Maine Asks Anglers To Catch And Keep More Fish

This winter angler catches a nice brook trout. Photo/Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Setting up is an ice fishing tip-up, used to suspend bait in the water when ice fishing. Photo/Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Maine officials are asking anglers to catch and keep more fish at several lakes in the state’s Moosehead region.

In a recent fishing report, fisheries biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said several bodies of water in the Moosehead region—including Lobster Lake, Big Houston Pond, Allagash Lake, and Chesuncook Lake—need increased angler harvest to help keep the fisheries healthy.

Biologists said the increased harvest is needed to help address growth issues and the stockpiling of smaller fish.

Regulations were changed on Lobster Lake for the 2026 ice fishing season. Lobster Lake is now open to ice fishing from January 1 through April 30, moving away from the February-only opening. Anglers are still restricted to two lines per person.

The lake’s daily bag limit on lake trout has also been changed from one fish and a minimum length of 23 inches to two fish and a minimum length of 18 inches.

“Our take home message is simple,” stated the recent report. “Certain waters need anglers to ‘Keep More Fish.’ Additional harvest and use are the key to our success of restoring these storied fisheries back to the ‘Good Old Days.’”

Read the full Maine fishing report here.