Weekly Fishing Reports by Regional Fishery Biologists 
January 15, 2008
This ice-fishing season I have been assigned to do my weekly creel census rounds on Keoka Lake in Waterford, Keewaydin Lake in Stoneham and Bear Pond in Waterford.
Keoka Lake has consistently produced good catches of 12- to 15-inch stocked brook trout with the occasional brood stock in the mix. Some angling parties have caught as many as 20 of these fish in a morning and a large party on Sunday, Jan. 13, managed 13. All I can say about these hatchery products is WOW! The anglers I have spoken to can’t get over the colors and depth of these brookies, and rumor has it that some of these are going to be mounted. I also happy to report that the 120 fall yearling (12- to 14-inch) salmon stocked in Keoka Lake in the fall of 2006 have grown to 16– to 18-inch fish of fair condition. Those fish were the beginning of an annual salmon-stocking program at Keoka and I hope the initial good results continue in the future.
Keewaydin Lake is a favorite salmon hole for some and early results were good. Most parties in the first week of the season managed a salmon or two though, predictably, catch rates have declined in the second week of fishing. Those few folks targeting brook trout over salmon at Keewaydin have generally been successful. One family of three had a stringer of stocked brook trout I will never forget. Five trout were on that stringer and not one was under a pound. A party I spoke with this past Sunday (Jan. 13) caught four 13- to 14-inch brook trout in less than half an hour jigging small lures with a small bit of bait on the hook. Angler use on both of these ponds is much lighter than I expected considering the number of large brook trout stocked.
Angler use of Bear Pond in Waterford, however, has been surprisingly higher than last year. A lot of these folks are targeting smelt due to last year’s success but early reports are of very light harvest. Those targeting trout and salmon have been generally successful with splake and brook trout being the most commonly caught fish. Salmon also are caught occasionally though their condition is highly variable.
Prior to the first of the year I spent some time interviewing anglers on the Otter Ponds in Standish before handing that job off to a seasonal creel census clerk. Brook trout fishing there started off with a bang and has been steady ever since. The most recent reports from our seasonal clerk Steve Lurvey indicate anglers still are catching 9- to 11-inch brook trout at a rate of about one fish per angler. To increase your catch rate it’s best to use very small shiners or worms on your traps with No. 6 hooks or smaller. Your best success will be had while jigging with something small and shiny with a bit of worm on a small hook. Try jigging holes where you are getting flags and stolen bait.
Best of luck
- Brian Lewis, Fishery Biologist Specialist, Gray
This weekend a number of anglers questioned me about black crappie. Therefore, I thought I would write about this relative newcomer to the State of Maine. The black crappie is native to the Great Lakes area, its range south to the Gulf of Mexico. Crappies were first introduced in Maine at Virginia Lake, the head-water lake of Sebago Lake watershed, in 1921. In 1969, black crappies were accidentally stocked in the Sebasticook River drainage when they were intermixed with a shipment of largemouth bass from a federal hatchery. They have further expanded their range and now are found in at least 64 waters throughout the state.
Spawning takes place in the spring and is similar to that of our native sunfishes. A small dish-like depression is made on a sandy area within heavy vegetative cover. Once the eggs are laid the male guards the nest until the fry emerge and disperse.
Young crappies feed on insects and switch over to a mostly fish diet as they grow larger. The typical black crappie in Maine is between six and 11 inches although larger individuals are fairly common. The state record is 3.25 pounds.
Crappies are a schooling fish and when actively feeding they may provide for some very fast fishing. The best time to catch them is in the morning and late evening when they typically feed. Most anglers prefer to jig for crappies using small jigs and rubber grubs often tipped with a small minnow. Black crappies also can be caught at night by suspending a light over the hole while jigging.
For those who haven't tried crappie fishing give it a try. Not only can it be a fun species to catch, but when it’s filleted and fried it is very tasty.
- James Lucas, Fisheries Biologist, Sidney
It appears as though the January thaw may be over with meteorologists forecasting colder weather conditions for the remainder of the week. If you are an avid ice fisherman, the recent warm days have been a bit of a downer. Fisheries staff members were out over the weekend talking to ice fisherman and checking ice conditions. We observed that most small coastal waters had between 3-5 inches of ice. Some of the inland waters had between 4-8 inches of ice. Many locations had ice broken up around the shoreline. Anyplace where moving water is found (inlet, outlet, saddle area between islands or shore) be aware of potential thin ice. Also, around the shoreline, around rocks, and shoals be cautious of ice thickness. Pay close attention to old ice holes and cracks in the ice since many of these places have opened and swelled to a larger size as a result of so many warm days. Many of the larger coastal waters (Tunk Lake, T-10 SD, Jordan Pond, Mount Desert, Eagle Lake, Bar Harbor to name a few) have now opened up again or have just a thin layer of ice. Be sure to check ice conditions before venturing out onto any body of water and check it often as you move to different locations.
If weather predictions hold true for the upcoming week we should see great improvements in ice conditions all over the Downeast region. Snowfall early this week will act as an insulating blanket, partially hampering additional ice formation. But if overnight temperatures dip down into the single numbers for any length of time, we surely will be making some ice!
Area Game Wardens would like to remind all anglers to be certain of the fishing regulations that exist on the body of water they are fishing. Also, be sure that any fish you harvest does not fall under the minimum length limit. Even if a fish is a ¼-inch short at the time a warden measures it, you are in violation of the law. You can pick up your free copy of this year’s ice fishing law book at any location where fishing licenses are sold, from any regional IF&W office, your local town office, or online at www.maine.gov/ifw. Remember, it is your responsibility to know the regulations on the body of water that you are fishing.
Ice fishing is a great way to get kids dedicated to a lifetime of fishing. Here are some suggestions of places where you are sure to have some exciting fishing for perch, pickerel or largemouth bass: Chalk Pond in Beddington, Scammon Pond in Eastbrook, Georges Pond in Franklin, Somes Pond in Mount Desert, Seal Cove Pond in Tremont, Graham Lake in Mariaville, Webb Pond in Eastbrook, Rocky Pond in T-22 MD, Spectacle Pond in Osborn Plantation., Great Pond in Franklin, Lily Pond and Forbes Pond in Gouldsboro, Boyden Lake in Perry, Rocky Lake in T-18 ED, and Hadley Lake in East Machias.
Also, I suggest visiting Unnamed (Foxhole Pond) in Deblois for kids-only fishing waters for brook trout.
In general, ice fishing pressure has been light this year, so there still are plenty of opportunities awaiting hard water anglers. Be safe, check ice conditions often, and have fun!
- Joe Overlock, Fisheries Biologist Specialist, Jonesboro
Ice conditions were good on most waters last weekend. Most of previous week’s water and slush on the ice had frozen to create safer conditions and easier traveling. The ice thicknesses on the smaller waters in the northwestern corner of the state have six to eight inches. The larger waters still are a problem, so ice travelers need to use some caution. Slushy conditions likely will return after a few more snow events.
Overall, this year’s winter fishing season is off to a great start. The first couple of weeks in the year produced some fast action. Here are some of the regional highlights.
Pleasant Pond, Caratunk: We have so far interviewed 185 anglers. They’ve caught 140 legal lake trout and a 15-inch brook trout. Two of the togue were over 30 inches long and weighed more than 10 pounds.
Porter Lake, New Vineyard: We have interviewed 141 anglers that caught 97 salmon up to 18 inches in length. Seventeen lake trout also were caught with the largest being 22¾ inches long.
Clearwater Pond, Industry: 15 salmon have been sampled that average 17.3 inches in length and 1 pound, 13 ounces in weight. The largest salmon was over 19 inches long.
Oaks Pond, Skowhegan: In two days of fishing the 32 anglers we interviewed caught a 17½-inch rainbow trout and 34 splake, averaging 15.6 inches in length.
Wentworth Pond, Solon: 75 anglers that were interviewed caught 37 legal splake and 16 brook trout. Average lengths are 13.7 inches for splake and 13.0 inches for brook trout. The largest fish were a 16¾-inch splake and a 14¾-inch brookie.
We also have received good fishing reports for brook trout and brown trout at Wesserunsett Lake in Madison. Wyman Lake in Moscow is producing good numbers of salmon, splake, and brook trout. Also, Tibbetts Pond in Concord, which is open to kids only, is yielding some fine brook trout to these young anglers.
- David Howatt, Fisheries Biologist Specialist, Strong
The unseasonable weather the Moosehead Lake Region received this past week kept many anglers at bay last weekend. The warm weather and rain reduced the snow pack significantly and had many anglers questioning the ice conditions on local lakes and ponds. Ice depths, however, held their own during the warm spell. We still are seeing good ice depths of 14-16 inches on many of the smaller ponds and the shallow areas of Moosehead Lake. We still urge anglers to use caution since ice condition can change daily. Individuals should also avoid traveling over the deep basins on Moosehead Lake, since many of these areas of the lake have just recently frozen over. The 5-6 inches of snow ice we had last weekend soaked up most of last week’s rain and snow melt, and little if no slush was encountered in our travels this past weekend.
In our travels on Moosehead Lake and Lower Wilson Pond this past weekend we saw very little fishing pressure. The few fish we saw where predominately lake trout and a couple of nice brook trout where observed from Lower Wilson and Prong Pond. The majority of lake trout on Moosehead Lake and Lower Wilson Pond are 14–17 inches. We are encouraging angler to harvest these14– to 17-inch lake trout in hopes to reduce the abundant number of individuals in this size range on both of these bodies of water. By reducing the number of smaller lake trout we will increase the health of the lake trout populations in both of these bodies of water.
Last week we received a few phone calls in regards to access to some of the local ponds in the Moosehead Lake Region. The ponds in question were Mountain View (Fitzgerald Pond) Pond and Prong Pond. Local anglers have been plowing the access at Mountain View Pond for the past few winters. I stopped at the pond this past weekend on my way back from checking anglers in Rockwood and found that someone has once again plowed the access road to within a short distance from the boat launch. Prong Pond can be accessed from the Lily Bay Road in Beaver Cove. The access road to the boat launch is not plowed, but last week people where driving down to the boat launch. As the winter progresses and we receive more snow the access may become a little more difficult and anglers are going to have to access the pond by snow sled or a short walk down the access road.
Sebec Lake opens Jan.15 and remains open until March 15. Anglers have a few options to access the lake. Anglers can put on at Greeley’s Landing, Peaks-Kenny State Park, and Packard’s Landing. Anglers accessing the lake from the Packard’s Landing should use the parking area located across the road from the campground. There is a trail from the parking area to the lake. Anglers using this area to access the lake are urged to stay on the marked trail and comply with the landowner’s wishes of having snowmobile and ATV traffic use this access trail instead of the old route that has been used in the past.
We are within two weeks of the Moosehead Lake Togue Ice Fishing Derby. The event will be held Jan. 26-27. Got your ticket yet? To enter the derby anglers can purchase individual and family tickets at several locations in Greenville and Rockwood. A grand door prize will be given, daily drawings and cash prizes will be awarded for the three largest togue. For more information on the derby log onto www.mooseheadlake.org or contact the Greenville Chamber of Commerce at (207) 695-2702.
- Stephen Seeback, Fishery Biology Specialist, Moosehead Lake Region
The warm temperatures of the past two weeks has been great for the winter fuel bills, however it has done little for ice conditions except deteriorate them.
We are hearing from and seeing very few anglers so far this year. This past weekend biologists surveyed Schoodic, Seboeis, Molunkus, Upper Cold Stream, Webster, Matagamon, and Scraggly Lakes. Each body of water was checked at least one day during the weekend. Only three parties were observed, and questionable ice conditions limited our ability to fully cover several of the lakes. Hopefully, the temperature will continue to cool down and more ice will form so all the winter anglers chomping at the bit to do some ice fishing will have safe conditions to do so.
The few fishing reports that we have received from around Region F have been good. The low angling pressure early in the season should produce some excellent ice fishing throughout the region later in the season. Here are a few highlights.
The splake are biting in Lower Togue, Cedar, and West Seboeis. We also stock splake in Endless but have had no reports from that lake. The fishing is slow so far for the fall yearling brook trout that were stocked in Upper Cold Stream Pond, Cold Stream Pond and Molunkus Lake, however anglers at Upper Pond and Silver Lake are doing well. Anglers are catching some nice salmon in Cold Stream Pond, Pleasant Pond, Upper Jo-Mary, West Seboeis and Scraggly. We have measured a few healthy lake trout from the north end of Schoodic Lake. Angling pressure has been way down on our togue lakes, but as the ice continues to form we expect that to change. Reports of nice catches of white perch have come from Dolby flowage, Molunkus, Escutasis, Brackett, Pemadumcook and Upper Jo Mary.
Again, we issue a word of caution when venturing out ice fishing. Hopefully the temperature will continue to drop over the next few weeks giving us plenty of ice for the winter anglers.
-Brian Campbell, Fisheries Biologist Specialist, Enfield
Ice thickness on Millinocket and Millimagassett lakes this weekend were in the 10- to12-inch range, with excellent travel conditions on the lakes. The recent thaw has created many hazards on the trails going to and between lakes so caution is strongly suggested. With cold and snow forecasted conditions should improve greatly.
Angler activity in the Mattagammon Region was lower than expected during the past weekend and last week’s thaw and rains kept anglers close to home.
Opening day on Square, Cross, Long and Eagle Lakes is Jan.15. Local anglers have awaited this day with much anticipation. Reports from the summer and our work on Long Lake this fall indicate that Long Lake is the place to go for salmon of excellent size quality. By all indications brook trout fishing on the Fish River Chain should be nothing short of extraordinary.
For those who have been looking forward to the 2008 ice fishing season, I would urge a little more patience for conditions to improve. It will be more enjoyable to yourself and a relief to family members to know that ice is safe for your fishing trip.
- Derrick Cote, Fisheries Biologist Specialist, Ashland
