New Year’s Day heralds the arrival of Maine’s 2005 ice fishing season for trout and salmon, and prospects should be excellent, say state fisheries biologists.

In southwestern Maine, an additional 2,280 unscheduled, legal-size trout and salmon were stocked this past fall.

These fish include 300 brood brook trout weighing in excess of 3 pounds each, 600 brood brown trout of about 6 pounds each, 300 brood salmon weighing up to 3 pounds each, 80 brood lake trout or togue weighing about 7 pounds, 250 fall yearling brook trout measuring between 12 and 14 inches long, and 750 rainbow trout measuring between 13 and 15 inches long.

Regional fisheries biologist Francis Brautigam in Gray said that the heaviest stockings of brood fish occurred in Mousam Lake in Acton, Little Ossipee Lake in Waterboro, Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Norway Lake in Norway, Presumpscot River in Windham, and Songo Pond in Albany Township.

Additionally, there are a number of new winter brook trout fisheries using a larger fall fingerling trout.

These advanced fingerlings, Brautigam said, are stocked in the fall to provide winter fisheries in waters where habitat is not suitable to sustain a year-round trout fishery.

These include Hobbs Pond in Norway, Worthley Pond in Poland, Barker Pond in Lyman, Deer Pond in Hollis, Trafton Pond in Hiram, and Littlefield Pond in Sanford.

New waters added to the program include Forrest Pond in Canton, Halls Pond in Paris, Cold Rain in Naples and Little Clemmons in Hiram.

The pot was sweetened in western Maine lakes this fall with the additions of some large and unscheduled fish, said regional fisheries biologist Forrest Bonney in Strong.

These fish include 45 brook trout weighing 5 pounds each in Clearwater Lake in Industry, 50 brookies weighing 3 pounds each and 38 togue weighing 7 pounds each in Porter Lake in New Vineyard, and 45 brook trout weighing 5 pounds each and 37 lake trout weighing 7 pounds each in Wilson Lake in Wilton.

Anglers should, as usual, be wary of ice thicknesses, checking with an ice chisel and using a lot of caution.

Fisheries biologist Dave Howatt in Strong said that ice thickness of many western Maine water bodies ranges from 2 to 12 inches.

“It’s always tricky estimating ice thicknesses on opening day of ice fishing,” Bonney said. “This year, it’s especially difficult, because of the rain-freeze cycles we’ve had.”