Meeting on First Roach Pond ice fishing scheduled

If you spend any time fishing lakes near Greenville, you may want to let state officials know what you think about a fisheries proposal that will affect First Roach Pond.

First Roach Pond is a 3,270-acre pond in Frenchtown Township, northeast of Greenville. It reaches a maximum depth of 123 feet.

Tim Obrey, regional fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, checked in via email on Monday with a notice announcing a public meeting on the proposal.

Here’s what Obrey had to say:

“There will be a public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 6:30 pm. at the Greenville School to discuss a public petition to open First Roach Pond to ice fishing,” he wrote. “The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife received a copy of the petition with the required 150 certified signatures and the Department is therefore required to hold a hearing to solicit comments from the public.

“The petition requests opening First Roach Pond to ice fishing for the month of February with the following regulations: S-4 (no live fish as bait), S-8 (two lines per person), S-26 (daily bag limit on togue: 3 fish; minimum length limit 14 inches, only 1 may exceed 18 inches), daily bag limit on trout: 2 fish, and closed to the taking of salmon.”

In response to a follow-up email, Obrey explained that First Roach Pond has never been open to ice fishing, but said he has seen a significant change in the area over the past several years.

“In the past, the only camps on the pond were seasonal,” Obrey wrote. “More recently, summer camps have been converted to year-round residences and/or are used in the winter months. So, there are some that wish to fish the pond in the winter and I suspect, based on comments at the camp owners’ meeting, that there are some that want to maintain the traditional summer [only] fishery.”

If you’re unable to attend and want to submit written comments by mail or email, you can do so until Dec. 7.

Send comments to Becky Orff, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, SHS #41, Augusta, 04333.

Email comments can be sent to Becky.Orff@maine.gov

 

 

 

 

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.