Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 8 : Spring 2011

Fort Kent International Muskie Derby by Dave Kelso Forty years ago if someone had predicted Fort Kent would be host to a muskie derby, not many people would have believed it. 2011 marks the 8th year for the Fort Kent International Muskie Derby. The St John River, its branches and tributaries were once known as a native brook trout fishery. Anglers from all across the country came into the North Maine Woods to fish for the native trout. Today, that has all changed because of muskie, also known as muskellunge. Muskie were introduced to the St. John Watershed by the Quebec Government. Muskie were stocked in Lac Frontier, Quebec near the Maine and Quebec border around 1980. The muskie were stocked at the request of local hotel and campground owners on the lake that wanted a fish their summer guests could catch rather than the native brook trout. This is the headwaters for the Northwest Branch of the St. John River. It was believed that muskie were a sedentary fish and would not travel far or leave the lake. The Quebec Fish and Wildlife Department never consulted with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wi

Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 8 : Spring 2011 | Page 17