For Immediate Release
July 5, 2005

July 5, 2005 Fishing Report

Region A- Southwestern Maine

April and May produced some tough fishing conditions, but June was an
excellent month for trout and salmon anglers.  The fishing held up 
longer
than usual due to the cool, rainy weather that persisted throughout 
much of
the month.  July is now upon us and coldwater anglers can expect the 
fishing
to wind down as we head into the dog days of summer.  Although summer
fishing can be a bit tougher, most hardcore anglers know that there are
still plenty of trout and salmon out there to catch.  Anglers just have 
to
be willing to change their techniques, fishing habits, and sometimes 
even
the waters or species they are targeting to be successful.  Below are a 
few
tips that may improve your summer fishing success:

Lake trout fishing can be productive all season long with the right 
tackle.
In fact, some of the best catches often occur in mid to late summer.
Successful anglers generally troll bait or lures (flatfish are a 
favorite)
very close to the bottom with a target depth in the 70-110 foot range.
Downriggers or lead core lines are a must for this type of angling!  
Region
A waters worth trying include: Sebago Lake (Naples), Auburn 
Lake(Auburn),
Thompson Lake (Oxford), and Kezar Lake(Lovell).

Landlock salmon are generally targeted in the spring and fall, but 
summer
anglers can also be successful by fishing a little deeper and by 
fishing the
early morning and late evening hours.  Most anglers pick up salmon this 
time
of year by trolling bait, flies, or lures in 30-50 feet of water.  I  
would
suggest early mornings, and try to locate a school smelt on your fish 
finder
before they have settled to the bottom for the day.  Once you have 
found a
school troll in the same area/depth as the smelt, and you may get 
lucky! 

Brown trout produce some of the best summer fishing opportunities when 
it
comes to coldwater game fish.   This time of year, surface waters are
generally too warm for trout, and an oxygen deficiency has begun to 
develop
in the deeper water.  This causes trout to become sandwiched in a 
relatively
small band of cool, oxygenated water.  Anglers need to target this band 
of
water adjacent to the thermocline, which is generally between 15-20' 
deep.
Trolling flies, lures or sewed bait around the thermocline can be quite
effective and has produced many trophy browns in the region.  Fishing 
for
browns can be very slow, be patient.  A few lakes and ponds worth 
trying
include: Range Ponds (Poland), Little Sebago Lake (Windham), Crystal 
Lake
(Gray), Mousam Lake (Acton), and Hancock Pond (Denamark).

Stream fishing for browns in the 8-12 inch range also holds up fairly 
well
all season long, and we are often surprised by the high number of 
browns
observed during late summer/early fall stream surveys.  Trout will also
congregate to areas with cool water influence such as spring seeps or 
around
the mouth of cooler tributaries.  Some good bets for Region A include 
the
Little Androscoggin River ( W. Paris to Auburn), Pleasant River 
(Windham),
Nezinscot River (Buckfield), Little River (Gorham/Berwick), Great Works
River (Berwick),  Nonesuch River (Scarborough), and the Cold River 
(Stowe).

Brook trout fishing in our small to medium sized ponds can also be
productive this time of year, but anglers will most likely need to 
ditch
their surface gear and go down.  Like brown trout, brook trout will 
also be
"stacked up" at water depths adjacent to the thermocline, often 15-20 
feet
deep for most ponds in the region.  If you can locate them, spring 
holes are
also great places to target summer trout, but be sure to consult your
lawbook (some springs are protected).

Many small streams and beaver flowages throughout the region maintain 
cooler
temperatures during the summer and provide fantastic action for 6-9"
brookies all summer long.  If in doubt, bring a thermometer and check 
for
stream temperatures below 68 F.  Catching wild, stream brook trout is
typically not too difficult, as they readily attack small flies, worms, 
and
lures.

On a another note, we would like to thank Scott Lowell, President of 
the
Little Sebago Lake Association, for working with the Department to 
address
several maintenance issues at the public boat launch.  A few more items
still need to be addressed, but the site looks cleaner and better than 
it
has in a long time.  I also made a launch inspection on our Mousam Lake
access site last week and noted several maintenance items that we hope 
to
take care of in the near future.  I also disposed of a fair amount of 
trash
that someone had dumped including over 30 bags of leaves from last 
fall!  It
is a shame that people, often not boaters and anglers, feel compelled 
to
destroy and abuse public access sites.

In the past few years there has been a lot of press on invasive plants 
and
animals, and people are becoming more and more aware of invasives 
issues,
particularly milfoil.  Although the Department has been aware and 
cautious
of invasive species for many years, we have just recently adopted 
formal
guidelines for our fieldwork activities.  These guidelines address
procedures that must be used in the field to minimize the risks of
transporting invasive plants, animals, and pathogens from one water to
another.  Other State and Federal have and/or are adopting similar
procedures.

-Jim Pellerin, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B - Central Maine

As we approach the "Dog Days," defined in Webster's Dictionary as: 1: 
the
period between early July and early September when hot, sultry weather 
of
summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere, or; 2: a period of
stagnation or inactivity; anglers may experience the same inactivity 
with
fish in central Maine waters. However, they should not be discouraged 
since
many anglers are reporting good summer catches. Many anglers have 
adapted to
the change in fish behavior by trying different techniques, seeking out 
fish
in their summertime haunts such as deeper water, spring holes, or extra
cover. 

	Trout and salmon will be found in approximately 25 to 30 feet of
water as long as the water temperatures and dissolved oxygen content 
are
adequate. Maranacook Lake is still giving up some 2 to 3 pound brown 
trout
as are Damariscotta, Cochnewagon, Cobbossee, Pemaquid, China, and
Megunticook. The traditional salmon waters will also provide action
resulting from previous stockings of what are now two or three year old
fish. Parker, Echo, Swan, St. George, and Wassookeag have been 
reporting
fish in the 2 to 3 pound range. Lake trout are still available at even
deeper waters such as Echo, Maranacook, Sheepscot, Swan, and 
Wassookeag.
Brook trout may still be available at waters we stocked with spring
yearlings at places like Long, Maranacook, Echo, Swan, St. George, and
Wassookeag. Last year, an angler reported catching brookies all summer 
from
several of those waters, so do not overlook the extended availability 
of
Maine's' most sought after fish. This year may really be a boon to 
those who
seek brookies in this region because of the strain we are now using 
that
comes from a cross between the trout from Kennabago River in Rangeley 
and
the long standing Maine Hatchery strain. These fish have appeared to
withstand the rigors of residing in Central Maine waters with better
survival and growth. 

	Warmwater species are all in their glory at this time of year. Bass
have moved off shore to deeper water in the areas that provide cover 
and
available food. Try fishing the "break", that area where a steep drop 
off
occurs from the shallow to the deep hole. These areas hold all sorts of 
fish
species as they forage and move to different areas of the lake or pond. 
Use
un-weighted plastic grubs or worms that will slowly sink to the bottom.
Twitching the lure will entice the lunker to strike, so be ready. I 
could
name just about any water in the region to give an angler some action. 
Look
at the law book and the Gazetteer and pick a water close to home and 
you
will have an excursion that can be as memorable as you can make it.   


-Robert Van-Riper, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C - Downeast 

	The Fisheries staff from the Jonesboro Headquarters has been busy
sampling brook trout populations recently. Maine uses two strains of 
brook
trout in its hatchery programs: 1. The wild Kennebago strain, from 
Kennebago
Lake and River in western Maine, and 2. the domesticated Maine Hatchery
Strain, which grows very well in the hatchery.

Maine also crosses the Kennebago strain with the Maine Hatchery Strain, 
to
produce a stocked brook trout of good size that also has the ability to
survive longer than the domesticated brook trout.

	We sampled 10 Maine Hatchery strain trout from Peep Lake in Twp 30
MD. These trout were age 1, very fat, and ranged in length from 11-14
inches. Their primary food was sticklebacks and insects, with some
individuals containing up to 14 sticklebacks in their stomachs.

	We also sampled 16 Kennebago wild strain brook trout from Ledge Pond
in Charlotte, located on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. These were 
also
age 1 trout, but were notably more slender (as can often be the case 
with
wild strain brook trout) and ranged in length from 9-11 inches, which 
is
more commonly the size range for age 1 brook trout in most eastern 
Maine
ponds.

	Based on summer water temperatures, we found the trout in 10-15 feet
of water. Anglers know that at this time of year, they must fish deeper 
to
catch trout and salmon, but the results can be good, as fish 
concentrate
into a smaller area of the pond.
	So, if trout and salmon are your favorite species, they can still be
caught if you fish a little deeper. Or if the warmwater species are 
what you
turn to in July, bass, pickerel, and perch will commonly be caught in
shallow water along the shores.

	July is an ideal time to fish. When you head out this month,
introduce someone new to fishing! Share your skills and knowledge to 
start
them out properly in a lifetime of enjoyment of Maine's lakes, ponds,
rivers, and streams.

-Rick Jordan, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region D - Western Mountains 

Last week we completed the "tagging phase" of our radio telemetry 
project on
the Magalloway River below Aziscohos Lake. We'll begin tracking these 
23
fish on July 6. Thereafter we'll assess their movements on a weekly or
bi-weekly basis until the tag batteries expire next spring. Lots of 
good
folks were involved in this effort, including staff and interns from 
the New
Hampshire Department of Fish and Game, interns from the Umbagog 
National
Wildlife Refuge, FPL biologists, and our own hatchery staff from the 
Embden
Rearing Station. Special thanks to volunteers Steve Kasprzak, Roger 
Verrill,
and Chris Thompson for sharing their intimate knowledge of this fine 
river.
This week we'll assist New Hampshire Fish and Game biologists in their
effort to implant radio tags in trout from the Dead Diamond River, a 
major
tributary to the Magalloway. 

We collected some additional information on the presence of smallmouth 
bass
in C Pond, a large trout water (173 acres) draining directly to Umbagog
Lake. The presence of bass was confirmed a few weeks ago during a 
trapping
survey, so we were interested in determining the extent of their
colonization, and we wished to characterize habitat quality for bass. 
Divers
observed several large smallmouths guarding recently hatched fry; the 
fry
were not fortunate enough to have hatched in proximity to good cover 
and
were being summarily eaten by hordes of fallfish (chubs) and shiners. 
We did
not observe any bass other than these few adults and the fry, but we 
did
observe evidence of past spawning attempts in the form of old nests.  
It
appears that adult smallmouths have been here for some time, but 
haven't
successfully recruited. Good news for the pond's brook trout, perhaps.
However, we did examine several nearshore areas with high-quality cover 
for
bass fry and yearlings. Apparently adult bass haven't "found" this 
cover
yet, but it seems likely that they eventually will. We believe bass 
will
ultimately succeed here, but their numbers may remain low. 

Meantime, we'll be considering carefully what, if any, options we have 
to
protect this wild trout population. These could include stricter 
harvest
regulations for trout, more liberal regulations for bass, 
identification and
protection of trout spawning and nursery areas, and closure to the
commercial taking of baitfish. Also, because we believe the historic
presence of large numbers of beaver dams on Dead Cambridge Stream (C 
Pond's
outlet) have slowed the migration of bass from Umbagog Lake to C Pond, 
we'll
recommend the closure of the stream to beaver trapping to maintain a 
good
supply of these natural barriers.


-Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region E - Moosehead Region

The Moosehead Lake Region has completed its fall fingerling stocking
evaluations.  This spring we visited 11 ponds to evaluate the status of 
the
three brook trout strains being stocked in the Moosehead Lake Region.  
The
three strains being use in our fall fingerling stocking program are the
Maine Hatchery Strain, Kennebago Strain and F1 Strain (Maine Hatchery 
and
Kennebago cross).  Information from these sampling events help regional
personal with the management, including stocking and regulations, to 
provide
the best produce possible.  In our travels to many of these ponds this
spring I was appalled by the various items of trash that have been left
behind by anglers.  Some worm dealers are getting good advertisement,
especially in waters that have artificial lure only regulations (AOL), 
where
the use of bait is prohibited.  These resources should be cherished and 
left
in better condition then when you arrived.  "Carry in carry out" is a 
policy
that should be upheld by anyone venturing into the woods of Maine.   

Warm temperatures over the last week have increased water temperatures 
on
many of the larger lakes and ponds in the region.  With these changes 
in
temperature anglers will soon find that there best chance to catch 
salmonids
will be a result of deep trolling.  Lead line and down riggers are your 
best
bet to get down into deeper water.  When larger lakes and ponds begin 
to
stratify thermally in midsummer, coldwater fishes such as brook trout, 
lake
trout, char, and whitefish remain in deep water or below the 
thermocline and
warmwater fishes are restricted to shallow upper warmwater layers.  

Those of you that are looking to take advantage of the last of the
superlative insect hatches, the 4th of July is when we begin to see 
green
drake hatches in our region.  I find myself staying on my favorite 
trout
ponds late into the evening during this time of year.  On some of the 
ponds
I fish the green drakes don't begin to come off the water until the sun 
has
disappeared over the horizon, so make sure to bring a flashlight with 
you on
these late night adventures.

This past week John Bryant, an angler from Sangerville, caught a splake 
that
was just shy of the 8 pound mark.  The fish weighed 7 ¾ ponds and came 
from
one of his secret fishing holes.  Although this fish was 2 ½ pounds shy 
of
the state record it did however qualify John for " THE ONE THAT DIDN'T 
GET
AWAY CLUB".  Congratulations John!!!

-Stephen Seeback, Fishery Biology Specialist, Moosehead Lake Region


 
Region F, Penobscot Region

We continue to hear reports of excellent fishing in Region F.   Last 
week,
we heard from three anglers that green drakes were hatching on the 
trout
ponds in Baxter Park. This was providing the fly casting angler with 
some
great evening trout fishing.  Brook trout as large as 2.5 lbs were 
reported.

       An angler from Jo Mary country reported great trout fishing on 
Jo
Mary and B Ponds.  However he was disgusted with all the trash that was
being left on the shore of Cedar Pond.  His party spent an hour picking 
it
up and then packed it out a mile to their truck. They also reported 
lots of
action, and the trout were mostly between  6"  and 10 " long.   The 
Maine
Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife greatly appreciates the 
outdoors
men and women that leave the Maine woods in better shape than they 
found it!
 
      East Grand Lake has been producing some nice lake trout. We have 
been
getting reports of fish up to 8 lbs. Several anglers are also reporting 
some
nice brook trout in the 16 " range  -- fat and full of fight.  
Smallmouth
bass fishing is great as is the white perch fishing.  The salmon 
fishing,
however, is not as good.  We are getting reports that the salmon are 
very
thin and that smelts are not being found in their stomachs.  We will be
checking in to this in the coming weeks.

      Schoodic lake is still producing great lake trout fishing with 
fish up
to 9 lbs. Anglers are also having some nice brook trout fishing.

      Splake fishing has been pretty good in Cedar and  Endless Lakes.
Seboeis Lake is producing some very good splake angling with fish 
reported
up to 3 lbs.. 

      Some nice plump salmon are being caught in Scraggley, Seboeis, 
East
Musquash, Pleasant,  Duck and West Lakes  

      Smallmouth anglers on the  Piscataquis and Penobscot River are
enjoying some excellent fishing. Most of the bass are off their nests.
Catches of up to 55 fish a day have been reported.  South Branch, 
Endless,
Pushaw, Baskahegan and Spednic would be good bets for some nice 
smallmouths.

      Great white perch fishing can be found on Saponac, Pushaw and 
Silver
lakes.  This would be an enjoyable way to spend a nice summer evening 
with
the family.  

      Now that we have some great summer weather, get outside and enjoy
Maine's Great Outdoors .  
         
-Brian Campbell, Fishery Biology Specialist      


Region G - Aroostook County
	

Hot, summer conditions prevail now in northern Maine and for many 
anglers
who prefer to flyfish for brook trout in the summer, this is the time 
they
look forward to all year.  Lakes and ponds all over northern Maine 
produce
insect hatches that bring our sport fish to the surface to feed.  One
well-known hatch is that of a burrowing mayfly common in silt-bottomed 
lakes
and ponds, known as the "green drake" or sometimes referred to as the 
"Hex
hatch", coined after the scientific genus Hexagenia to which they 
belong.
For fish, particularly brook trout, its an important time of year to 
gain
lots of body mass and energy to get them through the rigors of summer
habitat conditions and spawning in the fall.  For older trout, this 
large
gain in body mass may mean life or death after spawning - if they have
attained adequate body condition, their chance of survival beyond 
October is
much greater.  For anglers, this survival may mean a trophy trout the
following spring.   

Currently, green drakes are hatching and anglers are having excellent
success fishing in their favorite lakes and ponds that historically 
support
these hatches.  The extended period of hot, dry weather has helped 
bring
these hatches along.  A short period of cool, wet weather is forecast 
over
the next several days which will help rivers, brooks, and streams 
regain
some flow and cooler temperature.  Anglers who fish spring holes and 
cool
tributaries that enter larger streams and rivers are reporting that 
trout
have congregated in these places, which is typical behavior to survive 
the
summer months.  

A public Fish and Wildlife Forum will be held this week in St. Agatha 
at the
Knights of Columbus Hall.  The meeting, which begins at 6 PM, is a 
chance to
speak with Commissioner Roland D. Martin who will be accompanied by 
staff
from the Augusta and Ashland Regional office.  The meeting will be held 
on
Wednesday July 6.  Fisheries issues on the agenda include:  petitions
involving ice fishing on Long Lake; new brook trout regulations; and 
the
Madawaska Lake proposal.  

-Frank Frost, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist


From the Maine Warden Service...The Colonel's Outdoor Tip

In hot weather, handle fish that you catch and plan on releasing very
carefully. The heat does impact the level of oxygen in fresh water and 
it
can be more challenging for a fish to recover from a long fight in 
these
conditions than it is during cooler months. A good tip is to actually 
keep
the fish in the water and not remove it from the water while unhooking 
it.
Another good practice is to very slowly move the fish back and forth in 
the
water to get its gill action going again. Catching a fish that you 
release
is a special moment - do everything you can to keep that fish alive for
another day.


-Colonel Tom Santaguida, Chief of the Maine Warden Service