Fishing Rules

New rules are in effect as of April 1, 2010 for Lake Trout fishing on Moosehead Lake. The minium length limit on Lake Trout is 14 inches.  Daily bag limit on Lake Trout: 5 fish (only 1 may be greater than 18 inches in length; all 5 may be between 14 inches and 18 inches).

Please consider keeping fishing record books for both your winter and summer fishing. These are available at IF&W and this effort helps with lake management.

Recent MLFC News

MLFC Election of Officers and a message from Larry Farrington

Our fall meeting was held October 2nd, which in accordance with the Coalitions’ By-Laws, required elections for Officers and the Board or Directors.

The results of those elections are:

President                   Larry Farrington

Vice-President          John McIver

Treasurer                   Janice Maher

Secretary                   Janice Maher

Board of Directors: Roger Chouinard, Ed Courtenay, Janice Lavigne, Glen Haggett, Joe Munster, Dick Wallingford, Steve Cole, John Myatt, Carl Morrison and Tom O’Neal   

As the newly elected president, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the membership. I was born and raised in South China, Maine; I have earned my living here in Maine and fished on Moosehead for over 50 years. You will be hard pressed to find another individual who has more concern for the fisheries of Moosehead Lake than me. If you’d like to know more, I can be reached at 207-695-2017 or e-mail me at moosehead4ever@aol.com.

Before we move forward, as your new president, I feel it is appropriate to remind everyone of what the Coalition has accomplished since it’s inception in 1994.

Those of you involved in the Coalition’s initial years can remember the controversy of its founding. The controversy was the reason the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) created the Moosehead Lake Focus Group. I have the honor and task of representing the Coalition on that Focus Group; John McIver and Steve Cole represent other interests as well. Most recently, the focus group changed the lake trout regulations, which will be in the April 2010 rule book. Starting in April, the limit will be five lake trout in total with only one of the five over 18 inches. The Coalition is asking for the public to voluntarily comply with this new regulation during the 2009 ice fishing season.

Early on, the Coalition urged IF&W to stock large fish into Moosehead Lake for the economic benefit they’d bring to the region. In 1997, IF&W stocked large, retired hatchery brook trout in our lake. In 1998, we worked with IF&W to purchase and stock 2500 legal size brook trout from a private hatchery to continue the economic betterment of the earlier effort.

Since its inception, Coalition members have assisted IF&W efforts to improve the condition of Moosehead Lake’s smelt population, which is the main forage base for our coldwater game fish. In 1997, under permit from IF&W, members transferred smelt eggs into selected Moosehead tributaries from approved local donor waters. In 1998, we worked directly with IF&W moving tens of thousands of smelt eggs and live smelts to our lake. These early efforts lead to permission from IF&W for our experimental smelt stocking of private hatchery raised smelt fry. This six year exercise was a significant achievement in member donated hours, miles, and expense for our Coalition in restoring smelt population. I believe it was through our efforts and the data we provided to IF&W, that leads them to now undertake a major study on the feasibility of using hatchery smelt for smelt recovery and enhancement efforts. Other lake fishery groups are now studying our work to benefit their waters too.

We learned early on that keeping the tributaries to the lake accessible to spawning fish, including smelts, salmon and brook trout was important. For a number of years, working with IF&W biologists, members of the Coalition undertook removal off beaver dams and debris dams to enhance the spawning opportunities for smelt, salmon and brook trout.

In 1999 and 2000, Coalition members worked with Plum Creek biologists and hydrologists in assessing North Brook for its potential as a spawning area. This work led to the establishment of fall spawning surveys undertaken by Coalition members. Information gathered in these fall spawning surveys can be used in updating the Moosehead Lake Management Plan.

The Coalition has worked with its members in providing regulatory changes to enhance the fisheries. One of our Directors is a member of SAM’s Fishing Initiative Committee; as such we can stay abreast of statewide fishery issues and have a voice in them.

As the newly elected president of this Coalition, I would first like to thank those who preceded me for their hard work and devotion to the Coalition.

As I commence this position entrusted to me, I would like to revisit the programs of the past that have slipped away, such as tributary cleaning, and spawning surveys {for both spring for smelt and fall for brook trout}. All we need are volunteers who live near these tributaries to let us know when they are blocked and to report spawning activity.

I ask all of you to PLEASE renew your memberships in January 2010, and ask fellow fishermen to join us; there is strength in numbers. Help your Coalition restore the fisheries to what your father may have talked about or perhaps what some of you remember, the good old days. I need your continued help, it will make a difference.

Finally, I thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to hearing from any of you with suggestions, comments, or just to check out the new guy.

Stop by for coffee… I’m at 413 Rockwood Rd. (Rte. 15) two miles north of the Junction.

Very truly yours,

Larry Farrington, President MLFC