View of Kennebunk Pond from the launch area.
Kennebunk Pond is a 224-acre body of water located in Lyman, York County, Maine (see The Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). To reach this location, from Route 111 (Alfred Road), turn into Kennebunk Pond Road and drive for less than two miles. The unimproved boat launch at the eastern tip of the pond will appear to your left. This launch is associated with a small sandy beach. A spacious municipal parking lot is located across the road from the launch.
This first brookie tells me that I am fishing the right location. Note the launch and sandy beach in the background.
Kennebunk Pond is a heavily developed body of water located in central York County. It was stocked earlier in October in preparation for the upcoming ice fishing season. The water in front of the boat launch forms a small, shallow (< 5 ft. deep) embayment which allows for wading. Fall fishing at this location falls under the general fishing rules applicable to the south zone except that a) only artificial lures can be used between October 1 and December 31, and b) all salmonids must be released at once. Click here for a depth map and more (dated) fisheries information.
The bows are swimming amongst the brookies.
I arrive at the Kennebunk Pond boat launch at 9 am. The air temperature is in the mid-40’s and the sun is out, but a stiff cold breeze blows in from the northwest, generating a bit of a windchill. I successfully trolled this pond for salmonids in late fall about 8 years ago but have not been back since then. Today, I want to catch trout using my waders. Someone is fly fishing by the beach area but leaves before I have a chance to talk to him. I enter the water at 9:15 am armed with my ultralight fishing rod, small spinning reel spooled with 6-pound test monofilament, and a fabulous #2 Mepps spinner. I have cut off one of the three hooks from the treble and flattened the barb on one of the two remaining hooks to minimize harming the fish. I can either enter the water to the right or the left of the access point. The choice at this location is a no-brainer. To the right, the substrate for the first 75+ ft is soft and muddy. The bottom then changes to annoying cobbles and boulders which are a pain to walk on without slipping or stumbling. On the left side, the substrate is sandy, firm, and unobstructed, and gently slopes downwards. Those are ideal wading conditions which I have encountered here, here, here, here, and here. So, I go to the left and position myself in 3 ft. of water… I start casting my spinner towards the center of the embayment and catch a 12-inch brookie within the first five minutes. OMG, I love it: the fish are at their post, I do not have to go crazy looking for them, and they are eager to bite! Note that I slowly walk back towards the shoreline every time I catch a fish when wader fishing. The reason is that I do not want to spook any other trout that may be present in the same general area. Besides, I want to avoid dropping my phone in the water while taking pictures…
The #2 Mepps spinner creates its usual magic!
The angling action is steady over the next hour. I get multiple hits and land six more fish: four are 12-inch brookies and two are 14-inch bows. I am satisfied with the results, even though none of the fish were particularly big. I was also surprised by the presence of several other anglers. I typically see no one else when fall fishing. This morning, besides the fly fisherman mentioned earlier, one person launched his boat to go trolling, and two guys on a canoe returned from trolling. It sure looks like Kennebunk Pond has become a popular fall fishing destination for the local angling community!
The results: I caught four brook trout (largest = 12 inches) and three rainbow trout (largest = 14 inches) in 1 hour of fun fishing.
Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at this location.
Tight Lines, y’all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ><« ({(« º >
Wow – such epic fishing! Maybe try fishing a hatchery next time. When stockies are stressed and schooled up you should know better and leave them alone. Let em spread out a bit so it’s not….like…. shooting…. fish…. in… a… barrel.
Get ya net boys and let’s follow the stockin’ trucks!! Typical spin fisher right here in print.
Dear Ethical Angler,
Thanks for your opinion, although a less sarcastic comment would have been thoughtful. I also have more respect for people who have the integrity to sign their writing instead of hiding behind anonymity. The latter is hardly ethical.
Keep the following concepts in mind: a) unless otherwise noted in the Maine fishing laws, all ponds and lakes in southern and central Maine stocked with salmonids in the fall are open to fishing; b) only artificial lures can be used during that period (no restrictions on the artificials, unless specified), and c) all salmonids caught must be released unharmed. These are the rules which my fellow anglers and I follow to the letter.
Fall wader fishing in ponds and lakes comes with severe limitations. For example: a) except for the boat launches/public access points, most shorelines are privately owned or posted; hence, the public access is typically the same location used by the state for stocking; b) the amount of shoreline wading can be severely restricted by soft substrate, docks, overhanging bushes, fallen trees, boulders, water depth, aquatic vegetation, and other obstructions that limit movement, c) wading is safe only close to shore where the (very cold) water remains relatively shallow, and d) shorelines are forested and will easily limit other fishing methods (e.g., fly fishing).
What is not apparent from my blogs is how often I get skunked while wader fishing in the fall because I do not write when I catch nothing! Why do I not connect with the trout? Because they may have been scattered by motorboats, other anglers, or the loons and eagles that feed on them (I have seen the latter with my own eyes multiple times). Or the fish simply decide not to hang around the boat launch for reasons only they know. The idea that this type of angling is like “hatchery fishing” is way too simplistic and ignores the multiple variables that determine what those fish do and where they go.
So, what are the “ethics” of fishing for stocked trout using spinners? You and I look at this issue from different perspectives. And that is OK; we can disagree and be civil about it. It is a given that these farmed animals are unsophisticated and easily fooled. They remain naïve whether they bunch together or scatter about. I have experienced it too many times when fishing for those same fish through the ice two months later using live bait or jigs. However, in my mind, the idea that anglers that follow all the applicable rules – rules which you may not agree with – should wait an arbitrary amount of time (is it five days? 3 weeks? A month and a half?) after stocking or move, say, 500 ft from where trout are rising in the fall is illogical, counterproductive, and not supported by the applicable laws. However, no one will stop YOU if you feel compelled to follow your conscience… Just do not impose your viewpoint on other lawful anglers. Finally, spinner fishing is no more or less “ethical” than catching stocked salmonids in winter, spring, summer, and fall using other artificials such as flies, spoons, or jigs, all of which I have blogged about.
Tight lines, my friend!
Stan
http://www.amazingfishametric.com