Sebago yields few pike Plenty of salmon, togue being caught

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s weekly fishing report, plenty of salmon and togue are being landed on one of southern Maine’s most popular waters, Sebago Lake.

In addition, DIFW officials have continued their research on northern pike in that lake.

“We surveyed Sebago Lake twice in April in search of spawning northern pike, which were illegally stocked and first confirmed last spring,” according to regional fisheries biologist Francis Brautigam.

“The good news is that no pike or pike-pickerel hybrids were captured and there appears to be very few pike in the lake, based on the results of our surveys and angler catches,” he wrote.

“So far there is no evidence of successful pike spawning and we urge anglers to be diligent about harvesting any suspected northern pike and to contact the Gray regional headquarters to make arrangements to have your catch verified by a fisheries biologist.”

In other fishing report news:

. Down East biologist Ron Brokaw reports that staffers are expending time and effort collecting smelt eggs, which they have transferred into Alligator and Phillips lakes.

A good hatch from those eggs will bolster ailing smelt populations in those lakes and hopefully contribute to improved growth and condition of the salmonids that feed on them.

. Greenville-area biologist Paul Johnson pointed out that it’s stocking time on many lakes, streams and rivers, and anglers have plenty of options available.

Lake trout have been stocked in Sebec Lake, brook trout have been stocked in Bear Brook, Mill Brook and Alder Stream in the Dover-Foxcroft area, and 5,000 8- to 12-inch brook trout have been stocked in the Piscataquis River from Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft.

Another note from Johnson: Road conditions near Big Bennett Pond in Guilford are poor, and fishermen are advised to wait until the road hardens up before trying to get to the pond.

. Aroostook County biologist Dave Basley reports that eastern Aroostook trout ponds have lost their winter ice, and trout fishing along the shorelines should pick up as water warms.

“Most of the larger lakes in the region have cleared [of ice] except for possibly those in the higher elevation of T1 R9 and possibly Beau and Glazier lakes,” Basley wrote.

Another tip from Basley: “Anglers traveling north should pack their snowsuit and always wear their personal flotation vests when fishing these ice-out conditions.”

Cobbossee Longrifles event set

The Cobbossee Longrifles will host a black powder shoot on Sunday, May 23, at the West Gardiner Rod & Gun Club on Collins Mills Road.

The shoot will begin at 9:30 a.m.

For more information or to get directions to the event, contact Norman Keitling at 622-3529 or normandi@prexar.com

IWLA open house a success

The Maine Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America held an open house April 24 to allow members and the public to enjoy the chapter’s new office headquarters in Livermore Falls and to encourage volunteers to sign up during Earth Day week for the statewide organization’s conservation projects.

Robert Kimber, a well-known Maine author and conservationist, led a discussion on outdoor ethics. Kimber raised questions about parameters of ethics for outdoor recreationists, and pointed out that in any discussion of ethics, a safe atmosphere where “courteous discourse” can take place should be encouraged.

Taking Kimber’s cue, a group discussion about the upcoming bear-hunting referendum followed.