Anglers' views vary on northern pike's value
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
The presence and future value of northern pike in Maine waters drew varied responses from several readers this week.
Last week's Maine Lore column focused on the different views surrounding the value of the illegally introduced predator. Bait dealers felt the fish was an economic benefit, while traditionalist felt they were a threat to salmon and trout fisheries.
the Maine Ice Anglers Association has suggested Long Pond be opened to ice fishing to help decrease the thriving pike population there. Several Long Pond homeowners I spoke with this week were opposed to the ice fishing plan. Concerns cited included issues of lakeside access and thin-ice safety. Other homeowners said opening Long Pond to ice fishing for pike would add additional fishing pressure to the already fragile fishery.
Most feared opening Long Pond to winter fishing would ruin the tranquility they've grown accustom to.
Other readers joined the debate, as well, this week.
Richard Filteau of Glenn Avenue in Waterville wrote: "Some your readers may believe that pike are the answer to all the problems financially here in central Maine with all these bait dealers and fishermen getting their share of the 'sports action,' but I disagree. ...
"As long as IF&W continues to reward those illegally stocked lakes to be open for pike fishing, people will continue to put pike where they don't belong.
"In the future, there will be no more landlocked salmon lakes to stock. They will all be pike lakes. And then we can all go to Canada for all our landlocked salmon fishing, like we do now for Atlantics. If I had my way, I'd close every lake that is illegally introduced with pike and that would put a stop to it."
Henry "Hank" Holden, owner of Liberty Sports in Liberty wrote: "I'm a 60-year-old kid who has enjoyed the fruits of Maine's waters and woods since I was a 6-year-old kid. Like many Mainers, as well as those unfortunate enough to be from away, I'm as happy sitting on the bank of a pond at night catching horned-pout, as I am doing battle with mighty game fish. I enjoy the sport and do not apologize for it. ...
"As you might guess, I'm on the side of the sizable population of fishermen who think the opportunity to catch a 20-pound-plus northern pike in the Belgrade's is a dream that can happen. Sure, I like to catch salmon or trout as much as the next guy, but given the choice of a 12-inch trout versus a trophy northern, I'll go for the northern every time.
"I know illegal stocking occurs. And that introduction of exotic species can and does change the fisheries in some important lakes. Whether those changes are good or bad is a matter of opinion. ..."
Daniel E. Tukey Jr. of Belgrade wrote: "Most people believe pike are the reason for the demise of Belgrade's salmon fishery. Wrong! The real problem is humans, mainly state biologists, and secondly, the people controlling the water level in the lakes.
"Parker Pond in Mount Vernon is just one example of many of biologists' admitted mistakes. This body of water used to produce 3- to 5-pound salmon, now the salmon are virtually gone. Parker Pond is closed to the taking of smelts, open to ice fishing in January, you can only fish with two lines and you're allowed one salmon 16 inches or longer. Most importantly, there are no northern pike in this pond.
"Pike may eat some salmon, but there are shiners, smelts, brook trout, brown trout, white perch, yellow perch, bass, mud puppies, etc. thriving in Long Pond for them to eat. So there is no way they eat all the 1,000 baby salmon the state stocks each year. Perhaps if the state stocked big fish instead of minnow-sized fish, they would show up. By the way, keep filling the lakes of Maine with splake, that's brilliant. Splake is a Frankenstein fish which is sterile and takes all the forage food from other fish which do reproduce. ..."