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

Western Mountains

This week our staff will be working to confirm reports that smallmouth bass are now present in Richardson Lake in northern Oxford County. Richardson Lake (7,100 acres in size) is part of the fabled Rangeley Chain of Lakes and has long been associated with great brook trout and landlocked salmon fishing. Richardson Lake’s outlet forms the Rapid River, where smallmouths are now well established (from an illegal introduction) and threaten the river’s native trout population. Middle Dam, which separates the two waters, presents a barrier to upstream fish movement because there is no fishway. So in all likelihood bass were illegally transported to Richardson, either from the Rapid River or from another location. If bass become abundant in Richardson Lake they’ll have a pronounced negative effect on the lake’s brook trout population, which we’ve been working hard to improve during the last few years.

One of our tasks will be to determine if small dams can be constructed on the outlets of several small trout ponds that are tributary to Richardson Lake. If feasible, we’ll move quickly to establish these “bass barriers” and preserve those trout populations. We’ll keep you informed as this work progresses.

David Boucher, fisheries biologist
Region A

Southwestern Maine

Two weeks of rain and cloudy weather has significantly improved stream conditions; flows were at or above normal on most streams. A few streams were even reported as having flows approaching spring conditions. As the water levels drop, stream fishing will likely pick up and the cooler evenings of late summer are a prelude to the upcoming fall fishing season.

Region A biologists spent much of last week sampling tributaries to Sebago Lake to monitor natural reproduction of Sebago’s landlocked salmon. We sample four different sites each year (two on the Crooked River, one on Mile Brook, one on the Northwest River) to track trend changes in juvenile salmon abundance and growth. Over the last couple years, we have observed very low numbers of juvenile salmon and we suspect this years sampling will show the same. This apparent trend of lower salmon production is likely the result of several drought years coupled with the lower abundance and size of adult fish in Sebago (due to low smelt abundance). We also heard of and located several large, abandoned beaver dams on the lower reach of Mile Brook, and one of our volunteers has been working to breach the dams to allow passage for adult salmon.

We also sampled two of our wild brook trout streams (Tenmile River in Porter and Branch Brook in Sanford) for the Department’s statewide brook trout population monitoring project. Both streams were full of brookies in the 1-8 inch range. Compared to Branch Brook, Tenmile River had far fewer legal-sized fish in the sample reach. Yet, we spoke with one angler on Tenmile that caught his limit of five trout within a very short period of time. On another note, we were also surprised to see two very distinct size groups of young-of the year brook trout, almost like there was an early and a late spawning last fall.

Greg, our seasonal clerk, came in this morning and confirmed that last week’s report of fishing deeper is the way to go. He saw three 18-inch rainbows and a couple lakers over the weekend on Middle Range Pond in Poland, and all of these fish were taken at around 25 feet deep, trolling live bait. He also noted the brown trout fishing seems to have shut down over the last couple of weeks, which we have seen in other years about this time. We believe the browns are still vulnerable to angling, but they become highly concentrated in small areas making them difficult to locate.

Well, I am off to Montana tomorrow to try my hand at some Western fishing, and Francis will be reporting next week in my absence.

Jim Pellerin, assistant regional fisheries biologist
Region B

Central Maine

A public hearing was held last Thursday evening in Skowhegan to elicit public comments regarding proposed regulation changes. Approximately 75 people attended the hearing with many of those making comments. These proposed regulations have been included in previous weekly fishing reports, and the department held a number of informational meetings in various locations. These meetings were informal with the purpose of making the public aware of the forth-coming official public hearings, to get public input on the proposals and to disseminate information.

The first agenda item dealt with fishing regulations on the Kennebec River. The Department proposed a number of changes for both protection of coldwater fish species and to simplify regulations for the majority of the river. The overall proposal was well received although there were a number of people that suggested changes. The suggestions could be put into two categories. The first was to have the same minimum size limit on trout and salmon for the entire river instead of having different limits for individual sections. The second group of comments revolved around the use of live bait; many anglers wanted to be able to use live bait in more of the river than was proposed. The second item heard was in response to a public petition to open Long Pond to ice fishing.

The Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council will meet in late September to review the public testimony and vote on the proposals. Anyone who wishes to make additional comments may do so in writing by Sept. 12.

Jim Lucas, fishery biologist

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