February 4 Ice Fishing Report
Region A- Southwestern Maine
An abundance of hungry lake trout has been providing some good action on Great East Lake (Acton), particularly over the last week. Beadles Bait and Tackle hosted their first fishing derby on Great East Lake last Sunday. A lot of lake trout were landed on derby day, as well as the past week. One party caught and released over 30 togue, under a two-trap limit rule! Derby organizers reported that a 24" lake trout took first prize in the lake trout division, but most of the fish landed ranged from 16 to 20" long. Within the bass division, only two 18" largemouth bass were entered for a tie, and a 4 lb. rainbow topped the rainbow division. At the time of this report I was unable to obtain the size of the winning pickerel. During the planning stage I was contacted by derby organizers and offered a number of recommendations to limit the number of fish harvested and encourage derby participation. For example, although the legal minimum for Lake trout is 16", lake trout smaller than 18 inches could not be entered in the derby. In addition, although a 12" legal minimum for bass exists, bass smaller than 18" were not eligible for derby prizes. Bass and pickerel divisions were added to help spread out use and increase angler participation, particularly for kids.
Several other ice fishing derbies are being hosted in February, including the following (phone numbers are provided for those seeking more information on upcoming events): FET (Little Ossipee Lake-16th, 854-1500), Mousam lake Region Association (Mousam Lake-16th, 636-9918), Norway-Paris Fish and Game (area lakes-22-23rd, 743-8339), Phippsburg Sportsman's Association (area lakes-9th, 666-3626), and Windham Rotary (Sebago Lake-22-23rd, 1-888-423-3524).
-Francis Brautigam, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region B - Central Maine Cold weather early in the week gave way to milder weather at the end of the week, prompting more anglers to fish their favorite waters. One such angler hit Messalonskee Lake near the mouth of Belgrade Stream and landed two pike that totaled 44 pounds. Having iced a seventeen pound northern pike, Bob Motta of Camden released that fish in pursuit of a wall-hanger worthy of bragging. After a good tussle with what many would call a respectable fish, Bob hooked another big fish a half hour later and landed a 42.5 inch, 27.0 pound northern pike after a short battle. Not only was the fish a wall hanger, but the fish had a history that many will be interested to hear.
On March 25, 1996, Bob's pike was captured by regional fisheries personnel at a trap net set below Wings Mill Dam. It was determined at the time that the fish was a mature female and measured 35.5 inches long and weighed 12.6 pounds. We tagged that fish in hopes of seeing it again in the future and to be able to provide information on the habits and growth rates of northern pike in the Belgrades. The study has provided us much information about this newcomer to Maine's waters. Northern pike grow well in the Belgrades, but are both competitors with and predators of our cherished salmonids. Since the early 1970's pike have been having an effect on the once excellent salmon fishery in Long Pond. Management is compromised and anglers are no longer provided with an attractive salmon fishery.
Surveys indicated that area waters were lightly fished over the weekend. Those who did fish were rewarded with decent catches. Parties interviewed at Megunticook caught two - and three-year old rainbows 15 to 17 inches long. Several anglers had decent catches of 8-12 inch white perch. There were bass of both species and a few brown trout up to 18 inches were iced. Anglers on other waters had catches of brown trout and splake. Brown trout from 18 to 20 inches and splake up to two pounds were reported at Biscay Pond. At Sheepscot Lake, splake were on the small size, but anglers reported legal fish that helped pass the time.
Anglers should try pursuing area waters for warm water pan fish. One angler on Megunticook Lake has fished for white perch for 35 years and has enjoyed the fishing with many white perch to show for it. Other waters that contain white perch in decent numbers include those Belgrade Chain waters that are open to ice fishing. The Cobbossee drainage also has many haunts that aficionados pursue. Or, try any of the many waters to the east of the Kennebec River as they have respectable sized populations that contain white perch. The Belgrade Region does not have a shortage of warm water fish waters, so take out the map and point to a water, look up the regulation and try your luck. You may be pleasantly surprised with a fine catch of table fare.
-Bill Woodward, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region C - Downeast Scattered reports from Saturday's opening day at West Grand Lake indicate that the fishing was OK for some, but disappointing for others. While some groups of two or three anglers caught several salmon and togue, apparently very few parties landed four to seven fish as has been the case on some past "openers". As expected, many salmon ranged in length from 17-18 1/2 inches, and were in great shape. For those concentrating on togue, 3-pounders were the norm.
A high proportion of Downeast ice anglers are either commercial salt-water fishermen or are closely connected to that industry. Because they are very busy earning a living in the summer, the only time they can afford to "fish for fun" is in the winter. During the 30 years I have been conducting winter creel surveys, I have spoken with thousands of such anglers. To a man, they have told me just how much they enjoy ice fishing. Speaking on behalf of them, I can definitively state that they are well satisfied with the 3-month season, and would be inclined to oppose the bill which would shorten the season to two (February and March) months. Certainly, there is no biological need to reduce the season length Downeast as our data clearly show a strong trend towards reduced use and harvest. Further, our surveys confirm that fewer legal fish are harvested due to the pronounced increase in catch and release. Compared to what we routinely observed 10 years ago, current release rates of legal salmon and togue are remarkable.
On Sunday, biologist Greg Burr weighed and measured fish at the American Legion Derby in Trenton. Despite the inclement weather, a good crowd was on hand with many fish entries. Green Lake headlined the show with 4 fine togue: the 8 lb, 6 oz winner caught by Harrison Pinkham, a 7 lb, 8 oz beauty landed by young Jake Fennelly, a 7 lb, 4 oz fish caught by Green Lake regular Mike Fennelly, and a 5 lb, 12 oz beauty landed by Dick Fennelly. Green had already given up more than a few 6-8 pounders prior to the derby, and for these lucky anglers, Sunday proved to be yet another productive day. A key to this winter's blue ribbon fishery has been the strong rebound in the smelt population over the last 1 1/2 years.
Favorable reports from a few other regional waters have recently been received. At Phillips Lake, where 18 inch or larger salmon can be kept only during February, several anglers landed 19-20 inch salmon in good condition. This was encouraging because this water is currently supporting a strong population of wild togue which are competing with our stocked salmon for smelt. Anglers are encouraged to keep more of the togue they catch. Gardner Lake in East Machias/Whiting has rewarded certain anglers with decent action for 16-18 inch salmon and 19-22 inch pickerel. Write to me at P.O. Box 220, Jonesboro, Me. 04648 for two excellent pickerel recipes which largely alleviate the "too many bones" problem. Pennamaquan Lake in Pembroke is being fished more than usual in response to some catches of 3-4 lb brown trout.
-Ron Brokaw, Regional Fisheries Biologist
Region D - Western Mountains February can be a productive time to fish for cusk (also known as burbot, ling, or lawyer fish). These odd looking fish have a limited distribution in Maine and are seldom seen except during the ice fishing season. Ardent cusk anglers relish them due to their very fine eating qualities. While western Maine isn't known as a hot spot for cusk fishing, we do have several waters that provide some opportunities. In Franklin County these include Clearwater Lake in Industry, Crowell Pond in New Sharon, and Chain of Ponds in Chain of Ponds Township. Further north and west try Spencer Lake in Hobbstown, Wyman Lake in Moscow, Embden Lake in Embden, or Oaks Pond in Skowhegan. Cusk in these lakes commonly range from 15 to 20 inches long and weigh one to two pounds, with the occasional larger fish. Fishing at night with cut bait or live minnows on or near the bottom is the most effective way to catch cusk. All our major cusk lakes have a special rule permitting night fishing for cusk with 5 lines (S-14).
Cusk spawn at night under the ice during mid-winter (right now or very soon), laying their eggs in shallow water over clean sand or gravel bottom. They are relatively slow growing in Maine but they commonly live for 10 years or longer. Cusk are voracious fish predators and they compete for smelts with some of Maine's more glamorous species, particularly salmon. At Chain of Ponds in northern Franklin County, where cusk have recently appeared from an illegal introduction, we terminated a popular togue stocking program, in part to mitigate negative effects cusk may have on the pond's wild salmon population. Another example of how illegal stockings are causing problems for Maine's fisheries resources!
Slush is starting to appear on some area lakes and ponds. It's not a huge problem yet, but anglers and snowmobilers should begin paying attention.
-Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fishery Biologist
Region E - Moosehead Region Saturday, February 1, 2003 - Allagash Lake: Like an opening curtain, a thick early morning fog lifted to introduce the day. A bright sun, hardly a breath of air, and temperatures hovering around 30 degrees made fishing on this opening day a gloveless, shirtsleeve affair. Simply put, it does not get much better than this in the Maine winter! And, as if on cue, fish began to bite!
Fishery Assistant Jay Seyfried and I accompanied Allagash Waterway Manager Marilyn Tourtelotte and Assistant Waterway Ranger Eric Hall on their rounds to check this remote, 4,260 acre body of water. We interviewed a total of 21 parties who had walked out onto the ice to fish on a lake where only hand augers or chisels can be used to penetrate 2+ feet of ice in order to wet a line. That did not seem to bother most of the anglers who were there to enjoy the experience and the fishing, even if it meant walking and cutting holes the old fashioned way.
Over the course of the day we checked 44 brook trout, 25 lake trout, and 12 lake whitefish, but anglers reported to us catching and releasing many other fish. Contrary to popular belief, if you are looking for a trophy, Allagash Lake is not the place for you. The largest brook trout we checked was 17.8 inches long, and weighed 2 pounds. Although the largest lake trout we saw was 26.8 inches long and weighed 5 1/2 pounds, only 7 of the 25 lake trout weighed more than 3 pounds. The largest lake whitefish we checked was 18.0 inches long and weighed 2 pounds. However, if it's action you want, Allagash is a great place to experience fishing in the Maine woods as it might have been 100 years ago.
Noteworthy among anglers participating in the opening day festivities was Jeff Dumont of Hampden. He euthanized a 20-inch lake trout that brought new dimensions to the word "svelte". (We have pictures to prove it.) Jeff included "slinky" in his bag limit, forgoing the opportunity to keep a larger lake trout. The gene pool in Allagash Lake may benefit from his act of true compassion, and for this he receives our nomination for this year's Allagash Lake Humanitarian Award .
On all counts opening day on Allagash Lake will go down in the record books as a day to remember. Even the conditions for walking out onto the lake were excellent. Sunday's snow storm will change that for the days to come.
Elsewhere in the northern half of the Moosehead Region, fishing on Chamberlain Lake has been on the slow side since a flurry of action the first week of January. This year Allagash Waterway rangers are assisting IF&W on Chamberlain by interviewing anglers and checking their catch. In January, Ranger Tom Harmon and Assistant Ranger Eric Hall provided information from 101 game fish, a significant contribution to our information on the lake's fishery. We greatly appreciate their dedication and enthusiasm.
Caucomgomoc Lake may be the place to go if you want lots of action for salmon. On Saturday we heard reports of excellent fishing for fish that ran from 15 to 18 inches.
Opening day at Lobster Lake also proved interesting for the parties that fished there. In the past we have characterized ice fishing at Lobster as slow. This morning, when asked about his impression of fishing there last Saturday, Warden Sgt. Roger Guay replied "unbelievable". I will close by leaving the definition of "unbelievable" up to the reader.
-Paul Johnson, Regional Fishery Biologist
Region F, Penobscot Region
Schoodic Lake continues to provide some excellent togue fishing. We received reports of several six pounders as well as one at 14 lbs. this past weekend. If the excellent fishing continues and with a little help from mother nature, the up coming 41st Annual Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby, (February 15th and 16th) should prove to one of the best. This derby also includes fish caught in Ebeemee & Seboeis lakes. For more information call (207) 943-7326.
We continue to check Schoodic, Cold Stream, Matagamon and Scraggly. Schoodic Lake is doing great with lots of anglers and lots of fish being caught. Anglers on Cold Stream are doing a great job catching all the abundant lake trout. The few anglers fishing Scraggly are catching some nice salmon and brook trout. At Matagamon, several good lake trout were seen and a few salmon. Saturday proved to be a great day for ice fishing, however, the Sunday storm sent a lot of anglers home early and keep many under the shingles.
Seboeis continues to provide some great salmon and splake fishing. The salmon are reported to be up to 3.5 lbs and the splake around 2 lbs. There have also been some very good catches of white perch.
Millinocket Lake is providing some good lake trout and a few salmon.
The storm on Sunday has dumped up to 24" of snow on some of our northern lakes. Caution should be taken when traveling along our lakes this time of year. Pressure ridges are on the rise, and there are some bad slush spots now on the lakes.
- Brian Campbell, Fishery Biologist Specialist
Region G - Aroostook County
The week ended with mild temperatures, little snow cover on regional lakes, and sufficient snow on the trails for travel. However, Caribou recorded 24 inches of snow on Sunday and Monday with as much as 10 inches in the forecast for Tuesday. Initially, travel was hampered by heavy drifting, and until trails are rebroken, travel will be severely hampered on Northern Maine Lakes. Also, with the heavy snow cover the potential for slush conditions will now exist. Extensions for ice augers will no doubt be necessary on some lakes, now, where ice thickness prior to last weekend was approaching 30 inches.
Fishing action has been excellent on certain lakes in the region. Anglers interviewed on Square Lake reported much better fishing than during opening week with both brook trout and salmon being caught on most trips lately. Anglers continue to visit Long Lake, even though the normally high activity in the first two weeks drops off significantly. On Saturday, Derrick Cote was interviewing anglers around the lake and missed an angler who had just caught an 8 lb landlocked salmon. It is difficult for biologists to witness such fish, as the lucky angler normally leaves immediately with such a trophy. Also, Derrick heard tales of lost big ones throughout the week, one estimated at 10 pounds, and this angler had a reference since the following day he iced one that measured 5 pounds.
Squa Pan Lake remains excellent fishing despite receiving light use during January. The fall yearling splake have been very active so far with most anglers icing their 2 fish limit of these hybrid charr; smelt are also biting well at Squa Pan. The report from Millinocket and Millimagassett Lakes, where we have a season-long creel survey, was good this past weekend. Anglers are catching splake at Millinocket while lake trout and salmon are biting well at Millimagassett Lake.
-Frank Frost, Regional Fisheries Biologist
