Maine outdoorsmen have been butting heads over shared space on the state’s frozen lakes. Some ice fishermen say snowmobilers run over ice fishing traps and race at high speeds close to their shacks. Snowmobilers say the fishermen can do a better job of marking the location of their traps.
“I’ve been ice fishing since I was 10 years old and there weren’t any snow machines,” said Westley Brann, 57, of Wells, while fishing on Sebago Lake. He said he always used to come home with a few fish in tow when he was young, but has a lot of trouble catching anything today. He said he believes the noise snowmobiles generate disturbs the fish.
Brann’s brother-in-law Dan Dewitt, 53, of North Berwick, said he has had traps destroyed by careless snowmobilers, costing him upwards of $25 a pop. Most don’t even stop, he said.
Dewitt said he once asked a group of snowmobilers to slow down and had his ice shack destroyed during the night in retaliation.
“Some of them are racing around at 90 miles an hour,” said fisherman Chuck Percy, 71, of Windham. He said he had one trap run over twice in the same spot this year.
Maine law requires traps to be set within sight of the fishermen, which can be extended with binoculars. Some traps are not placed next to a campsite or shack where snowmobilers expect them.
“You can’t really see the little orange flag until you’re almost on top of them,” said Dana Perkins of the Windham Drifters snowmobile club. He said the traps are low to the ground and fishermen can place posts or objects near them to help snowmobilers spot them.
Perkins is in charge of landowner relations for the club and said the vast majority of snowmobilers “do what they’re supposed to do” and are responsible when they ride.
“Just like if you were in a car, if you bump into something you should at least leave a note or talk to somebody,” he said while posting a speed limit sign for snowmobilers on Sandbar Road near Little Sebago Lake in Windham.
“I’m both an ice fisherman and a snowmobiler and I’ve seen problems with both,” said Dan Young, president of the Standish Sno-Seekers snowmobile club.
“I don’t understand why snowmobilers have to go so fast in areas where people are fishing,” he said, “There should be some consideration for those people.”
Young said he once had his trap run over while ice fishing on Moosehead Lake, but said the driver stopped and gave him money and an apology.
However, he said some ice fishermen will drill holes in areas snowmobiles are already using. Young said ice fishermen will use the trails carved out by snow machines to walk on and some will set up a trap next to the trail.
“These are areas where snowmobilers are clearly going through,” he said.
Ice fishermen and snowmobilers come in close contact on many of the lakes in the Lakes Region. Many fishermen report little problem with the snowmobiles, but some are complaining that snowmobiles have little regard or respect for fishermen and their equipment. Send questions/comments to the editors.
