Will With His Brown Trout

The following letter and photo were sent to the owners of the Pleasant River Campground in West Bethel, Maine. They were past guests.

I helped him a bit with the cast but the rest was all him.

His 4th trout of the day. Thought I’d share as it’s a real nice fish for that river. (Androscoggin)

Use it if you want on your site etc. It’s a healthy reminder to anglers that there are nice fish in that river. It’s also a healthy reminder to catch and release and be educated on invasive species that can kill a river. Read more

Driftboat Championship – Angler’s Journal 9/28/2008

Copyright 2008, Used by permission

By John W. Corrigan

Seven minutes and twenty five seconds is the new world’s record for drift-boat racing.

That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it.

Michael Jones, who has guided full-time out of a drift boat on the Androscoggin and Kennebec rivers for the past dozen years, set the standard by reaching the take-out point 10 seconds ahead of local hero Scott Stone.

To twist a term from horse racing, plaques were awarded on the basis of win, place and show-up. Chris Russell, a guide for Northern Outdoors in The Forks, Maine, completed the course in eight minutes, 21 seconds. Read more

Angler’s Journal for 10/05/2008

Copyright 2008, Used by permission

By John W. Corrigan

Fishing may not be the last resort for Bethel, Maine, but it is emerging as an important element of a diverse economy.

A two-fly contest and drift-boat championship described here last week were just the latest events in a long-running effort to capitalize on a newly spruced up river flowing through some of the most beautiful country in the East. The sponsor was the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance, a coalition of local fishermen and businesses. Read more

Tyler Gammon Nets Largest Fish In Upper Andro Two-Fly Contest

Mike Jones of Farmington, Maine wins Drift Boat Championship

The weather was superb and the excitement was high for the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance Two-Fly Contest and Drift Boat Championship. As the photo shows, the morning began on the foggy side but soon cleared out for a great time.

Wende Gray, spokesperson and organizer of the event, said, “Everyone had a super, duper time and I think we’ll double the number of entrants next year.” Read more

L.L. Bean Honors Former Maine IF&W’s Bill Pierce

AUGUSTA – Former Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife marketing specialist Bill Pierce recently was named a recipient of the prestigious L.L. Bean 2008 Outdoor Heroes award.

Mr. Pierce, who worked at the Department from 1999 until April 2008, was nominated by Fisheries Division Director John Boland. He now works at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust.

The L.L. Bean Outdoor Heroes Program was developed to thank individuals who have dedicated their time to preserving the outdoors and encouraging the use of recreational outdoor space.

Winners are awarded a $5,000 grant towards their organization to support continued preservation, conservation and educational efforts. IF&W will apply the grant to its youth fishing and education programs. Read more

Illegal Koi Fish Spotted In Pickerel Pond

AUGUSTA – Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists have retrieved a non-native koi/carp from Pickerel Pond in Limerick and have received reports that there may be at least one other in this particular body of water.

Koi, which is the Japanese term for carp, is an invasive species that can survive and reproduce in Maine’s waters and cause devastating harm to the state’s native fish species, aquatic plant life, and the quality of water.

Based on public reports, it is believed the koi was introduced into Pickerel Pond earlier this summer, but it is not known how it got there. IF&W was alerted to the koi by Limerick Town Selectman Dean Lepage and resident Ilene Dashner, and these reports prompted a quick response from fisheries biologists who hope their efforts will reduce the risk of the koi taking over the pond. Read more

Mapleton Youth Catches Record-Setting Arctic Charr

MAPLETON – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife confirms that an 11-year-old young man from Mapleton has caught a record-setting Arctic Charr, breaking a 35-year-old record.

Carter McLaughlin, 11, of Mapleton, caught the charr on Aug. 20 at Pushineer Pond in T15 R9. According to IF&W Assistant Fisheries Biologist Frank Frost, who measured the fish, the record-setter was 25.4 inches in total length and weighed 5.24 pounds.

The previous record weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces and was 22-3/8-inches long. It was caught by Merton Wyman of Belgrade on Basin Pond on May 5, 1973. Read more

Maine Fishing Report For September 9, 2008

Region A – Southwestern Maine

To Region A biologists, the last month of summer means it is time to complete the stream surveys scheduled in our annual work plan. Some of these surveys are associated with the statewide brook trout monitoring program. These surveys are completed in each of MDIF&W’s seven regions and involve sampling brook trout and taking habitat measurements in two “close to pristine” streams. The objective is to use these streams as an overall measure of the health of wild brook trout populations statewide.

Our sampling at Worthley Brook in Poland indicated a very healthy population, averaging about one brook trout for every two feet of stream. Our second brook trout monitoring stream, Branch Brook in Sanford, seemed to have a slightly reduced population from past years but can still boast a high quality brook trout fishery with plenty of young trout in the system. Read more

Point, Shoot And Retrieve Event

Get more information on this event here. Read more

Maine Fishing Report For September 2, 2008

This Fishing Report is written by biologists at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is produced bi-weekly during summer months. For more information about fishing in Maine, visit IF&W’s Web site at www.mefishwildlife.com.

Region A – Southwestern Maine

As the fall fishing season approaches, anglers are reminded of the new fall fishing regulations in effect this year on Sebago Lake. In the past the open water fishing season on most of the lake closed on Sept. 30. The single exception was a small area near Sebago Station that permitted fishing from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. Read more

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