Category Archives: Salmon and Trout

Fishing for brown trout on Square Pond in Acton and Shapleigh, York County, Maine (September 2, 2023)

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The boat launch for Square Pond is spacious. Note the large culvert under West Shore Road at the right edge of this photo.

 

Square Pond is a 910-acre body of water located in the towns of Acton and Shapleigh, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B2). The public access point is located along the western shore of the pond, off West Shore Road. The entrance to the public launch is clearly marked by a blue sign by the road. However, beware that the launch does not face the pond, but is located by its outlet across the road. Boaters need to navigate through a large and wide culvert underneath West Shore Road to reach the pond itself. The boat launch is spacious, has a huge parking area, and provides a convenient porter potty during the warm season.

 

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Fishing for brown trout on Worthley Pond in Peru, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 12, 2023)

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Worthley Pond is a 354-acre body of water located in Peru, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A3). The public access point is located on East Shore Road and is clearly indicated by a blue boat launch sign. This well-maintained hardtop launch is spacious and offers plenty of parking spaces. It also provides a convenient porter potty during open-water season.

 

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (August 7, 2023)

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I feel so alive when contemplating a view such as this one!

 

Little Sebago Lake covers 1,898 acres and is located in Windham and Gray, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). To reach the public boat launch, drive north through downtown Windham on Route 302 (Roosevelt Trail) in the direction of Raymond, turn right on Anglers Way at the light by Bob’s Seafood restaurant and Franco’s Bistro, drive past Pettingill Pond, and just follow the blue boat launch signs. The distance between Route 302 and your destination is exactly 1.3 miles. The hard-top boat launch is spacious and has plenty of parking. It also offers a convenient porta potty.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Grassy Pond in Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine (August 2, 2023)

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The trail to Grassy Pond is easy and pretty.

 

My 16-year-old nephew Matt flew in from away to spend time in Maine learning how to fish. He expressed an interest in catching native brook trout after hearing some of my tall tales on the subject. But where can a novice angler go to catch native brookies in early August?? I need to find a place where a) the water temperature stays cool enough in the summer to draw trout to the surface, b) these trout can be caught using artificial lures (not fly fishing), and c) proper lure presentation is optional (not stream fishing). I settle on Grassy Pond in Baxter State Park (BSP). This 26-acre water body is found right off the Appalachian Trail about 1 mile south of the Katahdin Stream campground off the Park Tote Road (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 50 D4). Access is via a well-marked trail that starts at the parking area on the Tote Road. It takes about 20 minutes of easy walking to reach this destination. Note that the pond does not fall under the “special fishing laws”, meaning that it can be fished under the “general fishing laws” which are less restrictive.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on remote ponds in Southern Oxford County

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I admit to having a real soft spot for southern Oxford County, which I define here as the area located south of the Androscoggin River between Gilead and Livermore Falls and north of a line running between Oxford, Harrison, and Freyburg (i.e., essentially maps 10 and 11 in the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer between NH and the border with Androscoggin County). I have crisscrossed that entire sector of the state for well over a decade seeking isolated trout ponds and have always been amazed by its inherent beauty and remote character.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Cushman Pond in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (June 19, 2023)

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It takes less than 15 minutes to walk from the first gate to Cushman Pond. Fortunately, the trail is well maintained and I can use my canoe wheels to bring in all the gear in one go.

 

Cushman Pond covers 15 acres and is found in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 B3). To reach the pond, turn onto Bradeen Road from Bonney Road. Drive down Bradeen Road, which is a well-maintained gravel road, for 1.6 miles and turn left into an unnamed gated road (look for a wooden arrow with the number 346 nailed against a tree). Park by the locked gate and walk down the straight and well-maintained forest road to a second locked gate. Pass that gate and continue walking straight for less than 2 minutes, up a steep incline in the road, and look for a wide trail through the woods on the right. Walk down that trail for less than 5 minutes to reach the pond. The walk is about half a mile long and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Keep in mind that you will also end up at the pond but trespassing by someone’s cabin if you do not turn right into the woods trail after the steep incline.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Little Concord Pond in Woodstock, Oxford County, Maine (June 11, 2023)

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The 3/4-mile foot trail leading to Little Concord Pond starts behind this kiosk.

 

Little Concord Pond covers 30 acres and is located in Woodstock, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11A1). To reach the pond, drive down Shagg Pond Road (note: the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer calls it Redding Road), pass the unimproved boat launch on Shagg Pond, and drive another 0.5 miles until you reach a small parking lot across from the wooden kiosk announcing Little Concord Pond State Park. The pond is another ¾ mile walk from the parking lot down an old closed-off tote road. While the first half of that trail is nice and smooth, the second half is bouldery and steep. As a result, anglers cannot use canoe wheels but must instead carry their craft on their backs. The launch by the pond is not immediately obvious. Fallen trees, floating logs, and aquatic bushes obstruct the area where the trail meets the pond. Instead, a discrete but steep foot trail along the shore to the left crosses over a small rocky knoll before reaching the actual launch which is surrounded by a dozen locked canoes.

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Fishing for brook trout on Abbott Pond in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (June 10, 2023)

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You have reached your destination!

 

Abbott Pond covers 24 acres and is located in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A1). Access to this pond is a challenge but well worth the effort! From Greenwoods Road in Sumner, turn onto Black Mountain Road (note: the Maine Gazetteer shows that Black Mountain Road splits off from Redding Road, but the road sign by Greenwoods Road reads Black Mountain Road… That confused the heck out of me). Black Mountain Road is paved at first but quickly turns into a gravel road and then into an ATV trail which is very rough in places. You will require a 4X4 vehicle or an ATV to make it all the way. Stay on the main stem of Black Mountain Road for 4.7 miles until you hit a “T” in the road, turn right and drive for 0.4 miles until you hit a “Y” in the road (look for the snowmobile club panel), then turn left and drive for another 0.7 miles until you see the yellow-painted metal gate to Abbott Pond on your right. The pond is an easy 5-minute walk down a good trail from that gate. Do NOT drive down Abbott Pond Road off Redding Road because it quickly transforms into a nasty ATV trail which crosses a small bridge that cannot accommodate larger vehicles, as I found out the hard way…

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Split Rock Pond in Bowtown Township, Somerset County, Maine (May 28, 2023)

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Split Rock Pond earned its name for the reason pointed out by Antony.

 

Split Rock Pond covers 6 acres and is found in Bowtown Township in Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). Five of us are spending four fabulous days during the long Memorial Day weekend fishing Pierce Pond for landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout, as well as some of the smaller water bodies in the surrounding watershed for brook trout. We are comfortably “glamping” in one of the cozy cabins at Cobb’s Pierce Pond Camp located on the shore of the lower basin of Pierce Pond. A critical benefit of staying at Cobb’s is that guests get access to the camp’s locked canoes that are stored by various local ponds, plus detailed directions on the trailheads that connect Pierce Pond to those water bodies. Our target pond for this morning is publicly accessible from land, although I do not know how to reach it via the old logging roads shown on map 30 A2.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Pierce Pond, Somerset County, Maine (May 27, 2023)

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One of my sons, two grandsons, a nephew and I are on our annual extended Memorial Day weekend fishing pilgrimage to Pierce Pond, located in the undeveloped wilds of western Maine in Somerset County, just east of Flagstaff Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). We are staying for four days in one of the cozy cabins at Cobb’s Camps located in Lower Pond across from Lindsey Cove. One of the many aspects I love about staying at Cobb’s – besides the camaraderie among the guests who have been gathering at this place for decades, the good food, the friendly staff, and the authentic atmosphere – is the fact that reaching camp requires a boat. Also, the lack of electronic connections to the outside world allows everyone to unplug, slow down, and focus entirely on the business at hand, which is to catch salmonids!

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