Hobbies And Interests
Game Fish
Hermon Pond's game fish species include brook trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, chain pickerel and rainbow smelt. Brook trout occur in 69 percent of Maine's surveyed lakes, making them the state's most widely distributed fish. As they're traditionally a cool-water fish, brook trout have been stocked in Hermon Pond since 1989. Two black bass species, both introduced, occur in Hermon Pond: the smallmouth and largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass prefer deeper waters and are often found around downed logs and rocky locations. Largemouth bass, which are more rotund and flattened laterally, prefer weedy, shallow coves and backwaters. A member of the pike family, chain pickerel are colored in such a way as to resemble links of a chain. Their elongated jaws contain sharp teeth. Rainbow smelt, a popular winter game fish, are silvery, long and slender with a large, pointed mouth.
Panfish
Largely defined as fish that can fit in a frying pan, panfish species of Hermon Pond include pumpkinseed sunfish, black crappie, white perch and yellow perch. Pumpkinseed sunfish, one of only two sunfish species native to Maine, are considered the most widespread lake-dwelling fish in the northeastern United States. Smaller than most sunfish, the pumpkinseed is best characterized by a bright orange tip on the black gill flap. Pumpkinseeds inhabit the weedy shallows, where they feed primarily on snails as well as aquatic and burrowing insects. Black crappie, also called calico bass, have a deep and laterally compressed body. Native to Maine, yellow perch have a long body with distinguishing stripes down the back. They're shallow-water dwellers that often prefer soft or sandy bottoms with rooted underwater vegetation. White perch are actually not closely related to yellow perch but are rather a temperate bass. With a silver chunky body, these fish may be associated with excessive phytoplankton production or algal blooms.
Bottom-Feeders
Two species tend to feed exclusively on the bottom of Hermon Pond: the white sucker and the brown bullhead. The white sucker, also called the common sucker, is the second-most common fish in Maine lakes. As with other bottom-feeders, their mouth is on the bottom of their head. White suckers feed mostly at sunrise and sunset, eating both plant and animal material. The brown bullhead catfish, also called the hornpout, is native to Maine and one of the most common species in Maine lakes. Bullheads can grow to upward of thee pounds, making them highly desirable to trophy anglers. Like the common sucker, bullheads are omnivores, feeding primarily at night, using their whiskerlike barbels to find food.
Minnows and Topminnows
Members of the family Cyprinidae, or minnows, can inhabit both streams and lakes in Maine. Hermon Pond's species --- the golden shiner, common shiner, creek chub and fallfish --- are broadly distributed and relatively common. The golden shiner is deep-bodied with a small head. These golden-colored minnows prefer bottoms of sand, organic debris and aquatic vegetation. The common shiner is a deep-bodied olive-green with a noticeable purple or blue-gray stripe. One of the most common stream fish in central and eastern North America, the creek chub is a common baitfish that prefers deeper pools. Fallfish, which can get up to 18 inches, have a small barbel between their snout and lip, much like the creek chub. They prefer clear, gravelly pools. The banded killifish, a member of the family Fundulidae, is the only primarily freshwater killifish in the northeastern United States. Also called topminnows, but no relation to the minnow family, these elongated fish are also popular baitfish.
American Eel
Adult American eels reside in Hermon Pond. A catadromous species and the only one of their kind in North America, they spawn in salt water and live as adults in freshwater, directly opposite that of many salmon and shad species. The American eel has a long and slender body that appears scaleless but actually has tiny scales embedded in the skin. Unlike lampreys, they have pectoral fins but no pelvic fins. Due in part to habitat loss and overfishing, the species is in trouble, declining to record-low levels in the past two decades. In response, the Atlantic States Marine Commission petitioned the species for Endangered Species Act protection in 2004. This was denied, with commitments the United States Fish &Wildlife Service would continue to protect and restore the species.