Clearwater Lake open to taking of smelts

It’s not in the law book, but Clearwater Lake in Industry has been open to the taking of smelts with dipnets this spring.

The law applies only to the lake itself, and not to any of its tributaries. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s advisory council responded to a petition from people in the area and made the change.

Clearwater was originally closed to the taking of smelts with nets.

According to local fisheries biologist Forrest Bonney, the lake was closed to smelting in 1996 — when the privilege was abused and the landscape was hurt by littering and vandalism.

“Smelters will have to be on their good behavior to assure that it isn’t closed again,” Bonney said. “We suggest that smelters access the smelting sites, off the mouths of brooks, by boat if possible.”

General smelting laws allow anglers to keep only two quarts of smelts per day per person, with no minimum size restriction on the species. A “day,” for the purpose of enforcing bag limits, runs from noon until 11:59 a.m. the following day.