Region A Southwestern Maine

Earlier we reported that the town of Standish would be charging a $20 launch fee at the “Station” boat ramp. I was recently informed that this fee would only be charged on weekends and holidays from May to September.

With surface water temperatures reaching the low 50’s, the white perch spawning runs are well underway.

Good catches of white perch up to 1 1/2 pounds have been reported at the Locks on the Songo River.

Other tributaries to Sebago, including Panther Run and the Sticky River, are also excellent prospects for large white perch. Auburn Lake also boasts a robust white perch fishery, where Basin Pond Outlet flows into Auburn Lake.

Last week, I set out temperature monitoring devices on three bass study ponds (Hancock Pond, Barker Pond and Sebago Lake) as part of a statewide study to evaluate growth and over-winter mortality of juvenile bass.

With the exception of Sebago (a much cooler water), I observed many bass cruising the shoreline on the other two ponds, indicating the approach of the spawning season.

Over the next three to four weeks, southern Maine anglers can expect some of the best opportunity to catch plenty of quality-sized bass.

Bass are vulnerable during the spawning season, as males construct and guard nests in areas of shallow water (typically one to five feet deep). Male bass are protective of the nests and readily attack any intruders, including your favorite lures.

Since bass are so vulnerable to angling at this time of the year, general regulations dictate that anglers may only use artificial lures to catch bass until June 20.

Also, until then, the daily bag limit on bass is one fish. These restrictive regulations are designed to enhance the survival of adult spawning bass and maximize their reproductive success.

On many occasions, I’ve been told by bass anglers that fish in other states that Maine offers some of the best bass fishing in the country.

Most of the lakes, ponds, and larger rivers in Region A support populations of bass, and if you have never experienced the excitement of bass fishing I would encourage you to give it a try over the next few weeks. I’m sure you’ll agree its a blast!

At the newly constructed Skelton Fishway (located on the Saco River), Matt LaBlanc of FPL Energy recently passed a smallmouth that weighed 4.25 pounds. That’s an exceptionally large river smallmouth. Matt has also been passing a bunch of 13-to-14-inch brown trout and brook trout, as well as browns up to 20 inches long.

Local anglers have reported some excellent fishing for brown trout below Skelton Dam, and within the next week or two the New Gloucester Hatchery will be stocking about 500 additional unscheduled brown trout (eight to 10 inches). So we expect the good fishing below Skelton to continue. Three other sites on the Saco River (below Hiram Dam, Steep Falls and Limington Rapids) will also receive 500 additional unscheduled browns each.

Some other streams that will receive additional stockings of unscheduled brown trout within the next few weeks include the Presumpscot River (Route 35, Mallison Falls and below Dundee Dam); Androscoggin River (below Worumbo Dam); Mill Brook (Westbrook); Pleasant River (Windham); Collyer Brook (Gray); Piscataqua River (Falmouth); and Little Ossipee River (Newfield).

Lakes and ponds that will receive additional stockings of unscheduled brown trout include: Tripp Lake (Poland);Moose Pond (Acton); Thomas Pond (Casco); Highland Lake (Windham); and Long Lake (Naples/Harrison).

Several thousand unscheduled brook trout (eight to 10 inches) will be stocked by the Dry Mills Hatchery in the next few weeks.

Waters that will recieve these trout include Panther Run (Raymond), Songo Locks (Casco), Wilcox Pond (Biddeford), Littlefield Pond (Springvale), Stevens Brook (New Gloucester), Little River (Gorham), and Auburn Lake (Auburn).

Francis Brautigam, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region B Central Maine

Reports of white perch are coming in, and there were some large ones caught in Lake St. George this past week.

Perch are still seeking out spawning areas, and good fishing should continue right through the week.

This is a fine time to fish for northern pike, as they start to feed more aggressively now that they are done spawning. Try the southern end of Long Pond, the shallows of Great Pond, anywhere in North Pond and the south end of Messalonskee.

A few years back, one of our newer employees here at IFW landed a 26-pounder on fly gear in Long Pond.

Fishing for most warmwater species should start to heat up over the next few weeks as waters and weather begin to warm.

Those seeking out bass, perch or crappie should be rewarded.

Stocking is nearly complete in our region, although there are a few trucks containing landlocked salmon, brook trout and splake that have yet to head out. We have currently concluded our trapnetting, but now have started some bass population surveys on area lakes.

That will continue for the next couple weeks.

William L. Woodward, Assistant Regional Fishery Biologist
Region D Western Mountains

In recent days, our office has received many requests for information regarding the impacts smallmouth bass may have on wild brook trout in the Rapid River and how the Department is responding to this threat.

Brook trout in the Rapid River are indeed threatened by smallmouth bass. Smallmouths were illegally introduced into Umbagog Lake several years ago. They quickly established themselves there and have since expanded their range to all portions of the drainage accessible to them.

Smallmouths reached the lower Rapid River (below Lower Dam) by 1998. Last summer, we observed young-of-the-year bass in Pond in the River for the first time.

This pond, which we believe is a critical feature supporting trout in the Rapid, provides superb habitat for smallmouth bass.

We expect bass numbers to expand quickly, and over time they will begin affecting trout production.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that any effective, sustainable means of controlling bass in Pond in the River will be found (but we’re still looking).

Since bass control is problematic, the Department’s strategy will be to provide even greater regulatory protection to brook trout (detailed regulation proposals will be the subject of a future fishing report).

An ongoing radio telemetry project conducted by biologists from Florida Power and Light Company and the Department has provided a great deal of useful information in support of this strategy.

The telemetry data indicated certain periods when adult brook trout are concentrated, stressed and therefore vulnerable.

For example, we learned that when river temperatures exceed about 70 degrees, large numbers of adult trout take refuge in Pond in the River and remain there through much of the mid-late summer period (July and August).

We also found trout moving out of Pond in the River when temperatures cooled (early-to-mid-September); large numbers of these pre-spawning fish concentrated in one area of the river where spawning ultimately occurred in mid-October.

Our trout protection strategy also includes reducing competition from landlocked salmon, which are abundant, slow-growing, and exhibit poor size quality in the Rapid. Studies conducted in Maine and elsewhere show salmon can be strong competitors with trout in certain habitats.

Telemetry data and recent scuba observations indicate this probably occurs on the Rapid.

For example, salmon, which spawn a bit later than trout in most areas, superimposed their redds (nests) over a significant number of trout redds.

This occurred in an area we found to have the largest concentration of trout redds in the Rapid River.

To reduce competition from salmon and to begin the process of shifting more of the river’s production capacity to trout, we’ll propose significantly more liberal harvest rules for salmon.

We’re continuing to work intensively on the Rapid River and Pond in the River.

This spring, we’re expanding the radio telemetry project to include salmon and bass in an effort to learn more about how these two competitors interact with trout in this particular system.

We’re continuing our intensive survey of angler use, and we’ll continue to explore ways to mitigate the presence of smallmouth bass.

We’ll also be in close consultation with FPL, other government agencies and conservation groups to assure that recent changes in the Rapid’s flow regime are more favorable to trout than to salmon.

In short, this agency recognizes the importance of this outstanding trout resource, and we’ll do everything possible to conserve it.

Anglers can assist us in this endeavor by supporting regulations designed to provide additional protection for brook trout and by participating in our angler diary program.

Contact Forrest Bonney at forrest.bonney@maine.gov, Dave Boucher at dave.boucher@maine.gov or Dave Howatt at david.howatt@maine.gov for more information on how to participate, or call 778-3322.

Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

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