Fishing for brook trout on Upper East Richardson Pond in Adamstown, Oxford County, Maine (September 26, 2020)

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You’ve driven about 1000 ft too far if you reach this gate.

 

Upper East Richardson Pond is a remote 85-acre body of water located off Route 16 in the “Upper Richardson – Maine Public Reserved Land Unit” of Adamstown Township in northern Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 E2). To access this pond from Route 16, drive north in the direction of Rangeley, turn right on Upper Dam Road located across from West Richardson Pond, stay on that dirt road for 0.8 miles, turn left on an unmarked dirt road (no need for a 4X4 vehicle) and drive for about a mile or so up to a gate on your left. The trail behind that gate leads to a cabin on the shore of the pond which appears to be used by a local rod and gun club. I do not see any no trespassing signs at the gate, but a kind person at the cabin informs me that the “public” access point is actually located down a short unmarked trail off the road about 1,000 ft before the gate (diagonally across from a small open clearing). The rough footpath from the road to the shore is less than 500 ft long.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (August 22, 2020)

 

The boat launch for our trip is located in the shadow of the historic “Two-Penny Foot Bridge” at the Head of Falls municipal park in Waterville. The dam is about 0.5 mile upstream to the left.

 

For today’s expedition, my grandson Geovani and I are fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River at the dam located upstream of the Ticonic Falls dam in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 [Waterville/Winslow] B2). This spot can only be accessed by putting in a canoe or kayak at the foot of the historic “Two-Cent Footbridge” (also known as the Ticonic Footbridge) located at the Head of Falls municipal park off Front Street in downtown Waterville Keep in mind that this launch is not accessible to trailered boats. The dam is about half a mile further upstream. I fished this spot last year and enjoyed the action and the setting. I hope to repeat that earlier experience today with my grandson.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (August 8, 2020)

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I caught this little guy by the tail. How does that even happen??

 

I am taking Geovani, my 11-year old grandson, out fishing this morning. I want to make sure that he catches plenty of scaly creatures to keep him interested and engaged. So, we are going to check out the smallmouth bass fishing on the Kennebec River in the shadow of the Shawmut Dam located in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 21 D3). I checked this location out last year and did well. I hope to emulate that success this time around. To reach this spot, drive north out of Fairfield on Route 201 (Skowhegan Road) and turn right on Kennebec Street. Drive all the way down towards the dam and power station located across the railroad tracks. A blue boat-launch sign will direct you to the right through an open yellow gate towards the water. Keep in mind that only canoes and kayaks can be launched from this spot due to the shallow water and strong current.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass in the Androscoggin River, Jay, Maine (August 1, 2020)

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The bite is slow and the bass are rather small, but Gwovani has a good time. Note the turbine house to the left, and the dam to the right.

The target of my fishing efforts today is the Androscoggin River flowing just below the Riley Dam Power Plant in Jay, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 E5). To reach the public access point to the river, drive north into Jay on Route 4/17 and then turn left on Route 140. Drive for exactly 3.2 miles on this road until you reach the unnamed turn-off to the put-in for Riley Dam. That location is clearly marked by a blue sign next to the road. Plenty of parking is available. Keep in mind that this put-in can only accommodate canoes or kayaks as it lacks an actual boat launch.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River, Durham, Maine (June 27, 2020)

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The water level is so low that launching a trailered boat becomes a challenge…

 

The lower two-thirds of the Androscoggin River flowing through Maine supports a tremendous smallmouth bass fishery (click here, here, here, here, and here for examples). We’ve come a long way since the 1960’s when this stretch of river was an abused and neglected stinking open sewer, contaminated by untreated papermill effluent and municipal sewage. Following the Androscoggin’s re-birth after the passage of the Clean Water Act in the early 1970’s, Maine’s people have discovered its tremendous recreational potential, turning the river into a regional paddling and angling destination. Residual contaminant levels in fish tissue greatly limits the number of smallmouth bass that are harvested annually. As a result, most recreational anglers practice catch-and-release, myself included, resulting in a robust bronzeback fishery. Keep in mind that this stretch of the river also contains serious northern pike. Although I am not specifically targeting these fish today, I have caught them in the past in this general location as an accidental “bycatch”, which is always fun.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, North Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 6, 2020)

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The put-in is just below the River Road bridge in downtown North Conway. I fish the large pool to the left. The municipal park is to the right, upstream of the bridge.

 

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in this river. I fished a different section of this waterbody two days ago, and I am eager to explore, and blog about, other sections.

 

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Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, Glen, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 4, 2020)

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in its waters. I fished this waterbody during our camping trip last year, and I’m ready to explore, and blog about, other sections.

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Fishing for brook trout on Cold Water Brook Pond in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (June 14, 2020)

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Parking is in front of the WMA sign off Route 99

 

Cold Water Brook Pond is a small 3-acre body of water located next to Route 99 (Webber Hill Road) in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 D5). The pond is embedded within the 1,756-acre Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Access to the pond is via a wide sandy road which starts at the WMA parking lot next to Route 99. This sandy road is gated because no motorized vehicles are allowed within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance, the sandy road, and the need to walk through a forest trail to reach the pond. Instead, I carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube. Unfortunately, I cannot give precise directions on how to get to the pond. At some point you will need to enter the woods down an unmarked trail in order to reach your destination. I used my phone’s GPS to keep me moving in the right direction without getting lost or disoriented. Before leaving for my trip, I also created a mental picture by visualizing the general location of the pond using Google Maps.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Spicer Pond in Shapleigh, York County, Maine (June 12, 2020)

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Spicer Pond is embedded within the Vernon S. Walker Wildlife Management Area. This sign is by the parking area.

 

Spicer Pond is an 11-acre body of water located off Route 11 (Shapleigh Corner Road) in North Shapleigh, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A2). The pond is embedded within the 5,617-acre Vernon S. Walker Wildlife Management Area (WMA) which sprawls over the towns of Newfield, Limerick, and Shapleigh. Access to the pond is via a wide and well-maintained ATV trail which starts at the WMA dirt parking lot off Route 11. The trail is gated such that no cars can drive within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance and the sandy trail, but instead carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube.

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Pierce Pond, Somerset County, Maine (May 25, 2020)

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I’m on my annual extended Memorial Day weekend fishing pilgrimage to Pierce Pond located in Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). Click here for a more detailed description of this water body. My son, nephew, and I are spending five days camping rough on one of the island camp sites on Upper Pond owned and operated by Cobbs Camp. Unfortunately, we won’t be staying at the Cobbs cabins on Lower Pond this year on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Catching landlocked Atlantic salmon on the dry fly is such a blast!

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