For Immediate Release
March 28, 2005

March 28, 2005 Open Water Preview Fishing Report

Region A- Southwestern Maine

Streams and rivers will offer some of the earliest fishing 
opportunities,
but residual snow pack and anticipated high spring flows will challenge 
the
ardent stream angler.  These same conditions are expected to cause some
delays in spring stocking, although planned stockings are scheduled to 
begin
on April 5th.  Cumberland, Androscoggin and York Counties are the focus 
of
early regional stockings, with streams and small ponds first to be 
stocked.
Staff at Dry Mills Hatchery, New Gloucester Hatchery, and Casco 
Hatchery
will be assisted by volunteers from various fish and game clubs in York
County.  Stocking will move northward in keeping with the normal 
progression
of ice melt and the thawing of our waterways.  Anglers should check out 
the
Department's web site ( www.mefishwildlife.com ) for last year's stocking
report, which may vary some from year to year, but will provide a good
indication of where and when the fish are stocked. 

A number of flowing waters in southern Maine are stocked in the fall 
with
larger fall yearling trout and offer a good opportunity in the spring 
to
catch larger hold-over brook & brown trout.  These waters include, the
Salmon Falls River below South Berwick Dam (browns), Mousam River below
Route 1 in Kennebunk (browns), Ogunquit River below Route 1 (browns), 
Saco
River below Skelton Dam in Dayton (browns+brook), Saco River - Bonney 
Eagle
Bypass (browns), Saco River, below Hiram Dam (browns), and Pleasant 
River -
special management section in Windham.  

In addition, a number of lake inlet streams also can provide some great
early season fishing for larger fish stocked in lakes, including 
Panther Run
off Mill Street in Raymond (salmon), Sebago Locks in Casco (salmon), 
and
Pump box Brook below Route 11 in Shapleigh (browns & brook trout).  

Some of the largest spring-caught trout are taken below dams at lake
outlets.  Trout commonly drop out of lakes and may be taken during 
early
spring at the base of outlet dams.  

Initially, lake fishing opportunities will be available mostly to shore
fishermen, who target the melting edge water around the lake or at lake
inlets and outlets.  Popular and productive lake-side fisheries exist 
on
Auburn Lake (salmon, togue, brook trout), at the Route 302 causeway 
between
Long Lake and Bay of Naples in Naples (browns, salmon), the "heath" at 
the
southern end of Thompson Lake in Poland (salmon), the mouth the Songo 
River
in Casco where a small boat can be floated in Sebago Lake (salmon & 
togue),
the confluence of Sebago Lake and the Muddy River off Route 114 in 
Naples
(salmon), and the trestle bridge located in Standish, where the Sticky 
River
flows into Sebago Lake. 

While fishing Sebago and its tributaries anglers are again reminded to 
kill
and keep any northern pike that are caught and report your catch to a
fisheries biologist at the Gray Regional headquarters (657-2345).  
Northern
Pike are very active and spawn during ice out, frequently traveling 
into
inlets in search of spawning habitat.   

At the time of this writing, the ice on most area ponds will provide 
fishing
until the end of the March and it would appear ice-out this year will 
not
come early.  The good news is that light winter fishing pressure and 
slower
reported fishing will likely favor the open water fishing.  

Once you can float a boat, my picks for landlocked salmon and brook 
trout
are as follows.  For trophy salmon (5 lbs and up) check out Auburn L
(Auburn), Trickey Pond (Naples), South Pond (Greenwood), and Bryant P
(Bryant Pond).  Quality fishing for slightly smaller salmon may be 
found at
Moose P (Bridgton), Thompson L (Otisfield), Crescent L (Raymond), 
Panther
Pond (Raymond), Presumpscot River (Route 35 bypass), Pleasant P 
(Casco), and
yes even Sebago, which should produce some salmon up to 5 pounds.  

Several waters were well stocked last fall with breeder salmon and 
browns,
and should offer some good spring fishing.  These waters include Mousam 
Lake
(Shapleigh), Little Ossipee Lake (Waterboro), and Norway Lake (Norway).
Brook trout enthusiasts should consider our reclaimed ponds including,
Overset P (Greenwood), Broken Bridge P (Albany), Crocker P (Albany), 
and
Mosquito P (Albany), which are stocked annually.  Additional stocked 
ponds
that provide fisheries for larger brook trout include Adams P 
(Bridgton),
Keys P (Sweden), and Little Concord P (Woodstock).  Spicer P (Newfield) 
and
Cold Water P (Kennebunk) have consistently provided good fishing for
smaller, wild brook trout.  Although, the dam at Cold Water Pond 
(Kennebunk)
breached a couple years ago and the "flowage" is much reduced in size, 
but
still offers some good fishing.

Two new "Kids Only" waters were established in the region.  One is 
located
off the River Road in Brunswick at Coffin Pond (behind the swimming 
pond).
The other is located of the enterprise (access road to F.R. Carroll
facility) in Limerick.

The Department has partnered with the Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine on 
their
proposed Classic Salmon Initiative.  Under this initiative the 
Department
was requested to develop trophy salmon fisheries around the state.
Biologists from Region A and SAM's John Hunt have organized a public
informational meeting on April 20th at the Naples Town Office, at 7:30 
PM to
present proposed trophy management changes on two regional waters 
(Kezar
Lake & Crystal Lake - Harrison).  Interested anglers are requested to 
attend
the meeting and voice their thoughts regarding the proposed management.    

-Francis Brautigam, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B - Central Maine

Open water fishing is almost upon us!

	On Friday, April 1, anglers will find varying degrees of open water
in the Region.  Conditions are going to be strongly dependant on the
upcoming weather.  If we continue with the recent trend of dry, mild 
days
and cold nights, anglers will find at least partially open waters on 
most of
the lakes and ponds in the southern part of the area.  Unless the
temperatures rise into the 50's, still waters in the northern part of 
the
region may not have open water areas.

Following that same weather trend, brooks and streams will be full to 
the
banks, but probably not flooding for the most part.  In my recent 
travels,
I've seen many running waters that are ice free and flowing.  That
observation holds true over most of the region, although some of the 
more
shaded, low gradient streams might still have significant ice cover,
especially shore-side.

If, on the other hand, we get a sudden warming, heavy rain event, or a
combination of the two, we might see a lot more open water on our lakes 
and
ponds.  Much of that will be runoff from any precipitation, but it will
speed the melting of ice cover.  Moving waters will end up running 
high,
with some potentially flooding. These will be a tough bet to access, 
let
alone fish.  Be sure to put safety first when around rivers, streams 
and
brooks in flood stage.  If you find your preferred water flooding, try
fishing still water that day.  There are many angling opportunities in 
the
region, so that when a stream or river is not a safe, chances are that 
a
lake or pond is relatively close by. 

As April progresses, the Department's stocking trucks begin to deliver 
fish
to area waters.  Warming days and winds will stir up our waters, 
angling
activity, and hopefully success, will improve dramatically.  In the mid
coastal region, the Department will stock over 63,000 brook trout, 
54,000
brown trout, 600 togue, 4,700 landlocked salmon, and 7,300 splake in 97
waters this spring.  We'll also stock 2,000 rainbow trout in the 
Kennebec
River as part of a project to evaluate future potentials for the 
species as
a sport fishery in Maine.  The size and condition of these stocked 
spring
yearling fish is excellent.  

So, get out there opening day.  I can't think of a better way of 
spending a
spring day than being out on the water.  At its worst, it is better by 
far
than any day working.  At best, your angling luck can be in top form. 
But,
even if the angling is slow, at the very least, you'll get that casting 
arm
in shape for what's to come. 

Finally, I'd like to bring your attention to an opportunity of note for
teens from the ages of 14 to 17.  Each year, the Maine Chapters of 
Trout
Unlimited, host the Maine TU Trout Camp at the Evergreen Campground in
Solon.  The camp runs from June 26 to July 1 and offers an unmatched 
chance
to learn the art and science of fly fishing from some of Maine's best
anglers and instructors.  The camp covers a lot of ground, and does it 
all
in surroundings set in the middle of prime fly fishing waters. It 
includes
sessions on stream ecology and conservation in addition to fly tying 
and
casting, reading water, fishing etiquette and safety.  And, everything 
is
put into practical use in on-water sessions on the beautiful and 
productive
Kennebec River.  If you, or someone you know is interested, go to:
www.troutcamp.tumaine.org  <http://www.troutcamp.tumaine.org> or call 
Greg
Ponte at 207-724-2861.  You'll need to hurry if you're interested, the
deadline for applications is April 1!

-Robert Van-Riper, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C - Downeast 

Downeast lakes and ponds will still be ice-covered on Opening Day, 
leaving
brooks and streams as the only option for early season anglers. I got 
in my
final ice fishing trip of the year on Saturday to Gardner Lake, 
managing to
catch one legal and one short salmon in 1/2 a day.  Ice thickness 
ranged
from 16-20 inches, suggesting that ice outs will be a little later than
normal this year.

	Anglers interested in brook trout should give Echo Lake a try after
ice-out. The trout fishing there this winter was the best in many years
featuring good numbers of nicely shaped 14-16 inchers, along with at 
least
two 18- 18 1/2 inch beauties. The fishery is produced by a mix of two 
and
three year old stocked wild-strain brook trout along with a solid
contribution of wild fish. More than a few of these handsome fish were
released as some Echo Lake anglers practice mostly catch and release. 
The
fishery is produced by a mix of two and three year old stocked 
wild-strain
brook trout along with a solid contribution of wild fish.  Salmon 
fishing
was also above average, and trollers can look forward to decent action 
for
17-19 inch fish, along with some 3-4 pounders.

	Other brook trout waters expected to produce well this spring
include Simmons Pond in Hancock, Bubble Pond in Bar Harbor, Lily Pond 
in
Deer Isle, Billings Pond in Blue Hill, West Pike Brook Pond on the 
barrens,
Monroe Lake in T43MD, Shattuck Lake in Calais, and West Monroe Pond in
T43MD.  Simmons, West Pike Brook, and Shattuck are artificial lures
only...worms can be used at the others.  Billings (all wild trout) and
Shattuck have 12-inch minimum legal length limts. Lily Pond also has 
brown
trout, a few of which reach weights of 2 1/2-4 pounds. A good way to 
try to
fool a brown trout is to fish a nightcrawler on bottom during the last 
hour
before dark. 

	As always, the single best chance to catch a fish on opening day
will be at Grand Lake Stream. On the better years, salmon hit streamers 
with
a vengeance, and the opening day catch can hit 40-60, or more. In other
years, perhaps just a dozen or two are netted. While it's difficult to
predict how many fish you'll catch, I can guarantee one thing: a 
thermos of
coffee, tea, or hot chocolate will hit the spot in your warm car as you 
try
to thaw frozen legs, feet, and hands. Sometimes, early season anglers 
land a
togue or two in the Dam Pool.

	I expect good ice-out salmon fishing at Green Lake in Ellsworth,
Alligator Lake in T34MD, Mopang Lake in T29MD, Donnell Pond in 
Franklin,
Cathance Lake in Cooper, Big Lake in Princeton, and, of course, West 
Grand
Lake.  You should find most Green Lake salmon to be in better shape, 
and may
catch a 4-5 pound togue while trolling for salmon.  Most Mopang salmon 
are
just 15-16 inches, but the splake are bigger and fatter...we know of 
some
4-5 pounders caught in recent years.  Winter anglers at Cathance were
repeatedly frustrated by virtually no action.  The very good season I
expected failed to materialize.  Although I have no explanation, I 
believe
the salmon are there, and am cautiously optimistic that with the 
extremely
low winter harvest, late April-early May anglers may reap the benefits. 
We
caught a number of 3-4 pound salmon in our trap nets last October. 
Ice-out
anglers at West Grand should enjoy a productive season for nicely 
shaped
17-19 inch fish, along with steady numbers of wild, 21-23 inch togue.

	The following lakes continue to be plagued by an over-abundance of
wild togue: Phillips, Tunk, Beech Hill, Toddy, and Jordan. All have 
special
14-inch minimum length limits and liberalized bag limits to encourage
increased angler harvest.  Please help these lakes return to better 
health
sooner rather than later by keeping your limit on most days. Although 
catch
and release is generally a good thing on most salmonid lakes, on these
waters, it is not.  

	WEAR your life vest when out in a boat. The ice-cold April water can
be lethal should you capsize...don't take a chance with your life. 
	
-Ron Brokaw, Regional Fisheries Biologist


Region D - Western Mountains
 
When we sampled Rangeley Lake last fall, we caught some of the biggest
salmon we've ever trapnetted.  Because the lake is closed to ice 
fishing,
these fish should be available and hungry at ice-out.  Of course that 
won't
occur until around the end of the first week of May.  Still worth
mentioning, though, for planning purposes.   Productive fishing sites 
for
April 1 are few and far between in western Maine, but there are some 
notable
exceptions, most of which are at dam tailraces.  Rainbow and brown 
trout
fishing downstream of Wyman Dam is a time-honored opening day 
tradition, and
there's an excellent chance of catching a nice fish.  Similar 
opportunities
occur upstream (below Flagstaff Dam on the Dead River) and downstream 
(below
the dams at Madison).  There are always a few hardy souls who snowsled 
into
the Rapid River for opening day fishing, and the Androscoggin itself
presents some opportunities downstream of the New Hampshire line.  
These
sites involve a bit of scouting, however, to find open water sites.

We've had good luck stocking spring yearling brook trout in some of our
bigger lakes.  Although this year's "crop" won't be stocked until May, 
there
are sure to be some larger holdovers from last year's stockings at such
waters as Spring Lake, Chain of Ponds, Rangeley Lake, Embden Lake, 
Wilson
Lake, Porter Lake, Austin Pond, Norcross Pond, and Clearwater Lake.  
Again,
these waters won't be ice-free on April 1, but should provide some good
fishing a little later in the season.

-Forrest Bonney, Regional Fisheries Biologist


Region E - Moosehead Region

As we head into the last week of the ice fishing season it sounds as 
though
it could be a soggy one.  With one to two inches of rain forecasted for 
the
next couple of days along with the warm temperatures we experienced 
this
past week it is unlikely that conditions will be conducive for 
venturing out
onto our lakes and ponds.  In looking back on the 2005 ice fishing 
season,
it was one of very cold temperatures early on making plenty of ice on 
our
lakes and ponds early but the lack of snow made traveling a bit dry 
when it
came to venturing out onto the ice to conduct our winter creel census.
However, that all changed by the time March 1st rolled around when we 
had
more snow than we knew what to do with.   But through all this we were 
able
to find plenty of hearty souls trying their hand at fishing in the 
Moosehead
Region.   

With the end of ice fishing season coming to a close many anglers are
already starting to dig out and dust off the rods and reels in 
anticipation
of open water.  To most anglers April 1st signifies the opening day of 
open
water season however when looking at the reality of it here in the 
Moosehead
Region we normally don't expect much open water until the early part of 
May.
However, a few of the traditional standbys that will be fishable come 
the
first of April include the West Branch of the Penobscot River 
downstream
from Ripogenus Dam, Moosehead Lake's West Outlet and East Outlet, the 
Moose
River in Rockwood, the Roach River, and the Piscataquis River in the
southern part of our Region.  Anglers should consult the law book to
familiarize themselves with the regulations for each of theses waters.  
It
should be noted that the 2005 Open Water Fishing Regulations has an 
error in
the Special Regulations Section.  The S-8 code should read " Daily bag 
limit
on trout: 1 fish".  We have tried to resolve the situation by placing a
sticker with the correct code in place of this error.  

We expect the hatchery trucks to start making their rounds to the
traditional stocking locations in late April and early May once the ice
clears from lakes and ponds and water temperatures start to warm up a 
bit.
On a stocking and access note for the Piscataquis River in the Guilford 
and
Dover-Foxcroft areas: Due to the construction of the new Sangerville 
Bridge
and the road construction work taking place on Route 15 near Salmon 
Stream,
we will not be stocking brook trout or placing our volunteer survey 
boxes in
these areas.  We feel that with construction work going on in these 
areas
this spring and summer, it would be best to steer folks clear of these
locations based on safety considerations for the public.

The Moosehead Lake Region fisheries staff is responsible for the 
management
of 592 Great Ponds (greater than 10 acres) and 686 ponds less than 10 
acres,
along with 4,125 miles of stream habitat located in Piscataquis and 
Somerset
Counties.  Each fishing season biologists interview anglers to obtain
information on fishing success and to examine fish caught by anglers.  
The
number of waters biologists are able to sample in a season is very low 
when
you begin to consider the number of waters managed by the Moosehead
fisheries staff.

Providing voluntary catch information is the most important 
contribution you
can make to the Moosehead Lake Region.  Information on where and when 
you
fish, along with number and sizes of fish you catch provides 
information
that will help evaluate the status of those fisheries.  Since the 
bottom
line for any fishery is how well it provides to the rood and reel, 
decisions
on stocking and regulations often depend on information provided by
voluntary record keepers.    

Moosehead Region anglers interested in making a contribution to the
assessment of the Moosehead Region's fisheries should contact the 
Greenville
IF&W office by phone (695-3756) or by e-mail (jeff.bagley@maine.gov or
stephen.seeback@maine.gov <mailto:stephen.seeback@maine.gov>).  Stephen 
will
send a book to you in time for ice out fishing.

In closing the Moosehead Regional fishery staff would like to 
congratulate
Paul Johnson on his retirement.  Paul will be certainly missed but
definitely not forgotten.

-- Moosehead Regional Fisheries Staff Jeff Bagley and Stephen Seeback 


Region F, Penobscot Region

      As Spring approaches anglers start to put away the pack basket 
and ice
traps and begin to look over old reels and paw through over stuffed 
tackle
boxes. With the ice conditions presently on the lakes however, it may 
be
awhile before we're out trolling a sewn smelt by a productive inlet. 
Not
only is the ice  extra thick and solid for this time of year, but there 
is
no end to winter in sight.
Productive prospects this Spring after the ice does go out would have 
to be
East Grand Lake, Millinocket Lake, Pleasant Lake, Sysladobsis Lake, and
Lower JoMary for landlocked salmon. At East Grand the smelts seem to 
have
rebounded and have resulted in excellent growth of salmon this past 
fall and
winter. Pleasant Lake anglers have iced a number of large (5 pound +) 
salmon
this winter, and prospects seem good that more than a few quality 
salmon
will be boated this May. 
Anglers perusing lake trout this spring and summer should not be
disappointed with the trolling opportunities at East Grand Lake. Large
lakers have been numerous at the border water the last few years, and 
this
spring I would expect to hear about a few fish or two over 20 pounds. 
Other
good prospects would have to be Schoodic Lake and Cold Stream Pond.
Brook trout anglers have literally hundreds of small ponds that should 
start
heating up in May and June. Region F encompasses all of Baxter State 
Park,
some of the best brook trout fishing opportunities in the State of 
Maine. 
Come June the bass will be biting in the Penobscot River, South Branch 
Lake,
Baskahegan Lake, Pushaw Lake, and many other too numerous to mention.
Prospects appear excellent for trophy smallmouth fishing this year
throughout the region.
Hatchery personnel from Cobb Fish Hatchery in Enfield will start any 
day now
with the annual task of stocking hundreds of waters throughout Northern
Maine. Landlocked salmon, brook trout, lake trout and splake will be 
stocked
at various lakes, ponds, streams and rivers during April, May and June.
Spring stocking plans for Region F include about 25,000 brook trout, 
30,000
salmon, 7000 splake, 5000 lake trout and 3000 brown trout.  

-Nels Kramer, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist
 	

Region G - Aroostook County

A thick sheet of ice remains on the lakes in northern Maine to greet 
anglers
for the start of the open water fishing season.  In spite of this, 
there
remains the possibility to make a cast in several of the region's 
larger
rivers and brooks for those who feel the need to do so.  Open water in 
pools
below dams are always a good bet but if the dam is fitted with a 
fishway be
sure to follow the regulations restricting angling near a fishway.  
Waters
in the region that routinely offer a chance to fish April 1 include: 
the
Meduxnekeag River in the greater Houlton area, the Prestile Stream, the
Aroostook and Fish Rivers, and the Allagash River in the back country.

Several new regulations will be in effect for the 2005 Open Water 
season
and, as usual, it is always a good idea to take the time to review the 
new
law book for new regulations.  The Fish River from downstream of the 
lower
Fish River Falls to the confluence with the St. John River will now be
general law fishing i.e. the use of bait is allowed with a daily bag 
limit
on brook trout: 5 fish; minimum length limit on brook trout: 6 inches.  
The
Little Madawaska River from the bridge on the Grimes Road upstream to 
the
former Loring Air Force Base Dam will now be artificial lures only from 
June
15 - September 30.  Madawaska Lake will now have a daily limit on brook
trout: 2 fish; minimum length limit on brook trout: 6 inches.  The
tributaries to Spaulding Lake in Oakfield will be open to the dipping 
of
smelts until midnight and then closed until noon each day.  A number of
waters will be closed to the taking of whitefish and several others 
will
have a 16 inch minimum length limit on whitefish, please check the 
lawbook
for the specific lakes involved.  Finally, additional lakes have been 
added
to the extended October fishing requiring the use of artificial lures 
only
with all fish caught to be released alive immediately.  These waters 
fall
under the S-23 special regulation.

-Dave Basley, Regional Fisheries Biologist