Tribal Waters

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Waters Regulated by the Tribes

Any pond 10 acres or less within Indian Territory is regulated by the Tribe in whose territory the pond is located. Anyone wishing to fish in one of these ponds in Indian Territory should contact one of the following:

Penobscot Nation (207) 817-7331
Department of Natural Resources
12 Wabanaki Way
Indian Island, ME 04468

Passamaquoddy Warden Service
Indian Township (207) 796-2677
PO Box 446
Princeton, ME 04668

Pleasant Point (207) 853-2551
PO Box 343
Perry, ME 04667

Waters Regulated by the Maine State-Tribal Commission

As a result of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980, the Maine  Tribal-State Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over fishing on any pond of greater than 10 acres with 50% or more of its shoreline within Indian (Passamaquoddy or Penobscot) territory and any section of a river, brook, or stream both sides of which are in Indian territory or one side of which is in Indian territory for a continuous length of 1/2 mile or more. M.R.S.A SS6207(3) The Maine  Tribal-State Commission has adopted rules which affect any waters meeting the above criteria. Anyone wishing to fish in these waters should contact:

Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission

(207) 726-8555

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 35
Whiting, ME 04691

Physical Address:
10 Commissary Point Road
Trescott Township, ME 04652
www.mitsc.org

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General Fishing Laws

General Fishing Laws listed below apply to tribal waters in Passamaquoddy and Penobscot territories that do not have Special Fishing Laws. If a water has Special Fishing Laws that differ from the General Fishing Laws listed below, they will be listed in the Special Fishing Laws section.

Open Water Fishing Season

April 1 – September 30: Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and brooks are open to open water fishing.

Ice Fishing Season

January 1 – March 31: Lakes and ponds are open to ice fishing. Rivers, streams, and brooks are closed to ice fishing.

Terminal Gear

Use of all legal forms of bait (including live baitfish/smelts), artificial lures, and artificial flies is PERMITTED.

Species Daily Bag & Possession Limits Length Limit
Lakes/Ponds Rivers, Streams, Brooks Lakes/Ponds Rivers, Streams, Brooks
Brook Trout
(incudes Splake & Artic char)
North Zone: 5 fish 5 fish 6 inches minimum 6 inches minimum
South Zone: 2 fish
BrownTrout 2 fish 2 fish 14 inches minimum 6" min & 25" max
Rainbow Trout 2 fish 2 fish 12 inches minimum 6 inches minimum
Landlocked Salmon 2 fish 2 fish 14 inches minimum 14" min & 25" max
Togue (Lake Trout) 2 fish 2 fish 18 inches minimum 18 inches minimum
Species Daily Bag & Possession Limits Length Limit
Bass
(Largemouth & Smallmouth)
North Zone: Unlimited None
South Zone: 2 fish No minimum length. Only 1 may exceed 14 inches.
Whitefish 3 fish None
Smelts 2 quarts None
Sea-run Atlantic Salmon Federally Endangered Species - No Fishing Permitted for this Species
Inland species not listed above Unlimited None
Striped Bass, Shad, River Herring, American Eel, Sturgeon
See Recreational Angling for Migratory Fish
Inland species not listed above Unlimited None

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