April 1 is a huge day for outdoors sportsmen and women who hunt and fish.
It’s the first day of open water fishing in lakes and ponds that were closed to it before this date, and it’s the first day hunters can submit their moose permit applications to the state’s lottery.
Fishing and moose hunting draw thousands of people to Maine, and help support the state’s multi-million-dollar outdoors economy.
People have been fishing in open water already because there are about 300 lakes and ponds in Maine’s northern zone that can be fished year round and the lack of ice in some places made it possible.
But there are several waters with native trout and landlocked salmon the state closes to ice fishing and cannot be fished until April 1 to protect those populations from overfishing, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said recently.
Maine rivers, brooks and streams are closed to all fishing from Oct. 1 through March 31 to protect spawning fish, their eggs and fry, the department said.
There are always exceptions to these rules and those fishing should check the 2024 Fishing Law Book or the FLOAT (fishing laws online angling tool), or the Searchable Special Fishing Laws Table.
Moose hunters have had to wait longer than usual to apply for a permit in the state’s annual lottery. Historically, hunters could submit applications in January until mid-May.
The change allowed moose biologists to look at annual data on the harvest and the health of the herd and determine the numbers of animals that can be taken in each zone. Delaying applications means that hunters will know how many permits are available in each hunting zone before they apply.
This year, applications open on April 1 and close on May 15. The drawing will be held Saturday, June 15, in Fort Kent.
The new application period shortens the waiting time from the earliest application date to the drawing in June. It also is in line with the length of the antlerless deer lottery application period, which last year was from June 27 until Aug. 1, according to the MDIF&W.
Applications will be accepted online only.
In 2023, MDIF&W received 72,446 applications and issued 4,106 permits, reflecting an increase of 26 from 2022.
