AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine wildlife officials may ban the use of live bait by ice fishermen on 16 northern Maine lakes to help protect wild brook trout.
Mike Brown of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said ice fishermen who dump leftover live bait fish through the ice and into a pond or lake may be introducing a non-native species. Those new species tend to crowd out the brook trout, one of the state’s most sought-after freshwater game fish.
The proposed rule was discussed Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the department’s advisory council.
The Portland Press Herald reports that some sport fishermen spoke out against the proposal. They say banning the dumping of live bait does not address the real problem — the intentional but illegal introduction of non-native game fish.
How about the names of the bodies of water?
My thoughts exactly.
That will be next month the end.
Their out one of them was Webbster pond! !!!! Wish I could remember them all had one of the committee members at the Fin & Feather club meeting last night .. Millinocket lake ( not the one in Millinocket. ) 3 of them are already no live bait. But this is just the start.. they want the hole Allagash waterway!!!! This committee is made up of some sketchy people with their on interest. We need ro get every outdoor man to call their state rep.
BDN seems to have a CHRONIC issue with providing important details in the articles being published.
It’s just an AP puff piece. Lord forbid the BDN would do some work on their own and ad the important info.
As intrusive, and some even calling it ‘a black helicopter’ syndrome, as some may find it this is one time that I would agree with IF&W. Dumping of live, out-of-state bait that’s not used is always gonna introduce non-Maine native species of fish and the like into the Maine lake’s. Sooner or later these species, if no type of control’s like a predator, is introduced these non-native species are going to overwhelm the local Maine lake’s fish and wildlife species. Florida already has this happening with their wildlife in snake’s, gator’s, bird’s and turtle’s. It would appear that, despite the politics, someone in IF&W is actually looking forward to just where this problem could go and is taking steps to protect one of Maine’s most important resource’s, and part’s of the economy, our wildlife and forest’s. Good for you folk’s.
But Gary52 has a point. Name the lake’s that are gonna be targeted. After all, we all are responsible for protecting our economy and resources that drive it. If we don’t know where to look, the fishing public, that pays the annual fishing permit fee’s, won’t know where to look and report. This is one time that the public and the IF&W folk’s can work together to protect what we all have. After all, it’s the only Maine we have………..
They’re not releasing the names of the lakes until the Secretary of State’s office has reviewed it, pending changes. There’s a better write up in the sentinel on it. Apparently they’re going to have 3 public hearings on the matter before the council votes on it.
I’m unsure of what everyone else uses for live bait while ice fishing, but I use only shiners or smelts depending on the water I’m fishing. And if I’ve fished any of the 16 lakes they’re referring too, it’s been smelts I’ve used. I don’t know how smelts would be an invasive species where they’re native feed on most of these waters? (I thought anyways)
That being said, I NEVER dump my unused bait where I fish, I always bring it back home with me to use again.
I think they should consider allowing the use of smelts only, instead of banning all live bait.
Smelts aren’t always native, and as good a bait as they are they can seriously affect the local species if they aren’t supposed to be there. You might end up with a healthy smelt population but your trout will become stunted by not being able to compete for forage. Over time the larger smelt eat the yoy trout, with little recruitment each year eventually the trout will become scarce.
Thanks for the info. I guess I need to do more homework on the different types of bait fish and the effects they would have on certain bodies of water.
I always dump my unused bait on the ice if I’m not gonna go fishing the next day. A lot of times I’ve seen eagles and crows come down to get it before I’ve waddled my way back to shore and the warmth of the pick up truck. Even though I buy my bait locally or sometimes trap my own, I don’t want to take the chance of starting some unwelcome species of fish in the lake.
But I just don’t hope the DIF&W don’t crack down too hard on the use of dynamite to get them pesky trout up to the top of the lake. Maybe not too sporting I agree….but wicked fun way to fish!!
A few years ago the wild trout worshipers tried to get the legislature to ban live fish as bait. It was proven that of the approved species list for live bait were all native to Maine, except for one, and were all plankton feeders. The one non native species was removed from the list. Now they’re back, saying they must ban live fish as bait, but this time to prevent “invasive” species from being introduced to trout waters by those mean & nasty ice fishermen who may, in spite of current Maine law that bans the dumping of live bait, deposit theirs into these sacred waters AND there might be a pike, musky or crappie in their bait pail. There are also laws against the introduction of non native species to our waters, but that hasn’t stopped the bar stool biologist from doing so. There are also laws regulations requiring commercial bait dealers to monitor their bait for these species and keep records of who sells them bait. There are laws banning the sale of bait from outside the State of Maine. Let’s call this what it truly is, a taking of 16 more bodies of water, by the trout worshipers at the expense of those who ice fish. I thought Gov Lepage was going to simplify our game laws. This just piles one more useless regulation on top of the ones that have yet to prevent those introductions. The difference this time is that it brands ice fishermen as the cause of these illegal stockings.