Outdoors in Maine: Which is Maine’s most popular sport fish?

If you had to make a guess, what would you say are the three most popular, or sought after, freshwater fish in Maine?

There is an answer, a clear, unequivocal answer to this question, and it is not based on guesswork or cracker barrel sessions with sport fishermen. It is an authoritative answer arrived at by the most scientific methods possible: thorough and methodical public opinion surveys conducted by highly respected professional polling organizations.

Before you read ahead and find out the answer, take a stab at your own answer. On a piece of paper right down, in rank of order, your choice for the state’s top three fish species in terms of angler interest or angler hours. While you are at it, answer a second question: Do non-resident anglers in Maine select the same fish as residents when asked the question?

Incidentally, Vic Morin, my business partner and co-publisher of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, and I often make decisions about content and covers for our monthly publication based on what we think readers want or don’t want. We don’t always agree. Of late, we have been “debating” the aforementioned question.

“What is Maine’s most popular game fish?”

Vic is a bass man. He has a bass boat and fishes bass competitively statewide. On the other hand, I am a trout man. I have nothing against bass or salmon, which I do fish, but trout are my thing.

Vic says that bass, especially largemouth bass, are king in Maine. He contends that brook trout “are passe,” that they have been relegated to a No. 2 position in Maine’s sport fish popularity hierarchy.

“No way,” I say. “Bass may be coming on, but in Maine, square tails are still king.”

Looking for a credible, impartial answer, I consulted some professionals — Maine’s regional fisheries biologists. I asked each of them straight out without leading the question,“What, in your opinion and in rank of order, are Maine’s most sought after freshwater sport fish?”

Are you ready for this?

The state fisheries biologists, who are as close to this issue as anybody can be, expressed a clear consensus. The most popular Maine sport fish are, in this order: brook trout, bass, and salmon. Fish and Wildlife Department spokesman Mark Latti, directed me to an extensive recent state marketing survey conducted by Southwick Associates.

Here are some of the highlights from the survey:

Sixty percent of Maine residents named brook trout as their favorite fish. Next is smallmouth bass, 44 percent, and landlocked salmon is the third most popular game fish among residents (35 percent).

Among nonresident anglers, it is a statistical tie for the most popular fish: brook trout vs. smallmouth bass, 47 percent to 47 percent. Landlocked salmon is a close third (38 percent).

My partner contends that, survey or no survey, a lot more money is spent in Maine on bass fishing gear than trout fishing gear. I wouldn’t argue that point. He also believes that, as a rule, most of the state’s regional fisheries biologists “have no use for bass” and, therefore, my informal survey of these regional biologists is not representative of what is really going on out there in the state’s sport fishery.

Vic raises this question: “Why isn’t IF&W allowing bass tournaments on Moosehead Lake, which is now one of our best bass lakes? This would generate a lot of economic activity in Greenville.”

Surprisingly, interest in fishing for northern pike and muskies is almost statistically irrelevant. Of those anglers surveyed, whether residents or nonresidents, five percent expressed an interest in pike, while only two percent cared about fishing for muskies. There were many other species far preferred over muskie and pike. Not surprisingly, splake did not fare well at all. The hatchery hybrid fish drew a four percent response from residents; only one percent of nonresidents indicated an interest in splake.

What do you think?

Let me know.

The author 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, WQVM-FM 101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com . He has two books “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook” and his latest, “Backtrack.”