This spring, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife used trap nets to capture and mark wild brook trout in Secret Pond, a 14-acre pond located in Greenville, to obtain data on the population dynamics and to evaluate the regulations on this small trout pond.

Secret Pond has a special slot limit regulation where all trout less than six inches and longer than 12 inches must be released alive at once. This regulation is designed to bolster the number of brook trout greater than 12 inches to produce a better quality fishery.

From April 30 to May 8, we fished two trap nets in two different locations for a total of more than 370 net hours. We applied a temporary upper caudal fin clip, then we released 161 brook trout averaging just more than 11 inches in length.

The number of recaptured fish from the 10-day netting operation enabled us to estimate the abundance of the brook trout population in Secret Pond at roughly 23 brook trout per acre. We plan to estimate harvest and use on Secret Pond this summer by counting anglers and relying on voluntary angler and voluntary box data.

To get a grasp on the relative success of the region's fisheries, the Moosehead fisheries staff relies heavily on voluntary information. These records influence our management strategies, such as stocking and regulations. This information provides us with a general knowledge of the fishery and allows us to monitor various management plans and help determine their success.

Your contributions as a voluntary record keeper or by filling out survey cards at access sites are a valuable asset to the region's fisheries staff. So next time you use an access site that has a survey box, we encourage you to take the time to fill out a survey card.

Also, if anyone is interested in becoming a record book keeper, don't hesitate to contact the Greenville Headquarters to obtain a record book.

Annual spring stocking of legal-size brook trout is just about wrapped up. Hatchery staff focused on stocking these trout in easily accessible waters throughout the region to create "instant fishing." These waters are stocked on more than one occasion during the spring to insure fishing success longer into the season.

Some of these waters would provide no fishing without a stocking program. Waters in the Moosehead Lake region that receive catchable trout in the spring include: Fitzgerald Pond, Big Moose Township; Whetstone Pond, Blanchard Township; Hebron Lake, Monson; Shadow Pond, Greenville; Shirley Pond, Shirley; Gravel Pit Pond, Little Moose Township (Family Fishing Area); Drummond Pond, Abbot; Power Trout Pond, Little Moose Township; Spectacle Ponds, Monson; Long Pond, Long Pond Township; Doe Pond, Monson; Sawyer Pond, Greenville; Bennett Pond, Parkman; Prong Pond, Greenville; Big Wood, Jackman; Parlin Pond, Parlin Pond Township; West Outlet of the Kennebec River, Sapling; and the Piscataquis River in the Dover-Foxcroft and Guilford areas.

PENOBSCOT REGION