Category Archives: Fishing Tips

TOP brook trout ponds for the 2017 ice fishing season in Androscoggin County, Maine

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The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2017 ice fishing season in Androscoggin County are highlighted below (in alphabetical order). A pond is considered “top” based on its stocking density. Simply put, the more trout are packed per acre, the higher the chances of catching them through the ice!

For the purpose of this blog, I’ll define a brook trout pond as a body of water with a surface area of less than 100 acres which is stocked in the fall with hatchery-reared brook trout to support ice fishing. These ponds tend to freeze over early in the season and are typically safe to fish well before the bigger lakes become accessible. This provides early-action opportunities for those of us (myself included!) who just can’t wait to get the hard-water fishing season going. Click here for tips to increase your chances of catching more brookies through the ice.

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Six tips to catch more smallmouth bass in rivers

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River smallmouth bass have predictable habits and behaviors which, if known and understood by the angler, can increase the odds of caching more of these magnificent fighters. Smallmouth bass are not unlike humans: they want to gain maximum benefits with the least amount of effort in the most comfortable way possible. Hence, learning to properly “read” a river in order to locate the places where bass like to congregate will yield more fish.

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Trolling for brook trout on ponds and lakes: 14 tips to increase your catch

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Brook trout are beautiful creatures!!

 

Brook trout are, by far, the most-popular salmonids caught in Maine waters. Many approaches are available to catch these beautiful fish during the open-water season, such as spinner fishing, worm fishing, or fly fishing. Trolling is an additional and highly-efficient way to target brookies on ponds and lakes because it, by definition, is an active approach that covers a lot of water in a relatively short amount of time. I highlight below 14 tips to increase your odds of catching more brook trout using this technique. The information is derived from my own personal experiences of trolling for brook trout in Maine waters over many years. Keep in mind that the general principles presented below are universal and will apply wherever this beautiful creature makes its home.

 

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The TOP trout fishing ponds for the spring of 2016 in southern New Jersey

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This blog identifies the ponds in southern New Jersey that provide the best odds of catching trout during the spring of 2016. For the purpose of this blog, southern New Jersey covers Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Glouchester, Ocean, and Salem counties. The fishing action on these bodies of water can be fast and furious in the spring. Trout activity typically peaks for three or four weeks between mid-April and mid-May, after which the bite slows down due to rising surface water temperatures.
A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: everything being equal, the more trout that are stocked per acre of water, the greater the chances of catching those fish!!
Click here for driving directions to these choice fishing spots. Click here for details on actual stocking days. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing regulations that may apply.
The TOP trout ponds for this spring in southern New Jersey are listed below in alphabetical order:

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The TOP trout ponds for the spring of 2016 in Central New Jersey

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This blog identifies the ponds in central New Jersey that provide the best odds of catching trout during the spring of 2016. For the purpose of this blog, central New Jersey covers Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties. The fishing action on these bodies of water can be fast and furious in the spring. Trout activity typically peaks for three or four weeks between mid-April and mid-May, after which the bite slows down due to rising surface water temperatures.
A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: everything else being equal, the more trout that are stocked per acre of water, the greater the chances of catching those fish!!
Click here for driving directions to these choice fishing spots. Click here for details on actual stocking days. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing regulations that may apply.
The hottest trout ponds for this spring in central New Jersey are listed below in alphabetical order:

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The TOP trout ponds for the spring of 2016 in Northeastern New Jersey

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This blog identifies the ponds in northeastern New Jersey that provide the best odds of catching trout during the spring of 2016. For the purpose of this blog, northeastern New Jersey covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. The fishing action on these bodies of water can be fast and furious in the spring. Trout activity typically peaks for three or four weeks between mid-April and mid-May, after which the bite slows down due to rising surface water temperatures.
A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: everything else being equal, the more trout that are stocked per acre of water, the greater the chances of catching those fish!!
Click here for driving directions to these choice fishing spots. Click here for details on actual stocking days. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing regulations that may apply.
The TOP trout ponds for this spring in northeastern New Jersey are listed below in alphabetical order:
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The TOP trout ponds for spring 2016 in northwestern New Jersey

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This blog identifies the TOP ponds in northwestern New Jersey that provide the best odds of catching trout during the spring of 2016. For the purpose of this blog, northwestern New Jersey covers Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties. The fishing action on these bodies of water can be fast and furious in the spring. Trout activity typically peaks for three or four weeks between mid-April and mid-May, after which the bite slows down due to rising surface water temperatures.
A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: everything else being equal, the more trout that are stocked per acre of water, the greater the chances of catching those fish!!
Click here for driving directions to these choice fishing spots. Click here for details on actual stocking days. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing regulations that may apply.The TOP trout ponds for this spring in northwestern New Jersey are listed below in alphabetical order:

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TOP Brook Trout Ponds for the spring of 2016 in Washington County, Maine

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This blog identifies the TOP ponds in Washington County, Maine that provide the best odds of catching brook trout during the spring of 2016. A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: after all, everything else being equal, the more brook trout that are stocked per acre of pond, the greater the chances of catching those fish! Most of these ponds cover less than 50 acres and are therefore relatively small. Trout activity typically peaks between late April and early June, after which the fishing slows down in response to rising surface water temperatures.
All of the ponds discussed below are closed to ice fishing. Most were stocked last fall, whereas a few were also stocked in the spring. Fish that were released last fall will therefore have had 7 to 8 months to fatten up a bit. More details are provided in the stocking reports compiled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Click here to consult the latest law book about special fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. Note that the list of TOP brook trout ponds excludes “kids only” ponds.
The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2016 spring fishing season in Washington County are listed below in alphabetical order:
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TOP Brook Trout Ponds for the 2016 Spring Fishing Season in Somerset County, Maine

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This blog identifies the TOP ponds in Somerset County, Maine that provide the best odds of catching brook trout during the spring of 2016. A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: after all, everything else being equal, the more brook trout that are stocked per acre of pond, the greater the chances of catching those fish! Most of these ponds cover less than 50 acres and are therefore relatively small. Trout activity typically peaks between late April and early June, after which the fishing slows down in response to rising surface water temperatures. All of the ponds described below were stocked last fall but were closed to ice fishing. The stocked trout were all relatively small but had 7 to 8 months to fatten up a bit. More details are provided in the stocking reports compiled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. Note that the list of TOP brook trout ponds excludes “kids only” ponds.
The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2016 spring fishing season in Somerset County are listed below in alphabetical order:

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TOP Brook Trout Ponds for the 2016 Spring Fishing Season in Piscataquis County, Maine

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This blog identifies the TOP ponds in Piscataquis County, Maine that provide the best odds of catching brook trout during the spring of 2016. A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: after all, everything else being equal, the more brook trout that are stocked per acre of pond, the greater the chances of catching those fish! Most of these ponds cover less than 50 acres and are therefore relatively small. Trout activity typically peaks between late April and early June, after which the fishing slows down in response to rising surface water temperatures.
Most of these ponds were stocked last fall but were closed to ice fishing. As a result, their trout will have had another 7 or 8 months to put on some weight. The rest are stocked once or several times in the spring. More details are provided in the stocking reports compiled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Click here to consult the latest law book about special fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. Note that the list of TOP brook trout ponds excludes “kids only” ponds.
The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2016 spring fishing season in Piscataquis County are as follows:
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