Parking is in front of the WMA sign off Route 99
Cold Water Brook Pond is a small 3-acre body of water located next to Route 99 (Webber Hill Road) in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 D5). The pond is embedded within the 1,756-acre Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Access to the pond is via a wide sandy road which starts at the WMA parking lot next to Route 99. This sandy road is gated because no motorized vehicles are allowed within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance, the sandy road, and the need to walk through a forest trail to reach the pond. Instead, I carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube. Unfortunately, I cannot give precise directions on how to get to the pond. At some point you will need to enter the woods down an unmarked trail in order to reach your destination. I used my phone’s GPS to keep me moving in the right direction without getting lost or disoriented. Before leaving for my trip, I also created a mental picture by visualizing the general location of the pond using Google Maps.
The pond is somewhere in the woodlot visible all the way in the background
Cold Water Brook Pond is one of four truly unique brook trout ponds in York County. According to the fish stocking records kept by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), this pond was last stocked with brook trout in 1967 (i.e., over half a century ago) but since then has supported a healthy self-sustaining population which is considered to be wild. As a result, the MDIFW has identified this little gem as a “State Heritage Fish Water”. That is reason enough for me to put in the extra effort to fish this unique location. Cold Water Brook Pond is a tiny impoundment of Cold Water Brook. The pond is aptly named because its surface water is noticeably cool to the touch. An active beaver dam across the outlet has turned what used to be no more than a puddle into an actual little pond. A depth map is not available. The fishing rules, which are strict given the pond’s unique designation, are as follows: general fishing laws for the South Zone apply, the pond is open to open-water fishing between April 1 and September 30 but closed to all fishing from October 1 to March 31, and only artificial lures can be used (i.e., no live bait, preserved baitfish, worms, or preserved fish eggs).
Access to the pond is at the beaver dam by the outlet
Keep in mind that the experience of fishing a State Heritage Fish Water is fundamentally different from fishing a stocked pond. If the state puts 13” brookies in a given water body then all the trout caught a few months later will – by definition – measure… 13”! But a small pond supporting a wild brook trout population suffers from “the Curse”, not the one associated with the Bambino, but with the Population Pyramid: any self-sustaining brook trout population will always have far more juveniles (say 4” to 7”) than larger fish (> 10”). Hence, even though the fishing can be fast, most of the fish caught will be on the smaller size simply because many more of the little guys are present compared to the larger ones. Keep that in mind and do not expect to catch a trophy.
The woolly bugger did this one in.
I arrive at the Kennebunk Plains WMA parking area at 5 pm, don my waders, grab my gear, and reach Cold Water Brook Pond by 5:30 pm. As expected, I have the place all to myself. The afternoon is sunny but cool (mid 60’s). I flipper off and use my 4-weight fly fishing rod and reel to cast out two generic dry flies tied to each other by 1 ft of fluorocarbon tippet. The first fly imitates a mosquito and the second one a small moth. I begin fishing on the other side of the pond, across from the beaver dam, where Cold Water Brook enters the pond. It is quite shallow (< 2 ft) and muddy in that general area. I cast to several rises and quickly catch a 5” juvenile. Mmm, I want something bigger. I pull away from these shallows and move back towards the beaver dam. I spend 45 minutes casting my flies about but see no rises nor do I get any hits. I need to change my game plan… I remove the two dry flies and tie on a small wooly bugger. I cast out the bugger, let it sink for 10 seconds, and slowly start the retrieve. That seems to be the ticket because I soon hook and land a surprisingly feisty and tenacious 10” brookie. The resident beaver is clearly unhappy with my presence because he swims circles around my float tube and constantly slaps his tail in the water. Sorry to intrude, buddy… I catch another two 10 inchers on the woolly bugger over the next hour or so, and miss several more. This is fun! It’s now 8 pm. The sun has sunk below the tree tops, and a late-evening hatch is occurring in the shallow back area. I observe dozens upon dozens of small brookies rising and jumping clear out of the water. I resist the urge to join the fray, but my wooly bugger has lost its appeal to the larger trout. I get off the water at 8:15 pm, fully satisfied with my experience this evening.
I never tire admiring these beautiful wild creatures…
The results: I caught 3 brookies (largest = 10”) in 2.5 hours of fun fly 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.
Copyright protected by Digiprove
You were my neighborhood. I’ve ridden my bike up there, but never fished it.
Stay tuned for another blog soon about a second “heritage pond” in the immediate vicinity of Cold Water Brook Pond. Who knew? In Kennebunk!!