March 22, 2019 at 11:39 am
By Fisheries Biologist Jason Seiders
When listing the waters I would consider the “gems” within the Belgrade Lakes Management Region (Region B), the list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Swan Lake. Swan Lake is appropriately located in Swanville, which is in the eastern part of our management region. Swan Lake has exceptional water quality that supports an improving landlocked salmon fishery, and a wonderful wild lake trout (togue) fishery. The fishery here is really good, and we’re trying to make it better. Some recent management changes should help, and these changes give anglers some additional opportunity.
Swan Lake is one of the few waters in Region B that supports a wild togue population. Sometimes though, you can have too much of a good thing. This is the case with Swan Lake’s togue population. For reasons we don’t fully understand, the togue population has increased dramatically in recent years. This is great for anglers looking for numbers of fish, but it has a negative effect when it comes to fish health, condition, and growth. Right now, there are a lot of hungry mouths swimming around Swan Lake! This not only impacts togue growth, but landlocked salmon and other species as well. We need to reduce predator fish numbers in order to improve things. Historically, Swan Lake was only open to ice fishing in January and February, but we realized that if we wanted more togue harvested, anglers needed more fishing time. So, in response to the population increase, we changed the regulations last year to allow ice fishing beginning January 1st and continuing as long as the ice conditions allow.
Swan Lake is limited to two lines per angler, so my suggestion would be to set one trap (tip-up) and use a jig rod for your second line. Jigging is an extremely effective way to fish for togue, and you’re likely to pick up some other fish in the process. Take advantage of these nice, warm days. If cold hands have kept you from jigging this winter, spend some time in the sun on Swan Lake – while we still have safe ice!
As always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact your regional fisheries office.
When listing the waters I would consider the “gems” within the Belgrade Lakes Management Region (Region B), the list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Swan Lake. Swan Lake is appropriately located in Swanville, which is in the eastern part of our management region. Swan Lake has exceptional water quality that supports an improving landlocked salmon fishery, and a wonderful wild lake trout (togue) fishery. The fishery here is really good, and we’re trying to make it better. Some recent management changes should help, and these changes give anglers some additional opportunity.
Swan Lake is one of the few waters in Region B that supports a wild togue population. Sometimes though, you can have too much of a good thing. This is the case with Swan Lake’s togue population. For reasons we don’t fully understand, the togue population has increased dramatically in recent years. This is great for anglers looking for numbers of fish, but it has a negative effect when it comes to fish health, condition, and growth. Right now, there are a lot of hungry mouths swimming around Swan Lake! This not only impacts togue growth, but landlocked salmon and other species as well. We need to reduce predator fish numbers in order to improve things. Historically, Swan Lake was only open to ice fishing in January and February, but we realized that if we wanted more togue harvested, anglers needed more fishing time. So, in response to the population increase, we changed the regulations last year to allow ice fishing beginning January 1st and continuing as long as the ice conditions allow.
Swan Lake is limited to two lines per angler, so my suggestion would be to set one trap (tip-up) and use a jig rod for your second line. Jigging is an extremely effective way to fish for togue, and you’re likely to pick up some other fish in the process. Take advantage of these nice, warm days. If cold hands have kept you from jigging this winter, spend some time in the sun on Swan Lake – while we still have safe ice!
As always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact your regional fisheries office.Categories