species of fish that are competitors with or predators upon Arctic charr.
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Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
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.
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Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
The recent hot weather from the weekend is quickly dropping flows in the rivers, brooks and streams. As this water drops, fishing for trout should be excellent until the water becomes to warm and the fish search out spring holes to get them through the warm summer months. Larger rivers such as the Aroostook and Allagash, where trout have been spread out due to cool water temperatures, should now see trout actively feeding in the riffles. We would note, however, that flows in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway have been running high due to the abundant rainfall in that area of the state.
Whitney Brook, Three Brooks, River des Chutes and the North Branch of the Presque Isle Stream are a few of the good trout brooks in eastern Aroostook County that could be visited for a productive day of trout fishing. Behind North Maine Woods gates, the many tributaries to the St. John River remain cold and full of trout for those looking for some pan size trout to go with breakfast. As the days warm up, black flies should be less of a nuisance but the deer flies will become more of a plague. Troublesome as they can sometimes be, they are, however, much better than the hurricanes, firs, tornados and poisonous snakes that must be endured by our southern and western states!
Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
The Fish River Chain of Lakes management region located in the “Crown of Maine” remains the last stronghold of Maine’s traditional coldwater species. Natural barriers on the major river drainages have kept warmwater sportfish (black bass, white perch, pickerel) from becoming established in this part of the state. Angling for these warmwater species is limited to a few waters in the East Branch of the Mattawamkeag River and the Main Branch of the Meduxnekeag River in southern Aroostook County. Elsewhere brook trout, lake trout (togue), and landlocked salmon reign supreme!
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Brook Trout
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Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
Posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
The last weekend in February brought ideal travel and fishing conditions for anglers in northern Maine. I surveyed two lakes in the southern portion of our region during this time and experienced the best traveling on trails and lakes that we have seen all winter. With frequent snowstorms throughout the season, anglers have dealt with thin ice, slush, and drifting snow making any angling experience difficult. The great conditions in the Millinocket and Millimagassett lakes area didn’t last long, however, as we received two recent storms totaling more than 20 inches of snow. March fishing will begin with deep snow on northern Maine lakes; as of Sunday, March 2, slush had not yet developed on several of these lakes that we routinely check.
As we approach the last month of the season, we typically see large groups of anglers venturing out to areas that have received relatively little use during the first couple months of ice fishing. More remote areas like the Allagash Waterway, Musquacook Lakes, and Beau and Glazier lakes will see more anglers this month as weather and travel conditions moderate, days are longer, and some days in late March feel more like spring than winter. Any of these areas are great, late season destinations, each offering a slightly different angling experience. This is a great time of year to experience the back country of northern and western Maine. Many summer roads are converted to snowmobile trails during winter or, when a heavy crust develops on the snowpack, one may explore more remote areas even further.
Tags: Aroostook County Fishing Report • Categories: Fishing Reports
