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

As expected, reports from coldwater anglers continue to dwindle as the summer progresses. The best I have heard is that anglers are still picking up plenty of 2-3 pound lake trout at Sebago, and it is not uncommon for the die-hard salmon anglers to pick up one to several landlocks ranging from 14-21 inches each time out. Also, an angler from Oxford County reported a trout “hat trick” … he caught a brookie, a brown, and a rainbow by targeting a colder tributary to the Big Androscoggin River.

During the summer doldrums, anglers can have better action targeting many of the warmwater species available throughout the region. The largemouth and smallmouth fishing is still good, but most of the trophies have moved into deeper water areas where anglers have to work a little harder to hook-up. Don’t forget about pickerel and perch, which can provide some super fast action at this time of year and is a great way to introduce children to fishing. For pickerel, fish the shallow, weedy areas with almost any type of lure – they generally aren’t too fussy. Although other methods work for perch, its hard to beat the old worm and bobber technique, and it’s easy for kids to master. Active feeding schools of white perch can often be seen near the surface at dawn and dusk, and yellow perch are commonly found in connection with weedy areas, particularly submerged weed beds.

Francis and I spent two days last week sampling the lake trout population at Kezar Lake in Lovell. Despite our efforts to reduce their numbers by eliminating stocking several years ago, there is still an abundance of 2-3 pound lake trout present in the system. Kezar would be a good-bet for late summer anglers wishing to target lakers, and you don’t have to compete with all the boat traffic you might find on some of our other lake trout waters like Sebago.

We also recently submitted our regional “stocking allocation requests” to Steve Wilson, the Superintendent of Hatcheries. This is a written report outlining all of Region A’s stocking needs for fry and fingerling trout for the year 2004 and yearling trout to be stocked out in 2005. Generally, the stocking list is quite similar from year to year, but there always seems to be 2-3 dozen minor changes that need to be made. Typical changes we might make include minor housekeeping and clarification; a reduction or increase in the stocking rate based on changes in the forage population, fish condition, regulations, or angler use; a change in the species or strain being stocked, and the cancellation or addition of specific stockings or stocking sites.

The Department’s policy dictates that there will be no stocking of hatchery fish where the public does not have access. This year alone we relocated or eliminated several river/stream stocking sites due to changes or problems with public access, and we are investigating the potential loss of traditional access sites on several ponds. The posting of private properties that abut a stream system at road crossings is becoming an increasingly common practice that jeopardizes our stocking programs, particularly in southern Maine. Unfortunately, what many private landowners do not realize is that stopping access at their small parcel of land along the stream often eliminates access several miles of stream system, because anglers are unable to gain access until the next road crossing. I suspect many streamside landowners post their property for reasons other than to prohibit angling, and wouldn’t mind allowing angler access. If you are a landowner in this situation, our landowner relations program has printed up signs (free of charge) indicating you do not prohibit anglers from fishing the stream abutting your property, while still allowing you to protect your land from unwanted activities.

On another note, Francis Brautigam was recently prromoted to fill the Regional Biologist vacany for the Sebago Lakes Region. Francis has well over 15 years of experience working for both the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. He has worked as one of the two assistant regional fishery biologists in the Region A fisheries office for the last 7 years and is very familiar with the region and its fisheries. Having worked with Francis for the past seven years, I am sure he will serve the region well and I wish him the best in his new position.

Jim Pellerin, assistant regional fisheries biologist
Region B

Central Maine

Maine’s river systems are popular with many anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Through my travels around the state I have noticed an increase in use on these flowing pieces of river. From canoeing and kayaking to tubing and swimming, we can all share these great waterways.

As an angler on the rivers, we should expect to see others passing through, especially on those hot summer days. If you are an angler and are discouraged by this increase in popularity, then you may want to look into angling in the rain or foul weather, or early morning or late evening hours. Certainly, the river traffic is a lot less in those conditions.

For those passing through, when approaching an angler, try to maximize your distance as you go by, trying not to disturb the area the angler is fishing. With these simple tasks, all should be able to utilize Maine’s river systems.

Scott Davis, fisheries biologist specialist
Region D

Western Mountains

The recent spate of clouds and rainy weather has been a bit depressing for us humans, but the fish certainly like it. After several years of dry summers, streams now have nice flows instead of being nearly dry and the water is cool for August. Water temperatures in the Kennebec and the South Branch of the Dead rivers were in the high 60s last week, suitable for all coldwater fish species. Our survey clerk reported that anglers are catching both brook trout and salmon on the Magalloway River, and Ray Soriano at the Rivers Edge Sport Shop in Oquossoc said that anglers are still catching salmon in Rangeley Lake, though they must troll deep to do so.

As I reported last week, we recently conducted a survey of the South Branch of the Dead River which runs from Saddleback Lake in Dallas Plantation to Flagstaff Lake in Stratton. The rain held off for most of the survey, which involved walking or canoeing sections of the 24-mile-long river and recording measurements. Our sincere thanks to the fisheries biologists, members of the Rangeley Region Guides’ and Sportsmen’s Association, members of the Isaac Walton League of America, and individuals who braved the slippery rocks to contribute to this effort. Since 1998 we have surveyed four rivers and two streams in western Maine with the assistance of volunteers from the above groups and Trout Unlimited members. This process has helped identify several degraded sections of rivers. In response, we have secured funding for several stream restoration projects, one of which – the Cupsuptic River – has been completed. We will revisit this project next week and, with the help of students from Dr. Chris Aylesworth’s ecology class at Rangeley Lakes Regional School, will evaluate the effectiveness of our project.

Forrest Bonney, regional fisheries biologist

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