Salmon fishing at Rangeley Lake has been in high gear for the last two weeks, and while the large fish the lake is known for have been scarce, we have checked a few in excess of 4 pounds. A fair number of brookies are also showing up. Most of these are between 12 and 15 inches long, and the majority are wild fish produced in the lake's tributaries. At least two large year classes of wild trout are in Rangeley Lake now - their presence is likely a consequence of favorable stream flows and summer temperatures from 2004 to 2006. Warden Reggie Hammond is reporting some excellent trout catches from Aziscohos Lake, and the salmon are looking good, too. Temperatures have remained generally cool in the western Maine highlands, and if this trend continues the fast spring fishing on the big lakes should be extended. We can only hope.

We're conducting creel surveys on both Rangeley and Aziscohos this year. Liz Studdert, our summer fishery assistant, will be posted at the boat landings to interview anglers and measure their catches. Expect to run into Liz on Rangeley at the Town Park, the State Park, and the Oquossoc landing, and on Aziscohos at the Black Brook Cove Campground. As always, we appreciate the cooperation extended to our clerks while they collect this data - it's important information for managing these fabulous sport fisheries.

In addition to training Liz on the creel surveys this week, we'll be busy on a variety of projects. Our stream survey crews are gearing up to collect habitat and biological information on scores of unsurveyed streams throughout the region. After some refresher training on Monday and Tuesday, they'll strike out to begin this interesting work, stream flows permitting. We're also meeting with LURC staff to assess the impacts of a recent harvest operation on a tributary to Tim Pond, and we'll spend some time on the Rapid to evaluate brook trout fry numbers. Finally, we'll continue a reclamation feasibility study at C Pond in Upton by deploying several recording thermometers and locating areas of groundwater discharge.

Gene Arsenault and his crew from the Embden Rearing Station are well into their spring stocking season. Expect to see their trucks scurrying about with loads of catchable brook trout. Salmon, browns, and splake are also being stocked - most of these latter stockings go to waters with regulations designed to "grow them out". That is, they're stocked at a sub-legal size and spend a few months to a couple years in the water before while growing to legal size. For almost instant information on stockings of fish in our catchable trout program, check our website: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/reports/stocking/index.htm.