Category Archives: Freshwater

Fishing for brook trout on Garland Pond in Sebec and Dover Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine (August 10, 2025)

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Garland Pond is a 28-acre body of water located in Sebec and Dover Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 32 B2). To reach this pond, drive on Milo Road (Routes 6 and 16), turn on Parsons Landing Road towards Sebec Lake, and look for Garland Pond Road on the right. That road provides access to the southern shore of the pond but is private. Instead, the public access point (which is not shown on The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer) is found at the end of an unnamed dirt road that begins just 15 ft. passed Garland Pond Road and goes towards the western end of the pond. Plenty of parking is available by the launch.

 

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on South Pond in Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (August 6, 2025)

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The official boat launch requires navigating through Round Pond before reaching South Pond.

 

South Pond is a 284-acre body of water located in Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B4). This pond is part of a cluster of lakes bunched together in this area and which I have fished for salmonids in the past (click here, here, here, and here). The public boat ramp, called the Mike Giunta memorial boat launch, is located by Howe Hill Road off Route 26 (Main Street) in Greenwood. I have to look for the place because it is not clearly indicated, either on Route 26 or Howe Hill Road. The hard-topped ramp is narrow, steep, and next to deep water. Plenty of parking is available. I found it challenging to retrieve my boat at the end of today’s trip because I had to place the trailer mostly out of the deep water and on the steep launch. It took a lot of arm juice to manually crank my boat up unto its trailer… Access to South Pond from this location is tricky. With the ramp in your back, navigate to the upper right-hand corner of the (unnamed) water body and pass underneath the railroad tracks. From there, navigate to the left through Round Pond until you enter South Pond through a wide but shallow passage. I was disoriented and got lost while motoring through Round Pond and its multiple islands and shallow weedy areas. I used the GPS on my phone to get me out of the maze… It takes about 15 minutes of no-wake boating to reach my destination from the boat ramp. While trolling, I noticed a small beach at the southwestern end of South Pond next to Greenwood Road. I checked it out at the end of this trip and found a small, dirt boat launch next to the beach. This launch is not shown on The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. A large sign states that the beach is for use by local residents only. I do not know if this restriction also applies to the launch next to it… Plenty of parking is available across the road from this launch.

 

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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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Ice fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass on Raymond Pond, Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (March 1, 2025)

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The conditions are perfect this morning: temps in the 40’s, overcast, and a couple of inches of snow on top of 18 inches of ice.

 

Raymond Pond is a 346-acre body of water located in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). This pond does not have a recognized public access. I reach the ice this morning through the shoreline property of a friend. An unimproved and unmarked boat ramp exists off Raymond Hill Road on Swans Road as it crosses over towards a large island on the eastern shore. But the several prominent “no trespassing” and “private road” signs by the entrance of Swans Road indicate that this road is closed to the general public.

 

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