Fishing is a rite of spring

by Barry Matulaitis
     
     REGION - There is nothing quite like the feeling of baiting a line, casting it out into a pristine pond or stream and feeling the bite of the first fish of the season on the end of the line.
     This spring, the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) will be assisting Maine anglers with their fishing by posting online in real time the water bodies where catchable trout are being stocked by fish hatcheries. For the past several years, the DIFW has posted an annual stocking report online in late December or early January.
     "This will be more timely," said DIFW computer analyst Mark Osterman in a telephone interview on May 1. He explained that each of the fish hatcheries would put their stocking reports into a data collection system that was scheduled to be put on the web last Monday.
     "We raise 1.4 million fish, and we put them in the water," said Osterman. "If it doesn't end up on someone's hook, it's kind of a waste."
     There may be differing opinions in the fishing community about publicizing the stocking locations, he noted.
     "The purists in the fishing community probably aren't happy. If you're a purist, it's more important to be out all weekend and then catch one fish. If you're a high school kid, you want to get right out there and catch a fish."
     By doing this, he added, the DIFW is likely to get more young people hooked on fishing by helping youngsters get that early success that keeps them with the sport for life.
     High water conditions last week due to heavy rain suspended the DIFW's stocking for several days. DIFW biologist Francis Brautigam said in a telephone interview on April 30 that the rain had a much larger impact on stream and river fishing than in ponds because of rapid fluctuations in water levels on streams and rivers.
     Brautigam's district covers the southwestern part of the state.
     Stocking that takes place in April often sees delays due to rain and snowmelt. "We had that heavy snowpack that impacted it," said Brautigam of the latest runoff. "We haven't stocked the Wild River (near Gilead) because it's been too wild."
     With a return to more tranquil weather and river conditions in May, the stocking will commence once again and anglers will see the best fishing conditions of the season. In April, cold and high water negatively impacts open water fishing, while summer sees fish retreat under rocks and away from the reach of fishermen as the water becomes more suitable for swimming than fishing.
     Stocking was scheduled for the Androscoggin and Little Androscoggin rivers last week, and Bear Pond now has brook trout to be caught. Spear Stream and Worthley Pond are among the other area water bodies that will soon be stocked.
     "For the most part, our stocking programs are set up on a year to year basis. We're really just getting started with stocking in the lower part of Oxford County," said Brautigam.
     The stocking times were not significantly delayed by this winter's abnormally heavy snowfall, as a series of warm, dry April days contributed to the fast snowmelt. "We might be a few days below normal, but not substantial," Brautigam observed.
     When asked, he noted that he had seen a number of people out fishing since the ice went out. "We were expecting ice out to be much later based on what we had at the end of the season. It's amazing how quickly it went."
     So far this spring, the fishing has been successful for a number of anglers. "I've had some great reports on the fishing scene," said Brautigam. "Pretty much everything in the region is open now."
     A goal for the DIFW is to stock as closely as possible to the prime May fishing season. While the DIFW is sometimes criticized for not stocking early enough, Brautigam pointed out that stocking when the water is too high and cold to catch fish doesn't make sense.
     "More and more every year, we try to move everything as close to May as we can."
     The size range of stocked fish depends on the time of year they are stocked. In the spring, brown trout and brook trout are about 10-12 inches in length. There are some rainbow trout, which are slightly larger, that are also put into water bodies, and some 7 to 9 inch salmon that are stocked.
     Fall yearlings are much larger in size because they have had more time to bulk up on food. Generally, fall brown trout that are stocked are 13 to 14 inches long, and fall rainbows are 14-15 inches long.
     "We put a handfull of fall salmon out that are closer to 10 to 12 inches in size," said Brautigam.
     For more information on the DIFW fish stocking, go to www.state.me.us/ifw/fishing/reports/index and look for links to the information you want.