For Immediate Release
March 30, 2005
Anglers get ready for opening day

	AUGUSTA, Maine -- April first marks the beginning of the open water
fishing season in Maine, and although many lakes and ponds are still 
covered
with ice, come Friday, anglers will be fishing in whatever open water 
they
can find.

	Most lakes throughout the state are still covered in 2-3 feet of
ice, yet these same waterways have spots or areas that are free of ice,
including outlet, inlets, as well as below dams and by causeways. 
Inlets and
outlets of lakes are popular areas for early season fishing.  Due the 
amount
of ice, most anglers fish from shore this time of year, but some areas 
do
have some open water, and you may see some anglers fishing from canoes 
or
boats. 

	The beginning of the open water season also means that the
department stocking trucks will be busy. The Dry Mills Hatchery and the
Casco Hatchery Fish Hatchery start an ambitious stocking program in
mid-April and by the time ice starts to cover lakes in the fall, over 
1.2
million fish will have been stocked in waterways across the state.

As with any boating activity, the Maine Warden Service is urging 
boaters to
wear their lifejackets. Prolonged immersion in cold water can kill, and
wearing a life jacket can greatly increase your survival chances if you 
are
in the water unexpectedly. Last year, over half the boating deaths in 
New
England were cold-water drownings where a life jacket was not worn.

Below are some areas that always seem to attract anglers on the opening 
day
of the season. 

Southern Maine
Auburn Lake (Auburn) is popular and accessible, with a chance at a lake
trout, salmon, or brook trout. Sebago Lake (Raymond) also has some
traditional early spring fishing spots including Panther Run, the Songo
Locks, and the mouth of the larger rivers, including the Crooked and 
Muddy
Rivers.  Causeways often have open water and the currents created at 
these
sites often attract fish in the early spring (i.e. the causeway at 
Thompson
Lake by the Heath and Long Lake.  Remember you can only fish areas that 
are
naturally free of ice and you cannot be standing on the ice and fishing 
the
open water areas.

Central Maine
For a chance to catch salmon, brown trout, and possibly a brook trout,
popular places to go are Belgrade Lakes Village and the Wings Mills Dam 
in
the Belgrade Chain of Lakes.  There may also be some sluggish pike and 
bass
in the area. The outlet dam on Cobbossee Lake and other dam sites on
Cobbossee Stream also attract many anglers. The Kennebec River  - if 
the
flows are not too high - will attract many anglers to sections 
including
Waterville, Winslow and Fairfield.  All the dam sites should have open 
water
providing fishing for brown trout, salmon and rainbows. Closer to the 
coast,
the Sheepscot, St. George and Medomak Rivers have sites that will be
yielding brown trout.  

Downeast
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. Sometimes, early season anglers 
land
a togue or two in the Dam Pool

Western Mountains
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 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.  

Moosehead Area:
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.  

Penobscot Valley Region
The West Branch Penobscot River salmon fishery between Rip Dam and Abol
Bridge is always a popular spring fishery.  Water flows through this 
section
will be the key to good fishing. 

Aroostook County
Open water 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.
-30-


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