The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Top 5 Questions Asked During State Biologist's Survey

March 05, 2008 - SIDNEY -- As a fishery biologist, I talk with hundreds of anglers every winter during our routine surveys. It's always good duty and very interesting to hear the many diiferent view points of anglers. One group may tout the latest regulations as the best thing for the fishery, while the very next group is just as likely to tell me how stupid the same regulations are.

I also enjoy all the questions these anglers ask, ranging from the past deer hunting season to the state budget. To this end I thought this week I'd list the top 5 questions asked this year.

5. Are you a warden? This is one question every fishery biologist hears multiple times throughout the course of the winter. Of course we are not wardens and have no law enforcement responsibilities.

4. Are there any bad spots on the lake (referring to the ice conditions)? This may be the most frequently asked question during the first week or so of the season.

3. How much success are anglers having fishing at night? Now that ice fishing is open 24 hours a day people seem to be very interested in night fishing but most are not willing to deal with the cold and dark to give it a try. I've heard very little from people fishing at night. Most of the nighttime fishing has occurred from around 4 a.m. when its really just an early start rather than a nighttime trip. These early anglers have reported to me that the best fishing they have is at dawn and now most of them just start around dawn. I know night fishing for smelt and black crappie can, at times, be very fast fishing. Hanging a light over an open hole while fishing through a hole close by seems to be the acceptable technique.

2. This is a generic question regarding specific fishing regulations, such as how many trout can I keep? Or what's the minimum length limit on bass? These questions are always easy ones to answer and usually not too controversial, although the answer usually leads into a lengthy discussion on fishery management. The most common discussion I've had in central Maine concerns natural reproduction of trout in lakes and ponds. Fishermen are very interested in having native trout but unfortunately we have very little natural reproduction in these waters. The lack of quality stream environments hinders trout spawning, there's also a lack of good nursery areas for young trout. Any trout that survives and moves into the lake experiences problems with poor water quality and the high numbers of competing fish species. These factors severely limit the number of trout that reach legal size.

1. And by far the most asked question is, "Where are all the fish? This is the easiest question of all to answer, since they are, of course, in the water.

James Lucas. Fisheries Biologist, Sidney, Belgrade Lakes, Region D Western Mountains


SOURCE: KENNEBEC JOURNAL

DATE: 02-16-2008


Lakes:
Regions: Belgrade


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News