T6 R11 WELS, Maine — Rangers on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) on Dec. 29, 2016 reported thin ice in the middle of the larger headwater lakes, and advised ice fishermen to use caution when heading out to fish. Ice fishing season began on Jan. 1, 2017.
Rangers and wardens were out checking the ice thickness on Dec. 28 and 29, and found 5 to 7 inches of good ice on Churchill Lake, Telos Lake and Round Pond, but Chamberlain and Eagle Lakes only had 1 to 3 inches of ice out in the middle, with about 5 inches of ice along the shoreline of Chamberlain.
AWW Superintendent Matthew LaRoche stated that Chamberlain Lake skimmed over for the first time on Friday night, Dec. 16.
The storm Thursday and Friday was expected to bring over a foot of snow, which will help insulate the ice and slow down the formation good solid ice, LaRoche said. “The weight of the snow will also push the ice down and turn the snow to slush. The smaller bodies of water and coves have good ice but it is absolutely not safe to cross Chamberlain or Eagle Lake.”
“Rangers are urging people to check the ice as you go out and not to assume the ice is safe if you see a snowmobile track going out across the lake,” said LaRoche. “An inch of ice isn’t very much, and that thickness may vary from location to location. The ice is just not safe enough to cross Chamberlain or Eagle Lake lakes yet. He urged those heading out to fish this weekend to tell someone where you are going and take someone with you.”
The AWW superintendent warned all visitors to stay away from thoroughfares avoid tributary streams when traveling on the ice.
Rangers will post current ice conditions on the “Conditions and Alerts” page at: www.maine.gov/allagash. Visitors should stop at the Chamberlain Bridge Ranger Station for up-to-date information on ice conditions, or call the waterway dispatch service in Ashland at (207) 435-7963. Those with reservations at sporting camps should check with the camp operators before heading out on the ice.
“We usually have a good crowd out ice fishing on the first weekend of the season,” LaRoche said. “The native brook trout fishing is usually excellent when the season first opens.”
The AWW provides: winter campgrounds at the Chamberlain Bridge and Kellogg Brook, public drinking water, vault toilets and snow plowing. A groomed snowmobile trail is marked from the Chamberlain Bridge parking lot to the south end of Chamberlain Lake and to Round Pond/Telos lakes.
For more information, go to: http:// www.maine.gov/allagash.
