Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Kudos to Ken Allen for writing the most accurate and gutsy article about the current state of Maine trout fishing ever written by a mainstream outdoor writer in our state.
Allen is right: Maine's trout fishing does not hold up to that now found in many other states, including some that are not known for their great trout fishing. In fact, I believe the chance of landing a large trout is better in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire than it is in Maine. Allen is also correct that our trout fishing has been in steady decline for over a decade now.
Until Maine come to grips with this harsh reality, the fishing will continue to decline as our deer herd has. This will, and has already, cost the state untold amounts of money in lost license sales, tolls, gas, meals, lodging, guiding, retail and sales and service taxes.
It is time for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to embrace modern fisheries management practices, such as catch-and-release, that create true quality fishing before we dig a hole that will take decades to get out of like what we are now faced with in regard to deer.
The solution is simple, if we want big fish and lots of fish we need to leave them in the water. Trying to use our hatcheries to mask this lack of discipline is not sustainable from an economic standpoint.
Bob Mallard
Skowhegan
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