Sebago 31.5#

[JimP]

Sebago is a Salmon Lake. Lake Trout should never have been put in.

[gamefisher]

Bill Day caught a 27 pounder there back in 1996, you be the judge as to wether or not a 31.5# exists in 2011.

[chillywillie]

Bill Day caught a 27 pounder there back in 1996, you be the judge as to wether or not a 31.5# exists in 2011.

Exactly what I was thinking.  That is the lake record, right Gamefisher?  I was pretty sure it was 27 or 28 pounds from the 90's.

[gamefisher]

Exactly what I was thinking.  That is the lake record, right Gamefisher?  I was pretty sure it was 27 or 28 pounds from the 90's.

To my knowledge, C.W.

[buddah]

I'm just saying. I mean the way people are catching them this year and the number of big ones being caught. I mean I fish the crap out of that lake but i throw them all back unless there my PB or it's during the derby. But I do believe there is a pig in there somewhere thats a state record.

Well,you're one of the reasons why there are less big togue now in the lake,the population is out of control and that makes less feed for each individual fish.The liberal bag limits are there as part of trophy togue mgmt.The biologist spoke at our rod and gun club last week and said they won't ever reach their management goals on Sebago as long as people keep releasing the togue,the release rate is at 60 percent right now.

[Fish_Seeker]

Well,you're one of the reasons why there are less big togue now in the lake,the population is out of control and that makes less feed for each individual fish.The liberal bag limits are there as part of trophy togue mgmt.The biologist spoke at our rod and gun club last week and said they won't ever reach their management goals on Sebago as long as people keep releasing the togue,the release rate is at 60 percent right now.

I find 60% hard to believe. With a lot of groups going out and getting 20+ fish and throwing them on the ice for the eagles. More often then not I see this I watched a 2 guys catch 4 yesterday and he just left them there. 2 of which were over 23".

[JimP]

Me to, lots of guys are culling the togue. I killed over 50 last year alone in my boat and my sebago time was limited last year.

[buddah]

I didn't realize you guys were out there surveying the fisherman everyday like the biologists do.

[gamefisher]

No offense Fish Seeker, but I think a lot of us prefer to let the biologist develop a management plan for a particular body of water.  I hope you took those fish home and made a nice chowder if so inclined.   Good luck in the derby.

[Fish_Seeker]

No offense Fish Seeker, but I think a lot of us prefer to let the biologist develop a management plan for a particular body of water.  I hope you took those fish home and made a nice chowder if so inclined.   Good luck in the derby.

Of course I took the fish home. I hate letting things like that go to waste. But i'm not a big fish eater. I just enjoy catching them. I don't mean to upset people it's just how I feel. I think me catching and releasing my 5-6 fish isnt to big of a deal when others are culling them. I would keep them if I ate fish but I only eat them occasionally.

[JimP]

No offense either but are those the same biologists that put the lake trout into sebago in the first place

I'm just kidding. I know the bio's do a good job. Maybe more publicity about the good that will happen if we start removing the togue the bios want removed. Maybe guys just don't know IF&W would prefer we kept limits. FWIW it was a challenge to find folks that would eat the togue but we did it, none went to waste.

Good news is 40% of us are out there whacking togue.

[gamefisher]

Of course I took the fish home. I hate letting things like that go to waste. But i'm not a big fish eater. I just enjoy catching them. I don't mean to upset people it's just how I feel. I think me catching and releasing my 5-6 fish isnt to big of a deal when others are culling them. I would keep them if I ate fish but I only eat them occasionally.

There are always people in your town that would enjoy a fish feed.  There is nothing wrong with togue when prepared properly.  Sometimes a computer screen doesn't convey well and in this case, there are pains along the way to achieve the desired management goal.  You cannot imagine how many smelt 1 5# togue ingests.  Nobody likes to be purposely wastful be sometimes biologist impose these types of regulations in search of an eventually "greater good", it isn't instant.  

[Fish_Seeker]

Well I guess I will go out on a limb and say this. Since everyone here wants the togue population to decrease in Sebago. Wheres your most productive spot for togue and what bait do you use?  haha just kidding guys. I totally see where your coming from with the togue being the most dominent fish in the lake. I didnt mean to upset people.

[buddah]

The biologist did say the way people feel about wasting the fish is a big factor in that release rate,people just don't wan't to kill what they won't use.

I recently read the state management report that talked about how the majority of lake trout may never grow longer than 24" (a 24" laker could be as young as 5 years or as old as 15). They seemed to think that some fish within the population feed more heavily than others and therefore reach larger sizes. The problem here is that these highly aggressive fish are much more likely to be caught when they are young, making the trophies even more scarce in any body of water. Personally, I think that if the record is in there somewhere, it is a stocky and if not must be from one of the first naturally produced generations in order to have the time required to reach such an immense size. If the record fish is in Sebago, I sure hope a shanty member gets it!

Tight lines and good luck in the derby to all!

In that report they are talking about maines native strain of lake trout.When they stocked Sebago with lake trout they used a Great Lakes strain because they were a deeper spawning strain and the eggs wouldn't be effected by lake draw downs in the fall.I think they also had better growth rates.I personally think there's a few record breakers in there.

[icefisha22]

A togue is not bad to eat. They are not my favorite, but if you can cook at all, you can make a damn good meal out of them. One of my good buddies, (not the best cook out there  ),  made a stew out of them a few years back and it was the best fish chowder i have ever had.  Its ridiculous for people to just throw away togue. However i agree that togue should be kept and never should have been there in the first place.

[Litchfield Fisher]

A togue is not bad to eat. They are not my favorite, but if you can cook at all, you can make a damn good meal out of them. One of my good buddies, (not the best cook out there  ),  made a stew out of them a few years back and it was the best fish chowder i have ever had.  Its ridiculous for people to just throw away togue. However i agree that togue should be kept and never should have been there in the first place.

hey I eat my own cooking all the time and look at me, it can't be that bad

[antlerdawg]

  Its ridiculous for people to just throw away togue.

I agree, may not be the best eating, but deep fried it is DeeeLish~! Sebago is a lake.. that unless you have a boat.....  

[Indie]

I fileted my togue and soaked them in milk for the day. I'm convinced after this I can cook this in any fish recipe and have it come out good.
Many people told me that they taste awful but I liked it.

I think keeping togue that are overpopulated should increase the size of not only the togue but also the salmon. I wanna catch large fish of all species if that's what I'm going for. Hopefully there is a balance that can be reached. I'm new to it but I find nothing less satisfying then jigging some lakers out of the deep.

[Hoppes]

State record togue 31 pounds 8 ounces came out of Beech Hill, at least I was alive when it was caught in 1958.  I grew up 20 miles from Beech Hill.  I'll show you what a Sebago 32 pounder looks like next week!      Fishing tomorrow we'll see what the water holds this weekend.
Hoppes

[Fish Sticks]

Great attitude Hoppes!  Worked once with Jerry, Hollis's son.  That was a big fish!  Love that picture of him holding it up over his head.   Guess he threw it in a bathtub back at home and it filled it up. 

[Phoenix]

There's still no excuse for wasting these fish, if you don't want them find someone who does. But you need to deliver them in good condition. I'll buy the argument that they need to be kept, even by people who don't like to eat them, but in a lot of cases it's just plain laziness to not properly care for them and give them to someone who will consume them.

'Bout the only way I like 'em is smoked

[fishless12]

There's still no excuse for wasting these fish...

If you're thinning Sebgo's togue population, it's not a waste. Do people eat every weed that comes out of their garden, just because it was alive once? I think it's a little silly to let your heart bleed over fisheries management. If you apply this logic, then you'll keep every salmon you catch trolling on Sebago, but throw back every togue... It's the exact same story with dogfish and ground fish. How can someone release a dogfish, while keeping every cod or haddock they catch, and genuinely believe they're doing the right thing for the fishery? I mean sure, dogfish have a role in the ecosystem- but that role has been replaced by overfishing with unsustainable methods that fed them extra bycatch. This human error, similar to the human error of stocking togue in Sebago, is what lead to the artificial over population of a problem fish.
The bottom line?
Check your sympathy for the cute and cuddly laketrout at the boatramp and don't cry over spilled togue!

[chillywillie]

That's a brilliant attitude

[kezarking]

I find 60% hard to believe. With a lot of groups going out and getting 20+ fish and throwing them on the ice for the eagles. More often then not I see this I watched a 2 guys catch 4 yesterday and he just left them there. 2 of which were over 23".

woops dint know someone was watching

[TOGUEMAN2011]

The thing about sebago and the togue is that there is far to many of them in the lake. And no matter what you do you will never get them out unless the state reclaims it. Thats something that they are not willing to do. That cost time and money. Not to menchin it a water supply for many towns. Sebago has ability to hold state and maybe world record fish. Salmon and togue. It just need a better smelt population than it has now and(not that its likely to happen  ) to get rid of the pike. Back in the 90's the bios netted a 35lb togue.
The state record salmon was caught in Sebago so anything can happen. Good luck to all in the derby next weekend.