Monthly Archives: December 2012

TOP 8 brook trout ponds for the 2013 ice fishing season in South Coastal Maine

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For the purpose of this blog, I’ll define a brook trout pond as a body of water less than 30 acres in size which is stocked in the fall with hatchery-reared brook trout to support icefishing. Such small ponds freeze over early in the season and are typically safe to fish several weeks before the bigger lakes become accessible. This provides a real opportunity for hot early-season action for those of us (myself included!) who just can’t wait to catch brookies through the ice.

Keep in mind, though, that these smaller ponds are typically managed as winter “put-and-take” fisheries. As a result, they get a lot of pressure early in the season and can be largely fished out within a few weeks. But by then the bigger lakes are frozen over and the action moves elsewhere.

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Top 9 brook trout ponds for the 2013 ice fishing season in Downeast Maine

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For the purpose of this blog, I’ll define a brook trout pond as a body of water less than 30 acres in size which is stocked in the fall with hatchery-reared brook trout to support icefishing. These small ponds freeze over early in the season and are typically safe to fish several weeks before the bigger lakes become accessible. This provides a real opportunity for hot early-season action for those of us (myself included!) who just can’t wait to catch brookies through the ice.

Keep in mind, though, that the state typically manages these smaller ponds as winter “put-and-take” fisheries. As a result, they get a lot of pressure early in the season and may be largely fished out within a few weeks. But by then the bigger lakes have frozen over and the ice fishing action moves elsewhere.

Downeast Maine covers Hancock and Washington counties. The TOP 9 brook trout ponds for the 2013 ice fishing season in this area are highlighted below (in alphabetical order). A pond is considered “top” based on its stocking density: the more trout are stocked per acre, the higher the chances of catching them. Always consult the latest law book about special ice fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. Note also that the list excludes “kids only” ponds.

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Trout fishing in stocked ponds in Baxter State Park

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Baxter State Park is the premier wilderness destination in northern Maine for hiking, fishing, and camping. The park is home to several dozen ponds that support healthy native brook trout populations (click here for details on an awesome trans Baxter State Park hiking and fishing trip). The State of Maine also stocks hatchery trout every year in seven designated ponds in the Park to improve the fishing experience. These ponds, and their trout stocking rates, are the subject of this blog.

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Lake trout fishing on Sebago Lake, Cumberland County, Maine (December 2, 2012)

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A cool, foggy, and drizzly morning on Sebago Lake

Sebago Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C1) is considered a prime landlocked salmon fishery in southern Maine. The state enhances the natural reproduction that occurs in its main tributary, the Crooked River, by stocking the lake with juvenile salmon annually in the spring. I arrive at East Sebago off Route 114 at 7:10 am to meet up with my son Joel. We are going to troll for landlocked salmon and lake trout above and around the sunken ridge that lays about 1.5 miles due east of East Sebago. This large structure, which rises from >100 ft deep and levels off about 35-40 ft below the surface of the water, is a well-known “fish attractor”. The morning is cool, foggy, and drizzly, which suits us just fine. The air temperature is in the low 30’s but there’s hardly any wind. We don’t see another soul on the lake. It looks like everyone else has stored their rods, even though there is still plenty of opportunity for open-water action even this late in the season… We select slender silver-and-blue DB Smelt spoons which have worked well for us on Sebago Lake in the past, and use downriggers to bring them to the right depth.

 

 

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