June 13, 2005 Fishing Report

Region A- Southwestern Maine

Maine went from cool, rainy weather two weeks ago to balmy, humid subtropical like weather this week, which is soon to be followed by more cool, rainy weather. What season is it anyway? I seem to have lost track. The weather since January 1st of this year until today has kept outdoor enthusiasts on their toes, and from what I hear, it has certainly altered many fishing trips. In spite of this, anglers are still reporting some excellent angling here and there whenever they can catch a break.

Angler reports and personal observations indicate insect hatches are well underway, and anglers should find some pretty decent surface activity on many of our regional trout waters. We have seen large hatches of midges and mayflies, as well as, a few caddis here and there. One local angler recently reported a fair amount of surface activity on Mine Pond in Porter, where he managed to catch a couple 9-12" brookies. He also noticed some much larger fish nosing around in the shallows, likely browns in the 20-inch class, but he was unable to manage any hook-ups with these monsters. He has vowed to return until he catches one of those lunker browns. This pond is known for always having a few large browns lurking about, but catching them is another story. They don't get that large by being easy targets!

This same angler ran into the landowner that graciously allows anglers to access the pond across his property. The landowner was upset by significant amounts of trash and that an angler that had a stashed boat along the shoreline. Many access sites are privately owned and are being lost at an alarming rate as landowners experience disrespect and neglect of their property. We urge anglers and others to assist with the policing and litter patrol at access sites or they may be lost in the future. We plan to contact the landowner to see if there is anything we can do and discuss cleaning up the access trail, which is poorly defined and difficult to walk and may be contributing to anglers cutting through the landowners residence(s).

Our seasonal clerk, Greg Massey, said the fishing was fantastic over the weekend. The water has dropped on the rivers and he claims it was like someone flicked a switch on the Little Androscoggin River, where he stated, "Everyone is catching fish!" He managed to pick up 70 or so brookies, browns, and rainbows in the 8-12" range this past Saturday and Sunday. Although anglers are catching the fish on a variety of lures and worms, flies also appear to be very effective. Small brownish to green colored nymphs (i.e. Hare's ears, Pheasant tails, etc.), and small wooly buggers have been working very well. Although, some fish are showing on the surface they have been a little more difficult to pick up. Greg also reports that the lake fishing for browns and bows was also good over the weekend with fish running in the 14-19 inch range. Enjoy the surface activity while it lasts, this warm weather pattern has warmed the surface waters significantly and it won't be long before trout are forced to reside in the deeper, cooler water and more specialized angling techniques will be needed to be successful.

Last week we got out and sampled a few regional bass waters, Bear Pond in Waterford and Crystal Lake in Harrison, with our electrofishing boat. A thunderstorm forced us to abandon our work on Crystal Lake, which we hope to finish up this week along with another water. The weather pattern has not only affected anglers, but also the fish. During our bass work this season, we noticed many smallies abandoned their nests when the weather cooled, and Florida Power and Light biologists have reported a fair number of nests with dead eggs on the Saco River impoundments. On the other hand, late spawners and other smallies have renested and are back on their nests. Although the number of smallmouth fry hatched this year will likely be down significantly, we anticipate better growth and survival on the remaining bass will make up for the loss in production. Largemouths start their spawning later than the smallies and will likely be unaffected.

Anglers have reported excellent bass fishing troughout the region some good bets include: Trickey Pond -Naples, Upper Range Pond-Poland, Little Sebago Lake-Windham, Moose Pond-Bridgton, Hancock Pond-Denmark, Lake Arrowhead, Waterboro, Mousam Lake-Acton, Kezar Lake-Lovell, Norway Lake -Norway, and Thompson Lake-Oxford.

-Jim Pellerin, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B - Central Maine

Water in the lakes and ponds has now warmed to the point where bass have begun to spawn in Central Maine. Last week, we began to see bass making and attending to their nests.

Bass spawning usually starts in May, but began a little later this year due to the cool weather, when water temperatures are 58 to 65 degrees. The male bass clears a shallow bowl shaped nest in 1-5 feet of water usually near some kind of structure, such as a log, stump or large rock. The female lays her eggs and then the male drives her away and zealously guards the eggs and then the fry for up to three weeks until they disperse. The bass fry are easy targets for predators like sunfish, golden shiners, and bullheads, therefore, the male must remain very aggressive to fend off these predators.

This aggressive behavior makes for some of the very best bass fishing of the year. Those anglers that enjoy sight fishing can easily locate nesting bass and cast to them. At this time of year anglers can catch 50 or more bass a day. Remember, land the bass as quickly as possible and release the fish back close to the nest so he can resume his duties and protect the fry.

The fry must grow quickly if they are to survive through the long Maine winter. Once water temperatures drop below 50 degrees bass enter what is termed, 'starvation period', this is the time period when bass fry don't consume enough food to maintain their body weight. If bass fry don't grow enough during that first season or if the water temperature remains below 50 degrees for an extended time an entire year class of bass may be lost. With the late spawning this year, the fry will need to feed aggressively before the water cools.

Another important factor to maintain healthy bass populations are stable water levels during the spawning period. A relatively small drop in water level may result in the male bass abandoning the nest, resulting in the mortality of the eggs and fry. The male may also abandon the nest if water temperature drops dramatically.

-James Lucas, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C - Downeast

If you like your fishing to be characterized by lots of "catching", this is the time for you! After an extended cold spring, the recent hot weather has warmed lake temperatures into the high 60's and low 70's, resulting in peaks of activity for both smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Bass fishing is the way fishing should be! Once you learn their cover and habitat preferences along with where that habitat occurs in the lake you are fishing, cooperative fish will be there.

What lures are best? Almost any fishing lure works - from Mepps-style spinners to topwater Jitterbugs, diving crankbaits, and soft plastics with jigs. You can hardly go wrong. Be ready to set the hook almost as soon as your lure hits the water because the action can be quick.

Maine bass begin to spawn at around 9 inches in length, at an age of about 4 years old. In eastern Maine, a 12 inch bass averages 6 years old - slow growth due to a relatively short growing season but lots of fish. And those trophy bass larger than 18 inches long, they are 15-20 years old, so for every one harvested, it will take that long to grow another to replace it. For this reason, many anglers release most of their bass, and this strong catch & release ethic is a key reason why Maine has some of the most highly cherished bass fisheries in the United States. Many tournament anglers have told me that Maine's bass fisheries are held in the highest regard by other tournament anglers.

Hancock and Washington Counties have about 80+ lakes with bass populations. Good fisheries are found at: Walker's Pond in Brooksville, Toddy Pond in Orland, Branch and Green Lakes in Ellsworth, Beech Hill Pond in Otis, Pleasant River Lake in Beddington, Schoodic Lake in Cherryfield, Gardner Lake in East Machias, Cathance Lake in Cooper, Meddybemps Lake in Meddybemps, West Grand and Big Lake in Grand Lake Stream, Boyden Lake in Perry, and Rocky Lake in T 18 ED. Take some youngsters, pack a big picnic lunch, and head out soon! Don't forget the swimming suits if it's a hot day. They'll never forget the excitement of hooking several bass in a day in a sport they will probably continue to pursue for a lifetime of enjoyment.

-Rick Jordan, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region D - Western Mountains

This week we'll be working on the Magalloway River with biologists from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and FPL Energy, along with several volunteers. The Magalloway flows through both Maine and New Hampshire before entering Umbagog Lake, so fisheries staff from both state's agencies will work cooperatively to surgically implant radio transmitters in adult brook trout, then track their movements during the next year. The intent of the project is to evaluate seasonal movements and habitat use of trout in this important drainage. The Magalloway project will complement similar work already completed on the Rapid River and work planned this for summer on the Dead Diamond River in New Hampshire, a major tributary to the Magalloway. This "watershed approach" to assessing trout movements is unique in Maine and we're pleased with the high level of interest and cooperation from everyone involved. We'll keep you abreast as the project develops.

Next week, Casey Jackson, a University of Maine graduate student, will begin her telemetry project on the Rapid River. Casey's work will focus on analyzing the movements of young brook trout (1 and 2 years of age). Funding permitting, Casey will also implant radio tags in young landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass - the young of all three species have similar habitat requirements, so a more precise understanding of where and how they interact may help us devise strategies to improve survival of trout. If you happen to bump into Casey while fishing the Rapid, feel free to ask her about the project. She'll be pleased to give the details.

Unfortunately, our trapnetting confirmed the presence of smallmouth bass in C Pond, a beautiful trout water draining directly to Umbagog Lake via the Dead Cambridge River. We've already determined that a chemical reclamation of C Pond is not feasible due it's large size and the extensive wetlands associated with it's outlet. We'll now need to reassess our previous plans to erect a small barrier dam on the Dead Cambridge that would have prevented bass migration from Umbagog to C Pond.

-Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region E - Moosehead Region

Anyone who frequently reads these weekly fishing reports from the Fisheries Division knows that several times a summer we are dealing with illegal fish introductions. In recent years, the Moosehead Lake Region has been spared, but last summer the Greenville Headquarters received two reports of anglers catching smallmouth bass in Misery Pd. These reports were particularly disturbing because Misery Pd is a 36-acre native brook trout pond that has never been stocked. It is located in the heart of wild trout country between Greenville and Bingham. This small pond is in the headwaters of the Moose River drainage. An illegal stocking of smallmouths could easily spread downstream to Brassua Lake then back upstream to Big Wood Pd, Attean Pd, and many other waters in the Rockwood/Jackman area.

Last September and October, Fisheries Staff spent several days investigating the reports. No bass were taken in several days of trapnetting. However, water temperatures were cooling quickly which slows bass movements and reduces the chances of capture. Last week, the Research staff and the Greenville Staff combined forces to trapnet Misery Pond while water temperatures were optimum for bass movements. Misery Pond is very steep-sided making trapnetting difficult. Two sites were located and netted for five days. We also visually surveyed the immediate shoreline on several sunny days looking for evidence of nest building. No bass were captured in the trapnets and none were observed along the shoreline. While this is certainly encouraging, it does not necessarily indicate bass are not present. We consider the reports very credible.

While trapnetting Misery Pd we were able to capture and remove about 300 lbs of rough species that compete with native brook trout. Most of the fish removed were white suckers along with creek chubs, common shiners, and a few golden shiners. Similar work was conducted on another native trout pond in the Moosehead Lake region in the 1990's. There were significant increases in trout abundance and growth in this pond after just three years of rough fish removal.

Our work is not finished at Misery Pd. We will be returning for a day next week to snorkel the shoreline in search of bass spawning activity. Next spring we will return with trapnets when water temperatures are again between 50o F -65o F. Hopefully, this pond will not live up to its' name and we will never see a bass in Misery Pond or any of the waters immediately downstream.

-Tim Obrey, Research Biologist

Region F, Penobscot Region

Not only are the Black flies biting in Region F, but so are the smallmouth bass. Over the past weekend, we received several reports of excellent fishing on the Penobscot. The reports were from both below Enfield to Veazie as well as from Lincoln north to Mattawamkeag. The anglers I spoke with reported bass in the 1.5 lbs to 2 lbs range and several over 3 lbs. These fish had provided them with great action and a great trip. Might I Suggest Mattanawcook, Long and Egg in Lincoln, the South Branch in Seboeis, Dolby in Millinocket any of these waters should provided the angler with nice fish and plenty of action.

With the warming water temperatures the white perch are beginning to move in to the shallower water to spawn. If your looking for a good feed of perch and some enjoyable evening fishing you might want to try Saponac or Eskutassis in Burlington, South Branch in Seboeis, Pushaw in Orono, Mattawamkeag in Island Falls or Basskahegan in Brookton. We have had reports from 2 of these lakes. The reports were of great evening fishing and all you need for tackle is a bobber and worms.

As we move into summer and the surface temperature warm up the cold water fish move in to deeper water. Reports from a Schoodic lake angler reported that Lake trout seemed to be hanging around 14 feet below the surface. The angler and his son handled 4 lake trout all around 3 to 4 lbs and 1 brook trout around 2 lbs. They reported the 2 lake trout they kept to be full of smelts. One having over 20 in its stomach.

Salmon fishing reports continue to come in and the fishing is getting very good. Upper Jo Mary Lake has been producing some nice salmon fishing the fish are in the 16" range. Here are some salmon lakes you may want to try : West Lake in T3 ND, Scraggley Lake in T7 R8 WELS , Pleasant Pond in Island falls, and East Grand lake in Danforth would be a great bet to find some nice salmon.

Again we are requesting any information we can get on the Northern Pike in Pushaw lake and its tributaries in Orono. Also Largemouth bass in the Penobscot river. Both of these fish are illegal introductions to these waters. If you catch one we are asking that you kill it and notify us at our Regional office at 732-4131

-Brian Campbell, Fishery Biology Specialist

Region G - Aroostook County

Some much-needed heat has finally arrived to bring off numerous fly hatches. The heat, however, has warmed regional rivers to the point that brook trout have gone to their summer refuge springs or cooler inlets. Reports from the weekend bear this out - riffles in the Aroostook River that normally should have brook trout feeding are now have mostly fallfish. The temperatures are currently still above average but the forecast is for cooler weather at the end of the week.

Recently, we stocked landlocked salmon at Square Lake on the Fish River Chain of Lakes. We annually stock salmon by boat at the largest lake of the chain. We take this opportunity to also check tributaries that have known rainbow smelt runs in the spring. Smelt are a forage that are critically important in sustaining good salmon fisheries. The most common problem we see are beaver dams plugging the mouths of these tributaries disallowing access by smelt to the lowest, productive reaches where they spawn. Butler Brook is one such tributary to Square that we planned to remove some old barriers to allow smelt to access more of the tributary. On June 3, however, when we arrived at Butler Brook, we found live smelt eggs still present from the run in early May. The cold spring weather and the fact that Butler is very cool, had resulted in a fairly long incubation period for the smelt eggs. For several years now we have focused efforts to keep tributaries at Square Lake open for rainbow smelt spawning, and we will continue these efforts to rebuild the smelt population and restore good salmon growth.

One regional lake that does not have problems with smelt reproduction is Long Lake - the salmon water that gets lots attention throughout the year. This year is no different as salmon fishing has been excellent the last two weeks. Recently, two salmon were weighed at St. Peter's Grocery in Guerette that weighed 6 pounds and 7.04 pounds. Anglers have been reporting many salmon 16-20 inches and in very good health. One of the main reasons for this excellent growth are the healthy smelt runs we see almost annually at Long Lake tributaries. Attached are two pictures taken in May that show the excellent deposition of smelt eggs that give the stream bottom a yellow color.

<<P5120004.JPG>> <<P5120008.JPG>> The Department's Fisheries Division is undertaking a major revision of our fishing regulations in an effort to make these rules less complicated and easier to understand while still adhering to sound fishery management principles. Most of the 275 proposed changes on the following pages deal with brook trout fisheries in lakes and ponds. This proposal would result in the consolidation of some 41 separate "brook trout" regulations into 8 regulations categories. If adopted, these changes would appear in the 2006 regulation booklets. These changes are the beginning of an ongoing project that will ultimately touch on the regulations governing the taking of all major gamefish in all types of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

As the first step in our public outreach and prior to going through the official rule making process, we would like you to take the time to review the draft concept. At this time we are looking for comments on the general approach we are undertaking, rather than the rules as they apply to any individual water. Forward your comments to dennis.mcneish@maine.gov.

Proposed rule changes for individual waters can be viewed on the Department's Web Page under the What's New category.

PROPOSED REGULATION CATEGORIES - BROOK TROUT

General Law Fishing Opportunities

Daily limit on trout: 2 fish Daily limit on trout: 5 fish Quality Fishing Opportunities

Daily limit on trout: 2 fish; minimum length limit: 10 inches; only one may exceed 12 inches Daily limit on trout: 2 fish; minimum length limit: 12 inches; only one may exceed 14 inches Daily limit on trout: 1 fish; minimum length limit: 14 inches Trophy Fishing Opportunities

Daily limit on trout: 1 fish; minimum length limit: 18 inches Catch and release (all trout caught must be released alive at once) Experimental

Daily limit on trout: 2 fish; all trout over 12 inches must be released alive at once.

-Frank Frost, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

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