ME NFC Posts No Live Fish as Bait Signs in Cold Stream Forest Public Land
Maine now has a zone-wide restriction on live fish as bait in the critically important North Zone by rule not exception. Waters where unrestricted bait was previously allowed are now restricted to worms and dead minnows.
Pre NFC, founding members Emily Bastian and Bob Mallard worked with former Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Executive Director George Smith on a bill to amend the State Heritage (SHF) law to prohibit the use of live fish as bait on tributaries to SHF waters. The bill was rejected by the legislative committee, but Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) was instructed to address the problem. This led to the creation of NFC, as we felt we were more powerful as a formal organization than individuals. After nearly two years, IFW presented a plan to address the problem: A zone-wide restriction. Post creation, NFC remained involved, including opposing the initial list of exemptions which led to a major reduction in waters where live fish as bait would still be allowed.
While the General Law reflects the change, the waters are not specifically listed in the law book unless they have some other regulation such as a bag or length restriction outside the general law.
To address the issue, the Maine chapter of NFC worked with Bureau of Public Lands and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to design a special sign for waters on state-owned lands that are closed to the use of live fish as bait, and not specifically noted in the law book. The first signs were posted on two small ponds and a outhouse on the new Cold Stream Forest public land.
