Maine Wildlife Officials Offer $6K Reward For Info About Bass

Maine's Operation Game Thief is offering a $6,000 reward for information about largemouth bass found illegally in a lake.

Maine Lake Has a Unique Combination of Fish That Rarely Occurs On Its Own

West Musquash Lake, in Washington County, supports a wild brook trout, wild lake trout, and wild landlocked salmon fishery. It's also one of the last bodies of water in the state with a population for round whitefish.

READ MORE: Things That Happen When a Mainer Fishes for the 1st Time

It's one of the only lakes in the region that has all of these fisheries without an active stocking program.

West Musquash Lake encompasses over 1,600-acres, has little to no development, and has only four small camps located near the main boat access point on the eastern end of the lake. It's so remote, it is a 4 to 5-mile drive on dirt roads to access the lake from either end.

Maine Officials Say Largemouth Bass Pose a Threat to the Delicate Ecosystem

So it caused great concern when fisheries biologists from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife confirmed the presence of largemouth bass in West Musquash.

Once the biologists confirmed that there were no largemouth bass in Orie Lake, which feeds in West Musquash, and natural barriers preventing upstream passage of bass into the Lake, they determined the bass were introduced illegally.

Maine Wildlife Groups Offer a $6,000 Reward for Info About the Illegal Bass

Now, the Grand Lake Stream Guides Association and Operation Game Thief are offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally introducing the species into the waterway.

Anyone with Information regarding this wildlife crime is encouraged to contact the Maine Warden Service or Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US.