Fishing in Maine

Come and enjoy some of the best fishing in the Eastern United States.  The 6,000 lakes and ponds, coupled with 32,000 miles of streams and rivers winding through expansive forests are a national treasure.   Whether you seek a native, wild salmon, trout or bass in a remote, wilderness environment, or just want to go out for an afternoon of fun, Maine has it all!

Don't forget to get your fishing license.  If you are an old hand at fishing or an excited beginner, familiarize yourself with the general fishing laws of Maine as well as any special regulations which may be in place for the water you plan to fish.  Always respect private property and practice good sportsmanship and ethical behavior as you enjoy fishing in this beautiful exceptional state.

Be prepared to enjoy your outing.  Check the weather.

You haven’t lived until you try smallmouth bass fishing on the East Grand Lake and you can plan on trophy-sized smallmouth bass any time of the year.  Anglers on Maine's East Grand Lake use a wide variety of bass fishing lures. Generally speaking, while the pre-spawning feeding frenzies try surface lures, spinner baits, and soft or hard-style jerk baits. Maine smallmouths are successfully caught on top-water lures, four-inch grubs, tube baits, salamanders, and lizards during spawns. spinner baits, Senkos, and crank baits are commonly used in late summer and continuing into the fall. In addition, consider using surface lures near bridges docks or other frameworks early and late in the day and Carolina-rigged lizards for deep-water fishing.  You can rent fish finders and electric trolling monitors.  Don’t forget to charge the batteries before leaving the dock.

When you catch your "prize winning fish" check it out... maybe you are a new record setter.  Remember to catch and release.....

Tips for Catching and Releasing Fish

By carefully following these simple instructions, you can release your fish unharmed.

Time is of the essence. Play and release the fish as quickly and carefully as possible. An exhausted fish may be too weak to recover.

Keep the fish in the water as much as you can. A fish out of water is suffocating, and may injure itself on rocks, etc. Try to keep the fish out of water no more than 15 seconds.

Be gentle. Wet your hands before handling any live fish. Keep your fingers away from the gills. Don't squeeze the fish. Small fish may be held gently around the middle; let them swim away once they've recovered. Larger fish may be held securely by the tail and bottom jaw. If a net is used, make sure it is fine-meshed to avoid injuries to the gills or eyes.

Remove the hook with small pliers or a similar type tool - If the hook is deeply embedded or in a sensitive area such as the gills or stomach, cut the leader close to the snout. Make an effort to use regular steel (bronzed) hooks to promote early disintegration. Do not use stainless or gold-plated hooks.

To revive a fish once it is back in the water, hold it in a swimming position in the water and move it gently back and forth until it is able to swim away.

Lake trout (togue) often have expanded air bladders after being pulled up rapidly from deep water. If the belly appears expanded, release the fish from the hook first, then gently press your thumb along the stomach near the paired belly fins and move it forward a few times to remove air from the bladder. Finally, proceed to revive and free the fish.

One good way to aid you in releasing your fish quickly is to use barbless hooks in the first place - or bend the barbs over - or simply file them off!

Although the larger lakes are known for great summer bass fishing, don’t neglect the beautiful warmer bodies of water.  These lakes are shallow, wild and beautiful.  Check out Baskahegan Lake, Upper and Lower Hot Brook Lake, Deering Lake and Brackett Lakes.

From May until the beginning of October fishing from the shores of the West Branch of the Penobscot River is a wonderful adventure you won’t want to miss. This area is one of the most famous in the Eastern United States for its natural landlocked salmon fishing

Tips on how to release a tangled line

Where can you fish in Maine?

 Well, you have over 3,000 lakes and ponds equaling 32,000+/- miles.  There is definitely a spot that will appeal to you.  Consider the following:

The Department has developed regulations to protect fisheries and to provide you with a diversity of fishing opportunities now and in the future.  In setting these regulations we consider your wishes and the welfare of our fisheries, as well as the unique ability of each of our inland waters to produce different numbers and sizes of fish.  Whether you are a seasoned angler or a beginner, I urge you to become familiar with the general fishing laws of Maine as well as any special regulations which may be in place for the water you plan to fish.  When you reach your favorite fishing spot, please respect private property and practice good sportsmanship and ethical behavior as you enjoy the opportunities afforded to you as a Maine license holder.

When you see a huge dark area slowly moving down central Maine on the Kennebec River in Augusta, just below the new Route 3 bridge, relax it isn’t a prehistoric sea monster.  No, it’s better than that it is massive alewives schools. (River herring, sawbelly, kyak, branch herring, freshwater herring). Alewives are an iridescent gray green or violet shade on top that fades down their sides to a silver underbelly.  They usually have a distinct dusky spot just behind the upper margin of their gill cover.  Their strongly laterally compressed (skinny) body is three and one-third times as long as it is deep and has a forked tail fin.  The midline of their belly is sharp and saw edged.  Serrations located on the midline of their belly are much stronger and sharper than the ones found on most other members of their family.  Adult alewives normally grow to be 10 to 11 inches in length and 8 to 9 ounces in weight. Alewives are anadramous fish, living in saltwater and seasonally returning to freshwater to spawn.  Throughout most of the year they travel the coast in large schools, foraging on plankton.  Then, in the spring, they run up coastal streams and rivers toward ponds and lakes where they spawn.  As a rule, alewives spawn in slack water. Because they are not jumpers, manmade or natural barriers sometimes block their spawning migration.  Generally, alewives are only an incidental catch for saltwater recreational fishermen.  However, they are harvested commercially both for human consumption and for bait.

The river has had an incredible recovery in recent years. First, the return runs of alewives, shad and blueback herring, millions of them and second, the 17 new miles of shallow river inviting anadramous fish and the fish who love to feast on them.

Striped bass that have wintered in the Chesapeake Bay and South are migrating to Maine in the spring to feast on the powerfully attractive herring running the river. 

These Stripers aren’t stocked, they are wild and return year after year without help.  Tackle shops are stocking up on lures, baits and tackle.  It isn’t unusual to catch a hundred fish in a few hours.  These are the largest game-fish in Maine’s inland. They grow very large, fight much like a salmon and are easier to catch.

A Windsor striper fisherman and fish biologist Brandon Kulik of Kleinschmidt Associates was heard to ask “Where else can you go and find fish that range from 10 to 50 inches in Maine? I consider it an extraordinary privilege."

Kennebec’s catch-and-release season is designed to protect the river’s native population of large, breeding striped-bass and state-bass over 30 inches are most likely breeding females and most crucial to the Kennebec bass population. circle hooks, a hook designed to lip-hook, rather than gut-hook big fish, are the solution. He said studies have proven them highly effective in reducing hooking mortality.

By law, fishermen can keep one striped bass a day, between 20 and 26 inches, or greater than 40 inches. The rest -- bleeding or not -- must be thrown back in the river.   It is considered the duty and responsibility to preserve the bass for the future and not just the “good ole days”. Violators will receive citations.
Heads up…

When the big gulls are there for the bait you can grin from ear to ear knowing the big stripers are there.