MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Northeast => Maine => Topic started by: Turnbuckle on Aug 01, 2018, 09:48 AM
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https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/StatewideSpecialsRuleMaking_2019%20FINAL.PDF
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Was just about to post this myself. Good to hear they want more togue pulled. The small salmon I caught a few weeks ago were looking well fed.
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I just don’t know if moving that slot up 3 inches will make a material difference.
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I just don’t know if moving that slot up 3 inches will make a material difference.
It will make 80% of the fish the we've caught this year keepers.
The average on my boat this year is 24”-26”
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It will make 80% of the fish the we've caught this year keepers.
The average on my boat this year is 24”-26”
So you would have kept them all?
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if they change the salmon to 6 fish at 6 inches i could start pickling whole salmon in quart mason jars ;D the togue fleet is basically gone, changing the slot size isnt going to change how many togue go home for the table. there just isnt enough knowledgeable togue anglers out there keeping fish and the amount of boats out there is way down from when this all started with the slot
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So you would have kept them all?
Yep, one way or another they get consumed, humans, dogs, or the compost pile.
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Yep, one way or another they get consumed, humans, dogs, or the compost pile.
That’s great, I just don’t see or hear many people keeping them, including myself(part of the problem).
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Not that I really care, but I don't see how this (proposed Sebago rule change) will make much of a difference when the DIFW itself shows that togue in the 23" to 26" range aren't high frequency spawners (see chart 10, page 10 in link below):
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf (https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf)
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if they change the salmon to 6 fish at 6 inches i could start pickling whole salmon in quart mason jars ;D the togue fleet is basically gone, changing the slot size isnt going to change how many togue go home for the table. there just isnt enough knowledgeable togue anglers out there keeping fish and the amount of boats out there is way down from when this all started with the slot
I think they've all been caught and educated near the North west river, I fish the entire lake and have caught some pretty nice salmon by accident, I lost one Sunday at the boat that was 4-5 pounds.
Follow that edge south a mile and a half or so and folks are getting some decent ones on floating fly line.
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There are definitely some nice salmon in that lake, just not many reports of people catching them. I’ve seen some very impressive fish in the rivers during the fall in the FFO sections, but trying to get them to bite is the part that will drive you insane.
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I think it's a step in the right direction. When they first proposed the slot, I spoke out against it. Sebago togue just aren't affected by angling pressure the way they would be for several reasons:
It's a big and deep lake.
When it freezes, if it freezes, it freezes late.
It's a tricky lake to fish, the reputation of "slow-bego" discourages many potential anglers.
most people fishing open water target salmon.
Even with the increased open water access, not many people fish from October to first Ice
There's also a significant lack of education and participation in the "thin the togue" program. "Well I'm not going to eat it." Is flawed logic when you're harming the lake (and that salmon that you'll gladly kill and eat) by releasing your legal togue.
I've been saving my togue and using them as early season lobster bait in my five traps, before I have a good supply of haddock racks and other fish from running charters.
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I haven’t eaten one myself, but I keep hearing they are not very good tasting when they get bigger, other than smoking them or chowder, neither of which I can do.
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I haven’t eaten one myself, but I keep hearing they are not very good tasting when they get bigger, other than smoking them or chowder, neither of which I can do.
That's another part of the problem, everyone "hears" they aren't very good eating.
I would rather eat the lake trout pan fried or baked in foil than the salmon, I find the salmon kind of bland.
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I haven’t eaten one myself, but I keep hearing they are not very good tasting when they get bigger, other than smoking them or chowder, neither of which I can do.
chunked up and deep fried they taste like fried clams, dip them in home made coctail sauce. with the price of fried clams lately, fried togue should be on restaurant menus. thats the only way i see those togue getting taken out of the lake
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That's another part of the problem, everyone "hears" they aren't very good eating.
I heard the same thing then one of my buddies said "Nonsense!" and cooked me up a nice 6 lb Lake Richardson togue I brought him, because he said he liked them. I was amazed at how good it was. Pan fried, nothing done any more special than any other fish. Not smoked or deep fried. It's a great eating fish.
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I heard the same thing then one of my buddies said "Nonsense!" and cooked me up a nice 6 lb Lake Richardson togue I brought him, because he said he liked them. I was amazed at how good it was. Pan fried, nothing done any more special than any other fish. Not smoked or deep fried. It's a great eating fish.
Where do you live? I’ll drop off a bag full of em any time you like.
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I heard the same thing then one of my buddies said "Nonsense!" and cooked me up a nice 6 lb Lake Richardson togue I brought him, because he said he liked them. I was amazed at how good it was. Pan fried, nothing done any more special than any other fish. Not smoked or deep fried. It's a great eating fish.
I caught my first Laker in Winni this past ice season and brought it home for the smoker. Brined it first for a day and then smoked it over cherry wood. The old man and little guy loved it and I barely had any left. I am looking forward to another ice season up there, that's for sure.
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I give some to a friend that smokes them and makes a chip dip out of them.
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I give some to a friend that smokes them and makes a chip dip out of them.
Yep. All trout species, bluefish and mackerel are all great for a smoked pate'.
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Yep. All trout species, bluefish and mackerel are all great for a smoked pate'.
I think if I called his chip dip pate', he'd cut a corner off of my man card.
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If you remove the gills and the other nasties, then wrap the whole fish in foil and add whatever seasoning you like they’re not bad at all. Meat peels off and for whatever reason it’s less oily. I’ve done lemon/butter and bbq sauce this way and it was actually pretty good. I don’t like them baked, but might try frying them.
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Maybe try grilling a fillet with skin on and brush with teriyaki sauce, you won't regret it!
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I’ll try and do my part then, I’m sure someone in my family will like it either way. I don’t get to hit the big lake very often since My own boat is for ponds and small waters. When I do it’s with my friend in his boat. I’m hoping to also get out there more often on the ice, only tried three times last season.
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That's another part of the problem, everyone "hears" they aren't very good eating.
I would rather eat the lake trout pan fried or baked in foil than the salmon, I find the salmon kind of bland.
Agreed. Chunk the fillets into 1" cubes; boil in Sprite until they float; and sauté them in butter and lemon juice...poor man's lobster.
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The Fish River Chain proposals are interesting.
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Salmosebago- you still out there buying this is all about salmon management?😁
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In terms of eating togue, or any fish, bleeding them as soon as you catch them goes a long way for flavor and meat quality.
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In terms of eating togue, or any fish, bleeding them as soon as you catch them goes a long way for flavor and meat quality.
That is a good point to mention. I do that with just about every fish I keep. A quick bonk/stab to the head (mandatory in Maine to kill immediately anyway) then cut the gills and dunk them in water till they bleed out before puting them in ice. That also prevents the issue of the fish kicking ice everywhere when put in the cooler.
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I heard the same thing then one of my buddies said "Nonsense!" and cooked me up a nice 6 lb Lake Richardson togue I brought him, because he said he liked them. I was amazed at how good it was. Pan fried, nothing done any more special than any other fish. Not smoked or deep fried. It's a great eating fish.
Seems like they would be as good as a brook trout as they are closely related right? Both technically a char.
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Agreed. Chunk the fillets into 1" cubes; boil in Sprite until they float; and sauté them in butter and lemon juice...poor man's lobster.
So I did the boil in sprite thing but then I deep fried them in a beer batter and it was very good...
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The best eating are in the slot limit. That's why I stay away from Sebago. They over look the fishermen that eat their catch . They say too many togue in the lake So they let the bigger ones with the capabilities of producing more spawn stay. makes a lot of sense.
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So I did the boil in sprite thing but then I deep fried them in a beer batter and it was very good...
I'll have to try that variation.
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The best eating are in the slot limit. That's why I stay away from Sebago. They over look the fishermen that eat their catch . They say too many togue in the lake So they let the bigger ones with the capabilities of producing more spawn stay. makes a lot of sense.
Maine DIFW's research shows the biggest spawners are about 19" to 22", not the ones in the slot.
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The best eating are in the slot limit. That's why I stay away from Sebago. They over look the fishermen that eat their catch . They say too many togue in the lake So they let the bigger ones with the capabilities of producing more spawn stay. makes a lot of sense.
What makes the fish in the slot the best ones to eat?
If you would like some to eat Bob, I have about 10 pounds of fillets in my fridge from this weekend, I'd love to find more people to give it to.
And back on the original topic of this thread, I went to the hearing to hear all the debate on the slot limit and there wasn't any, in fact there was only 2 people there for the sebago part of it, and we went up together, maybe if it had been closer to Sebago there would have been more people????
I did get to learn that there are some folks very hell bent on protecting the heritage waters, there was some good discussion on that topic.
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TightLinesMaine You believe a 19" fish carries more spawn than a 28" fish ??????? Once a fish get at slot size or bigger they carry more heavy metals MERCURY ETC.
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TightLinesMaine You believe a 19" fish carries more spawn than a 28" fish ??????? Once a fish get at slot size or bigger they carry more heavy metals MERCURY ETC.
Sorry, I should've worded that better, what i meant is DIFW's research shows the highest frequency spawners are lake trout around 19" to 22". I did not mean to imply a 19" female lake trout carries more eggs than a 28" lake trout.
"Mean length of spawning lake trout has varied very little
over the years, ranging from between 20.7 to 21.5 inches long."-DIFW
Hence why they have the slot in place, the DIFW is encouraging anglers to kill the togue under 23", as that size class are the ones that are observed spawning most frequently.
See for yourself to see what i mean; chart 10, on page 10 in link below:
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf (https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf)
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Did they clean a lot of fish out of the lake today?(Sebago)
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Sorry, I should've worded that better, what i meant is DIFW's research shows the highest frequency spawners are lake trout around 19" to 22". I did not mean to imply a 19" female lake trout carries more eggs than a 28" lake trout.
"Mean length of spawning lake trout has varied very little
over the years, ranging from between 20.7 to 21.5 inches long."-DIFW
Hence why they have the slot in place, the DIFW is encouraging anglers to kill the togue under 23", as that size class are the ones that are observed spawning most frequently.
See for yourself to see what i mean; chart 10, on page 10 in link below:
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf (https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/fisheries-reports/2014/sebagolake.pdf)
We have been fishing some of the spawning grounds the couple weeks and according to our on the water research this information is accurate, we get very few fish with eggs over 23", 90% of them are under 23" and full of eggs. If we go out into the deeper water 90% of them are over 23"
and do not appear to be full of eggs.....this is not an ofishel scientific study, just us making an observation.