Posts Tagged ‘Downeast Fishing Report’
Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
It appears as though the January thaw may be over with meteorologists forecasting colder weather conditions for the remainder of the week. If you are an avid ice fisherman, the recent warm days have been a bit of a downer. Fisheries staff members were out over the weekend talking to ice fisherman and checking ice conditions. We observed that most small coastal waters had between 3-5 inches of ice. Some of the inland waters had between 4-8 inches of ice. Many locations had ice broken up around the shoreline. Anyplace where moving water is found (inlet, outlet, saddle area between islands or shore) be aware of potential thin ice. Also, around the shoreline, around rocks, and shoals be cautious of ice thickness. Pay close attention to old ice holes and cracks in the ice since many of these places have opened and swelled to a larger size as a result of so many warm days. Many of the larger coastal waters (Tunk Lake, T-10 SD, Jordan Pond, Mount Desert, Eagle Lake, Bar Harbor to name a few) have now opened up again or have just a thin layer of ice. Be sure to check ice conditions before venturing out onto any body of water and check it often as you move to different locations.
If weather predictions hold true for the upcoming week we should see great improvements in ice conditions all over the Downeast region. Snowfall early this week will act as an insulating blanket, partially hampering additional ice formation. But if overnight temperatures dip down into the single numbers for any length of time, we surely will be making some ice!
Area Game Wardens would like to remind all anglers to be certain of the fishing regulations that exist on the body of water they are fishing. Also, be sure that any fish you harvest does not fall under the minimum length limit. Even if a fish is a ¼-inch short at the time a warden measures it, you are in violation of the law. You can pick up your free copy of this year’s ice fishing law book at any location where fishing licenses are sold, from any regional IF&W office, your local town office, or online at www.maine.gov/ifw. Remember, it is your responsibility to know the regulations on the body of water that you are fishing.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 by Maine Sportsman
There are no current fishing reports for this area.
Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
Surface water temperatures have cooled down to around 60 degrees and soon will be in the mid 50′s, which is perfect to summon trout and salmon back to the surface. As these fish feed on the surface and near shore, its spring fishing all over again, except that most anglers will have lakes and ponds all to themselves and also be able to enjoy the spectacular fall colors.
I recommend trolling brightly colored streamers and lures for landlocked salmon such as the Montreal, Barnes Special, Cathance Special, Marabou Muddler and the orange beaded Gray Ghost for flies and the chartreuse, orange and silver Rapalas in sizes 5 and 7 as well as the purple and silver and the rainbow colored Yozori Pin Minnow in the 3 inch size for lures.
Best lakes for salmon this fall are: West Grand Lake — Grand Lake Stream, Cathance Lake – Cooper, Pocumcus Lake — T 6 ND, Phillips Lake – Dedham, Gardner’s Lake — East Machias and Long Pond — Mount Desert.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
About six months ago I was hired as the Downeast Region’s Fisheries Biologist Specialist. Prior to that I had worked seasonally for two years as a Contract Fisheries Aide. Before I began working for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I knew very little about what a fisheries biologist really did. Sure, I knew the work involved fish and some aspect of biology, but I never really gave it more thought than that. However, once I was hired on for my first seasonal position, that all changed. At that time I was like a kid in a candy store, just trying to learn as much as I possibly could and to leach as much knowledge as I could from any source that was willing to share with me. The more I learned, the more I wanted to make this my career and by the end of my first summer working with Region C’s biologists I couldn’t get enough of it. I volunteered some time in the fall simply so I could gain experience. Eventually my hard work paid off, and I was extremely fortunate to receive a position working for the state I have lived in my entire life. All of the fisheries staff members in the Downeast Region are native to the state and we are very proud of what we do.
So, then just what does a fisheries biologist do? The short and sweet answer I often use is that one of our responsibilities is to provide, and ensure, that a wide variety of fishing opportunities exist for many years to come. We are fisheries managers and that management involves working with fish and with people. We have a wide variety of tools available to us to manage fish populations. One way is by regulations. We are responsible for creating the fishing regulations on each water. It is the Maine Warden Service who then enforces these regulations. If a population needs to be protected we may impose more restrictive regulations or if we want to promote more harvest we may apply more liberal regulations.
Another tool on our “management tool belt†is the ability to stock fish. The state of Maine fish hatcheries raise the fish and do an amazing job at providing large numbers of healthy fish to stock. Fisheries biologists decide how many fish to stock, what species, and how often the stocking should occur.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
Posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 by Maine Sportsman
While everyone knows that man cannot live on the moon because of several unsuitable physical conditions, the task of determining which of Maine’s coldwater sportfish species can live in a particular lake or pond is not as easily known. This interesting determination is based largely on two physical conditions: water temperature and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. During this late-summer time of year, fisheries biologists are busy assessing whether these conditions are suitably met to ensure survival of trout and salmon in these waters.
Late summer is the time when water quality conditions are at their “worst†because water temperatures in deeper water have reached their warmest levels and dissolved oxygen levels have reached their lowest levels. So if temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are suitable for trout and survival now, these fish should be able to survive year-round. To assess these levels, biologists use an electronic thermometer/dissolved oxygen meter while anchored in the lake’s deepest water.
If the electronic thermometer shows temperatures between 50-60º F, the temperature requirements for trout and salmon will be met, although lake trout commonly utilize water in the 45-50º F range. But, suitable water temperature is only ½ of the physical need consideration; even if cool temperatures exist in the deep water, trout and salmon can only live there if suitable amounts of oxygen (more than 5 parts per million) exist in the water.
So, if biologists find 55º F water and only 4 parts per million of dissolved oxygen, we would not expect trout and salmon to survive. But if we found 6 parts per million of dissolved oxygen, we would not expect any limitations from water quality on survival.
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Tags: Downeast Fishing Report • Categories: General
