Beech Hill Pond Salmon & Lake Trout Fishing by: Greg Burr, IF&W Biologist

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s overall management goals for both landlocked salmon and lake trout (togue) in Beech Hill Pond are to:

· maintain a good food source (smelt population) to increase growth and health of both species by stocking smelt eggs in the spring.

· maintain good catch rates and provide opportunities to catch larger salmon and lake trout.

Historically, Beech Hill Pond was known for producing trophy lake trout and high quality size salmon.  However, from the mid 1990’s into the new millennium the size of both species decreased.  This was the combined result of invasive smallmouth bass being illegally introduced in the mid 1980’s as well as an over harvest of the larger predator lake trout that were keeping the smaller lake trout in “check”.  By the late 1990’s the smallmouth bass population had exploded, with the intruder eating most all of the in-shore forage (baitfish, crayfish, pollywogs, etc.).

With fishermen keeping smaller lake trout and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stocking smelt eggs, the smelt population has returned.  To further rebuild the trophy lake trout that fishermen once enjoyed, as of January 1, 2014 you can no longer keep lake trout between 23” and 33”and fishermen can have only one fish over 33 inches.

Beginning in the fall of 2012 biologists saw an increase in the growth and health of stocked salmon and wild lake trout.  This increase continued dramatically in 2013, 2014 and 2015 (see below).

With the smelt population increasing, biologists are now stocking landlocked salmon each spring.   200 landlocked salmon were stocked in 2012, and 350 were stocked in each of the last five springs.  The newly stocked spring yearly salmon are from 8 to 10 inches and by the following spring should average 15 inches in length.  The fall salmon trapping in 2016 found that 15% of the catch were 2 year olds, 33% were 3 year olds, 30% were 4 year olds and 22% were wild salmon produced in the tributaries.  There were no 5 year olds captured. Since the winter of 2016 a new regulation does not allow salmon to be taken in January and February (this is the highest mortality time for salmon because of harvest and handling).  This is to help increase the percentage of older and larger size salmon in the fishery.  Since the new regulation, last fall’s netting showed a large increase in the older age salmon percentage.  In the spring of 2017 biologists stocked smelt eggs to increase the forage for salmon and lake trout.