Pierce Pond is a 1,650-acre body of water located in Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine, just to the east of Flagstaff Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). I access it via Cobbs Camp Road (a rough and narrow – but drivable – gravel road) located off Carrying Place Road (a wide logging road) which splits off from Long Falls Dam Road. Beware that Cobbs Camp Road is gated and only open during daylight hours. Passage is free for guests staying at Cobbs Camp; day users pay a small fee to park and launch their boat at the dock in Lindsay Cove. Anglers can access the water for free at the northern tip of the lake via a rough boat launch.
Five of us are staying in this cabin at Cobbs Camps.
Pierce Pond and I have been friends for many years (click here, here, here, and here for examples). It is a natural gem, renown across New England for its crystal-clear cold waters and strong mayfly hatches around Memorial Day. The entire 19+ miles of lake shoreline are completely undeveloped, except for a handful of grandfathered cabins and two sports camps. The riparian vegetation along the whole shoreline is dense and intact. The surrounding watershed is managed by the Pierce Pond Watershed Trust to ensure that the land remains wild and undeveloped to protect the lake water quality. The local brook trout are native (i.e., not stocked) and robust. The typical trout measures from 12 to 20 inches; they are hard-fighting creatures that give it their all when hooked. The state annually provides a light stocking of landlocked salmon to supplement the strong natural reproduction that occurs each fall in several local streams that flow into the lake. The typical salmon measures from 14 to 21 inches. The general fishing laws for the North Zone apply at this location, except that a) the lake opens for spring fishing on May 1, b) only artificial lures are allowed, and c) the daily bag limit for brook trout is two fish, with a minimum length of 10 inches and only one keeper can exceed 12 inches. Click here for a depth map and additional fisheries information.
This first salmoin bit right at the start of the “Golden Hour”! It’s barely light out there.
The fishing over the last four days has sucked… It did not rain, but the wind has been brutal. As a result, mayfly hatching is suppressed, and I observe little to no surface activity by trout and salmon feeding on flies. That situation is quite frustrating since the main reason for coming to Pierce Pond this time of year is to catch salmonids on dry flies. I have not landed one fish yet, and I feel discouraged. Nonetheless, I crawl out of bed at 4 am and am joined by my nephew Salvy for early morning trolling. It is still mostly dark outside, but we want to fish the “Golden Hour” when light levels are low and the fish are actively chasing smelt before the harsh light of the rising sun dampens their feeding efforts. We dress like it is winter and put-put away 20 minutes later, eager for some action. The air temperature is a chilly 36°F, which is low considering that the summer solstice is only three weeks away. Luckily, it is wind still and therefore bearable. We both use a down rigger and lead core line, which makes for cluttered fishing in my 14-ft boat. Based on several bites recorded while trolling during the last few days, we deploy our lures (i.e., 2-inch smelt-imitating Mooselook spoons, and single-hook smelt-imitating Parson Toms streamer flies) at 5 ft. and 10 ft. below the surface over water 20 to 30 ft. deep along the shoreline. The water temperature is 53°F which is about normal for this time of the year.
Another salmon falls for my lures this morning.
I get a hit and hookup on my downrigger line within 10 minutes. Finally! The fish is a 16 inch salmon which jumps several times out of the water while trying to free itself. It gets netted, photographed and released. By the way, fighting a fish while trolling with four lines in a small boat requires careful line management to avoid nasty entanglements. After hooking the fish, I turn off the engine and let my lead core line sink to the bottom while Sal frantically retrieves his two lines to get them out of the way of the struggling fish. We are energized by this first catch. We troll for another 30 minutes before I get a vicious hit and an instant hookup on the lead core line. Yes! I am pumped, tussling with another hard-fighting salmon. It too gets photographed and released to fight another day. I am hoping that Salvy gets into the action soon, but the fish gods only have eyes on me because I hook and land a little brookie an hour or so later. We return to camp at 7 am to rejoin the others for breakfast. Although Salvy is skunked this morning, our time together chatting and swapping stories is invaluable, and more than makes up for the lack of action at his end.
My successful morning fishing gets capped off by this gorgeous native brookie. What a treat!
The results: I caught two salmon (largest = 16 inches) and one small brook trout in three hours of early-morning trolling.
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Tight Lines, y’all.
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