Summer fishing conditions are upon us. Warming water temperatures in lakes and ponds are forcing coldwater fish species to seek thermal refuge. It’s easy for fish to find these conditions in most large lakes by just going deeper. That’s also what anglers have to do to target trout and salmon. Trolling slow using a downrigger or lead-core fishing line is what it takes to get down into the 40- to 60-foot water where the fish are suspended.

If fishing for brook trout or salmon, the Rangeley area is hard to beat. All the larger lakes contain trout and salmon and have good public access. Togue anglers can go to Clearwater Pond in Industry, Embden Pond in Embden, Jim Pond in Jim Pond Township, or Spring Lake in T3 R4 BKP WKR to find some good action.

Togue anglers looking for a quieter atmosphere might try carrying a small boat or canoe into Lincoln Pond in Parkertown Township. or West Carry Pond in Carrying Place Town Township. All these ponds are deep and contain large lake trout and a few good brookies too. A sewed-on sucker or a streamer fly and dodger are a couple of good techniques to try using.

Last week, the sampling of Androscoggin River smallmouth bass was completed in the 14-mile reach between Rumford and the head of the Riley impoundment in Canton. We fell four bass shy of the hundred fish goal, but are considering that good due to the high water conditions during the sampling period. The bass ranged from 7 to 18½ inches long with over a third of the fish being greater than 15 inches. Also caught were a few brown trout and rainbow trout, as well as many large chubs.

This week we will begin sampling Wesserunsett Lake in Madison and Wilson Pond in Wilton. For these waters we will be using an electrofishing boat. This boat is very effective at collecting fish, but also very noisy, as the power source is an on-board generator. People around these waters should expect to hear this activity, especially since much of this work is done at night.

Although largemouth bass are not common in northwestern Maine, there are a few ponds that have good populations. Norcross, Sand, and Crowell Ponds in Chesterville and Wesserunsett Lake are all excellent places to cast a popper into a weed bed or work a rubber worm along a drop-off. Anglers can catch bass up to five pounds, although the average size fish will be much smaller. Pickerel, perch, and sunfish can also be caught at the same time.