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Rangeley Lake Fishery Management

FISHERY INTERIM SUMMARY REPORT SERIES NO. 04-01
JOB F-101
INTERIM SUMMARY REPORT NO. 10 (2003)
SUMMARY

Rangeley Lake, located in Western Maine’s Franklin County, provides an exceptional fishery for landlocked salmon and, to a lesser extent, for brook trout.  This 6,000-acre lake has had a one-salmon daily bag limit since 1988, and is closed to ice fishing.  The fishery is dependent on a combination of stocked and wild fish.

The salmon population was monitored by annual fall trap nettings at the Outlet and by voluntary angler surveys.  Voluntary angler records indicated continued excellent catch rates of salmon in 2003.  Anglers continued to release a high proportion of the legal catch.  Our Outlet trapnetting sample indicated that salmon growth rates increased in 2003 after several years of moderate decline.  The proportion of wild salmon netted increased to 45%; older wild salmon (age IV+ and greater) accounted for 29% of the catch. 

Spring-yearling brook trout have been stocked in relatively small numbers at Rangeley Lake since 1999.  Voluntary angler records confirm that these fish continue to contribute to the fishery, and they will be stocked as long as smelt, the primary forage base, remain abundant.

Preliminary design work and measurements were completed at South Bog Stream in preparation for restoration work scheduled for 2004.

Written by Forrest Bonney

For more information, please contact:

Forrest Bonney, Regional Fishery Biologist
689 Farmington Road
Strong, Maine 04983-9419
Telephone: (207) 778-3322 Ext. 22
Email: forrest.bonney@maine.gov