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Sunday, April 20, 2003
A new notch in the 'bass belt'
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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Duane Lewis grew up fishing in eastern Maine's trout and salmon waters. But 20 years ago he moved to southern Maine and started fishing for bass. The Dresden fisherman has spent most of his time pursuing Maine's black bass. That's not a surprise. While Maine is known as a trout and salmon fishing destination, more and more fishermen have turned their attention to Maine's smallmouth and largemouth bass, known for their fighting nature. From 1983 to 1999, the number of days Maine fishermen pursued bass jumped 44 percent, while fishing days increased only 9 percent for brook trout and 17 percent for landlocked salmon. All told, largemouth and smallmouth bass are the most sought-after fish in Maine, according to a 1999 angler survey. Last year, Lewis and the Maine Bass Federation lobbied the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for a greater number of bass tournaments on Maine's lakes. The proposed regulations are open to public comment until Friday, but the department is behind the changes. "We've recognized, in particular, how popular smallmouth bass are here, in the whole Northeast," said Peter Bourque, the planning director of the fisheries division. "(Guides) near East Grand Lake said it's the bread and butter of sporting camps there." The new rules would mean a decrease in the number of open tournaments on any water body 3,500 acres in size from five to four. But it also would mean an increase in club tournaments from four or five, depending on the fishery's size, to a total of eight a year. All tournaments would allow for no more than one boat per 35 acres. The result, according to the department, would be less traffic and conflict between anglers and boaters at popular fishing spots. At the same time, Lewis said more smaller tournaments would encourage more bass clubs to form. Lewis said the 28-member Maine Bass Federation that was founded in 1972 hopes to expand. The way to do that, he said, is to gain members in northern parts of the state. While there are notable smallmouth bass fisheries in eastern Maine, there are few in Aroostook County because the species is a warm-water fish. "To have the organization grow, we need to expand fishing opportunities, to hold (tournaments) in the northern half of the state. Above Bangor, oh my goodness, there are quite a few (fisheries) we could hold a tournament on," Lewis said. "The bass are already there in the lakes. The fishing opportunity is underutilized." Neither smallmouth nor largemouth bass is native to Maine. Smallmouth bass was first introduced here in 1869, according to the department. A state report indicates the first recorded largemouth introduction in Maine was in Forbes Pond in Gouldsboro in 1897. Pursuing bass is a far-reaching fishing frenzy that has made its way here. While Maine will never be the kind of bass mecca anglers have in the "bass belt" - states such as Alabama, Texas and Arkansas - bass lovers say the state's contingent of bass fishermen is sure to grow. "As far as the quality of the fishery . . . you catch more fish here than in those bigger impoundments in southern states," Lewis said. "Word is slow in getting out. It's been getting out the last 10 years. More and more people from out of state are coming here." TV personality Bobby Murray of Arkansas, winner of the first Bass Master Classic, came to Maine to fish for bass for the first time last weekend. But Murray, one of several professional bass fishermen speaking at Kittery Trading Post's annual "Fishfest," said it's inevitable the national craze will take hold here. "You want to catch trout or salmon, you go north. You want to catch brook trout and rainbow trout, you go out west. Bass fishing is everywhere," Murray said. "The largemouth black bass is the number one sport fish in the world. More people fish for him than anything else." Chris Henson, fishing equipment buyer for the store, said the line of speciality bass fishing equipment has increased with demand. "Bass fishing in the state of Maine has grown dramatically in popularity and in the number of anglers pursuing that," Henson said. "Our product mix and the number of seminars offered has grown accordingly." Peter Brown, a fishing guide in Cape Cod and professional bass fisherman who also spoke at the Fishfest, has fished in tournaments in Alabama, Maryland, New York and Florida. He said the bass fishing in Maine is comparable. "You can get into big fish here just as well as you can down in Florida," Brown said. "Bass fishing in Maine is exciting because of the aggressiveness of the smallmouth. Smallmouth fishing in the springtime is by far the best fishing in Maine at that time of year." Bourque said there are about 50 bass clubs that have applied for bass tournament permits in Maine this year. He said that number has been increasing over the past 10 years. "I think (bass tournaments) will continually help it to grow," Bourque said. "It will help these smaller groups. The more opportunity for smaller clubs, I think the more interest there will be." There are 238 bass tournaments scheduled for this summer, compared to 18 tournaments where fishermen will pursue other species, according to the state. Bourque said the number of bass tournaments is likely to rise despite the fact the cost for a tournament permit went up last year from $24 to $50. Each year, there are more and more fisheries where bass are found. The number of lakes and rivers with bass has increased at an alarming rate, due largely to illegal introductions, said fisheries biologists Rick Jordan. From 1980 to 2000, the number of bass fisheries in Maine increased from 417 to 613, according to the department. The spread of bass is a fact that doesn't please anglers. Although even fishermen who decry the pollution of pristine waters with bass say they love to fish for them. "Personally, I have shifted a significant amount of my Maine fishing to smallmouth bass in the Kennebec River and a local remote pond," said George Smith of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. "Maine must focus on self-sustaining fisheries, including bass, but (SAM) strongly opposes illegal stocking of bass and other species in salmonid waters." Lewis said the reason for the increase in bass-mania in Maine was the rebound in the smallmouth population, not the explosion in the number of bass waters. When the smallmouth bass fisheries were on the decline, Bourque said the general law on the species introduced in 1992 changed that and caused a rise in the smallies numbers since then. Today, anglers can take up to three bass a day that are 10 to 12 inches in length, and one of the three that is greater than 14 inches in length. Ice fishermen can only take one bass in a day in the winter. Bourque said the difference has meant an increase in the smallmouth population, an increase in angler interest in the fish, and a growing appreciation for this non-native fish. "People were removing the trophy fish, 12 to 15 years old," Bourque said. "We've had good reports that the changes have helped the last 10 years. I think we caught it in time."
Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
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