For Immediate Release
September 19, 2005
September 19, 2005 Fishing Report
Region A- Southwestern Maine
For Region A biologists, the last month of summer means it is time to
complete the stream surveys scheduled in our annual work plan. Some of
these surveys are associated with the statewide brook trout monitoring
program. These surveys are completed in each of MDIF&Ws seven regions
and
involve sampling brook trout and taking habitat measurements in two
close to
pristine streams. The objective is to use these streams as an over all
measure of the health of wild brook trout populations statewide.
In Region A several other stream surveys are completed annually on
the Crooked River and on Mile Brook to keep an eye on the spawning
success
of wild Sebago Lake landlocked salmon. In the past these surveys have
alerted us when beaver dams have caused a hindrance to spawning in the
Crooked River drainage. Surveys done after beaver dam removal have
also
shown the positive effects of removal on the spawning success of
salmon.
The last type of stream surveys done by Region A staff are those
completed with the objective of cataloging the species present and
overall
water quality of each stream within the boundaries of each town in the
region. This inventory allows us to identify important habitats and
the
presence of rare species. With this information, we are able to plan
and
prioritize future MDOT stream crossings and allows us to comment on
MDEP
construction applications with confidence. With so many streams in the
region, we strive to survey the streams of three towns per year.
This year, the towns of Porter, Hiram, and Brownfield will be surveyed.
The
towns of Porter, Brownfield, and half of Hiram have already been
completed
and we were happy to find that almost all of the streams in those towns
had
populations of wild brook trout. Unfortunately, many of the streams in
Hiram had hanging culverts. Hanging culverts are those that have an
artificial drop on the down-stream side of the pipe. While these
waterfalls
seem pleasant, they often completely block fish passage from
down-stream to
up-stream. Hanging culverts fragment aquatic habitat, prevent the
normal
movements of fish, aquatic insects and amphibians, and reduces access
to
summer refugia. The danger here is that the upper portions of streams
tend
to dry up in times of drought and can effectively wipe out a population
of
brook trout above a hanging culvert. If the population is isolated
from its
down-stream neighbors by a hanging culvert, the natural processes of
migration that would ordinarily replenish such a population are
blocked.
The result can be a barren stretch of headwaters that could have
provided
fishing opportunity or could have supported a fishery down-stream.
Fortunately, the potential effects of hanging culverts have not been
found
in Hiram to date.
On a different note, we are entertaining some management changes at
Forrest Pond in Canton. Spot checks last winter and a lack of positive
angler reports indicate stocked brook trout are not producing
acceptable
fishing opportunity. The lack of positive angler reports may be due to
very
low fishing pressure, predation on brook trout by largemouth and
smallmouth
bass, and/or competition from other species. Stocking at Forrest Pond
has
been canceled for this year. In the future we are considering other
management options for the pond including a larger brook trout or
rainbow
trout.
-Brian Lewis, Fisheries Biologist Specialist
Region B - Central Maine
Every year, fisheries biologists from around the state gather
information
from road crossings from every stream in a few selected towns. The
information such as species present and abundance, culverts shape and
size,
along with some habitat information and water quality are gathered and
recorded. This information is used for future brook trout management
within
watersheds.
By now most readers are well informed of the effects exotic fish
species can
have on our native fish populations. To give you an example of how
these
exotic fish species can effect even the smallest of brooks and streams.
Lets
look at a situation in the town of Mt. Vernon
In August, I was working on some of these small tributaries to Long
Pond in
the town of Mt Vernon. The tributaries exhibited habitat types such as
pocket water, riffles, runs and small plunge pools along with cool
water
temperatures, a key factor for brook trout survival. One may conclude
that
brook trout would inhabit some of these small tributaries to Long Pond,
and
electrofishing confirmed that indeed wild brook trout still do inhabit
some
of these tributaries. The problem is that we only caught larger,
older-aged
brook trout. Streams characteristically support other fish species
besides
trout. Black nose dace, creek chubs and white suckers are just three
species
that one would expect to encounter in streams of this nature. I did
eventually find some of these other fish species, but, they where
located in
stranded pools of water far away from the flows of the main channel. I
should also mention that I never did capture any young of the year
brook
trout in the main stem of the brook or the stranded pools. What I
caught
surprised me, especially in regard to their abundance and placement
within
the habitat. Thirty- seven young northern pike where caught, in what I
would
have called undesirable habitat for pike. These young pike where
sitting in
the fastest riffles and runs above some of the plunge pools almost as
if
they where acting as young trout.
Now, think about this on a larger scale, such as over the area of this
region. What kind of chance do you think young brook trout or other
young
salmonids have in a place where exotic species have invaded a formerly
undisturbed wild salmonid fishery? In time, as the larger older
Salmonids
die off, there will be less recruitment of young fish to take the
adults
place. Consequently, there will be fewer adult salmonids for anglers to
catch.
To end on a positive note, once these younger wild salmonids are large
enough to no longer be threatened by these introduced exotics, some
good
fishing may be the end result. Good luck catching them.
-Scott Davis, Fisheries Biologist Specialist
Region C - Downeast
The fall fishing season is here and keeping with the colors of the
season, anglers should look to the trees for "bright" ideas for the
shades
of the lures and flies that are best used in autumn. Salmon and trout
often
aggressively attack bright orange, yellows and greens (chartreuse) in
the
fall as water temperatures cool down into these fishes optimum feeding
ranges.
More specifically, florescent orange and chartreuse #5 and #7 Rapalas
trolled and casted for brook trout work terrific in small ponds and
even on
larger trout lakes where there are lots of rocky edge habitat. The
brook
trout flies I highly recommend for the season are the yellow and
florescent
green Hornbergs as well as a bright silver and white Marabou Muddler
Minnow
with white marabou overwing. The Hornbergs imitate juvenile minnows
and
sunfishes that trout love to gorge on this time of year when shallow
water
temperatures neutralize to cooler temps, allowing trout to once again
pillage and harass these shallow littoral zone species.
Recommended highly productive Downeast fall trout ponds and lakes are
as
follows:
Simmons Pond - Hancock (artificial lures only), Billings Pond - Blue
Hill,
Upper Hadlock Pond - Northeast Harbor (ALO), Echo Lake - Southwest
Harbor,
Ducktail Pond - Amherst, Shattuck Lake - Calais, West Pike Brook Pond -
T 18
MD, Tilden Pond - T 10 SD, Goulding Pond - Robbinston, Pork Barrel Pond
- T
6 R1 (ALO), and Keenes Lake in Calais.
For landlocked salmon "electric" colored flies and lures are also the
ticket for fall success. I highly recommend the bright orange
Montreal,
Barnes Special, Black Ghost, Marabou Muddler Minnow and Little Rainbow
Trout
streamer flies. For salmon hardware I recommend the orange and silver
Flash
King, the mylar purple or rainbow Yozori Pin-Minnows, orange or rainbow
DB
Smelt, orange Thunder Stick Jr. and red & white Weeping Willow.
Productive fall salmon lakes are follows: Cathance Lake - Cooper (open
until the end of October), West Grand Lake (open until October 15) -
Grand
Lake Stream (open until October 20th), Alligator Lake - T 34 MD (open
until
the end of September), Long Pond - Mount Desert (open until the end of
October) and Green Lake - Ellsworth (open until the end of September).
To cast the above magic salmon flies for the next month, the place to
be is
the famed Grand Lake Stream. This fly-fishing only 2.6-mile stretch of
stream connects the salmon lakes of West Grand and Big Lakes. Last
week I
had the pleasure of talking to Kurt Cressey of the town's Pine Tree
Store,
otherwise known as the fishing headquarters for those parts, and told
me
that "bright" salmon are now dropping into the stream from West Grand
and
traveling up from Big, starting their usual fall migrations. Grand
Lake
Stream is open until October 20th and the best fishing is the last two
weeks
of season. The closer you fish to the 20th the more fish have migrated
into
the stream. And here's another tip, the earlier you fish in the day
the
better fishing you'll have. Casting over rested salmon will make your
day
more productive. The flows in Grand Lake Stream are a little high at
580
CFS for wading and casting, but great for bringing in new recruits.
The
best is yet to come!
Good luck and be safe!
-Greg Burr, Fisheries Biologist Specialist
Region D - Western Mountains
Rainy days and cool nights in mid-September cause fish to move into
streams
prior to spawning, and the wet weather we had last week was perfect for
getting the fish moving. For the same reason, salmon and trout are
also
found in lakes off the mouths of inlets at this time of year. The
availability of fish, combined with crisp autumn days and fall foliage
colors (and the lack of bugs!), make this the favorite time of year for
many
fly fishermen.
Fall days also signal a change in our fieldwork schedule as we'll soon
begin
our trapnetting season. Before we do so, I'd like to tip my hat in
thanks
to the people who've helped us conduct our summer fieldwork. As I
mentioned
previously, members of the Rangeley Region Guides' and Sportsmen's
Association and the Somerset Chapter of Trout Unlimited helped us on
stream
surveys and with stream restoration monitoring. These folks
contributed 21
work days this summer, and their assistance is greatly appreciated.
The Embden Rearing Station has been completely rebuilt and greatly
expanded
over the last year and a half, and fish will be moved into the new
facility
for the first time next month. During construction, employees worked
at
other hatcheries or, I'm pleased to say, helped us do fisheries field
work.
As they return to their jobs as fish culturists, we at the Strong
office
thank Gene Arsenault, Steve Raye, and Keith Carpenter for the
assistance
they provided gill netting, electrofishing, and with other field work.
We'll miss their help and company next summer.
-Forrest Bonney, Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region E - Moosehead Region
Autumn arrives on September 22nd and with it a lessening of the amount
of
solar radiation reaching the atmosphere over the northern hemisphere.
We
will begin to see a substantial decrease in daylight which should begin
to
slowly lower water temperatures in pond and rivers across the region.
This
decrease in water temps and fall rains should increase the activity of
brook
trout and salmon on their annual migration to spawning areas.
Reports from the Moose River, Roach River, and the East Outlet of the
Kennebec are very encouraging. Anglers are reporting catching some
nice
salmon up to 18- 20 inches as well as brook trout 16 -18 inches. Fish
are
being taken on a variety of streamer and nymph patterns.
Last week regional staff took some vacation off and spent three days
fishing
the West Branch of the Penobscot River, above Chesuncook Lake. The
fishing
was slow due to the warm weather conditions we experienced during the
middle
of last week. We caught numerous salmon 14- 16 inches. The fishing on
the
West Branch should begin to improve over the last two weeks of the
season as
water temperatures begin to decrease.
Due to heavy rains on Saturday, September 17th, IFW staff decided to
postpone its annual Family Fishing Day at the Gravel Pit Pond in
Greenville.
The Greenville Fisheries staff would like to reschedule this event. We
feel
it is a good chance to get youngsters involved in outdoor activities.
We
are planning to reschedule this event during the month of October. No
date
has been decide on as of yet but look to future fishing report for a
weekend
in October.
-Stephen Seeback, Fisheries Biologist Specialist
Region F, Penobscot Region
Although another general law open water fishing season is drawing to
a close, there still is time to enjoy the remainder of a productive
season
and get ready for some fall action on selected waters.
With surface waters cooling down, salmon, trout, and togue are coming
to the
surface and providing some good top-water action. Anglers have
reported
good action for salmon on East Grand, Pleasant Pond and Cold Stream
Pond.
Both salmon and splake have been very active in Seboeis Lake. Baxter
State
Park waters are very productive for brook trout during this part of the
season.
Once October 1 arrives don't put the fish poles away. There are two
categories of waters open during the fall season. First are waters
with a
special S-23 designation. These waters are open to fishing from
October 1 -
October 31 using artificial lures only and all fish caught must be
released
alive at once. This regulation generally applies to coldwater lakes
that
are stocked with salmon or trout and allows an angler to fish for these
species through October although all fish must be released. Some good
Region F waters are West Lake, Pleasant Lake, Deering Lake, Millinocket
Lake, Millincoket Stream (in T1 R8 andT3 IP, from Millinocket Lake Dam
downstream to the town line) and the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes.
The other category is S-24, in which the waters are open from October 1
-
November 30. In these waters all trout, salmon togue and bass must be
released alive but an angler may keep perch and pickerel. These are
generally warmwater lakes and ponds that have good perch and pickerel
populations that are productive through the fall season. Some Region F
waters in this category are Seboeis Lake, South Branch Pond, and
Saponac
Pond.
Fish marking at the Enfield hatchery has been completed and fall
stocking is
about to begin. This year about 17,000 fall fingerling brook trout,
3,000
fall yearling brook trout and 2,000 fall yearling landlocked salmon
will be
stocked in Region F. Fall trapnetting to sample fish populations is
also
about to begin. Trapnetting for coldwater species works better during
the
fall and allows more detailed information on the fish population to be
collected. Some of the waters scheduled for trapnetting this fall are
East
Grand Lake, Schoodic Lake, East Musquash Lake and Upper Sysladobsis
Lake for
salmon; Seboeis Lake for salmon and splake, and Nicatous Lake for brown
trout.
-Mike Smith, Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region G - Aroostook County
Seasonably cool, wet weather has arrived in northern Maine. Water
flows in
rivers, brooks, and streams are higher and temperatures have cooled:
conditions are excellent for fall fishing in Aroostook County. This is
a
great time to take advantage of the many fishing opportunities we have
in
northern Maine. Typically, outdoor enthusiasts are thinking about the
upcoming hunting seasons so expect crowds to be small to nonexistent at
your
favorite fishing spot.
Lakes and ponds also should be excellent fishing during these last two
weeks
of September. Surface temperatures have cooled and the rainy, windy
weather
have helped to make trout and salmon more active. Recently, my kids
had a
great day of fishing at a local trout pond (see attached pictures). We
found trout to be very active during midday, sunny conditions when you
expect fishing to be slow. We caught 17 trout in all that day and had
a
great lunch the next day, a highlight the kids enjoy as much as
catching the
fish.
This fall we will be instituting a new stocking program in Region G
utilizing fall yearling brook trout - larger trout stocked in the fall
to
provide fall fishing, ice fishing, and some ice out fishing
opportunity.
Lakes and ponds scheduled to receive these fish are: Arnold Brook
Lake,
Presque Isle; Drews Lake, New Limerick; Nickerson Lake, New Limerick;
and
Spaulding Lake, Oakfield. With the exception of Nickerson Lake all are
open
under the S-23 regulation in October.
<<P9160006.JPG>> <<P9160011.JPG>>
-Frank Frost, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist
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