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Weekly Fishing Roundup 6/4/07 CENTRAL MAINE

June 04, 2007 - CENTRAL MAINE

Now that the spring trout fishing has slowed down, it's time to try your luck with warm water species such as bass and black crappie. Although, we've received a number of comments in the past couple of weeks that the bass fishing has been slow, the fishing will be improving throughout Central Maine.

Our annual spring bass sampling has shown that despite cooler than average temperatures, bass are on schedule for spawning. Cool water temperatures can delay spawning but more of a problem occurs with a drastic drop in temperature after the eggs are laid. Male bass guard the eggs and the fry but a sharp drop in water temperatures may result in the male bass abandoning his duties of guarding the young fish. This behavior is typical and may have an impact on year class strength if the bass don't re-nest.

Overall, bass populations remain very healthy in Central Maine. Many anglers prefer fishing when the bass are nesting because it's an experience like fishing the Florida flats, site fishing. Anglers cruise the shoreline looking for fish then casting trying to entice a bass to strike. This can lead to very fast fishing but be aware when the male bass is off the nest the young are exposed to predation. Therefore, it is important to play the fish quickly and return it close to the nest.

Beginning July 15, the season for the larger bass derbies really heats up. We attend a number of these bass derbies to gather information on not only bass sizes but also gather information on the number of bass that are caught and released. Generally, our first derby is the Fathers Day derby at Androscoggin Lake. We've been monitoring this derby for over 10 years and although there are yearly fluctuates, our data suggest there is very little effect on the bass population at Androscoggin Lake. This derby is a little different from others because the fish are released in the lake's outlet below the lake but above the dam. We started to monitor this derby after receiving complaints that the bass were being released in the lake's outlet, above the dam, and possibly effecting the bass fishing in Androscoggin Lake. We have found no evidence that the bass fishing has suffered due to this practice.

Black crappies are a species that is gaining popularity with Maine anglers. These scrappy fighters are found in schools most often associated with some form of woody debris located on a drop-off. Anglers prefer to fish for crappies in the early morning or late afternoon into the evening. Once a school is found the angler may expect to catch 10-20 fish. Common fishing methods for black crappies is jigging, with a small jig, and fishing with live bait, small shiners or worms. In Maine, crappies can reach a size of 18 inches but typically the average size is closer to 10 inches. These fish are very feisty when hooked, the action can be very fast and they're very good to eat. A few of hot spots for black crappies include Unity Pond, Sibley Pond, Sebassticook Lake and the Sebassticook River.

-James Lucas, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist


Lakes:
Regions: Belgrade, Bangor, Mid Coast


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