September 6, 2005 Fishing Report

Region A- Southwestern Maine

With the water surface temperatures of lakes and streams dropping, the fishing action is starting to pick up.

Temperatures on the Little Androscoggin River cooled to 68 F, and stocked rainbows and browns are moving out of their summer refuge and are available to anglers in more areas throughout the river. The flows right now are also very conducive to fishing. One angler reported catching some holdover rainbows in the 19 and 20 inch range. Every year, typically in the spring and early fall we receive some good fishing reports of larger trout in this size range.

Lake surface temperatures on some waters are down to 70-72 F, and at these levels and below trout and salmon will more frequently move into shallower water on feeding forays, particularly early in the morning when surface temperatures are coolest. However, most of the successful trout and salmon fishing is taking place in 20 to 40 feet of water.

I have received numerous reports from brown trout fishermen who have experienced excellent fishing this season. Many of the best reports originate from those less well known and talked about waters in the Region. Browns in the 4 to 8 pound range are reported. At the request of those anglers providing the information I will not name these locations, but we have certainly observed similar findings in the course of our summer netting. Overall brown trout size quality and condition was very good on most of the waters we visited, many of which were also not heavily fished, including, Clays Pond (Fryeburg), Burnt Meadow (Brownfield), and Bradley Pond (Lovell).

Within the last few weeks Sebago Lake anglers have been boating some nice salmon up to 6 pounds, as well as some smaller. Although the fishing is not as fast as some remember, each year the salmon are experiencing faster growth and improved survival in the presence of an expanding smelt population. Anglers are reporting the salmon and lake trout are "beefy" again. With more smelt being seen by anglers in fish stomachs and on fish finders we have received allot of inquiries as to when more salmon will be stocked in the lake. Our plans are to double the current stocking (from 1,000 to 2,000) next spring based on the results of two upcoming sampling initiatives. In a few weeks, a hydroacoustic smelt survey will be conducted to measure the abundance of juvenile and adult smelts in the lake. Then in November, we will obtain additional data on the adult salmon population in the Jordan River. If the data from these two efforts indicate the lake can support additional stocking and still maintain good salmon growth and a stable smelt population, then increased salmon stocking will result next spring. If favorable conditions continue in subsequent years, the salmon stocking rate will be incrementally increased each year. We are very encouraged by the significant gains realized on the lake in the last 3 years and we are optimistic that the lake fishery is well underway to a "recovery".

John Boland joined me for a day on Mosquito Pond (Albany) last week during our first fishery evaluation following chemical reclamation in 2002. The pond has now been restocked for 2 years and netting efforts produced plump brook trout up to 13 inches long. Although no larger trout were netted we did receive reports earlier in the year that trout to 16 inches were being caught. Available information indicates that a very attractive brook trout fishery has developed in this "remote" 5 acre pond.

-Francis Brautigam, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B - Central Maine

Now that summer is officially over, its time to get ready for winter, words nobody wants to read. Although summer's over, there's still time for some great fishing, I know many people that live for fall fishing. What's not to like? The weather is excellent, the leaves are turning colors and trout are at their prettiest when spawning. As water temperatures cool, the coldwater species will again be in the feeding mode to prepare for the rigors of spawning. Soon trout and salmon in lakes and ponds will move towards flowing waters in an attempt to spawn. Unfortunately, in central Maine, the habitat is severely limited and although trout go through normal spawning activities, very few offspring will result from these natural spawnings. Even though there's little survival, we continue to maintain good fisheries through annual stockings in many waters. For those interested in fishing one of the better areas, try below the dam in the Village of Belgrade at Long Pond, salmon and brown trout can be numerous at this time of year, and every year reports of large fish are common, you may even be surprised with a large pike.

River fishing is also very popular and productive this time of year. Portions of the Kennebec and St. George Rivers are open year-round for those hardy soles. Some of the brown trout stocked in these rivers migrate into the tidal basin during the summer then return to spawn in the fall. We've heard reports of people duck hunting in the morning then fishing in the afternoon in these lower stretches and having success both hunting and fishing. Another river you might want to explore is the lower section of the Medomak; this river is open until the end of October.

Warmwater anglers should also be happy at this time of year. The warmwater species get in the feeding mode bulking-up to survive the long winter when their metabolism slows and they generally go off the "feed". As the waters cool, bass tend to move from the deeper water towards the shoreline where fishing tends to be easier. Anglers should begin the fall season in the northwest and move southeast to extend fishing into the late fall. Great Moose Pond and Big Indian Lake near Hartland would be good places to start then moving through the Augusta area to lakes like Cobbossee or Annabessacook ending along the coast at maybe Damariscotta Lake. Rivers used by sea-run alewives migrating to the ocean can be very productive for bass. I spoke with one party of anglers late last year that love fishing for white perch in the fall, maybe that's something you will want to try.

Remember you have until September 16 to send comments to the Department regarding proposed regulation changes for 2006. Posted on the Department's web site is a list of all the proposed changes, most of the changes are related to simplifying the brook trout regulations. Use the following link to read the proposed changes: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/lawsrules/proposals.htm

-James Lucas, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C - Downeast

Recently, I did some follow-up work on an illegal smallmouth bass introduction into Long Pond in T10SD. Within the last 10 years, this water, along with Molasses Pond in Eastbrook and Donnell Pond in Franklin, has been victimized by illegal bass introductions. These senseless acts have compromised the salmonid fisheries (brown trout in Long Pond, brown trout and salmon in Molasses Pond, and salmon in Donnell Pond) enjoyed by numerous Mainers. Once again, the foolish, contemptible acts of a few have produced a decline in fishing quality for many. Because of numerous illegal fish introductions over the past 15 years, I've observed a dramatic turn for the worse in the Downeast fishing landscape. As I approach retirement and reflect on the many changes which have transpired over my 34 year career, this is one of the saddest. I urge anyone with information about an illegal fish introduction to call the Warden Service at 1-800-ALERT-US. A reward will be given for information which leads to the conviction of a perpetrator.

At Long Pond, we fished the shoreline for young bass for several hours after setting some nets. Our angling efforts yielded a kill of 16 small bass between 5-9 inches. The nets produced a catch of 13 larger bass from 11 1/4- 17 1/4 inches...the five largest weighed between 2 1/4-3 1/4 lbs. A stomach analysis revealed that the bass were preying heavily on smelt. While most contained from 3-5 smelt, several had as many as 7 or 8. Clearly, the unwanted bass are competing strongly for smelt with our stocked brown trout, thereby reducing their growth rate and maximum size. In order to try to maintain decent growth of brown trout, I reduced this fall's stocking from 400 to 250. Thus, there are at least two serious consequences of this illegal introduction: 1) the limited fishery for wild brook trout will soon disappear as this species can't tolerate competition from the aggressive bass; 2) fewer brown trout will be available to anglers. This is but one example of how illegal fish introductions ruin the fishing for many. Long Pond remains open to fishing (artificial lures only) until October 31; there is no size or bag limit on bass, but all trout must be immediately released. I plan to visit the pond in October to obtain the fixings for a tasty fish chowder, and I highly recommend it to those of you with similar thoughts.

If Mother Nature cooperates and sends us much cooler temperatures along with some rain in the next two weeks, it will create conditions where salmon will again be caught by trollers looking for surface action. The best times to fish are generally early morning and late afternoon-dark under low light conditions. You may have better luck with lures than flies...try a Flashking, copper Mooselook Wobbler, or copper Super-Duper. On a cloudy day, expect action at any time. For a shot at a 2- 2 1/2 pounder, try West Grand Lake in Grand Lake Stream, Green Lake in Ellsworth or Long Pond on MDI. If you want a chance to tangle with a 3-4 1/2 pounder, try Cathance Lake in Cooper, Alligator Lake north of the Airline, or Tunk Lake in T10SD. If you prefer to cast from a riverbank, there is just one spot to go.....Grand Lake Stream. A Barnes Special or Governor Aiken streamer is a good bet here; you can keep one salmon/day until September 30, and then it's catch and release from October 1-20. This late season fishery can be very exciting as the fish are fat and sassy. For those of you who also enjoy bird hunting, be sure to pack your shotgun along with your fly rod for a chance to cast and blast. If you would rather augment your partridge breasts with smallmouth fillets, try Meddybemps Lake. or Cathance Lake. in October where there is no size or bag limit on bass except that only one may exceed 14 inches. Enjoy the smell of the early fall air.

-Ron Brokaw, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region D - Western Mountains

Flows and water temperatures in western Maine's streams improved quite dramatically as the remnants of Hurricane Katrina passed through the area last week. The timing couldn't be better for anglers chasing pre-spawning trout and salmon in places like the Kennebago River, the Rapid River, and the Magalloway River. A reminder, however, that the "spawning beds" on the lower Kennebago, as well as the Rapid River between the remnants of Lower Dam and the head of Long Pool, are closed to fishing after September 14. These closures are in place to provide additional protection to mature brook trout that concentrate in large numbers prior to their final spawning migration.

Lloyd Mitchell from the Liberty area reported some outstanding late-summer togue fishing at Pleasant Pond in Caratunk. During a recent weekend his party boated about 20 togue, all over 3 pounds, with one 19-pounder and a 12-pounder included. Pleasant Pond provides some of the best opportunities in the state for large togue, but unfortunately we have evidence that the lake's burgeoned togue population has comprised the lake's brook trout fishery. We've promulgated some liberal harvest regulations for this large predator to reduce their impact on trout, and we encourage serious togue anglers to "have at 'em". The minimum length limit has been reduced from 18 to 14 inches and the daily bag limit is now five fish.

Our brook trout radio-tagging project on the Magalloway River progressed well during the summer months. In cooperation with Dianne Emerson, New Hampshire's District Biologist for the area, we've completed seven tracking events. Tagged trout haven't moved a great deal since they were tagged in June, probably because water temperatures in the upper reaches remained highly suitable (60-66°F) - a consequence of cooling flows from Aziscohos Dam. A few fish have made short journeys from the tagging sites, then returned, but one moved about 15 miles downstream before charging back to the upper river. We tracked this same fish making a 5-mile upstream push in about 4 hours! We expect most of the tagged trout will soon be staging to spawn, so we'll intensify our tracking schedule through late October. Beyond that we'll establish their overwintering locations and observe their dispersal from these areas next spring.

-Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region E - Moosehead Region

Can you feel it? It's in the air. It's time for the playoffs. No, not just for the Red Sox, but for the open water fishing season. The 1st of September is the kickoff to some of the best fishing of the year. The rain from last week and the cooling temperatures this past weekend should stir the juices of any avid angler, not to mention the trout and salmon.

This year we have more storage available in First Roach Pond than any other fall in recent history. This means there should be very good flows in the Roach River for the entire month of September. We made a small increase in flow a little ahead of schedule on September 1st in response to the heavy rains from Katrina. We anticipate making a gate adjustment at the dam to release around 200 cfs on Sept 6th. If all goes according to plan, we will adjust the gate in the middle of the month to ensure good fishing flows for the remainder of the season and to empty First Roach Pond by October 15th. Anglers can also look forward to an increase in flow at the East Outlet and the Moose River as fall drawdowns kick into gear.

We are optimistic about the salmon fishing this fall in the Moosehead tributaries and the East Outlet. Reports from anglers around the entire lake this summer indicate that the salmon are in very good shape and full of smelts. We spent a night on Moosehead Lake with the hydroacoustics boat in August and we were encouraged with the number of smelts we were able to capture with our trawl. We were only able to catch a few dozen smelts last summer, but this summer we caught over 400 smelts and with less effort. Hopefully, these are all good signs that salmon and togue growth will improve.

In two weeks we will begin a cooperative study with biologists from Florida Power and Light (FPL) to locate togue-spawning shoals in Moosehead Lake. We will have several trapnets set around the lake to capture togue in their pre-spawning mode from mid- September to mid-October. We plan to insert radio tags into 30 fish and monitor their movements until they spawn, generally around the middle of October. If you should happen to catch one of these "robo-fish" with an antenna sticking out the side, we would encourage you to release it. There's plenty more where that one came from. We would like to express our appreciation to FPL and Kennebec Water Power Co. for supporting this effort with funds and manpower. We are fortunate to have such a good group of dedicated folks working for these companies in the Moosehead area.

-Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region F, Penobscot Region

Fall fishing for salmon and trout is well underway and bass fishing remains very good in most of the region. Good flows in the West Branch of the Penobscot River have contributed to fast salmon fishing although the salmon are still smaller than normal for that river. Another not so well known river fishery for salmon and trout in the Penobscot can be found below Weldon Dam this month. Between August 16 and September 30 rivers, brooks and streams are restricted to the use of artifical lures only and the total daily bag limit for salmon, trout, and togue is 1 fish.

River and stream flows reached very high levels as the remains of Katrina moved through the state last week. The Penobscot peaked at 30,000 cfs at a time when the normal flow is about 5800 cfs and has currently dropped to 12,000 cfs. This will make bass fishing in the river more difficult because the fish will be spread out over a larger area.

There were several reports of tagged bass being captured in Spednic Lake during the months of July and August this year but the tags on some of those fish were not readable. Three of the tags were readable and continue to demonstrate the longevity of smallmouth bass. Two bass were 5 years old and one was 6 years old when transferred in 1989 which makes them currently 21 and 22 years old. They weighed about one half pound when transferred and now weigh 2 lbs. 14 oz., 3 lbs. 4 oz., and 3 lbs. 12 oz. These fish were all caught by anglers staying at Wheaton's Lodge in Forest City. Salmon and Lake Trout fishing has been very good this season and is expected to continue through the fall. Lake and pond fishing for brook trout is reaching its autumn peak. Activity and success has been very good on Baxter park waters and especially in Sourdnahunk Lake and Stream.

-Mike Smith, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region G - Aroostook County

A common question the Department receives this time of year has been "is fishing season still open?" For many years now we have had the same season structure designed to protect fall spawning salmonids, especially brook trout, as they prepare for spawning. Generally, brook trout in smaller brooks, rivers and streams spawn earlier than those in lakes and ponds. Beginning August 16, rivers, brooks, and streams fall under more restrictive general law regulations. Generally, all flowing waters are artificial-lures-only (ALO) with a daily bag limit of 1 fish; however, some exceptions apply so anglers should check the lawbook prior to an outing. Lakes and ponds retain the regulations that applied earlier in the season until the last day of September. On August 17 while electrofishing a small brook in northern Aroostook County, the mature male brook trout that we captured were ripe for spawning - milt would run freely with mild pressure on the abdomen. This particular brook, located in T19R12, was cold at about 12 degrees Celsius (about 54 degrees F) in the early morning.

As brook trout move toward spawning areas, anglers can have great success in areas that seemed fishless 1-3 months ago. Deep holding pools are the habitat anglers should focus on as this type of habitat provides the protection older, larger trout need to survive predation from certain birds and mammals. Don't overlook the pools near road crossings; often large pools occur directly downstream of roads and trout often use these pools while "staging" in preparation for spawning.

As September winds down, anglers can fish their favorite water one last time. Most waters close the last day of September, but many will remain open through October with artificial lures only (ALO) and catch-and-release regulations. We recommend trying one of these waters during October as the action can be excellent for larger fish. More than 30 waters are open to October fishing.

If you live in northern Maine, you are likely to be within a relatively short driving distance to one of these waters. In addition, several waters are being managed with larger trout stocked in late September/early October. These waters should provide good fishing for stocked trout 14-16 inches in size and are noted in the list below by an "*". Please note that Squapan Lake is stocked with similar size splake; Drews Lake is also stocked with brown trout in the fall that range 12-14 inches.

Arnold Brook Lake*, Presque Isle; Beaver Tail Pond, T14R10; Black Pond, St. John; Bran Lake, St. Francis; Carry Lake, Littleton; Cochrane Lake, Smyrna; Conroy Lake, Monticello; Daigle Pond, New Canada; Deep Lake, Littleton; Dickwood Lake, Eagle Lake; Drews Lake*, New Limerick; Echo Lake, Presque Isle; Hale Pond, Moro Plt.; Hanson Brook Lake, Presque Isle; Logan Lake, Houlton; Moccasin Pond, T14R8 (note: fly fishing only); Monson Pond, Fort Fairfield; Mud Pond, Linneus; Nickerson Lake*, New Limerick; Pennington Pond, T15R6; Perch Pond, T15R9; Round Mountain Pond, T11R8; Spaulding Lake*, Oakfield; *Squapan Lake, T10R4; Timoney Lake, Oakfield; Ugh Lake, T12R14; Big Caribou Pond, T7R10; Little Caribou Pond, T7R10; First Currier Pond, T9R11; Echo Lake, T9R11; Upper Elbow Pond, T10R10; Island Pond, T9R10; Matthews Pond, T8R10; and Millinocket Lake, T7R9, T8R9, T7R10.

-Frank Frost, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

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