August 23, 2013

IFW Freshwater Fishing Report ? August 23, 2013

Sebago Lakes Region

As the summer?s sun starts to fade earlier and earlier, it?s a great time bass for fishing in the Sebago Lakes region.

Periods of warm weather tend to have bass laying low during the day, but as the sun starts to set, bass fishing is picking up as fish start to cruise shallower areas searching for food.

Anglers in the Sebago Lakes region have a variety of bass waters to choose from. Look for shoals around drop offs, rock outcroppings, ledges and gravel bars to target hungry fish. Try Moose Pond in Bridgton, Kezar Lake in Lovell and Upper Range Pond in Poland.

Use topwater lures such as jitterbugs, hula poppers, devil horses and others to attract savage strikes from bass lurking below.

Central Maine Region

?This is a great time of year to catch bass in the evening,? says IFW Fisheries Biologist Scott Davis, ?With the nearly full moon, plugs on the surface can be a lot of fun.?

Late summer rains will have juvenile alewives are staging for their fall migration, and bass will key in on the small baitfish.

Davis has seen a lot of anglers out on the Kennebec and Sebasticook bass fishing, but don?t forget area ponds. With cooler nights and nearly full moon, bass are cruising the shallows and shoals in search of food. Davis recommends using anything that resembles an alewife, such as a Rapala.

Anglers are also reeling in a lot of white perch this time of year. Perch school up and can be concentrated in areas of a lake where there is a lot of oxygen. Anglers interested in catching white perch may want to try China Lake, Sheepscott Lake and Salmon Pond for white perch.

Downeast Region

For Anglers who like to fish for white perch, now is the time Downeast.

?Perch are really schooled up this time of year,? says IFW Fisheries Biologist Greg Burr who recommended lakes such as Second Gardner Lake in Marion, Third Machias Lake in Township 43, Toddy Pond in Orland, Georges Pond in Franklin, Big Lake in Greenlaw Chopping Township, and the Grand Falls Flowage in Princeton.

If perch are not your passion, there is still plenty of action on area streams.

?I?ve been directing a lot of people to small streams. These streams hold a lot of trout this time of year,? says Burr. ?Even Acadia, with over a million visitors a year, has a lot of trout streams.?

While not offering specific locations, Burr advises not to overlook small local streams.

?A lot of times, people cross these streams all the time, and don?t realize they are loaded with trout,? says Burr, who suggests bringing a thermometer and checking water temperatures. Look for streams that are in the mid-60s or cooler.

Rangeley Lakes Region

With the warmer temperatures, fishing has slowed in the Rangeley Lakes Region according to IFW Fisheries Biologist Bobby Van Riper, but regional biologists are busy preparing to remove an old log driving dam in the Sunday River in Riley Township.

?The dam has probably been there close to 100 years. It?s half-rotted and collapsing, and is a significant barrier for trout moving upstream or downstream,? says Van Riper, who added that the buildup of sediment is also forcing the stream channel to move around the dam.

Region D is enlisting the help of Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat and River Enhancement) to help with the project, and plans are to remove the dam early this fall.

Moosehead Region

Warmer temperatures this week have extended summer fishing opportunities in the Moosehead region, but fall is just around the corner.

?Everyone seems to be waiting for September,? remarks IFW Fisheries Biologist Tim Obrey, who noted that there is plenty of water for good fishing flows this fall in area rivers.

Obrey took advantage of the warmer weather to do some bass fishing with a group of local kids from the Natural Resources Education Center in Greenville and Danny Legere from the Maine Guide Fly Shop.

?We took 11 kids to Indian Pond below the East Outlet and they caught a bunch of bass and even a salmon,? remarked Obrey.

Penobscot Region Summer rains are keeping Katahdin area waters cool, and the trout fishing hot.

?I stopped by and talked with a local pilot who runs a regional air service,? said IFW Fisheries Biologist Nels Kramer, ?and he says this has been one of the best summers for trout fishing in recent memory.? Kramer added that Martin and Twin ponds have been fishing well.

Kramer was working at Katahdin Lake earlier this week, trap netting and electrofishing to gather data on the brook trout population.

?Katahdin Lake has good wild brook trout population, and it looks as though it is improving as far as abundance,? said Kramer. While in the area, Kramer, along with IFW Fisheries Biologist Merry Gallagher, toured several streams in the area to see if there was potential for trout habitat enhancements.

Aroostook Region

Up in Aroostook county, this is a fine time to go brook trout fishing. Brooks and streams are at good fishing flows, and water temperatures are excellent.

?This is the perfect time to head for the North Maine Woods for brook trout fishing,? remarks IFW Fisheries Biologist Frank Frost. Frost reminds anglers that on rivers, brooks and streams after August 15, it?s artificial lures only and a one trout bag limit.

Frost recommends fishing the smaller streams, and using small spinners with darker colors which imitate leeches and sculpins. Fly casters would be well served with nymphs, hoppers, ant and beetle patterns.

Anglers who enjoy fishing on Long Lake should mark their calendar for Tuesday night, September 10, as IFW fisheries biologists will hold an informational meeting to discuss the fisheries and management of Long Lake.

The public meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall in St. Agatha. There will be a presentation focused on the current status of Long Lake salmon and brook trout, how and why biological data is collected, and then an interactive question and answer period.