Moosehead Lake region fishing report

By Tim Obrey
Regional Fisheries Biologist

This summer the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be holding hearings around the state for fishing regulation changes proposed by the department. We have a few minor changes proposed for this region, but there is one important proposal I would like to discuss. I wrote about the fishing regulations on the Moose River in a fishing report last year. I want to revisit that issue because we are proposing to simplify and clarify the regulations below Brassua Dam.

Without a doubt, the most frequent complaints we get at the Greenville office regarding a specific regulation are for the Moose River in Rockwood. The Moose River contains spawning and nursery habitat for wild salmon and brook trout that eventually drop downstream into Moosehead Lake. This section of river is very important for maintaining the wild gamefish in the state’s largest lake. Rivers like this need to be protected in a manner that reduces hooking mortality on the young fish. We typically recommend artificial lures only or fly fishing only in these cases. Adult fish are concentrated in these narrow, shallow rivers during the spring smelt run and in the fall as they begin their spawning migration, so they must be afforded additional protection, especially in the fall. This is why regulations in rivers and streams typically get more restrictive in August or September.

The section of the Moose River immediately below the Brassua Dam downstream to the red posts near what used to be Woody’s Campground includes a unique regulation. Fishing gear in this section is restricted to “casting and trolling with artificial flies only” from April 1 to Aug. 15. There is a big difference between this regulation and fly fishing only. On waters restricted to fly fishing only, an angler must cast and retrieve using the weight of the line to propel the fly. Therefore, trolling is not allowed and gear is restricted to the traditional fly rod and fly, otherwise it just doesn’t work. Fly fishermen know that the heavier the fly, the more difficult to cast. So, while they can use weighted flies, typically the flies are still made of the normal materials or else anglers simply cannot cast.  However, by allowing trolling and casting of artificial flies only, anglers can use spinning rods and the weight of the fly is no longer an issue because anglers are not casting with fly rods.  

We frequently get complaints from anglers that some fishermen are “stretching” the definition of a fly and really using gear that you and I would commonly call a “lure.”We hear about anglers using spinning rods to cast heavy, lead-head jigs with hair/feathers attached.  While this was not the intent of the law, it has become difficult to enforce. These anglers are very successful because they are able to get down in the deeper pools, especially below the turbine discharge where there is heavy current that would normally push a fly to the surface. These anglers are probably hooking and catching fish at a higher rate than anglers abiding by the intent of the current law.

Is there a solution? Is there a way to simplify the lawbook and make the rule enforceable while meeting the objective of protecting the coldwater fishery? Yes, the simplest solution is to make the section of the Moose River from Brassua to the campground fly fishing only during the entire open water season. The current regulation on the Moose River does change to fly fishing only from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30. This would be similar to the East Outlet and the Roach River which are the two other major spawning and nursery tributaries for wild salmon and brook trout on Moosehead Lake. The section of the Moose River from the campground to the lake, where the majority of the boat traffic and trolling occurs, would not change and still allow trolling through Aug. 15.

There will be regulation hearings in Presque Isle (July 14), Millinocket (July 15), Ellsworth (July 16), Farmington (July 21) and Brunswick (July 23) to give the public an opportunity to comment on any of the proposals. More info is available at the Maine IFW website. Interested citizens can also email comments to the Commissioner’s Assistant, Becky Orff  becky.orff@maine.gov.