Category Archives: Freshwater

Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Bryant Pond in Woodstock, Oxford County, Maine (August 16, 2024)

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The boat launch by the outlet is hard-topped and provides plenty of parking.

 

Bryant Pond (a.k.a. Christopher Pond) is a 278-acre body of water located in Woodstock and Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B5). To access this pond, drive on Route 26 and turn off on Old County Road. Drive for about 1 mile before turning left on Rowe Hill Road. The public access point will be immediately to your right and is clearly marked with a blue sign. It is located in a small municipal park next to the pond’s outlet. The boat launch is hard-topped and provides plenty of parking area.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 5, 2024)

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Greg’s very first fish ever! He won’t forget this moment anytime soon.

 

Greg, my 11-year-old great nephew, is visiting us from far, far away. He is a city kid who has never held a rod in his hands before. He has asked me five times over the last two days if I can go fishing with him… Where should one bring a child who has no clue how to cast a lure, has a 5-minute attention span, and absolutely needs to feel a scaly creature on the other end of the line? One of those winning spots is the Androscoggin River below the hydroelectric dam in Lisbon Falls. I have visited that location in summers’ past to catch smallmouth bass and did well (see here and here for examples). The public access is found about 1 mile south of downtown Lisbon Falls on Route 196 (Lewiston Road) and is called the Pejepscot boat ramp (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 6 B2). This hard-topped launch is spacious and offers unlimited parking.

 

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Fishing for brown trout on Stearns Pond in Sweden, Oxford County, Maine (August 2, 2024)

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The boat launch is unimproved but wide and provides lots of parking space.

 

Stearns Pond is a 255-acre body of water located in Sweden, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 E3). To access this pond, turn off Route 93 (Waterford Road) unto Hardscrabble Road. Drive for about 1 mile and turn left on Wint Road. Then drive for <0.2 miles before turning left on Town Landing Road. The unimproved boat launch is located at the end of this short gravel road. Plenty of parking is available next to the launch.

 

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Warren Pond in South Berwick, York County, Maine (July 27, 2024)

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The access point is unimproved. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.

 

Warren Pond is a 45-acre body of water located in South Berwick, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 1 A4). To access this pond, drive down Belle Marsh Road and look for the wooden bridge over Hoopers Brook. Next to that bridge, turn on Warren Pond Road which is posted as “private”. Proceed down this gravel road for 0.3 miles until it becomes an undrivable and bouldery forest trail. You will notice a discrete green sign stating that access to the pond is allowed via permissive trespass over private land. Park your vehicle on the side. The pond is a three-minute walk down the trail. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from the unimproved access point. All anglers should deeply respect these tentative arrangements over private land to ensure future access to this pond.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Durham, Androscoggin County, Maine (July 22, 2024)

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Shawn is the first one to catch bass this morning.

 

Shawn, an angler friend from away, would like to experience the awesome smallmouth bass fishing on the Androscoggin River. I decide to check out the conditions on the river in Durham where I have fished for bronzebacks in summers’ past and did well (see here and here for examples). The hard-top boat launch next to Route 136 (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A5) is spacious and offers unlimited parking.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Kennebec County, Maine (July 4, 2024)

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Follow this sign on Main Street to reach the boat launch.

 

My target today is the stretch of the Kennebec River flowing through Fairfield in Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 A3). This location is new to me, so I do not know what to expect. I “flew” over the area using Google Maps in preparation for this trip. The section below the boat launch seems to consist largely of a reservoir created by the dam located two miles further downstream. My initial interest is to fish below that dam because such a location typically provide good bass-holding habitat (click here, here, and here for examples) but neither the Gazetteer nor Google Maps show a way to put a boat in at or near that spot. Instead, viewed from above on Google Maps, I find what looks like promising fishing grounds between the Bridge Street bridge just above the Fairfield boat launch and the railroad bridge about a quarter mile further upstream. Access to this portion of the river is via a large hard-top boat launch located off Mill Street/Water Street in downtown Fairfield, across from the police station. The launch is part of a municipal park. It offers dozens of parking spaces, but – for some strange reason – not for vehicles with trailers (fundamental design flow!).

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass (and catfish?!) on the Kennebec River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (June 29, 2024)

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The hard-top launch is narrow but plenty of parking area is available. The deeper channel is located along the opposite shoreline.

 

My focus this afternoon is on a small section of the Kennebec River that flows below the confluence with the Sebasticook River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 D1). Access is via a hard-topped boat launch located on Water Street. To reach this location, drive down Water Street (which is a dead-end road) and look for the municipal baseball diamond. The entrance is right passed this field on the left. The launch is narrow but plenty of parking area is available.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Long Pond in Sullivan, Hancock County, Maine (June 8, 2024)

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Look for this trail sign next to pole 282 to turn off Pumpkinville Road towards the gate.

 

Long Pond is a 58-acre body of water located in Sullivan, Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 24 E4). From Route 1, turn on Pumpkinville Road next to Sumner Memorial High School, and drive for about 1.5 miles down that road (I forgot to measure the exact distance). The access point will be on your left, down an unmarked road. Look for an electrical pole at the turn-off with a dark blue sign and the number 282. Next to that pole is a discrete wooden sign for “Long Ledges Preserve” and “East Side Trail”. Drive down that road for a couple of 100 ft. until you reach a closed metal gate. Leave your vehicle parked by the gate and walk for 5 minutes down a well-maintained gravel road until you reach the pond. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from the access point which consists of flat slabs of rock.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Fox Pond in T10 SD, Hancock County, Maine (June 8, 2024)

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The public access point next to Route 182 consists of an unimproved sandy boat launch.

 

Fox Pond is a 77-acre body of water located in T10 SD, Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 24 D5). Its northern shoreline abuts Route 182 (Black Woods Road). The pond is just to the northwest of Tunk Lake. The public access consists of an unimproved dirt launch next to Route 182 at the northeastern tip of the pond. The launch can accommodate small, trailered boats. A few vehicles can be parked by the launch.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and brown trout on the Pleasant River in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (June 1, 2024)

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The first brookie of the afternoon.

 

The Pleasant River is a relatively short stream which originates in Gray and merges with the Presumpscot River near South Windham. The stretch I am targeting this afternoon flows upstream from the bridge on Windham Center Road in Windham (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). Other good fishing areas flow between Windham Center Road and the Pope Road bridge (behind the Windham high school), and the stretch downstream from Pope Road. It and I are ancient friends as I have been visiting these waters on and off for over 25 years. It is remarkable how few people have discovered this place, given its central location close to several large population centers in southern Maine. I do not remember ever bumping into more than 3 or 4 people during any one outing. In fact, I see no one else during today’s trip even though it is a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in late spring, which is prime time for trout fishing!

 

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