Donate to Keep America Fishing!

Clean water, abundant fish and plenty of places to drop a line with family and
friends is what keeping America fishing is all about!

You may not know this, but anglers and boaters provide most of the funding in the United
States for fisheries conservation through purchases of tackle and licenses.

But despite everything that anglers do for this country, there are many people who want
to stop people from fishing. Our goal is to ensure that our voice is heard at the state and
national level when unwarranted marine and freshwater no-fishing zones are proposed.

For example, through its Marine Life Protection Act, California has closed hundreds of
square miles of its marine waters to sportfishing and attempting to close more. The
National Park Service has also closed large swaths of prime surf fishing in North Carolina
and is considering closing more access to recreational fishing in Florida’s Everglades and
Biscayne Bay national parks.

Help the American Sportfishing Association to Keep America Fishing by making a donation.
Your contribution will directly support efforts to fight access closures and help keep our
nation’s fish and their habitats healthy and accessible now and for the future.

To speak with someone about supporting our efforts, or for more information, please
email info@keepamericafishing.org

Looking for the hot headlines and news of the outdoors? You need to go to CamoUnderground.

All the best…without the mess.

Thanks Moose for turning me on to this site………go see Moose and get the details.

WE NEED THIS HERE IN MAINE!!!!!

FISHERY PROGRESS REPORT SERIES NO. 2
MEDUXNEKEAG RIVER SALMONID FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
By Frank O. Frost
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Fisheries and Hatcheries Division
Augusta, Maine
July 2002
Jobs F-103 and F-104
Progress Report No. 1
SUMMARY
The Meduxnekeag River in Southeastern Aroostook County, Maine, supports popular sport fisheries for wild brook and brown trout. Resident and nonresident anglers frequent the river during April to September, depending on river conditions (flow and temperature), and experience trout fishing in a relatively remote setting near the population center of Houlton. The lower mainstem River is surrounded by agricultural lands whereas the drainage upstream from Houlton is mostly forested. Pollution during the 1950s severely limited trout habitat in the mainstem, but environmental regulation has since improved water quality.
During the late 1980s, anglers petitioned the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to change regulations on the River to conservatively manage the trout fishery. Anglers wanted to protect the populations from over-harvest, increase population size, and increase size of trout caught. In 1990, the bag limit was reduced from 10 fish to an aggregate of two brown and brook trout, the minimum length on brown trout was increased from 6 to 12 inches, and terminal gear was restricted to artificial-lures-only (ALO). In 1992, the special regulation section was expanded an additional 5 miles, including all tributaries downstream of the first road crossing, from the Route 1 bridge in Houlton to the Maine/Canada boundary in Littleton. At this time the brook trout minimum length was increased to 10 inches. The biological basis for the new regulations was to increase survival of trout by reducing harvest in the fishery and reducing hooking mortality of legal and sublegal trout caught. Increased survival of trout to older ages might result in increased spawning escapement and ultimately increased populations.
The sport fishery and fish populations were monitored through intensive creel and electrofishing surveys. Creel surveys were conducted during 1988-1994 and focused on the lower mainstem River. Electrofishing surveys were conducted at Big Brook, a tributary to the lower mainstem River, 8 years during the 1990s, and surveys were also made in 1973, 1977, and 1987 while the study area was under general law fishing regulations.
The reduced bag and length limits met the objective of reducing trout harvest in the lower mainstem River, but did not definitively increase catch rates during this study. In 1988 when general law regulations were still in effect, brook trout harvest was 18 times higher than the level observed during 1992-1994. However, catch rates (number of trout caught per hour), increased during 1991-1992 but then decreased to levels lower than those observed during general law regulation. Voluntary release of legal trout increased after 1990, but it was relatively high even under general law during the late 1980s, indicating a strong conservation ethic among most anglers participating in the fishery.
Average size of harvested brook trout was 10.3 in and 0.47 lb during this study based on 45 trout sampled during 1988-1994. Average size of brown trout was 14.1 in and 1.2 lb based on 21 trout sampled. The new regulations probably did result in higher trout survival: older-age brook trout (age 3-4) and brown trout (age 4-5) were present in the harvest late in the study whereas age 2 brook trout and age 2-3 brown trout supported the fishery during 1988-1990.
The increased number of older trout likely resulted in higher spawning populations and increased recruitment of young trout within the Big Brook study section after special regulations went into effect. At Big Brook, the densities of trout, particularly brook trout, increased dramatically during the mid-1990s. Brook trout young-of-year (generally 2-3.5 inches) increased 11-fold during the 1990s, and the numbers of brook trout >6 inches increased 2-3 fold, whereas during some years prior to 1991 trout of this size were non-existent. The brown trout population was higher than brook trout for all years sampled except 1993 and 1996. Population estimates at Big Brook, particularly of brook trout, were generally much higher after 1991 than estimates in 1973, 1977, and 1987.
Trout populations in the lower Meduxnekeag River were likely being over-fished prior to 1990. Trout survival, spawning, and recruitment likely increased after 1990 when special regulations were first implemented. Most importantly, however, definitive positive results were not seen in the sport fishery during this study. Depressed catch rates were likely due to high harvest during the late 1980s, producing weak year classes of trout (documented in Big Brook in 1990-1991) that subsequently would have supported the fishery in 1993-1994. Weather and river conditions can influence success of anglers in catching trout, and certain environmental extremes (e.g., drought and mid-winter flooding) can affect trout populations and fishing many years later. Special, conservative regulations provide many benefits to maintaining healthy trout populations. However, trout angling may be no less variable under special regulation than under general law. The conservative fishery regulations on the Meduxnekeag River should be maintained and fully evaluated with an additional 3 years of creel survey.
For more information or a complete report, please contact:
Frank Frost
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Fisheries Division
PO Box 447
Ashland, Maine 04732-0447
Tel 207-435-3231
Frank.frost@maine.gov

This was in 2002……..it’s 2010. Come on Frank, how about an update?

Photo from fOTOGLIF

In Korea

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EVERYWHERE!!!!!

Photo from fOTOGLIF

To all who serve!!!!! Thank you…for keeping us free!!

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Fuel the blower and get it set…storm coming again this weekend……… BOOYAH!!!!!!!

Photo from fOTOGLIF

6 days ’til Christmas!!!!!!

11 Days ‘Til Christmas!!!!!!

Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs in Maine – What’s it all about?
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has adopted the “Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” program as one of its youth educational tools. This is an ideal program to promote youth and family togetherness through fishing within the State of Maine.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sponsors workshops to train Volunteer Instructors, works with Sporting Clubs, Optomist Clubs and other organizations to coordinate Learn to Fish events throughout Maine and provides information, publications, fishing tackle and other resources to groups utilizing the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs program in Maine.

How does the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs program make a difference?
Can the simple act of going fishing really be used to overcome a very serious issue that is affecting our young people today? Surprisingly, yes!

Some of the reasons youth begin using alcohol or other drugs include: boredom, lack of motivation, poor social and communication skills, low self-esteem and peer pressure. The “Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” program uses fishing to address: positive alternatives to drug use, motivation, communication, self-esteem building, responsibility, positive role models, the ability to overcome peer pressure, good problem-solving and decision making skills, and improved family interaction.

Just because a youngster fishes does not guarantee that he or she will remain drug free. However, children who possess the above life skills and can communicate with their parents are less likely to turn to drugs.

Some interesting statistics of children that have been in the program:

•65% have never fished before
•70% of those that had never fished continued to fish
•80% became more aware of the environment
How can I become a Certified Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Volunteer Instructor?

Workshops are scheduled periodically throughout the State. Each workshop is approximately 8 hours and will provide you with the information and materials necessary to initiate the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs program in your community. There is no cost to attend the workshop.

If you would like further information or if you would like to be contacted when a training workshop is scheduled please contact:

Emily Jones, Activities Coordinator
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
284 State St, SHS 41
Augusta, ME 04333-0041
(207) 287-8069
or email emily.jones@maine.gov

How is the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs program funded?
The 118th Legislature, enacted legislation that the “Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” program be established in the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to encourage youth fishing activities in the State of Maine. The enactment of this law also authorized that the department may accept money, goods and services. Money, goods and services accepted by the department under this law may be used only for activities associated with youth education.

WALMART of Maine has become our first corporate sponsor and has challenged other Maine businesses to follow suit. FET, Inc. has also remained a large contributor of the program and holds an annual ice fishing tournament to raise funds for Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs as well as other youth education programs. The Department receives donations from memorial funds and other individuals as well.

If you would like to be added to our list of contributors, please make checks payable to: Treasurer, State of Maine. Please indicate for Youth Education. You may send your check to: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, 41 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333.

Pass on the traditions and teach a child to fish………support this program in your town!!

Fly News

MDIFW is conducting a brook trout Survey. Click on Survey and tell the state what you think about how they are managing your trout fishing. This survey is for 2009……..still time to get your voice heard. Resident and Non-resident versions available on their site.

An awesome site I have to share with you:

Take Me Fishing .com

The link takes you to the Flyfishing section, but navigation to any forum is simple.

Awesome place!!!