Pete Norris, a well-known Maine outdoorsman who cut his teeth in the sporting camp business, sold his last sporting camp at Nicatous Lake a number of years ago and, with his wife Chris, headed West. After working their way around Montana and Alaska as outdoor cooks and guides, they recently came back to Maine for good.

Chatting recently, Norris told me that one of the major reasons he left Maine back then was over his deep disappointment with the Maine electorate. He was shocked when Maine voters turned down the Fish Hatchery Bond Issue. At the time, our state fish hatcheries were in terrible shape and getting worse. Norris was stunned that a state that routinely passes just about every bond that comes along would see fit to turn down a desperately needed hatchery bond, thereby allowing our state fish hatcheries to go “down the tubes.”

Well, Pete, better late than never. While you were out in Big Sky Country learning to rope, ride and shoot, Maine finally did pass a bond issue to fix our aging fish hatcheries. That’s right. Renovations of our fish hatcheries are under way and already the state has begun looking at new waterways for the stocking of additional fish. This month a number of new lakes and streams in central Maine will be stocked with spring yearling brook trout. Once the hatchery renovations are on line and are producing more fish (primarily brook trout), the state will be able to stock waters that maintain marginal salmonid water quality while still providing a coldwater fishery. In the past, the state needed to concentrate its resources on waters with better water quality to optimize returns of hatchery fish to anglers.

According to fisheries biologist Jim Lucas, the state’s goal with this new stocking program is to increase and expand fishing opportunities for anglers and improve brook trout catch rates. Some of the criteria that was used to select these new waters included:

• These stockings will not interfere with any natural brook trout fisheries;

• The waters have historically been stocked with brook trout;

• These stockings will be utilized by anglers, near population areas;

• These stockings will not be detrimental to existing fisheries.

Lucas writes: “Using these criteria, the state selected 11 streams and 26 lakes that will be stocked this spring with catchable (10-12 inch) trout. The majority of these waters are currently managed and will continue to be managed for either brown trout or bass along with brook trout. As more fish become available due the hatchery improvements, new waters will be selected. The stocking program will also be expanded to include larger fish stocked in the fall primarily for the winter angler.”

The following streams are those that were selected for this new stocking program: Nezinscot River, Turner; Cobbossee Stream, Gardiner; Messalonskee Stream, Waterville; Sebasticook River, Winslow; Sandy Stream, Unity; East Sebasticook River, Detroit; Indian Stream, Palmyra; Sheepscot River, Palermo; Medomak River, Waldoboro; Goose River, Rockport; Megunticook River, Camden.

The following lakes were chosen: Cochnewagon Pond, Monmouth; Long Pond Livermore; Round Pond, Livermore; Hobbs Pond, Hope; Hosmer Pond, Camden; Quantibacook Lake, Searsmont; Levenseller Pond, Searsmont; Washington Pond, Washington; Unity Pond, Unity; Nequasset Lake, Woolwich; Cobbossee Lake, Winthrop; Silver Lake, Sidney; Fairbanks Pond, Manchester; Torsey Pond, Mt Vernon; McGrath Pond, Oakland; East Pond, Smithfield; Salmon Pond, Belgrade; Threemile Pond, China; Savade Pond, Windsor; China Lake, China; Sennebec Pond, Appleton; Seventree Pond, Union; Little Medomak Pond, Waldoboro; Pemaquid Pond, Nobleboro; Branch Pond, China; Togus Pond, Augusta.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].