Region G – Aroostook County

With snowbanks so high that I have difficulty seeing traffic go up Station Hill in Ashland, peering into our crystal ball we will predict that ice out will occur as normal, that being late April in southern Aroostook County and May 8-15 in the remainder of the region. As usual travel in the North Maine Woods area will be subject to the effects of mud season – culvert washouts, frost heaves and unplowed roads that may be full of snow hampering travel to some ponds.

The usual ponds were stocked with fingerling brook trout in fall 2007 and should reward anglers with ice out fishing. These include Deep and Carry lakes in Littleton, Echo Lake and Hanson Brook Lake in Presque Isle and Daigle Pond in New Canada. Spring yearling brook trout will also be stocked in the same waters: Mud Pond and Logan Lake in the Houlton area, Arnold Brook Lake and Monson Pond in central Aroostook, Island Pond and Upper Elbow Pond in the back country.

Improved catches of salmon and smelts in Square Lake this winter should cause optimism for those anglers that have longed for the fast ice out fishing for which the lake was well known. Increased smelt abundance has improved the growth of these salmon. Brook trout fishing in Square Lake has produce nice catches of 14-16 inch fish. As has been the case in past years, anglers will flock to Long Lake looking for the trophy salmon. Mud Brook will be open to smelt dipping again in 2008.

By all reports, trout fishing in the larger streams and rivers was excellent last year and should continue into 2008. The Aroostook River between Caribou and Fort Fairfield, under special regulation, is now known for excellent catches of trout 12-16 inches. The Presque Isle Stream, Prestile Stream, Fish River and Allagash should all offer some decent brook trout as the water drops and warms in late May and early June.

The 2008 Open Water lawbook has been printed and is now available to the public. We would recommend taking the opportunity to read this pamphlet while anglers wait for the snowbanks to recede and the ice to leave their favorite waters.

Finally, the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club’s Sportsman Show is scheduled for April 5-6 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. This may be the first sign of spring in the County and should offer the public a great opportunity to get ready for the upcoming fishing, boating and camping season.

– David Basley, Regional Fisheries Biologist, Ashland