Fishing Lines

Matthew Dickerson, Addison Independent, August 27, 1998

I write this week's column lakeside in Maine. The fishing has been good. In fact, over the past few years many of Maine's fisheries have been improving--in contrast to several Vermont rivers which have been on the decline. One issue is resources. Lake Champlain aside, Maine has the edge. It boasts dozens more big rivers, more streams, and more lakes of all sizes including a few behemoths like Moosehead.

There is more than just resources, however. There is a significant difference in management practices. Consider creel limits. The statewide limit for trout in Vermont is still in the double digits. Considering our limited resources and the ever growing fishing pressure (from out-of-staters as well as in-staters) this strikes me as a bit ridiculous. At ten trout a day, it is possible for a handful of fisherman to obliterate a small stream's population in a weekend. This puts a much greater emphasis on high volume put-and-take stocking by state hatcheries. Though the state does an admirable job stocking, there are many problems associated with the practice. Hatchery-bred fish have weakened strains of wild fish through interbreeding. They have introduced serious diseases such as the whirling disease epidemic that has devestated several western states. Not to mention that they are inferior to wild trout as game fish. And even for hatchery fish, creel limits of ten are high. I've been at Goshen Dam the weekend after stocking and seen the shore lined with anglers, shoulder-to-shoulder, the majority of whom have stringers of seven or eight little hatchery trout. What about the rest of the summer?

By contrast, Maine's statewide creel limit is five trout, with not more than two brown trout and two rainbow trout. Three of my favorite places have even more progressive regulations. In ponds in Oxford county, the limit is two brook trout. Rapid River is fly-fishing only with a daily limit of one salmon, and catch-and-release for brook trout. The famed Allagash--a tributary of which is pictured below right--has a daily limit of two brook trout, only one of which may be larger than 14". The last example is illustrative. I've been fishing there for twenty-seven years. It is still a native fishery. Brook trout have never been stocked there, and lake trout only in the lower lakes. Twenty years ago, creel limits were still in the double digits. However throughout the 70s fishing declined steadily until by 1985 the fishing was quite poor and I cut back on my trips. Then the state lowered daily limit on trout, eventually down to two. The river's recovery was dramatic. By the late 80's, I was again catching 18" brook trout. The fact that I can only keep one fish that large is not an issue. I don't travel that distance to get a little meat--I can do that easier and more cheaply at the local grocery store. Catching (and releasing) five or six 16" trout in a day is much more fun than catching (and keeping) three 8" trout.

Oddly, one of the prevailing arguments against progressive regulations comes from the tourism industry which fears that lower limits will discourage out-of-state anglers. If my comments in the previous paragraph aren't enough, I should add that I spend twenty days a year fishing in Maine, which translates to lots of tourist dollars on food, gas, equipment, and lodging.

This is not a criticism of Vermont's ANR. The state hatcheries and stocking efforts are superbly managed. I've been uniformly impressed with the people there, who--suffering from state budget cuts--are understaffed and overworked. They have proven very responsive to anglers' wishes. It is the anglers who need to voice their opinions, with support from the industries which stand to benefit. For starters, it is time we ask for lower creel limits statewide. Another item on my wish list is for more rivers managed for wild trout, as well as for some ponds and rivers designated as fly-fishing only, or artificial lures only. I'm not advocating getting rid of stocking or bait-fishing, but simply greater variety of experiences. If it means a longer rule book, I think we can live with it.