While most anglers likely note Maine as a hotspot for brook trout, Francis Brautigam, a biologist with the state’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, recently told the Portland Press Herald the agency has been working since 2003 to create a brood stock of brown trout with better “field performance” in terms of survival and abundance.
Using brown trout strains from hatcheries in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other unnamed states, biologists have until 2020 to decide which brood stock offers the most bang for the buck.
“(Trout Unlimited) favors native species. In Maine, that means brook trout, landlocked salmon and lake trout. (The state) only stock browns in places where they just can’t get the natives to provide fishable abundance. It’s safe for me to say that TU generally supports this mission,” said Steve Heinz with the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
