Category Archives: Open Water Fishing

Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Parker Pond in Fayette, Kennebec County, Maine (August 3, 2025)

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View of the boat launch. This picture does not do justice to the steepness of the short boat ramp!

 

Parker Pond covers1,524 acres and is located in Fayette, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 A2). The public access point, which is not shown in the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, is located in the far northeastern corner of the lake, off Tower Road. This launch is horrible: narrow, short, very steep, and consisting of half asphalt-half flat boulders. It is clear from the numerous scratches in the asphalt that lots of trailers have been scraped going down and coming up the ramp. The water by the launch is also shallow, requiring to back up a little ways into the lake before the boat can float off the trailer. I would be cautious launching at this location without a four-wheel drive vehicle because it may be difficult to pull the boat out of the water and up the steep incline without the extra assist. Fortunately, Tower Road is only lightly traveled, which allows one to maneuver properly to get the boat in and out.

 

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Pennesseewassee Lake in Norway, Oxford County, Maine (July 15, 2025)

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The boat launch is spacious, and plenty of parking is available nearby.

 

Pennesseewassee Lake covers 922 acres and is located in Norway, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 D1). Access is through a high-quality public boat launch off Route 118. Coming in from Harrison, drive north on Route 117 all the way to the lake. Turn left at the stop sign on Route 118, go for 0.3 miles, and then turn right at the blue boat launch sign. The launch itself is spacious, and the nearby parking area can accommodate many vehicles.

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Fishing for brook trout on Nubble Pond in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (June 4, 2025)

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Look for the Kinsley Pines Camp sign next to Coughlan Cove Road. The foot path up to Nubble Pond starts on the other side of Plains Road.

 

Nubble Pond covers 23 acres and is located in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). To reach this destination, drive down Meadow Road (Route 121), turn onto Plains Road, and drive for 1.0 mile to the red-and-white Kingsley Pines Camp sign next to Coughlan Cove Road. The wide foot trail to the pond starts by large blocking boulders on the opposite side of the road from that sign and runs parallel to the pond’s outlet. It takes about 5 minutes walking (one-way) to reach the put-in at the southern tip of the pond. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location. Plenty of parking is available along the shoulder on Plains Road.

 

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Pierce Pond in Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (May 22, 2025)

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The morning is cold, breezy, and overcast. But the fish are biting!

 

Pierce Pond covers 1,650 acres and is located in Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). The main (paying) access to the pond is via the boat launch located on Lindsey Cove at the end of Cobb Camps Road off the Carrying Place Road. This sandy launch is unimproved but can accommodate large, trailered craft. Plenty of parking is available by the launch. Follow the discrete green “Cobbs Camps” signs which begin appearing at the point where Carrying Place Road splits off from Long Falls Dam Road. The dirt road between Long Falls Dam Road and Lindsey Cove is reasonably well maintained and can be used by regular two-wheel drive vehicles. Note that Cobb Camps Road is gated and that the gate attendant works between 7 am and 8 pm. An unofficial launch with two rough camp sites is also found at the northern tip of Upper Pierce Pond. I have not used this launch before nor do I know how to access it.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Bowler Pond in Palermo, Waldo County, Maine (May 16, 2025)

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View of the rough launch at the south end of Bowler Pond.

 

Bowler Pond (a.k.a. Belton Pond) is a 34-acre body of water located in Palermo, Waldo County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 13 A5). The public access is via a rough, unimproved launch found at the southern tip of the pond off Level Hill Road. Someone in the past spread a pile of small boulders on a limited section of the launch, presumably to fix muddy ruts. I was glad to have a four-wheel drive truck to pull my trailered boat out of the water and across these slippery rocks. Beware also that the water by the launch stays shallow for about 30 ft. offshore, which requires backing into the pond a ways to float the boat off the trailer. Of course, this is not an issue if fishing from a canoe or kayak. Parking is quite limited at this location; the narrow road shoulder can accommodate only a few cars. An alternative carry-in access point is found about a quarter mile passed the boat launch off Level Hill Road next to a small sandy parking area.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on Scraggly Lake, Pukakon Township, Penobscot County, Maine (May 7, 2025)

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View of the short and deep thoroughfare connecting Scraggly Lake to Junior Lake seen in the background.

 

Scraggly Lake is a 2,758-acre body of water located in Pukakon Township, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 35 A2). The Gazetteer shows an unimproved public boat launch on Hasty Cove off the Amazon Road along the eastern shore of the lake. I do not know the quality of this launch nor how drivable the Amazon Road is during mud season. Feel free to let us know via the comment section below. Instead, I gain access using the public launch on Bottle Lake (see map 35 A1) which connects to Junior Lake via a 1.5-mile-long shallow thoroughfare called Bottle Lake Stream. I then cross Junior Lake and enter Scraggly Lake via a short but deep and wide thoroughfare. The Bottle Lake launch is found at the end of a paved road and remains fully accessible even during the worst of mud season in April and early May when the surrounding gravel roads may be impassable. Duck Lake (see map 45 E1) also has a boat launch which connects to Junior Lake via a 0.3-mile-long unnamed thoroughfare. I have not used this launch before but have motored up from Junior Lake into Duck Lake in early May without a problem. The shallow and bouldery thoroughfares from Bottle Lake and Duck Lake can easily accommodate motorized craft in early spring when water levels are high. However, beware that passage gets trickier later in the year when the water levels drop.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on Junior Lake, Lakeville, Penobscot County, Maine (May 5, 2025)

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The afternoon turns into a gorgeous and warm experience.

 

Junior Lake is a 3,866-acre body of water located in Lakeville and Pukakon Township, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 35 A1). This lake does not have a public boat launch. Instead, access is via two launches found on nearby Bottle Lake (see map 35 A1) and Duck Lake (see map 45 E1). The former is connected to Junior Lake via a 1.5-mile-long thoroughfare called Bottle Lake Stream. The latter is connected to Junior Lake via a 0.3-mile-long unnamed thoroughfare. I have used the Bottle Lake launch and not the other but have motored up from Junior Lake into Duck Lake without a problem. The Bottle Lake launch is located at the end of a paved road and is easily accessible even during the worst of mud season in late April and early May when the surrounding gravel roads may be impassable. The shallow and bouldery thoroughfares can easily accommodate motorized craft in early spring when water levels are high. However, beware that passage with an engine gets trickier later in the year when the water levels drop.

 

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Fishing for brook trout in Biscay Pond, Bremen, Lincoln County, Maine (November 2, 2024)

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It is a cold and windy day but the trout are biting.

 

Biscay Pond is a 377-acre body of water located in Bremen, Lincoln County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 A4). To reach this location, drive on Route 1 (Main Street) north in Damariscotta, turn right on Biscay Road and drive for about 3 miles down that road. The public access point will appear on your right. It consists of an unimproved boat launch found by a small sandy beach at the northern tip of the pond. Several vehicles can be parked off the road by the launch.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout on Kennebunk Pond, Lyman, York County, Maine (October 26, 2024)

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View of Kennebunk Pond from the launch area.

 

Kennebunk Pond is a 224-acre body of water located in Lyman, York County, Maine (see The Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). To reach this location, from Route 111 (Alfred Road), turn into Kennebunk Pond Road and drive for less than two miles. The unimproved boat launch at the eastern tip of the pond will appear to your left. This launch is associated with a small sandy beach. A spacious municipal parking lot is located across the road from the launch.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Worthley Pond in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (October 19, 2024)

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The public launch at the northern end of Worthley Pond only allows for hand-carried craft.

 

Worthley Pond is a 42-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). To reach the public access point from Route 26, turn onto Route 122 towards Auburn, drive for 1.4 miles passed the signage for Range Pond State Park, and turn right on Worthley Pond Road. Drive down that road for 0.2 miles; it is rough in spots but drivable all the way with a regular car. The access to the pond is on the left. Beware that The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer – at least my 2019 version – shows that the launch can accommodate trailed boats. That was true in the past but is no longer the case. The access has been obstructed for years by two large cement blocks so that only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.

 

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