Thompson Lake

[CobbCoveSalmon]

Anybody have any updates on the conditions on Thompson Lake (Casco, Otisfield, Oxford, Poland)? Has anyone been pulling any salmon? If so where? I've heard a lot of bass around the Heath and the marina. Anybody been around the Cobb Cove area? Thanks for your help.

[Fish Wayniac]

Can not keep Salmon from there in winter.

[TightLinesMaine]

not being able to remove Thompson salmon out of the water is the dumbest rule ever.  it's an artificial salmon fishery; there's little to no natural reproduction.

[413iceman]

More tourism in the summer. They want them to last through the winter.

[TightLinesMaine]

More tourism in the summer. They want them to last through the winter.

Oh i know, don't have to register an auger or pay additional fees to catch them through the ice is the real reason!  State can't make nearly as much $... i get the Sebago regulations, as the salmon are native there and deserve to be protected, but Thompson is an artificial salmon fishery...

[joefishmore]

Oh i know, don't have to register an auger or pay additional fees to catch them through the ice is the real reason!  State can't make nearly as much $... i get the Sebago regulations, as the salmon are native there and deserve to be protected, but Thompson is an artificial salmon fishery...

Why do you want to ruin the open water salmon fishing ?
WQhen the lake was closed  in March except for artificial lures and only 2 lines the open water salmon fishery was great.
Now many salmon  are destroyed in the winter and the spring fishery is poor

[TightLinesMaine]

Why do you want to ruin the open water salmon fishing ?
WQhen the lake was closed  in March except for artificial lures and only 2 lines the open water salmon fishery was great.
Now many salmon  are destroyed in the winter and the spring fishery is poor

Why do you want to exclude the ice fisherman from catching stocked salmon?

...all the more reason to get rid of the "no salmon removal from the ice" rule... since the fishery is already "poor" according to you.

Go to Sebago if you want big open water salmon, it's not far from Thompson at all...

[joefishmore]

Is a stocked salmon somekind of a second class  citizen ?

[Seamonkey84]

I think the point is that it’s an artificial fishery created with our licenses and taxes. so why is it closed for 2/3 of the year when other similar waters are open to harvest. So besides the month or so in spring that salmon can be caught (and kept) from shore, they are only accessible to people with boats and trolling gear.

[9huskies]

It's not whether stocked salmon are second class. The state stocks fish to provide fishing opportunities for anglers. When they prohibit taking salmon through the ice but they allow it from open water they are saying ice anglers are second class citizens.

[Seamonkey84]

Now that they feel that they are lots of small salmon in Sebago, maybe they should reduce stocking there and put those into the surrounding stocked waters. Thompson, long, and tricky could all see some more salmon put in. Then remove the special restrictions on Thompson.
Fewer stocked salmon in Sebago could benefit the native population that is hopefully growing. Then if people actually harvested the togue all the better.

[joefishmore]

I don't think Sebago would benefit from fewer stocked salmon, I don't think they can compete with race of togue that are in there. I think the togue were imported from the great lakes and are very aggressive .

[TightLinesMaine]

It's not whether stocked salmon are second class. The state stocks fish to provide fishing opportunities for anglers. When they prohibit taking salmon through the ice but they allow it from open water they are saying ice anglers are second class citizens.

Bingo, thank you.

[Seamonkey84]

Bingo, thank you.

At least we got some action out there  . The togue there are a different color than from Sebago.

[SFBBBA]

The state stocks salmon to feed the pike...

[TightLinesMaine]

The state stocks salmon to feed the pike...

 

At least we got some action out there  . The togue there are a different color than from Sebago.

yes sir! they are unique, they've been in there a lot longer (40 years or so) than sebago.  Fun day, even if we'd have gotten the skunk, it was still a excellent day weather-wise.  Too bad neither of us can get our lazy a**es out the door early! 

[Fishin_Addiction]

I've never caught pike in Thompson, where on the lake are people catching them? Or was that comment about the state stocking salmon to feed the pike a generalization?

[joefishmore]

Togue been in there since last iceage.

[TightLinesMaine]

Togue been in there since last iceage.

Not according to Maine's DIFW:

"In addition, lake trout were stocked by MDIFW in the late 1930's to the early 1950's
and today a self-sustaining population exists."

(Taken from the DIFW survey for Thompson)

[joefishmore]

I stand corrected

[Niner]

Now that they feel that they are lots of small salmon in Sebago, maybe they should reduce stocking there and put those into the surrounding stocked waters. Thompson, long, and tricky could all see some more salmon put in. Then remove the special restrictions on Thompson.
Fewer stocked salmon in Sebago could benefit the native population that is hopefully growing. Then if people actually harvested the togue all the better.

The state has reduced stocking LLS in Sebago from 10k per year to under 2k per year in an effort to decrease competition for feed among the species. Stocked LLS are a more aggressive feeder at a young age than wild fish. They also grow at a faster rate.

I have seen the gulls feast on the fish as they are being stocked.  Looks like a fall striped bass blitz.  2k is doing nothing for the fishery. Send them elsewhere.

[woodchip]

Stock new Atlantic Salmon or coho stock. State had a better hatchery 50 yrs ago than they have now, Get the politics out of way...….

[Seamonkey84]

Stock new Atlantic Salmon or coho stock. State had a better hatchery 50 yrs ago than they have now, Get the politics out of way...….

I really think it would help even if they just got some sperm samples from some wild Atlantic salmon, and mixed it with eggs from several Sebago strain Landlocks to make brood stock. It would simulate what would occur if the dams weren’t in the way.

[woodchip]

I totality agree ,after all the years of taking the best fish out for home the Genetics  of the fish left get smaller all the time. instead of growing Atlantic Salmon in pens out off the coast of Maine, use Sebago lake even Co Ho strain which does very well in great lakes along side of the Lake trout. We could have Fishermen coming from all over the world for summer and winter fishing.   

[oldspud]

A number of years ago I read in the maine sportsman that the only remaining true strain of sebago salmon were in so america, chile I think it was and were reaching tremendous size there. They were put in a river system and I believe are self sustaining. I would think they would retrieve that native strain. And why they ever stocked lake trout in 1 of the greatest landlocked salmon lakes on  the planet makes zero sense to me.

[Trout Hound]

Being able to catch Coho without driving 7 hours sure would be nice...

[DowneastPescador]

Is a stocked salmon somekind of a second class  citizen ?

Yes

[9huskies]

Is a stocked salmon somekind of a second class  citizen ?

There are only 3 kinds of fish in Maine. Brook trout, bait and junk. That means salmon are junk unless used as bait.

[Seamonkey84]

A number of years ago I read in the maine sportsman that the only remaining true strain of sebago salmon were in so america, chile I think it was and were reaching tremendous size there. They were put in a river system and I believe are self sustaining. I would think they would retrieve that native strain. And why they ever stocked lake trout in 1 of the greatest landlocked salmon lakes on  the planet makes zero sense to me.

I read that article too, but the state won’t let anyone import any viable eggs because they are too paranoid/up their own a$$ to do it. They say they don’t want any risk of introducing diseases from anywhere else. While in the mean time, there seem to be someone or group that is intentionally spreading invasive species like bass, pike, and crappie all over the state.