The state releases part of its trout brood stock every fall to create some real and unexpected excitement on the ice. In most cases, though, too few of these huge fish are present such that catching one of them falls into the category of plain-old luck. In a few select ponds, however, enough of these fish were released in the fall of 2014 that it would make sense to target them specifically.
For this blog, I define a “lunker trout” as measuring between 18” and 21”. Such a fish would weigh between 3.0 and 5.0 lbs depending on its size, which would make anyone’s ice fishing day! I also defined the minimum stocking density where it becomes worth targeting these fish as around 0.3 fish per acre of pond. This value represents the average stocking density for landlocked salmon throughout Maine.
The following ponds (presented in alphabetical order) met the two criteria outlined above (i.e., fish size range and minimum stocking density). No other ponds in the State of Maine offer better odds of catching the fish of a lifetime during the 2015 ice fishing season than those listed below. It is recommended to consult the latest law book (click here) about special ice fishing rules that may apply on these ponds.
Also, use the website linked to this blog to discover how many trout and salmon are released per acre in the spring and fall in all the 600+ stocked ponds and lakes throughout Maine.
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Crystal Pond (a.k.a. Beals Pond) covers 47 acres and is located next to Route 4 in Turner, Androscoggin County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 20 brown trout measuring 18”, which yields about 0.4 lunker trout per acre.
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Dutton Pond covers 36 acres and is located alongside Dutton Pond Road off Route 137 in the town of Knox, Waldo County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 14 A3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 30 brook trout measuring 20”, which yields about 0.8 lunker trout per acre.
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Halls Pond covers 52 acres and is located next to Halls Pond Road in Paris, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 D2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 50 brown trout measuring 18”, which yields about 1 lunker trout per acre.
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Levenseller Pond covers 34 acres and is located next to Route 173 in Searsmont, Waldo County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 14 C3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 30 brook trout measuring 20”, which yields about 0.9 lunker trout per acre.
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Lower Hadlock Pond covers 39 acres and is located off Routes 3 and 198 in Mount Desert, Hancock County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 20 brook trout measuring 20”, which yields about 0.5 lunker trout per acre.
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Middle Oxhead Pond covers 38 acres and is located in T40 MD, Hancock County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 34 C4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 20 brook trout measuring 18”, which yields about 0.5 lunker trout per acre.
Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at these locations.
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