Editor’s note: The freshwater fishing reports are provided weekly by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Region D

Western Mountains

One of Maine’s most specialized fisheries is the lake trout, or togue. This fish, a close relative to the brook trout, grows to great size; the state record is 31 pounds. They live in deep cold water, and special gear and skill are required to fish for them effectively.

Many togue anglers troll with ‘hardware’ spoons and spinners trailed behind lead line. In some of our lakes, the lake trout’s reproductive rate exceeds the harvest rate and we end up with too many fish – that’s the situation at Sebago and, to a lesser extent, Moosehead Lake. In western Maine we also have some smaller lakes with too many lake trout. These waters include Lincoln Pond near Azischos Lake (Oxford County) and Pleasant Pond near Wyman Lake (Somerset County). We have liberalized the harvest regulations of both waters but lake trout continue to reproduce to the point that it is difficult to maintain an adequate number of forage fish to maintain good growth rates. We are presently considering additional management options for controlling the numbers of these fish.

We frequently conduct a river survey during the summer months and this year is no exception. With the assistance of biologists from other parts of the state and lots of volunteers, we surveyed the South Branch of the Dead River from its headwaters at the outlet of Saddleback Lake to Flagstaff Lake

in Stratton, a distance of 24 miles.

Many of the volunteers are members of the Rangeley Guides’ and Sportsmen’s Association or of the newly formed chapter of the Isaac Walton League of America. Teams surveyed about a mile and a half of river per day, taking measurement to quantify fisheries habitat and to determine the health of the stream. Our volunteers provide us with valuable data that we would be unable to collect otherwise, and everyone has a great time exploring sections of river they hadn’t seen before.

Forrest Bonney, regional fisheries biologist
Region A Southwestern Maine

Earlier this year I reported that Standish would be charging a use fee at “Station” boat launch on Sebago Lake. The town elected to charge a daily launch fee of $20 for non-town residents on weekends and holidays. Town residents were charged $20 for a season pass.

The Dept. of Conservation sent the town a letter indicating that the fees were not reasonable within the agreement that DOC has for this site. The town’s launch fees were recently changed to $40 for a non-resident season-long pass and $20 for a resident season-long pass. Also, any non-resident who previously paid $20 to launch can get a $20 credit towards the purchase of a $40 season pass.

Jeff Levesque reported some excellent bass fishing on some of the smaller, often overlooked ponds in Androscoggin County. Fishing these ponds during the evening hours along the windward shore has been most productive. Jeff recommends small poppers for great top water action.

Last week two Department scuba divers (biologists Jim Pellerin & Scott Davis) were towed by boat on specially designed boards in an effort to locate black crappie, which are reported to have been illegally stocked in Big Concord (Woodstock) and Worthley Ponds (Peru). The experimental use of this established bass survey technique met with some success on Big Concord Pond. In spite of very limited visibility, Scott did locate a school of juvenile crappies suspended over a submerged weed bed in about eight feet of water. Search efforts on Worthley Pond did not validate angler reports that crappies were present. Jim surveyed at least a third of the shoreline and observed very little structure that would support/hold crappies. While crappies may be present, a lack of optimal habitat will likely limit population size. We are requesting anglers to keep any crappies caught in Worthley Pond and to notify our Gray Regional Office (657-2345) so we can positively confirm this recent illegal introduction.

The traditional access to Moody Pond (Waterboro) was blocked off with boulders this past spring. As a result the pond could not be stocked by truck as in the past. I only recently determined ownership and contacted the new landowner, who is an avid fisherman. The landowner assures me that anglers are welcome to park at the end of Andrews Lane and walk up the access road. It’s about a 10-minute hike to this undeveloped pond. The reason for closing the road to motorized vehicle access is somewhat complicated, but problems related to noise, trash, and damage to the road were contributing factors. The landowner has also agreed to temporarily move the boulders to accommodate the stocking truck.

Jim and I electrofished Depot Brook in Wells in support of a community effort to protect and conserve it. This project has the support of Trout Unlimited, Wells Reserve, a local land trust and the Town of Wells. Historically this stream supported a healthy wild brook trout population and impacts associated with increasing area development jeopardize the fishery.

We were asked to determine if there were still any trout to protect. Although considerable evidence of habitat degradation associated with urbanization was observed, we captured fat healthy wild brook trout up to 12 inches long. Anyone planning to fish this small stream should be forewarned that much of the brook is impenetrable due to thick tangles of unforgiving vegetation. Also, it appears the brook trout population is reduced due to several years of drought. Late last summer much of this stream channel was dry, except for small isolated pools of water that supported the trout until fall rains restored stream flows.

Francis Brautigam, acting regional fisheries biologist
Region B

Central Maine

The mid-summer weather makes for interesting times on the inland waters of central Maine, so much so that anglers should be watching their line with one eye on the sky. Last Friday I witnessed a hail shower at my home in Rome. If I had been down on Great Pond with my rowing canoe, damage to the boat would have been substantial.

With that in mind, the weather at the present time has cooled somewhat, giving a reprieve to those in pursuit of cool water fish. The salmonids may make a foray to the shallows in pursuit of bait fish, and the watchful angler may be pleasantly surprised to find a brookie or a brownie in an area that was noted for springtime success. With the cooler weather, mouths of streams may be holding occasional fish that are not normally summer inhabitants in the area. Try for those brook and brown trout which range in size from 12 to 20 inches in many waters of the region. Brookies will be in waters such as Parker, St. George, Swan, Echo and Maranacook. Although brown trout are sometimes regular visitors to the shallows they and brookies will still be at trolling depths in Maranacook, Damariscotta, China, Webber and Cochnewagon. Keep plugging for lake trout in waters they inhabit at 25 feet and deeper.

Stream and river angling may offer many opportunities at hot spots in the region. The Kennebec at Shawmut still has a hatch that brings many anglers out in the evening hours. The Sheepscot River in the Palermo area has some recent success stories. Keep trying the fast water below dams that yield the occasional feeding trout that is looking to migrate yet is caught by the dam.

William L. Woodward, assistant regional fishery biologist

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