Barrow's Surveys

Last week’s adventure consisted of tagging along with our waterfowl biologist on Barrow’s goldeneye surveys. I was excited at the prospect of finding some Barrow’s along the Maine coast, where many species of waterfowl chill out (no pun intended) during the winter months. Admittedly, I had never seen a Barrow’s before, and was more than a little rusty on my Barrow’s goldeneye facts.

Winter Fishing Tips

Most anglers are aware that in the summer when the waters are warming and the lakes and ponds are stratifying, different species of fish will occupy different depths and/or areas of the lake depending upon what they require for oxygen levels and habitat. Many of the salmonids like salmon and lake trout require lots of oxygen, which is carried by colder water, so these species can be found at greater depths. Warmwater fish such as bass require far less oxygen and may be found in the shallows.

Deer Tidbits- A Guest Post

This writing was submitted to me by a colleague of mine, Kendall Marden, from our Sidney office. Kendall is a wildlife biologist, who has years of experience in that field. As some of you may know if you've been reading MDIF&Ws weekly reports, the weekly report is being changed to a monthly report. Kendall wrote this piece for that report, but forwarded it to me when the scheduling changed, 'just in case [I] was looking for something to post for the blog'. Upon reading it my curiosity was piqued and I thought some other readers might enjoy it.

Eyed up Eggs

[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignleft" width="300"] Fish eggs incubating.[/caption] As you may recall, one of my earlier entries was about the salmon egg take at the Raymond fish trap, posted on November 26, 2012.

Who's Been Here?

It’s that awkward time of year. Hunting for most species has ended, the lakes are not frozen enough to do some fishing yet, and folks, kids and adults alike, are fidgety sitting inside on the weekends. What is there to do that isn’t expensive or a long drive? Well, you’re lucky. You’re in Maine, and Maine is known for woods, snow, and wildlife. Mix those three things together and you get a fun afternoon outside, looking for tracks! The best condition for identifying tracks is fresh snow, about one inch or so, or soft mud.

Reclaiming Wadleigh Pond

[caption id="attachment_164" align="alignright" width="300"] MDIF&W fisheries biologists and certified piscicide applicators apply Rotenone to Wadleigh Pond.[/caption] On Tuesday, N

Walking on Thin Ice

It’s December, and most hard-water anglers are thinking the same thing: “when is it going to get cold enough to freeze the ponds?” Each year as a sheer, fragile coating begins to inhibit fog from rising off the water’s surface, anglers become jittery. Fingers start itching to be on the auger throttle, ice traps are pulled from summer storage and re-lined, or at least checked, and where in the world are those wool socks, thick gloves, and hat all hiding? Every evening that the mercury dips well below 32 degrees elicits a happy “making ice” dance.

Small Smelt, Huge Impact

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignright" width="300"] An invasive rainbow smelt washes in when a pond is reclaimed[/caption] The story begins with arctic char, also known as blueback trout.  Maine is the only state in the lower 48 that has native

Salmon Stripping

As crisp mornings become regularly bedecked with heavy frosts, landlocked salmon have one thing on their minds: spawning. For the most part, salmon are quite able to locate an appropriate spawning area, spawn, and return back to lakes and ponds without any issue.

Tick Check